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Heat Vision reports that Fede Alvarez, a Uraguayan filmmaker who created a YouTube hit with his low-budget sci-fi short, Panic Attack!, has signed a deal with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures to develop and direct an original genre project.  While Panic Attack! only cost several hundred dollars, his deal with Ghost House is reportedly in the six- against seven figure range (meaning that he's being paid $X00,000 and if the film gets made he gets a bonus amount which would bring his salary to $X,000,000).  The same day Alvarez posted his video, Hollywood came calling as they were impressed with what he was able to accomplish with such a low budget.

Alvarez' short is less than five minutes long and is about robots invading and attacking the city of Montevideo.  That's all that happens in the movie.  The robots invade and then they attack.  The end.  I do understand and congratulate what Alvarez on his success and his movie is technically impressive, but the story here isn't Alvarez.  It's the power of YouTube to create a calling card so fast and powerful that you can nab such an incredible deal.  The reason that's the story and not Alvarez is because I've seen far better YouTube short films and Ghost House seriously overpaid this guy which is ironic since the whole point of hiring him is for his low-budget chops.  I've included the video after the jump and while I think it just looks like something a Lil' Michael Bay would make, maybe you'll feel differently.