Winona Ryder is bringing crazy back to the theater in indie-writer/director Jay Anania’s recently announced psychological thriller The Stare. The film stars Ryder as a playwright haunted by strange dreams and a sensation that she’s being watched and plotted against while attempting to launch her new production.

The Stare, which goes into production on May 6 in New York, costars Oscar nominee James Franco (127 Hours) as an actor performing in Ryder’s play. Franco also serves as producer on the Waterstone-produced project.

Ryder is coming off director Darren Aronofsky’s critically acclaimed psych-thriller Black Swan. Her genre creds include such notable films as Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien: Resurrection, Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula.