Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone, Sinister) and his filmmaker wife, Maggie Levin (Into the Dark-- My Valentine), are teaming up to adapt Clay McLeod Chapman's 2022 horror novel, Ghost Eaters.
Screen Gems is developing the project through Derrickson's production banner (Crooked Highway) in collaboration with C. Robert Cargill and Vince Cheng. Levin will write and direct the film. Cargill, a screenwriter and novelist, has written memorable horror films such as Sinister (2012) and a huge Marvel Studios hit, Doctor Strange (2016).
Ghost Eaters explores themes of grief and addiction through the story of a group of friends who come across a drug known as "Ghost." This drug enables users to see, hear, and communicate with the dead. However, the experience is not without its dangers, as those who take it encounter horrifying side effects, ultimately leading to irreversible changes in their lives. Like many of Chapman's novels, this story unfolds into a captivating symphony of horror that is truly one-of-a-kind.
Ghost Eaters has received several accolades and has been featured on multiple "best of" lists. It was recognized as one of Vulture's Best Horror Novels of 2022, included in Book Riot's best horror novels of 2022, and named one of CrimeRead's best horror fiction books of the same year. Chapman has also received nominations for his other novels, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes (2025), What Kind of Mother (2023), and Whisper Down the Lane (2021). Similar to Cargill, he also contributed to the Marvel Universe by writing comics for Edge of Spider-Verse, The Avengers, American Vampire, and more. Upcoming titles by Chapman include a short story collection, Acquired Taste (September 2025) and Shiny Happy People, a young adult horror/sci-fi novel (November 2025.)
Levin wrote and directed My Valentine, an episode of Hulu/Blumhouse horror anthology series Into the Dark. She also penned and directed a segment of V/H/S 99, which was acquired by Shudder in 2021. In addition, she has worked several times with her husband, Derrickson, including as a second unit director on the monster movie The Gorge on AppleTV+, as well as the 2021 movie The Black Phone and its upcoming sequel, which opens in theaters this October. Ghost Eaters will join other Chapman adaptations, such as the Netflix stop-motion film Wendell & Wild (2022) and the independent film The Boy (2015).