Filmmaker Christian Kang Bachini will direct a film adaptation of his successful indie novel Haunting Skies, which will reunite him with Emily Ashby, star and executive producer of a “Teela” viral short that also featured Bachini. Haunting Skies will also star filmmaker-actress Natasha Halevi, who has appeared in Superman and Peacemaker.

Haunting Skies has an irresistible high concept: Alien invaders have conquered Earth and are subjecting the few remaining humans for grotesque experiments. Then they make the mistake of abducting Elisa, a young girl possessed by Satan. Father Kang, the world’s last surviving exorcist, sees an opportunity to make a deal with the devil to unleash hell on the invaders.

The filmmakers promise “a frenetic mix of Giallo atmosphere and Evil Dead-style practical gore.”

Ashby has a prominent role as one of the physical forms the devil takes on in the film.

“You could almost think of it like the seven deadly sins. I’m Lust,” she told MovieMaker. “I’m going to be that version of the devil. So I’m going to be reincarnating and appearing throughout the film. There’s going to be a lot of action and crazy stuff.”

Several other intriguing castings will be announced soon. Additionally, composer Christopher Young (Sinister, Drag Me to Hell) will score the film, and filmmaker Heather Brittain has joined as a producer.

Ashby produced and starred in “Teela and the Masters of the Universe,” an indie short that imagined Teela as the focus of the Masters of the Universe realm. Bachini appeared in the film, served as stunt coordinator, and edited it with writer-director Jonathan Martin. It arrived years before this past summer’s action fantasy Masters of the Universe.

The film — a joyous spectacle of metal-infused action and fantasy — has been viewed more than 2.7 million times.

Ashby and Bachini met through FilmQuest, the beloved Provo, Utah genre fest founded by Martin, Ashby’s husband as well as creative partner. The festival screened Bachini’s last film, “Escalation,” and Halevi executive produced “Give Me an A,” an anthology of genre films about reproductive rights and bodily autonomy that also screened at FilmQuest.

Bachini independently published Haunting Skies in July, and a sequel is due next month. The book has been a top seller in Amazon’s occult and supernatural categories.

Main image: The cover of Haunting Skies Part 2: Holy Mother(ship) of God, by Christian Kang Bachini.