“Sound of Silence,” a gothic horror film telling the true story of a mass-murdering nun in Greece, is currently shooting on location per Variety.
The film, produced by Playtime, marks the second feature of Joyce A. Nashawati following her acclaimed debut film “Blind Sun” that played at Toronto and Sitges.
Rising actors Millie Brady (“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning”) and Elsa Lekakou (“Killerwood”) are leading the cast. It will mainly shoot in English with some Greek dialogue.
Set in Greece, “Sound of Silence” is inspired by the story of Abbess Mariam Soulakioti, believed to be the 20th century’s most prolific female mass murderer.
“‘Sound of Silence’ is one of those scripts that sends you chills down the spine, and as you turn the pages, you think to yourself, ‘I can’t believe this actually happened!’ For genre fans, this will be a must-see around the world,” said Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, Playtime’s co-CEO.
The nun turned mass-murderer: Abbess Mariam Soulakioti
Mariam Soulakioti (born Martha) was the Abbess (Mother Superior) of the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior in the village of Klisoura, located near Kalavryta in the Peloponnese.
She became infamously known as the “Black Nun” due to the dark nature of the crimes she committed between the 1930s and the early 1950s.
She was accused of using her position and her reputation for having prophetic or healing powers to attract wealthy individuals (often widows or elderly people) to donate their fortunes and land to the monastery, with the promise of protection or spiritual guidance.
Once the assets were transferred to the monastery’s name, she was accused of systematically murdering many of these benefactors and others who posed a threat or discovered her scheme. The number of alleged victims varies, but estimates often range from 150 to over 170.
Through these actions, the monastery reportedly acquired immense wealth, including significant real estate and large sums of money.
Soulakioti was arrested and faced a highly publicized trial. She was charged with multiple crimes. She was convicted and sentenced multiple times, including several life sentences for her crimes. She died in 1954 in the prison hospital of Korydallos, while serving her sentence.
