'Testaments' Star Chase Infiniti Heads Into Religious Horror With Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele Producing

Some of the most talked-about horror movies begin small. Dylan Clark’s 2022 short film ‘Portrait of God’ is a seven-minute story shot in a dark studio over five days with a single character. It has since collected 8.6 million views on YouTube and caught Hollywood’s attention.

The premise is simple and unsettling. A religious young woman prepares a presentation about a painting called ‘Portrait of God‘, which appears blank to some viewers while others see the face of God in its darkness. Clark came up by posting horror shorts to YouTube that racked up millions of views, and this one became his calling card.

The feature version now has its star. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Chase Infiniti will star in the new religious horror film ‘Portrait of God’ from director Dylan Clark. Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele will produce, and the post notes it is their first time working together.

The project has a new home as well. Lionsgate has acquired it and greenlit the feature for production, according to Deadline. It was previously at Universal, which acquired Clark’s spec in a competitive situation in December 2025 before quietly letting it go earlier this year.

For Infiniti, the role is her first film since breaking out with ‘One Battle After Another’, the Best Picture winner. She earned nominations at the Actor Awards, the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs for her work opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film. She is also a Golden Globe and Emmy nominee, with ‘The Testaments’ among her credits.

The producing lineup is a big part of the appeal. Raimi and Rob Tapert are producing through Ghost House, while Peele and Win Rosenfeld are producing through Monkeypaw Productions. Their collaboration is a first for two of the biggest names in horror.

The project also continues Raimi’s relationship with Lionsgate, which is backing ‘Magic’, the next movie he will direct. Clark co-wrote the script with Joe Russo, who wrote ‘The Inheritance’. The studio is keeping the plot under wraps, though sources describe it as a new twist on religious horror.

Clark’s own trajectory has been fast. His feature directorial debut will be the reboot of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ for Lionsgate and Blumhouse Atomic Monster, which means ‘Portrait of God’ will follow that project. Lionsgate has called him one of the most exciting emerging voices in horror and said the project has an exceptional creative team.

The idea behind the short came from an unexpected place. While developing it, Clark was taking a religious studies course focused on Islam, where discussions about idolatry and the prohibition against depicting God lingered in his mind. Those ideas merged with his love of religious horror.

Clark told Metroland Now that “I’m not a very religious person,” and that he has always looked at religion from the outside. That outsider’s perspective may be what gives the story its openness, which is a useful quality for a film about a question that has no easy answer.

The short’s reputation also helps. Letterboxd users have rated it highly, and fans have been calling for Clark to be handed a feature budget for years. Now he has one, along with a rising star and two of the genre’s most influential producers.

There is still plenty we don’t know, including a release date and the rest of the cast. For now, the combination of Infiniti, Raimi, Peele and Clark is enough to make ‘Portrait of God’ one of the more intriguing horror projects in development.