Searchlight Pictures has roped in filmmaker Alexandre Aja to direct the upcoming horror feature, Elijah.

The French filmmaker has prior experience in the horror genre, having made films such as The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns, and, most recently, Crawl.

According to reports, the movie originated as a pitch from The Last Witch Hunter writer Cory Goodman, with Gregory Levasseur now working on the rewrites.

The story is about a young boy who invites a mysterious man into his home, believing the stranger to be the key to saving his sick mother. As increasingly disturbing things start to happen around his home, the boy soon realises that the sinister stranger is not the saviour he claims to be.

The project will be produced by David Goyer and Keith Levine of Phantom Four and Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment.