‘Beneath’ Horror Film Gets ’30 Days Of Night’ Director

Beneath, a horror film coming soon from Revolver Picture Company, has landed director Ben Ketai for a project that sounds a little like the offspring of Paranormal Activity and My Bloody Valentine.

Deadline reported on Monday that the plot would follow “a team of coal miners and an arrogant lawyer” — is there any other kind? — who are trapped in a collapsed mine. As the survivors fight their way to the surface, they realize they’re not alone.

Beyond that, we’re not sure if this is slasher, ghost, or monster territory. Given Ketai’s experience with the 30 Days of Night series, however, “monster” could be the likely choice.

While Ketai did not direct the original 30 Days of Night, he did direct 30 Days of Night: Dark Days in 2010 and the TV mini-series 30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust in 2008. He also penned the 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails mini-series in 2007. He will begin shooting in L.A. in May, Deadline added.

Ketai’s most recent project is Chosen now available on Crackle.

The film will continue to rely on the found footage horror concept, which took off with the Paranormal Activity series, but has since been in decline since the somewhat disappointing performance of Paranormal Activity 4.

The Last Exorcism II, recent sequel to the somewhat successful first entry that made use of this sub-genre, even abandoned the concept for a traditional narrative with its 2013 release.

As for the Beneath horror script, it was written on spec by Patrick J. Doody and Chris Valenziano and picked up by Revolver in late 2012.

Doody and Valenziano have worked together on the Scream Awards (2010 and 2011) as well as the comedy-horror TV series Ghostfacers.

Their most notable feature length project was 2003’s made-for-television film Bugs, which featured a swarm of giant insects loose in the city subways, so this isn’t the writing team’s first time to deal with subterranean horrors.

Here’s hoping for a bigger budget this time around. Bugs was a Syfy Channel original and released in the cable station’s infancy, which could account for the low ratings on IMDb.

Bugs was also under the guidance of a first-time director in Joseph Conti, who has since directed only one other film, the direct-to-video Army of the Dead in 2008.

Are you looking forward to what Ketai brings to the Beneath horror project? And do you think the film will revitalize found footage horror or get lost in the mix?