Ankle Snatcher Set for Film Adaptation as Ben Leonberg Boards Sony Horror
Grady Hendrix’s knack for turning everyday fears into something deeply unsettling is heading back to the big screen, as his short story Ankle Snatcher is being adapted into a feature film. According to Deadline, director Ben Leonberg has signed on to helm the project for Sony Pictures, with Leonberg also set to rewrite the screenplay alongside his Good Boy collaborator Alex Cannon.
Hendrix himself penned an earlier draft of the script and will remain closely involved as a producer. He is joined by Adam Goldworm for Aperture Entertainment, whose credits include The Last Witch Hunter and My Friend Dahmer, as well as Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Tony Shaw for Escape Artists, the company behind films like The Equalizer. It is a strong production lineup that suggests Sony sees real potential in the material.
While an official plot synopsis has not yet been released, the core premise of Ankle Snatcher is already enough to make you reconsider ever dangling a foot off the side of your bed again. The story follows Marcus, a man haunted by a deeply disturbing childhood memory. Growing up, he was told by his father that his mother had been killed by a creature lurking beneath the bed. The warning was simple and terrifying. Leave the lights on, or the boogeyman will get you.
Like any rational person, Marcus grows up assuming his father was responsible and that the “boogeyman” explanation was nothing more than a cover for something far more human and far more sinister. But the problem with childhood fears is that they do not always stay in childhood.
As an adult, Marcus invites his new girlfriend to stay over, and that is where things begin to unravel. What starts as a normal night slowly becomes something far more unsettling, as the line between inherited trauma and something genuinely supernatural begins to blur. The story thrives on that ambiguity, constantly asking whether Marcus is dealing with a real entity or simply following in the footsteps of a man he has spent his entire life trying not to become.
Originally published in 2023 as part of Amazon Original Stories’ Creature Feature collection, Ankle Snatcher is a compact but highly effective piece of horror storytelling. Hendrix builds tension through suggestion rather than spectacle, leaning heavily into the universal fear of what might be hiding just out of sight. It is the kind of story that does not rely on elaborate mythology or excessive exposition. Instead, it taps into something far more primal. The idea that something could be inches away from you in the dark, and you would never know until it is far too late.
That simplicity is exactly what makes the adaptation so intriguing. Translating a short story like this into a feature film requires careful expansion without losing the tight, suffocating atmosphere that made it effective in the first place. Leonberg’s involvement is an interesting choice in that regard. While Good Boy positioned him as a filmmaker comfortable with character-driven tension, this project will likely demand a careful balance between psychological horror and more traditional scares.
Hendrix, meanwhile, has quickly become one of the most in-demand horror authors working today. Known for blending humour, nostalgia, and genuine dread, his work has proven particularly appealing to studios looking for adaptable material. Ankle Snatcher joins a growing list of his stories currently in development, including Horrorstör at Searchlight, The Blanks at Netflix, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires at HBO, How to Sell a Haunted House at Legendary, and BadAsstronauts at Paramount. It is safe to say that Hendrix’s particular brand of horror is having a moment.
What sets Ankle Snatcher apart from many modern horror concepts is its refusal to overcomplicate things. There is no sprawling mythology, no elaborate rules, and no lengthy exposition explaining exactly how everything works. Instead, it leans into the fear of the unknown and lets the audience fill in the gaps, which is often far more effective than showing everything outright.
If the film can capture even a fraction of the short story’s creeping dread, it could end up being one of those deceptively simple horror films that lingers long after the credits roll. The kind that has you lying in bed later, suddenly very aware of how close your feet are to the edge.
