Santa’s watching, Santa’s Waiting
Christmas Eve is slowly fading
Can you hear him in the night?
Close the door, turn off the light
Welcome to the Spill your guts Christmas Special!
In this episode we are taking the deepest of dives into two iconic Christmas horror classics, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" 1 & 2.
Joining me in this episode as my co-host is the esteemed Mr. Justin Beahm, as we explore the making-of and the legacy of these two holiday horror mainstays. I also sat down for in-depth one on one discussions with the stars of the two films, Robert Brain Wilson ("Billy") of "Silent Night, Deadly Night" and Eric Freeman ("Ricky") who starred in its sequel.
This is a particularly lengthy episode as we wanted to dig deep into why these two films have had such staying power and resonance since the first film was made 40 years go.
Also, we will be taking a bit of a hiatus for the month of January to put the gears in motion for the remaining episodes of season 4 but I promise you, it will be worth the wait!
I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas but sure hope you haven’t been naughty.
Now, sit back by the Christmas tree with a cup of cocoa and keep your axe handy as we look back at "Silent Night Deadly Night" 1 and 2!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In this episode we will be kicking off the first of two episodes celebrating Santa and the darkest evening of the year. This episode looking at the kick ass remake of a beloved Christmas horror classic and our next episode being our Christmas special where we have something very special under the tree for you. But I mustn’t say more than that right now.
On to the show!
My guest today makes lean, mean, kick ass horror films that get your blood pumping almost as much as it does on screen. His films often lean into the action side of the genre and are a ride from the the get-go. He’s one of the best in the business for staging a great set piece and his ability to move between action beats and scares works every time.
His new film “Werewolves” is in theatres now and I freakin’ love this movie. It has everything… werewolves, Lou Diamond Phillips, a child in danger, bodies ripped in half, shirtless Frank Grillo (I just turned into Stefan from SNL). Go see it! “Werewolves”… tell your friends!
Today we are joined by the unstoppable Steven C. Miller!
Steven and I get our jolly on by first discussing his loose remake of “Silent Night, Deadly Night” which was was just called “Silent Night”. A very different film than the beloved 1984 classic, it’s a balls to the wall killer Santa flick and we talk about how it all came together.
We also discuss how “Werewolves” came to be, how Frank Grillo is just as on point in intimate character scenes as he is at killing the fuck out of werewolves and how to walk the line of scares and action without leaning too much into one or the other.
So let’s sharpen our candy canes and howl at the super moon with director Steven C. Miller!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Apologies we’ve been out of commission for a couple weeks. Along with the cheer and merriment of the season comes flues, colds and coughs and basically our whole team was bed bound for a bit. If I still sound a bit scratchy, well hopefully it just adds to the shows creepy vibe. And having your voice drop an octave sounds good anyway right?
Well let’s get right into it shall we?
Our guest in this episode is one of the great visionary directors currently working in horror. His work bares the signature of a director who is not only a master of his craft but also someone has has never lost touch with an almost childlike sense of imagination, as he often explores the dark side of folklore and fantasy. Similar to a filmmaker like Guillermo del Toro (so it’s no surprise they have collaborated), his marriage of the fantastic and the macabre gives him a distinctive style.
With his first true feature, the modern classic “Troll Hunter”, he came out guns-a-blazing and hasn’t let up since.
In this episode we are joined by the virtuosic director Andre Ovredal.
Andre and I sat down to talk about why he chose to follow up the decidedly lighter in tone hit “Troll Hunter”, with the disturbing and almost chamber play like (not to mentioning absolutely terrifying) “The Autopsy of Jane Doe”. The challenges of adapting a beloved book like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” for the screen and why a very brief section of the legendary Bram Stoker’s Dracula about the “Last voyage of the Demeter” was a story that HAD to be told on film.
Let’s visit the world of the strange and the fantastic with director Andre Ovredal!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Another Halloween has come and gone, and I hope you all had sufficiently spooky time. Lots of candy and fake blood and sexy costumes…why can’t it be officially Halloween week?
Soon it will be that most festive of holidays and I have to say, I love that one as much (full disclosure maybe more) because the sinister side of Christmas is masked by the most wholesome of veneers. We’ll have lots of Christmas episodes for you unwrap but that’s still a couple weeks out so in the meantime, we return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
In this episode we are joined by one of the busiest guys in the world of horror filmmaking. He has produced a series of films that have become huge hits financially and created a new slasher icon in the mold of Freddy or Pennywise.
