New horror movie 'The Prodigy' had to be re-edited because test audiences screamed so much

It's long past Halloween now, which means that there's not as much scary stuff in our lives any more. Bad news for horror fans, who might still be in the mood for something creepy and spine-tingling, and will have to put up with Christmas cheer and holiday movies for the next month or so. 2018 was a damn good year for horror movies, all things considered. We were treated to the sequel to John Carpenter's original 1978 hit Halloween, and we also all squirmed in our seats watching Netflix's new show, The Haunting of Hill House.

But if you're a horror fan who's keen for more scares, then we have some good news for you. A new scary movie is currently in the pipeline, and apparently, the opening sequence was so spooky that test audiences actually managed to scream too loudly. Not only that, but they director had to actually re-edit it to make it less scary. Wow, you can't say that about The Exorcist.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Nicholas McCarthy stated: "The first time we previewed the movie, there is a section where people screamed so loud that we had to go back and re-edit the scene that followed it. Because people were still recovering from what they had just seen, and they were missing the dialogue."

He added: "For the first half, I was thinking, 'Wow, this is a really interesting, and creepy, and twisted variation on the evil kid subgenre. But then the script just went to this place that I couldn't believe. That's what made me go from, 'Here's a movie I think might be cool' to, 'Here's a movie that's gotta be made.'"

The movie will star Orange is the New Black actress Taylor Schilling as Sarah, and It actor Jackson Robert Scott. Other cast members apparently include Colm Feore, Peter Mooney, Olunike Adeliyi, and Brittany Allen. The screenwriter is Jeff Buhler, who also wrote the script for the latest adaptation of Stephen King's classic gothic horror novel Pet Semetary.

The movie's official synopsis states: "Taylor Schilling stars in The Prodigy as Sarah, a mother whose young son Miles’ disturbing behaviour signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has overtaken him. Fearing for her family’s safety, Sarah must grapple with her maternal instinct to love and protect Miles in favour of investigating what – or who – is causing his dark turn. She is forced to look for answers in the past, taking the audience on a wild ride; one where the line between perception and reality remains blurry."

Unfortunately, the film isn't set to be released until February 2019, so you might have a while to wait before it's ready to be shown in theatres. In the meantime, why not check out this article we penned all about the 10 subtle details that you probably missed when watching The Haunting of Hill House for the first time?