Just yesterday I contacted director Mel House to find out if Katie Featherston from Paranormal Activity was having any impact on his film Walking Distance, and it turns out she did. Showcase Entertainment has acquired the international rights to the film that has now been retitled Experimental Activity, a very obvious cash-in attempt on Paranormal Activity’s success.

Showcase president David Jackson said, “clearly having the fastest-rising star in the business is a feather in the cap, but we feel the film stands on its own as a cool psychological thriller.”

House shot Walking Distance before Activity became a huge hit, making it impossible for him to know how important casting Featherston would eventually be. Like many small horror directors House was originally relying on genre vets like Adrienne King, Reggie Bannister, and Debbie Rochon to help sell the film.

Congratulations to Mel for catching a break, and hopefully he won’t be the one who ends Katie Featherston’s acting career.

UPDATE: Producer/star James LaMarr issued a press statement clearing up the name change confusion:

“Our title is still Walking Distance. The alternate title that Showcase came up with after they acquired the international rights over the weekend applies to the foreign market only. They felt they needed a catchier title for that market, and we gave them permission to change it. We sent them several alternate suggestions, but they ultimately chose their own. We are excited to have Showcase represent our film abroad – they have decades of experience and even more, they are excited about all aspects of the project. We look to them as the experts and trust them to make the decisions that best position our film for success.”

“Domestically we are still Walking Distance and are very happy with that title and artwork. We look forward to making a domestic deal soon and our sales representative (Circus Road Films) is actively exploring that now.”