He has a new film out that he directed titled “Stream”, and it has nearly every horror icon you can think of is in the cast (though friend of the podcast and genre royalty Jeffrey Combs really gets to shine here).
The film also features and appearance by a genre legend that we have just lost, the formidable Tony Todd. I had the great privilege of having a friendship with Tony for almost 20 years and his talent, humour, thoughtfulness and kindness was unmatched. So, this episode is for Tony. Who loved his craft. Who loved movies, the people that made them and the people that watched them.
Back to “Stream”, it’s a raucous, funny, gory, inventive occasionally touching movie that brings the goods and then some. And again, there’s the fantastic Jeffrey Combs performance! “ Stream” is streaming now.
Joining us to talk about producing the hijinks of Art the Clown in “The Terrifier” films and taking on directing “Stream” is producer/director Michale Leavy.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Happy Halloween!!! Welcome to the annual Spill your guts Halloween special. I will be guiding you through this dark maze of tales filled with the ghastly and ghoulish. To celebrate this most fiendish of holidays we step away from our usual format to bring you tales of terror from various beloved writers and performers that we think make for a fun episode of the macabre and spooky that truly embraces the spirt of All Hallows’ Eve.
Before we get to our spine-tingling tales, I want to take a moment to talk with you about an important charity that we are working with, The Gatehouse.
The Gatehouse provides peer support and counselling resources for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and their support persons. They are a registered charity operating in Toronto for in person services and online across Canada; survivors can join in virtual programs.
Survivors of sexual abuse need to know that healing is possible and that it is never too late to make the call to ask for help in your healing journey from childhood sexual abuse. So many survivors across Canada are suffering in silence; many do not know that help exists!
Please visit thegatehouse.org for more information and while you’re there hit the “Donate Now” button to make a contribution. If you or someone you know is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, you are not alone and you there is help for you.
Now, the leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and the smell of carved pumpkins is in the air. It’s Halloween. A time for mayhem. Join me now as we gather around the campfire for stories that embody the menace and mystery of Halloween.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★The horror genre, particularly the slasher part of it, has a long-standing history of “final girls”. Many of them brilliant and iconic and for good reason. My guest today has had the rare privilege of becoming one of the few great final guys in a series that has established its place in the horror hall of fame.
He has also starred in many other horror films, most fiercely independent ones, and even directed one. He’s been in plenty of non-horror films as well including working with auteurs such as David Fincher and Christopher Nolan (with whom he has worked with several times).
He has evaded being typecast and always brings the kind of gravity and thoughtfulness that makes his presence in any film a highlight. Maybe the best way I can describe him and his contributions to the genre is to say that if he’s in something, I’m going to see it. I don’t need to know anything more about the film than that for it to become something I’ll watch. It’s a system that thus far has served me well as he has given some of my personal favourite performances and led me to some films that I admire that I may not have seen otherwise.
My guest today is Josh Stewart.
Many of you know Josh from his role as Arkin in the beloved films “The Collector” and “The Collection” (there’s a 3rd on its way at long last). Arkin immediately became an outlier in pantheon of horror leads in that not only is he a rather reluctant hero (if you can call him that at all) but he is relatable in that he has is own real-life problems and a psychopath, who sets up an elaborate series of traps that would make Jigsaw proud, seriously screws with his day. It’s a quiet and heavy hitting performance and one of the great ones in the history of horror.
Let’s pull up a chair with one of genres finest actors, Josh Stewart!
As we continue the countdown to All Hallows’ Eve, we have more in-depth chats with horrors best to keep you sated while binge-watching your favorite horror films (Great Pumpkin better be one of them). In this episode, we are taking a step away from the world of cinema to look at one of the most effective and captivating mediums for scaring the pants off you. The world of video games.
One of the studios responsible for giving us some of the best, including “Until Dawn”, “The Quarry” and the Dark Pictures series, is Supermassive Games. And in this episode we are joined by Supermassive Games Chief Creative Officer Steve Goss and writer Graham Reznick.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Our first guest of season 4 has been on the show once before to discuss his work and the then recently released, now a genre favourite, “Psycho Goreman”. His work continues to be both a love letter to the 80’s genre films that inspired him but also a voice that is distinctly his own.
His newest film, “Frankie Freako”, about Connor, who bored with life, decides to shake things up by inviting some mischievous goblins into his home, has already become a hit on the festival circuit and hits theatres October 4th. I love the film and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has a place in their hearts for the movies like Ghoulies, Puppet Master and anything by the great little monster maker, John Carl Beuchler.
