Blumhouse is developing a film titled “Our Lady of Tears,” based on a recently published Epic Magazine article by Daniel Hernandez called “The Haunting of Girlstown.”
Issa Lopez will write and direct the adaptation. The article told the story of a mass hysteria epidemic with supernatural roots at an all-girls Catholic boarding school in the outskirts of Mexico City in 2007. The boarding school recruited and isolated neglected girls from families living in extreme poverty.
Lopez gained recognition with her critically lauded “Tigers Are Not Afraid,” in which she told the story about children fighting for their survival in a harsh environment. The film has a 97% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The moment I read the Epic article, I knew I wanted to tell this story,” Lopez said in a statement. “I myself attended a Catholic school in Mexico City. I grew up on a steady diet of supernatural visitations and miracles, and of the real life horrors that young girls who grow up in poverty face every day in Mexico, and around the world. Having the chance to tell that story with Jason and his team, producers of such socially incisive genre classics like ‘Get Out,’ and of so many true horror gems, is a huge privilege. I couldn’t be more excited about this movie.”
Jason Blum, Blumhouse co-founder and CEO, added: “The Blumhouse team was enthralled by the original article and Daniel’s deep reporting around such a terrifying and heartbreaking story. Ever since I first watched ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid,’ I have wanted to find a project to collaborate on with Issa and I knew this was a perfect fit. I can’t wait for audiences to see her take on this material.”
Blum will produce alongside Epic’s Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector. Epic co-founder Joshuah Bearman will executive produce. Epic Media and Blumhouse will produce “Our Lady of Tears” together.
Epic Magazine was founded by Bearman and Davis in 2013, an outlet to publish extraordinary true stories. Since then, more than 40 articles have been optioned by Hollywood, including “Argo,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.