NEW YORK – Stonecutter Media announced the North American release of the mystery thriller ‘Lyvia’s House,’ a film inspired by the real-life murders committed in northern California by Juan Corona in 1971, from director/composer Niko Volonakis and writer/producer Patricia V. Davis, author of the beloved Secret Spice Café book series. Stonecutter Media will release the film exclusively on Vudu/Fandango at Home and local cable and satellite providers on October 1, with additional platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play to follow October 15.

“Stonecutter Media is proud to partner with bestselling author Patricia V. Davis to bring her first feature film to North American audiences,” said Steve Karel. “Lyvia’s House showcases her talent to pen compelling, nuanced characters caught up in a thrilling mystery. The film is a welcome addition to our expansive library of genre titles.”

Lyvia’s House has several Greek connections, including a Greek director, Niko Volonakis who was born in Queens, NY, and raised in Athens, Greece; one of the producers, Nicholas Levis of BrandCinema, attended St. Demetrios High School in Astoria; and the lead actor, Joshua Malekos, is also of Greek descent.

Inspired by true events, Lyvia’s House follows young journalist Tara, who recently moved with her new lover into the former home of infamous Italian artist, Lyvia, who mysteriously vanished months earlier. The locals talk of the lovely, reclusive Lyvia, but are dismissive when pressed. Tara soon begins to wonder if Lyvia’s disappearance is somehow connected to murders that took place in the area twenty years earlier.

As Tara begins investigating the mystery surrounding Lyvia, she starts seeing and hearing things that seem more and more irrational, and begins to doubt her own sanity. But is she truly experiencing a dissolving sense of reality, or is she simply unaware of an all too real threat following close behind, one with an even darker purpose than she could have imagined?

“Lyvia’s House is a tale of mystery and suspense, inspired by true-life, heinous murders, juxtaposed by my love of one tiny, rural town where those murders took place”, said Davis. “It was the hard work and talent of our actors and production staff, and the continuous encouragement of our sponsors that brought the film from the page to the screen. We’re indebted to all who lent their talent to creating this film, and we look forward to sharing it with audiences.”

Starring Tara Nichol Caldwell and Joshua Malekos (Into the Wild Frontier, Twisted), Lyvia’s House held a successful festival run, with screenings at Toronto International Women Film Festival where the film took home Best Female Scriptwriter, Nevada Women’s Film Festival, and HorrorFest International.

“Lyvia’s House was a creative passion for the filmmakers. The story is rich and layered, and the film stands on its own. For that reason, it’s truly an honor to help bring this to audiences,” said Levis.

Volonakis and Malekos spoke with The National Herald about their Greek roots in a previous interview. Volonakis’ father is a Greek national whose family is from the island of Rhodes. Though Niko was born in New York, he immigrated to Greece at age seven, when his father relocated his family there. Since 2002, Volonakis has divided his time between Athens and northern California, where he participated in the Modern Greek Studies program at San Francisco State, studied film at City College in San Francisco, and embarked upon his indie film career. Malekos, whose roots are in Crete, told TNH that the story of Lyvia’s House has elements of Greek tragedy and he played his character, Johnny Beers, as a tragic hero.

The trailer for Lyvia’s House is available online:  https://shorturl.at/CJ9uW .