Chicago-based MPI Media Group has acquired all North American rights to Hammer Films thriller Wake Wood.

Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall and Ella Connolly star.

A theatrical release in spring 2011 is planned for the film, to be followed by DVD and VOD releases.

The plot follows a couple whose new neighbors in a remote rural community introduce them to a pagan ritual to attempt to bring back their dead daughter. The film was shot in Ireland.

The deal was done as Toronto kicked off, by MPI’s Greg Newman and Peter Naish of Exclusive Films International (sister company to Hammer).  

“A horror film that also stirs the heart is a rare combination, but Wake Wood is just that,” said Newman. “Writer-director David Keating, co-writer Brendan McCarthy and their great cast have created a special movie that transcends genre.”