Welcome back Steven Kostanski!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Hello Spill your guts listeners! This is your host Kevin Lane wishing you a happy Friday the 13th!
The show will be returning with our season 4 premiere on October 1 but in the mean time, we thought it might be fun to celebrate this most unlucky of days by revisiting our season 1 episode with Jason Vorhees arch nemesis, Tommy Jarvis. In Friday the 13th part 6: Jason Lives, Tommy Jarvis and Jason have the ultimate showdown and though Tommy had been played by two other actors prior to Jason Lives, Thom Mathews has become synonymous with character.
Now, I’m going to go ahead and guess if you’re listening to Spill your guts that you’re a collector of physical media. Of course you are. You have to be. You’re a horror fan. For our Canadian listeners, our beloved sponsor Cinema 1 is bringing back their 3-day Friday the 13th Horror Sale from September 13th to 15th. Slash the tax and take 13% off all horror movies at any of their in-store locations in Guelph, Hamilton, and London, Ontario. Or get Free Shipping within Canada on orders over $75 using the code: JASON13 exclusively at Cinema1.ca
Thank you for listening and please enjoy this return to Crystal Lake.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★We’ll be taking a couple weeks to get things ready for a very VERY big season 4. Just wait until you see what we have in store for every horror fans favourite month of year. I’m so excited I could just burst! Like that guy in “Scanners”. What are some other movies where someone just bursts? Anyway, thank you to our amazing team and our sponsors, Audio Process and Cinema 1, for another season of sitting down with horrors best and brightest and spilling guts.
Now, let’s get into it.
For any actor, playing a major character on a tv series that not only garners tons of adoring fans but also enters into the pop culture zeitgeist and becomes a phenomenon is a major achievement. Especially when their character is a particular fan favourite and ends up in video games, comic books, made into toys and more. Then you add the element of that series enduring the test of time to become inarguably classic television.
I’ll one up that now. How about doing that twice?
Our guest in this episode has a vast filmography of dynamic and versatile roles but her performance as vampire Darla on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff series “Angel” and as “Rita”, the wife of everyones favourite serial killer on the Showtime sensation “Dexter”, have made her a true genre star.
In this episode we are joined by the radiant and brilliant Julie Benz!
Julie sat down to talk with me about getting her start working on the George Romero produced, Dario Argento directed segment of the film “Two Evil Eyes”, when she realized that Buffy was becoming an important series, the benefits of working on two shows back to back that both had stars, Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz respectively, that were also great leaders. We talk about the excitement of getting cast to work opposite a virtuosic actor like Michael C. Hall and be a part of a critical darling like Dexter but also the heartbreak and feeling of betrayal that came later when she was written off the show.
I have to say that personally I have been a longstanding fan of Julie’s being a hardcore Buffy/Angel fan and then later a “Dexter” devotee. Julie is the kind of actor and person that anyone who speaks to people about their craft as a profession dreams of having as a guest. As thoughtful as she is open and real and man, is she ever a lovely human being.
Ladies and gentleman, Julie Benz!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Getting any film finished and released is truly a minor miracle. There are so many stages of film production where projects fall apart. From financiers backing out at the last minute to a star quitting 2 days before production is set to begin. Most films take approximately 3 years from inception to completion when they do survive the Squid Games like survival test of getting a movie done.
Our guest take has just completed his 400th film. To put it plainly, he’s unstoppable.
The Godfather of B movies, the Puppet Master and a true master at reinventing himself time and time again… in this episode we welcome one of Spill your guts favourite guests, Charles Band.
Now, Charlie has created a new line of films titled Pulp Noire and with it, Charlie is setting out to show fans a whole new side to Full Moon films. Surrealistic, trippy, raw, and bleak… and nary a diminutive creature in sight. This new line shows Charlie reinventing YET again.
The first film in the series is titled “Quadrant” and is directed by Charlie himself (all the Pulp Noire films will be directed by Charlie who generally prefers to take the producing helm) . It’s a typically crazy Full Moon film that involves virtual reality, monsters and Jack the Ripper. Just see it. I can’t even begin to describe this gonzo head trip.
Quadrant releases on nearly all platforms as well as being available from fullmoonhorror.com on August 23
Charlie sat down with me to discuss the response to the recently released David Allen masterpiece “The Primevals”, to talk about the inception of Pulp Noire and why he chose to direct all the films himself and also to share his greatest fear. Which I’m sure you'll find is so very Charles Band appropriate.
Let’s strap on our VR helmets and be weary of the ripper as Spill your guts welcomes back the one and only Charles Band!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★There’s a reason we love to see our favourite monsters return time and time agin but recently its been a period of transition. Shy of the original master slasher Michael Myers, who’s reign of terror thankfully continues, many favourites have been benched or transitioned into the world of television like everyone’s favourite good guy doll.
So, the time was ripe to unleash some new ones.
Our guest today has been a part of crafting the way forward for two iconic horror heavies. In one as the writer of several of the franchises most adored entries and the other, a work of his own creation.
In doing so he has cemented his place as one of the contemporary masters of horror and in my estimation, one of its greatest filmmakers.
The two franchises I’m referring to are “Saw” and “The Collector” and the filmmaker is the masterful Marcus Dunstan.
I should note that the two “Collector” films are among my personal favourites. With taut, stylish, nail biting direction from Marcus and a pitch perfect performance by the films star, the indispensable Josh Stewart, “The Collector” films have become an audience favourite so I think I can safely say we’re all rather excited for the upcoming third film (more on that later).
Marcus has a new film titled “#AMFAD All my friends are dead” that is one of the most fun times you could have with this years crop of horror films. Equal parts terrifying, scathing and laugh out loud funny, it’s decidedly lighter brand of Marcus Dunstan film and yet also fits into his roster perfectly. Original and with a hell of an ending, well, horror fans are in for a serious ride with this one.
“#AMFAD” is in select theatres now and is available on streaming.
Marcus and I discuss the happy accident the got him his first writing gig on a Saw film (he wrote 4 of them), his commitment in creating “#AMFAD” to not sticking to the usual tropes of a film about social media obsessed characters, how “The Collector” films could be so grizzly but still have heart and oh yes, some details on the 3rd film.
Alright, let’s join the terrifying and twisted world of Jigsaw and the Collector with writer/director Marcus Dunston!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In 1978, horror legend George A. Romero created one of the most iconic films in the horror genre and a classic that defied genres altogether. His follow up to his mighty 1968 masterpiece “Night of the Living Dead”. The film, about a small band of survivors who take shelter in a shopping mall, while the outside world falls apart at the clawing hands of the living dead, was not only an audience and critical hit, it redefined the genre and its influence cannot be underestimated.
In this special episode of Spill your guts, we celebrate the 45th anniversary of George A. Romero’s seminal masterpiece, “Dawn of the Dead”.
Joining me to discuss the film is horror maestro and long time friend of Spill your guts, Chris Alexander. Chris is the former editor of Fangoria magazine, an author, filmmaker and all around genre spokesman. He’s also the perfect person for me to talk with about the film.
Both Chris and I were fortunate enough to have a friendship with George and we both had our own unique conversations with him about “Dawn” and his relationship to the film.
We discuss the films inception, the happy accidents that lead to some of the films most iconic moments, the challenges George faced with the production itself, the films incredibly multifaceted and damn near perfect script and why George Romero himself had a somewhat complicated relationship with the film. This and much, much more.
It’s difficult when discussing a film like “Dawn” not to retread when a movie has been analyzed and discussed as much as this but by taking a more holistic view of the film and because of our own relationships with the films creator, I feel even the most devout “Dawn” fans will find some ideas and insights here worth chewing on.
Okay folks, there’s no more room in hell so let’s get down to it and return to Monroeville Mall with Chris Alexander as we look back at George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead”!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Rising to the height of its popularity in the 80’s with franchises like “Friday the 13th”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Halloween” and many others, the slasher genre has proven itself to be one of the most enduring sub-genres of horror.
Its popularity has of course ebbed and flowed with a resurgence in the 90’s thanks to the success of films like “Scream” and “I know what you did last summer” but the slasher genre has also seen more than its share of duds with filmmakers mistakingly believing that all that an audience expects from a slasher film is a killer in a mask and nubile flesh for him to dispatch.
It is the successful deconstruction of the slasher sub-genre in films like “Scream” and the less seen but equally clever “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” that have allowed the slasher film to evolve past the tropes that had begun to hold it back.
One new film that embraces, innovates and captures the true spirit of the slasher film is “Deer Camp 86’” and in this episode we are joined by three of the films stars, Jay J. Bidwell, Brian Michael Raetz and Josh Dominguez.
“Deer Camp 86’” is available now on blu-ray and streaming but I recommend you grab the blu-ray from our friends over at Cinema 1 and listen for a discount promo code during the episode.
