Los Angeles-basedinternational production and distribution company American World Pictures hasacquired worldwide rights to Satan's Little Helper, the first horror picture in more than 20 years bycult filmmaker Jeff Lieberman.

The Halloween-themed picturemade its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and centres on anaive child who becomes the unwitting apprentice of a masked psychopath.

Satan's Little Helper will screen at the AFM in Santa Monica andLieberman, whose cult credits include 1976 titles Squirm and Blue Sunshine, will also attend the market to promote it.

'Horror films havealways been a staple of filmed entertainment, but only a select few have whatit takes to become cult classics," American World Pictures chief executiveofficer Mark Lester, said in a statement.

"It takes a director asstylish and talented as Jeff Lieberman to make that happen."

The company also recentlyacquired the fantasy horror film The Picture Of Dorian Gray starring Josh Duhamel and will present it at AFMalong with a roster of titles that includes Intoxicating, My First Wedding,Shut Up And Kiss Me and WindowTheory.