'Don’t Let Them Out' Secures Buffalo 8 Distribution Ahead of Limited Theatrical Release

Buffalo 8 will release Lila McLaughlin’s psychological horror thriller 'Don’t Let Them Out' in select theaters beginning Aug. 14.

by

Jen Bailey (assistant to Producers at YWP)

July 31, 2026
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Buffalo 8 has acquired North American distribution rights to writer-director Lila McLaughlin’s psychological horror thriller 'Don’t Let Them Out.'

The film opens in select theaters Aug. 14 and will continue its limited rollout through September in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Austin and New Jersey, with additional cities expected. A digital release is planned later this year.

'Don’t Let Them Out' stars Bonnie Root, Louis Ferreira and Emily Rios. It follows a woman who travels to a desert property she has inherited, hoping to sell it and pay down her debts, before an escalating scavenger hunt pulls her into a dangerous mystery.

The film is McLaughlin’s feature directorial debut. She also produced the project with Root. Before its theatrical release, the film won Best Feature awards from the Arizona International Film Festival, LA Femme International Film Festival and Dark Matter Film Festival.

“I’m excited and thankful to Buffalo 8 for helping to bring 'Don’t Let Them Out' to audiences,” McLaughlin said. “I wanted to make the kind of psychological horror-thriller that finds its scares in the relatable anxieties and fears many of us share.”

The film previously screened at Cinequest Film Festival and Soho International Film Festival.