Ghostface alumnus Skeet Ulrich is running a cult now

Skeet Ulrich has another horror villain on his hands. He and Neal McDonough have signed on for “Deify,” an indie psychological horror film from brothers Carmelo and Nicholas Chimera. Ulrich will play an enigmatic cult leader, while McDonough also stars. Production is set to take place in Chicago.

The story starts after the damage has already been done. A cult leader is put on trial after his followers are burned alive, which immediately moves “Deify” away from the usual creepy-compound setup and into the fallout.

Nicholas Chimera wrote the screenplay, with Carmelo and Nicholas directing together.

Ulrich walking back into darker territory is easy to get behind. Horror fans first met him as Billy Loomis in “Scream,” and that performance still works because Billy could switch from wounded boyfriend to absolute lunatic without much warning. A cult leader gives Ulrich another chance to play with charisma before the poison underneath it starts showing.

McDonough is a strong pairing for him too. Both actors know how to make a conversation threatening without needing someone waving a knife around every five minutes. For psychological horror built around belief, manipulation and a courtroom reckoning, that could get ugly fast.

There is no release date yet, and the film has not been shot, so anything beyond the announced cast, premise and Chicago production plans would be guesswork. Right now, “Deify” has two actors who know villainy very well and a premise nasty enough to earn a place on the watchlist.