Motion Picture Exchange (MPX) has acquired world sales rights to U.S. indie horror film Swipe. It is directed by Sean Whalen. The film features a murderous family of sadistic mute women. The company will present the female-driven chiller to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Marché du Film.
Swipe centers on a young woman named Rina trying to save her brother Mike after a dating app hook-up leads to his abduction. Her search brings her to the isolated Doyle property, home to an elderly matriarch named Abigail and her three mute daughters: Marla, Willa, and Elsa.
Elaine Hendrix, Hana Mae Lee, and Dominique Columbus star alongside Whalen. The cast also includes Ray Santiago, Phillip Garcia, Bryan Fitzgerald, and Alex Rich. Finally, Rebekah Kennedy stars and also produces the film.
The screenplay is written by Mark Mardini. Swipe is produced by Whalen and partner Sheena Whalen for MSYL Productions, and Kennedy and Brandon Davis for Slight Entertainment. Chris Sergi (A Wounded Fawn) also produces.
Swipe is Whalen’s second feature as a director. His debut, Crust, is about a lonely laundromat owner who keeps leftover socks from customers. It is currently playing on major U.S. streaming platforms. The film has a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Known to horror fans for his role in Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, Whalen has steadily grown his presence behind the camera.
Creative Intent
Whalen has been open about the creative intent driving Swipe.
“so excited to give the world four sadistic women that are right up there with Michael Myers and Ghost Face”.
“tip the scales a little and give four iconic women characters that are just as terrifying as the murderous screen villains of all time.”
MPX president and co-founder Ryan Bury also weighed in on the acquisition. Bury said that in Swipe, Whalen “takes another confident step forward behind the camera, delivering a sharp and enthralling horror film with an unpredictable edge,” and praised the film’s villains as likely to become “Halloween and Con costumes for years to come.”
The film draws comparisons to Spider Baby, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Hills Have Eyes, but with a modern twist rooted in online dating culture. With Cannes approaching, all eyes are now on how international buyers respond to this female-led slasher.
