Private Project

Stalkers

When a former porn star returns to her quaint hometown to raise the now teenage daughter she gave up for adoption, their fragile reunion is shattered by stalkers, secrets, and a string of murders — turning a hopeful second chance into a harrowing fight for survival in a story with a dark twist on a Hallmark story.

  • Paul Thompson
    Director
    Quarantine (Short)
  • Luke Sneyd
    Writer
    Quarantine (Short)
  • Maryna Gaidar
    Writer
  • Mitchell Roberts
    Producer
  • Vincent Shiu
    Producer
  • William H. King
    Producer
  • Olivia Stadler
    Key Cast
    "Kate"
    Letterkenny (TV), Roast Battle Canada (TV)
  • Scarlett DiCaro
    Key Cast
    "Charlotte"
  • Allisha Pelletier
    Key Cast
    "Justine"
    Stoney Lonesome (TV), Two Brothers (TV), The H Word (TV)
  • Hannah Mae Beatty
    Key Cast
    "Aubrey"
  • Sam Wexler
    Key Cast
    "Corey"
  • Abbas Wahab
    Key Cast
    "Mike"
    Star Trek: SNW, What We Do in the Shadows (TV)
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    thriller, horror, drama, slasher
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 47 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 10, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    300,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa Mini, DJI Ronin 4D
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.00:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Toronto International Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 7, 2024
    Market Screening
  • Toronto Independent Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 10, 2024
    World Premiere
    Best Feature Thriller
  • Chicago Horror Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    September 29, 2024
    U.S. Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tucson Terrorfest Film Festival
    Tucson, AZ
    United States
    October 27, 2024
    Southwest USA Premiere
    Best Actress: Olivia Stadler
  • Montreal Independent Film Festival
    Montreal, PQ
    Canada
    Best Canadian Indie
  • LA Indie Horror Society
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Honorable Mention
  • 2024 Hallucinea Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    Best Script
  • 2024 Hallucinea Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    Best Thriller
  • Bloody Hats Film Festival
    Stuttgart
    Germany
    November 28, 2024
    European Premiere
    Best Director
  • Boston Indie Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    November 29, 2024
    Best Narrative Feature
  • California Indies
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    December 3, 2024
    Best Narrative Feature
  • The Thing in the Basement Horror Fest
    Seattle, WA
    United States
    December 20, 2024
    Best Feature
  • The Flight Deck Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    January 31, 2025
    Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Feature
  • The North Film Festival NYC
    New York, NY
    United States
    February 27, 2025
    "Carpenter's Curse" selection. Participant in Directors Panel
  • Panic Fest (Online Component)
    Kansas City, MO
    United States
    March 27, 2025
  • Los Angeles City of Stars Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    July 13, 2025
    Award Winner
  • The Dunwich Horror Fest

    United States
    April 30, 2025
    Best Feature Film
  • The Canadian Independent Film Festival
    Montreal, QC
    Canada
    May 23, 2025
  • Niagara Independent Film Fetsival
    Niagara Falls, ON
    Canada
    June 7, 2025
    Best Actress, Best Thriller
  • Clown International Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    June 7, 2025
    Best Original Score,Best Actress,Best Cinematography,Best Thriller
  • Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival
    Pittsburgh, PA
    United States
    June 21, 2025
  • Roma Short Film Festival
    Rome
    Italy
    June 5, 2025
    Best Horror
  • Northern Horror Fesr
    Bergen, NJ
    United States
    July 18, 2025
    Best Actress: Olivia Stadler
  • DarknessCon Film Festival
    Boise, ID
    United States
    July 13, 2025
  • Rome Perspective Fest (2025)
    Rome
    Italy
    Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Editing
  • Motor City Nightmares
    Detroit, MI
    United States
    July 27, 2025
Distribution Information
  • Cut Entertainment Group - Jeff Cooper
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Paul Thompson

Since completing his MA under David Bordwell at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000, Paul Thompson has primarily focused on his career as a video tech in Toronto's busy film industry. Starting out of the gate on films such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch (dir. John Cameron Mitchell) and Bride of Chucky (dir. Ronny Yu), Paul established himself as one of the leading Video Assist operators in Canada. In addition to providing playback servcie to directors such as David Ayer, Jonathan Frakes, and Chris Columbus, Paul's lasting achievement might be in his role as Guillermo Del Toro's key playback tech, working on all of Del Toro's live action films since Pacific Rim, including providing on-set editing for the entirety of the films The Shape of Water (2017), Nightmare Alley (2021), and most recently Frankestein (2025).
In his spare time, Paul has directed several short films and music videos, including "Quarantine" (2004), and "Let's Be Friends" for Toronto underground hip-hop artist Infinite. Paul’s pilot script for the zombie television series “Grave New World,” co-written with Luke Sneyd, won first place in the Page International Screenwriting Awards contest in 2006, as well as prizes from the Slamdance Teleplay Contest and the Cloud Creek People's Pilot Competition.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Stalkers began as a teaser in a film "accelerator" competition in 2013, and sat idle for years, always something I'd hoped to come back to and bring to screen. The pandemic really served as a motivator - life is short, so make your feature - and by end of 2021 we were casting and scheduling. Filming was no walk in the park due to COVID disruptions, a cast off-set injury requiring multiple surgeries, and just the sheer challenge of trying to keep a film on schedule when everyone involved also need to work to keep a roof over our heads. Our first day of shooting was Feb 28th 2022 and our last day was March 2nd 2024. We're finally at the end of a long journey and I'm grateful to share the result with viewers.