Shudder has acquired Push, the new film written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell. The horror streaming platform previously acquired Charbonier’s and Powell’s thriller The Boy Behind the Door in 2021.
The two creators, who have been friends since childhood, were interviewed by 1428 Elm after The Boy Behind the Door came to Shudder. During the interview, we talked about that film and their other horror/thriller The Djinn, which premiered around the same time.
Both of their previous films placed focus on kids, and both starred Ezra Dewey. With Push, Charbonier and Powell step into the world of home invasion, telling the story of Natalie Flores, a realtor who is holding an open house at a huge property she is tasked with selling. Unfortunately, the home was the site of a grisly murder years earlier. Natalie, who is pregnant, is attacked by a killer during her open house, which puts her in premature labor. Obviously, her focus is escaping her captor before she gives birth.
Charbonier and Powell specialize in horror set in confined spaces; The Djinn was set in a small apartment, and in The Boy Behind the Door, the two boys are held captive in a house. With Push being set in a gigantic sprawling estate, they are expanding a bit, but Natalie will likely find small spaces to hide in.
Push stars Alicia Sanz (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) as Natalie, and Raul Castillo (Smile 2) as her attacker. Shudder’s Head of Programming Sam Zimmerman says of Push: “David and Justin continue to hone their spectacular skill for intimate, visceral suspense. After The Boy Behind the Door, we are thrilled to reteam with the dynamic duo on this frightening and surprising new spin on the home invasion genre.”
Push was produced by Ryan Scaringe (Eradicated, Detained), and executive producers are Jilbert Daniel, Amy Lippens, Del Charbonier, Alicia Sanz and Raul Castillo.
No firm date has been announced for the streaming premiere of Push as of yet, but the press release indicates it should debut “later this year.”
Push received very favorable reviews when it made its premiere at the Sitges Film Festival in October of 2024. Bloody Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro praised it for its “nail-biting tension and intense thrills” and appreciated the film’s use of suspense and storyline twists. Given the quality of both The Boy Behind the Door and The Djinn, I am placing Push firmly on my own must-see list for 2025.