Cineverse Turns Trevor Henderson's 'Mayfair Watchers Society' Podcast Into Film

Cineverse will adapt Trevor Henderson's horror podcast "Mayfair Watchers Society" into a feature film, the genre studio behind "Terrifier 3" announced in a deal Variety revealed exclusively. Henderson, the creator of viral monsters Siren Head and Cartoon Cat, will produce the film and join its writing team.

The podcast launched in 2022 on Cineverse's Bloody FM network. The official description presents it as "a collection of found tapes and audio accounts, each episode focusing on different residents encountering Henderson's iconic style of monsters." The film keeps that structure: a found footage anthology (a horror format shot as if the footage were discovered, not staged) that follows separate stories and creatures from the show.

The lineup of monsters making the jump includes "The Needle," "Creekman," "Owls with Teeth," "Mr. Bag," "Anxious Dogs," "Scissors" and "The Clatter."

What does this change for Henderson's monsters?

Quite a lot, actually. Henderson has become one of the big winners in Hollywood's scramble for digitally native IP — properties born online rather than in books or comics. That scramble was spurred by A24's "Backrooms," a $400 million hit built from a internet-born creepypasta concept.

Under that pressure, rights to Henderson's Siren Head — a mysterious urban predator disguised as a towering siren post — went to Warner Bros. after a competitive bidding war. Director Brian Duffield and screenwriter Zach Cregger are now developing it for the big screen. Weeks later, TriStar Pictures picked up the rights to Cartoon Cat for its own feature adaptation.

"Mayfair Watchers Society" gives Cineverse something its competitors don't have: direct access to Henderson himself, both as producer and writer. That's a contrast with the Siren Head and Cartoon Cat deals, where the studio relationship sits with the rights holders rather than the creator's day-to-day involvement.

Henderson framed the partnership in terms of creative control. "The Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting teams have been great partners on the podcast, and I've long been impressed with the film side of the company, and its indie philosophy," he said. "I look forward to being very hands-on with adapting the podcast into a feature, and look forward to working closely with them as we develop the film, select the directing and writing teams, and get closer to bringing this to fans."

Who is Cineverse, and why does it matter here?

Cineverse is a genre specialist, not a major. Its recent slate includes "Terrifier 3," the "Toxic Avenger" remake and "Silent Night, Deadly Night." Earlier this month, on Oct. 8, it also handled the 20th anniversary theatrical presentation of Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth."

That indie profile fits Henderson's stated preference for the company's "indie philosophy." It also fits the material: found footage is a low-budget format, and anthology structures let a studio spread risk across multiple short stories instead of one long narrative.

Henderson is represented by Verve, Redshift and Marios Rush. The deal was negotiated by Macias and Cineverse VP Creative Development and Filmmaker Relations Steven Peros.

No director, screenwriter beyond Henderson, release date or cast has been announced. Henderson's own statement points to the next steps: selecting the directing and writing teams as the project moves toward production.