Osgood Perkins Signs With NEON: What’s Next for a Filmmaker Who’s Anything But Conventional?

When Osgood Perkins made his directorial debut with The Blackcoat’s Daughter, he invited audiences into a world that wasn’t interested in explaining itself. The chilling, atmospheric horror film turned heads not with its jump scares but with its unsettling silence and deliberate pacing. His follow-up, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, continued to haunt, lingering long after the credits rolled. So, it should come as little surprise that Perkins is now teaming up with one of the most daring film distributors in the business: NEON. But what does this mean for a filmmaker whose approach to storytelling has always been as unconventional as his plots?

At first glance, the NEON deal seems like a perfect match. Known for backing films that refuse to play by the rules—Parasite, Titane, The Worst Person in the World—NEON thrives on the edge, championing filmmakers who aren’t afraid to take risks. But Perkins? He’s not just any risk-taker. He’s a filmmaker whose ideas aren’t just out of the box; they exist in a space that no one else can even see. And that’s where the mystery lies: What will happen when Perkins is given carte blanche with one of the most exciting platforms in indie cinema?

The Genre-Bending Auteur’s Next Chapter

If there’s one thing that’s certain about Perkins, it’s that he doesn’t make typical films. His work doesn’t merely flirt with genre; it dissects it, leaving the audience with more questions than answers. His films ask what if in ways that unsettle and intrigue. So why is this partnership with NEON significant? Because Perkins has always hovered in the space between genres, creating films that blur the lines of horror, thriller, and psychological drama.

With NEON’s support, will Perkins expand further into the world of cerebral, genre-defying narratives? Or could we see him venture into new territory entirely? His cinematic style is steeped in atmosphere and dread, but there’s a certain fluidity to his vision. The Blackcoat’s Daughter was part horror, part psychological drama, and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House seemed almost like a ghost story wrapped in a mystery. Could Perkins, now with a platform that understands his art, deliver something even more mind-bending?

More Than Just Horror: The Unseen World of Perkins

What makes Perkins such a compelling figure is his ability to make his audience feel unsettled without the usual tropes of mainstream horror. His films play on deep, emotional terror, relying not on violence or shocks, but on a pervasive sense of wrongness. There’s an inherent stillness in his work, a quiet horror that worms its way into your thoughts days later.

It’s the kind of filmmaking that’s difficult to classify—horror, psychological thriller, art film—and in that ambiguity, Perkins thrives. As he enters into this first-look deal, one can’t help but wonder: what other kinds of stories will he want to tell? With NEON, a distributor that has proved it’s willing to embrace the avant-garde, Perkins could have the freedom to experiment in ways that push the boundaries of not just genre, but also the form of cinema itself.

For a filmmaker who’s been slowly building a body of work that’s more abstract than most, it’s easy to see how a partnership with NEON could unlock an entirely new realm of possibilities. But therein lies the real question: will Perkins deliver what’s expected of him, or will he surprise us again—tearing up the rulebook with every turn?

There’s a strange beauty in the unknown, and Osgood Perkins has built his career on making us feel that beauty in ways we never quite expected. As he steps into his new collaboration with NEON, one thing is certain: he’s not walking into the future; he’s creating it.