Universal has won the bidding war for the spec for the upcoming thriller ‘Grim Night,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter. ‘The Strangers’ director Bryan Bertino and his partner Adrienne Biddle are slated to produce the film under their Unbroken Pictures shingle. Universal’s Marc Platt will also produce ‘Grim Night,’ which was written by Brandon Besternheider and Allen Bey, who made their first sale.

Besternheider and Bey, who work at a post-production house, helped move the bidding along by creating a teaser trailer for the spec. The trailer was leaked by their Verve reps before the release of Universal’s hit prequel, ‘Paranormal Activity 3.’ The writers and producers decided to release the ‘Grim Night’ trailer in conjunction with the release of ‘Paranormal Activity 3,’ which is the highest grossing October release in the U.S.

The ‘Grim Night’ trailer was also released before the auction began, which drew interest from six other outlets besides Universal. The movie studio won the auction with a high-six figure range.

‘Grim Night’ chronicles the one night a year where people lock themselves in their homes to fight off the random attacks by Grim Reapers. No one knows why the strange creatures attack Earth, target different places and kill thousands. The story focuses on a small town America family that gets attacked and has to defend itself.

Written by: Karen Benardello