We sat down to talk about what makes Deer Camp 86’ stand out from the slasher crowd and how the film begins and feels like one kind of film but ends up becoming something else altogether. Why steps forward in inclusiveness are vital to the future of horror. The challenges of shooting on location and building a rapport in an ensemble cast and why the director chose to use a pseudonym for his billing on the film.
So, pack your mosquito repellent and throw on your camo and let’s visit “Deer Camp 86”!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★We’re back! And we sure missed you. We took some time to retool the show and are bigger and better than ever. We are now working on all our editing and post sound with powerhouse studio, Audio Process. We’ve put a fresh coat of paint on the show with a new logo and more diverse kinds of content that will be coming soon. It’s sure good to be with you all again so strap in for a upgraded Spill your guts.
Our guest today is someone very special to me. A friend, an endless source of information on all things horror, endlessly funny and quirky and an inspiration. Sadly, in May, he tragically passed away at the age of 44. He and I recorded this interview around a year ago and because of different scheduling reasons, the episode had yet to drop.
My guest today is beloved genre historian, celebrated writer, creator of unique and probing special features for physical media releases and all around genre advocate as well as tremendous lover of animals.
Today I am joined by the incomparable Lee Gambin.
I'd also like to welcome another sponsor of the show, Cinema 1. Cinema 1 is my go to store for many years for all my physical media (of which I have too many and not enough). They have some of the most hard to find titles and are lovers of the genre as well as collectors themselves. Be sure to visit www.cinema1.ca to pick up the films Lee and I discuss in this episode. Create your account and use promo code "spillyourguts" to get 10% off your order.
Once again, welcome back to Kevin Lane's Spill your guts!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★Our guest today is a virtuoso of the genre having worked as either the producer, star, production manager, second unit director, or assistant director (sometimes a combination of a few of these roles) on a panoply of iconic films including several movies with the “Godfather of Gore” Herschell Gordon Lewis, “American Nightmare”, “Terror Train”, “My Bloody Valentine”, “Humongous” and the cult classic sequels to “Prom Night” that turned Mary Lou into a horror anti-hero. These and many, MANY more.
We are joined by the “Wizard of Gore” himself, Ray Sager.
Ray is a master storyteller on the making of independent films. His early career began working with Herschel Gordon Lewis, who became his mentor. He also starred as Montag the Magnificent in the classic Lewis film “The Wizard of Gore”. Many projects later, Ray established himself as a producer during one of the most prolific eras in Canadian filmmaking. The mid 70’s to early 80’s saw an unprecedented amount of films being made due to hefty tax deductions for film investors and Ray produced a slew of them. Sometimes as many as 3 three features a year. Ray knows every trick of the trade.
He’s one of the most dedicated producers to work in horror and generous instructor for how to avoid the many pitfalls of independent filmmaking. This episode is a must listen for our indie filmmaker listeners.
Let’s pull back the curtain and learn about the magic of horror filmmaking with celebrated producer Ray Sager!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★This episode continues our series of overlooked and underseen films. Last episode we spoke with Michael Bonini, one of the stars of the 2022 influencer-skewering (yep, that’s a pun) “#ChadGetsTheAxe" and in this episode we are joined by the films writer and director, Travis Bible.
Travis explains how a short film version of the feature length film closed the movies financing, how to plot out a well executed jump scare and believe me, this film has some great ones, finding a fair and balanced approach to commenting on influencers and why the film has a title that gives away a rather significant plot point.
There have been many genre films that have examined the role that social media and influencers play in our current media landscape but few have tackled the subject and found why it works in horror as well as “#ChadGetsTheAxe".
There are things far more terrifying for this group of influencers then whether or not followers hit the “Like” button so let’s take a look with writer/director Travis Bible!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★In our continuing series of under-seen or overlooked genre films, the next two episodes will be looking at the 2022 social media slasher “#ChadGetsTheAxe”.
Written by Travis Bible and Kemerton Hargrove and directed by Bible, #ChadGetsTheAxe is a razor-sharp, edge of your seat slasher that not only avoids the pratfalls of the overdone “influencer horror” sub-sub-genre but actually has a fresh perspective on those tropes while always remembering to honour the horror genre first with carefully constructed scares.
It’s a funny, surprising, biting movie that you might have missed.
In this episode we will be sitting down with one of the films stars. Next episode we are joined by the films director, Travis Bible.
