Krysten Ritter, star of Jessica Jones, will direct four episodes of the upcoming Peacock’s horror series Girl in the Woods. As Deadline reports, the show will adapt two original short films previously released by Crypt TV, which revolve around a creature trapped by a mystical door in the woods.
Crypt TV was founded in 2015 by Jack Davis and Eli Roth to develop, produce, and distributing horror-themed digital content. Having Blumhouse Productions as an investor, Crypt TV developed a shared universe of horror stories and monsters, getting a lot of attention on YouTube and Facebook for its short films and series, which includes the hit The Birch. The upcoming Peacock series, though, is the biggest deal for the company yet, adapting the two short films featuring the evil creature known as The Brute.
The first of these shorts, The Door in the Woods, launched in 2018. Written and directed by Joey Greene, it follows a group of kids that unintentionally release The Brute (Eric Prochnau), previously trapped inside a mystical door in the woods. The creature goes on a killing spree until it gets locked up again.
The sequel short film, The Girl in The Woods, was written by David Calbert and Van Nguyen, while Roxine Helberg directed. Released in 2020 and set seven years after the first film, The Girl in the Woods follows Carrie, a survivor of The Brute’s attack, who comes back to the door in the woods to kill the monster. Carrie fails in her mission and The Brute escapes, which means a third part of the story could be released by Crypt TV.
Peacock’s original series will not use the same casting as the shorts, but no new cast name was confirmed. With eight episodes ordered by the streaming channel, it’s also expected the series will expand on the short films’ mythology. Ritter, who made her directorial debut during the third season of Jessica Jones, will direct the four first episodes of Girl in the Woods, including its pilot. Jacob Chase (Come Play) is set to direct the remaining episodes.
Ritter says she’s excited to helm a “badass female-driven monster hunting series”, and that she loves both the original short films and the script for the upcoming series. In Ritter’s words: “As a huge fan of horror and all things coming of age, this is one of the most exciting pilot scripts I’ve gotten my hands on. I fell in love with the characters, the writing, the setting, and the themes the second I read it.”
There’s still no information about when Girl in the Woods is expected to release, but while we wait for news on the show’s development, you can check Crypt TV’s original short films below.