Netflix has reportedly struck a 7-figure deal for the rights to Matt Query short story “My Wife and I Bought A Ranch,” as well as scripting fees to bring on the author’s brother, Harrison Query, to write the script. Notably, the story was originally published on social media site Reddit, where it debuted in six parts.
The original story features war-veteran Harry and his wife Sasha, who manage to get a good deal on a ranch in Idaho, only to discover that their new dream home is haunted by sinister spirits. In order to protect themselves when the spirit appears at the beginning of each season, they must follow very specific rituals to keep it at bay. The fight between Harry and the spirit continues with every ritual, and things get increasingly tense, and personal, as the story escalates.
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Originally, the story was posted to Reddit on the r/NoSleep subreddit page. The r/NoSleep community is dedicated to posting scary and unsettling stories that might make it hard to rest easy at night, hence the name “No Sleep.” The community encourages authors to post their original horror stories, and requires that all stories be posted as though they are real and actually being written by the person who experienced the events. Commenters, likewise, are required to respond as if the contents of each story are true, and anyone who doesn’t play along risks getting banned for spoiling the fun.
The first part of Query’s story, published about 5 months ago, was a big hit in the community, being upvoted by over 3,000 readers, pushing it to the front page and receiving several “Reddit Awards” from community members. Query continued updating the story over the next few weeks, eventually bringing the story up to five parts, all of which were received favorably by the subreddit.
Production will be helmed by Scott Glassgold and his company Ground Control Entertainment, with talks of bringing on board 21 Laps, which helped produce Netflix’s original hit seriesStranger Things. This isn’t the first deal struck with Glassgold and the Query family, who also sold last year’sThree Musketeersto Netflix. While details about the project are most likely still in early phases, it seems audiences have another spooky film to look forward to in their futures, so long asNetflix preforms the ritual correctly, that is.
