Following the significant box office success of the viral internet horror film Backrooms, Hollywood is continuing to explore adaptations of online creepypastas. Zach Cregger, known for Weapons and the recent Resident Evil adaptation, and Brian Duffield, director of Whalefall and No One Will Save You, are attached to write and potentially direct a film based on the internet horror phenomenon Siren Head. The project, acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures after a competitive bidding war, draws from the creature designed by Trevor Henderson.
Siren Head, a tall, thin, skeletal entity with sirens for a head, originated as a cryptid drawing by Henderson before gaining widespread popularity through fan-created animations and lore. The success of Backrooms, which grossed over $400 million worldwide from a $10 million budget, has fueled Hollywood's interest in similar internet-born horror properties.
At New York Comic Con, where Duffield was promoting his upcoming film Whalefall, he provided a status update on the Siren Head project. He acknowledged that both he and Cregger have been occupied with their own respective press tours and projects, including Cregger's work on The Flood starring Jennifer Lawrence. Duffield indicated that he and Cregger need to reconnect to move forward.
"I owe Zach Cregger a phone call because I've been so busy with press, and then he was on the Resident Evil press tour," Duffield told Polygon. "It's something that we've got to get into. I'm really excited. It was something that he brought to me a couple of months ago, and it's been really fun to get to know Trevor Henderson, the creator of Siren Head, in that time."
Duffield elaborated on their collaborative process, which involves consulting Henderson for creative input. "It's been really fun asking him questions like, 'Can Siren Head do this?' 'Can it not do this?' and getting answers, and feeding him the ideas that Zach and I are coming up with and seeing him get really excited." He also teased that Cregger's concept for the film is unexpected but has generated enthusiasm from Henderson. Duffield expressed eagerness to fully immerse himself in the project once his current promotional commitments conclude.