In #ChadGetsTheAxe, he plays Spicy Steve, one of a group of 4 social media influencers that livestream their trip to the aptly titled “Devil’s Manor” and run afoul of a satanic cult. He can also be seen in the new horror film “Followers” which drops today, March 12th exclusively on Screambox.
Welcome Michael Bonini!
Michael has an impressive list of credits for a young actor. One might also notice the eclectic variety of genres and characters types that Michael has taken on. He’s a jack of all trades actor who brings something fresh and unexpected to whoever he’s playing. From network TV favourites like “The Blacklist” and “New Amsterdam”, the Netflix hit “The Night Agent” to beloved King of the B’s Charles Band’s “Bad CGI Gator”, Michael is always a welcome presence in whatever he’s in.
We sat down to talk about the pitch-black and meaty role he played in another under-seen thriller “Hurricane Aaron”, how “#ChadGetsTheAxe” found the right balance of social media commentary and suspense, what keeps his character Steve from being just another influencer dickhead and how you prepare as an actor for battling a floating CGI alligator for Charles Band.
Remember to like, comment and subscribe and lets try and survive our stay at Devil’s Manor with Michael Bonini!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★This episode is a continuation of our last episode with actor Devon Sawa as we continue to discuss overlooked or under-seen genre films. As a quick recap, Devon is one of the stars of the 2020 hinterland horror “Hunter Hunter”. When the film came out the pandemic cost it the opportunity to play festivals or have a premiere and sadly, the movie didn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. It’s a smart, taught, shocking film and one hopes in time more people will discover it.
In this episode we are joined by the films writer and director, Shawn Linden.
Shawn and I discuss the major influence of dark 80’s fantasy classics such as "The Secret of NIMH" and "The Dark Crystal", the many hurdles he faced getting “Hunter Hunter” into production, how killing characters the audience expects to see save the day is effectively destabilizing and oddly not done enough and why audiences are far more comfortable seeing humans get killed on screen than non-human animals.
Let’s explore the savage and stark world of “Hunter Hunter” with filmmaker Shawn Linden!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★The holidays have come and gone and it’s a new year and we’re back at it, bringing you intimate one on one sit downs with the most exciting voices in horror.
2023 was a fantastic year for horror and 2024 doesn’t look to be slowing down so though the New Year is often a time for looking forward at what’s to come, it’s also a time for reflection. This season we will be spotlighting some of the genres great entires that you may have missed or that for a number of reasons (a global pandemic for example) didn’t get attention they so deserved.
The first film we’re going to delve into is the gripping and gutting 2020 film “Hunter Hunter” by filmmaker Shawn Linden.
“Hunter Hunter”, a raw and unforgiving survival story about a family living isolated in the wilderness, who begin to think they are being stalked by a rogue wolf but soon come to find it’s something far more terrifying, is a stark and nuanced genre film. Sadly, the pandemic robbed it of the ability to have a film festival run (so important for indie films) and when the film was released in 2020, despite plenty of strong reviews from the critics, it came and went with not nearly enough notice.
I think it’s one of the best genre films of the last decade and deserved much much better.
With a stellar cast and taught lean direction, the film is equal parts terrifying survival story and intimate character work.
In this episode, I am joined by one of the stars of the film and one of the genres most beloved leading men. In our next episode, we will be talking with the films director, Shawn Linden.
Our guest today has been acting since he was a child and over the years, has become a horror household name having starred in films such as “Idle Hands”, “Final Destination”, “Black Friday” and the series starring everyones favourite Good Guy “Chucky”.
When I started this show I had a list of people I knew I wanted to talk to. People that have made major contributions to the genre. We’ve been fortunate enough to get to speak with most of those people but this actor was always right at the top of the list.
In today’s episode, we are joined by Devon Sawa.
Now most listeners of the show will be aware that our guests are generally joining us remotely but I had the great pleasure to sit down with Devon in person. We first me while he was attending the awesome horror convention “Frightmare in the Falls” in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and at a later date we recorded our talk in a restaurant so you will hear a bit more background than usual.
Devon is a lovely guy. Warm and open and generous with his stories and insights.
We discussed the ups and downs of a being a teen heartthrob, why he veered away from genre films for a while, how starring in Eminem’s iconic music video “Stan” helped redefine him as an actor and why a show about a murderous doll is so important.
So lets get ready to sit down with the man who had the best battle with his own possessed hand since Bruce Campbell, thwarted deaths plan and been killed by Chucky more then anybody… welcome horror’s leading man, Devon Sawa!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★