The Horror Heals Podcast

Sean Whalen Spills His Guts On Depression, Directing & the Power of Horror

• How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC • Episode 53

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In this cathartic and wonderfully chaotic episode of Horror Heals, Corey and Kendall sit down with cult horror icon Sean Whalen, best known as Roach from Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, to talk about sock monsters, emotional healing, and his directorial debut, Crust.

Sean opens up about how Crust was born out of a deep depression following his divorce, and how he used humor, horror, and a laundry-dwelling murder sock to process grief and rage. The conversation dives into mental health, chosen family, fan community, and why horror may be the only genre where you never “age out," you just become more beloved.

From the early days working with Wes Craven to Sean’s plans for his next film (Swipe — it’s wild, just wait), this episode is a raw, hilarious, and unexpectedly uplifting look at how horror creates space for healing, connection, and unapologetic weirdness.

Sean Whalen Spills His Guts On Depression, Directing & the Power of Horror

🧠 Themes We Explore:

  • Using horror as therapy for depression and grief
  • How Crust became a love letter to weirdos and survivors
  • The importance of horror conventions and chosen family
  • Fans who don’t just support you, they show up with merch money
  • The power of unconventional final girls and character actors
  • What Wes Craven taught Sean about humanity in horror
  • The emotional realism behind The People Under the Stairs
  • Upcoming horror project Swipe, featuring… a bladed dildo? Yep.
  • Why horror fans are the best fans (and Sean agrees!)

🩸 Mentioned in This Episode:


👻 Final Person Spotlight

Every episode, Corey and Kendall ask their guest: Who’s your favorite final person in horror?

Sean’s pick? Laurie Strode from Halloween — a misfit who survives because of her quiet strength and vulnerability.

(Also, she knows when to stab and when to scream.)

🎤 Guest Bio: Sean Whalen

Sean Whalen is a veteran character actor and fan-favorite in the horror world, with credits in The People Under the Stairs, Twister, Hatchet III, Never Been Kissed, and many more. With over 30 years in the industry, Sean recently made his directorial debut with Crust — a horror-comedy born from real-life heartbreak and a whole lot of indie spirit. He’s known for his deep connection with horror fans, his dark sense of humor, and his ongoing mission to make meaningful, weird, and heartfelt films.

🔗 Connect & Support

  • Follow Sean Whalen:
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Thank you for listening to Horror Heals. 

Share the show with someone who loves horror and someone who needs a little healing.

If you want to support our guests, check the show notes for links to their work, conventions, and fundraising pages.

You can also listen to our sister podcast Family Twist, a show about DNA surprises, identity, and the families we find along the way.

Horror Heals is produced by How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC.

Is horror good for mental wellness? Of corpse it is.

SPEAKER_00

In every neighborhood, there is one house that adults whisper about. And children cross the street to avoid. Now, Wes Craven, creator of a nightmare on Elm Street, takes you inside.

SPEAKER_02

We gotta get out of here, Leroy.

SPEAKER_01

Hello, Boils and Hughes. It's your old pal trying to steer the voice of the gripkeeper. And I want to welcome my good feel of the Horror Heels Podcast. Is horror good for mental wellness? But of course it is. I delight in the delicious deaths of beautiful people on the silver street. So get ready for a hell of a good time with my new fiends, Cory and Kendall, on the Horror Heels Podcast.

SPEAKER_05

Have you ever been so depressed that you didn't want a pet? You wanted a murderous sock monster to handle your problems for you instead? No? Just Sean Whelan. Okay, perfect. Welcome to Horror Heals, the podcast where we explore how horror films, freaks, and fandoms do more than scare us. They save us. And today's guest is a cult icon who crawled out of the walls of the people under the stairs, survived countless horror films, and just made his directorial debut with Crust, a gloriously weird, hilarious tale born from heartbreak and healing. Sean Whalen joins us to talk about horror is therapy, turning grief into monsters, and why the horror community is the most loyal, loving, and totally twisted fanbase on the planet. So, if you've ever felt seen by a freak or comforted by chaos, you're about to meet your new favorite filmmaker. Sean, welcome to the Horror Heels Podcast. Hi, how are you? Fantastic. Great. So before we got on, we were just letting you know that we watched Crust last night, your directorial debut. Congratulations, first off, because I know firsthand how difficult it is to make a movie, to get a movie made. And kudos to you for making it happen.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you. Yeah, it wasn't easy. But we got it.

Sean reveals Crust was born from divorce depression, turning grief into horror comedy

SPEAKER_05

And I just I love I'm a big fan of horror comedy. So I was laughing out loud through a lot of it. And something that we really appreciate is that, and I think you you know this from doing conventions and things like that, is that the horror fans don't allow our actors and performers and horror people to age out. There's no aging out, you know, for horror fans. So we love to see you know the classic stars pop back up. So, you know, Phyllis Rose and Daniel Roebuck and Ricky Dean Logan. It's awesome to see them, you know. And so and Kendall just laughs at me whenever we're watching something, and I'm like, oh, Ricky Dean Logan. I didn't know he was in this. Kendall's reminding me that is God, he's so funny. Yeah, absolutely. Right. Yeah. Can you just talk a little bit about what it's like now, knowing it's out there in the world and fans are seeing it, and I'm sure you're getting feedback on it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it came out of my mental health, actually. I had a pretty bad depression after my divorce. And it wasn't, you know, sadness that I was in the divorce dad apartment, and the holidays were coming up, and I felt the failure of my kids that we sold our house and they were in the divorce dad apartment. And it just got me very depressed, and I came out of it, and then you know, a lot of people in this early of the following year, I got out of it and I got very angry, and I didn't know why. It wasn't specific. I don't know if it was like I was mad that I wasted time being depressed or anything. I channeled that into writing this script because people were like, Oh, you should have a pet. And I was like, I couldn't take care of myself, let alone a pet. A pet I would like is a one that could take care of my problems for me. And I had pitched this idea a long time ago of a sock monster and a launder mat, and then they just kind of merged together and called one of my good friends, Jim Wald. He's so funny and very specific about scripts. So I just said, you know, let's write this together. We did, and uh it sat around for six, seven years. I met with different producers along the way, and then finally circled back. I was gonna start it with Phyllis Rose, and then we circled back, and I met her new production partner who was a perfect fit, and we, you know, we did an indie gilgo that was huge, it did very well, and it was just very nice to know that someone like me is a character actor. You know, I never had a big lead in a series, and I never had a huge lead in a studio movie or anything like that. That people were like, hey man, we want you to see you in bigger roles, and they supported me, put it out there, and you know, we worked, we had a blast shooting it. It was a labor of love. All my good friends and Felissa got a great crew, and it was just a love fest up in uh laundromat in New Hall, California. We shot 11 days there, and then leather on a studio, and there was always such good vibes around it, and then we finally get it released, and just the people who were into it were into it from the beginning. The Indiegogo. I had a guy fly out from Pennsylvania to land in LA and then drive out to Palmdale to see the first showing at a theater. Incredible stuff. So, and the people who really liked it, like I had a fan club, Krusties fan club on Facebook that started at the Indiegogo level, and they were with me the whole journey of finally getting it out there, and they finally saw it and they love it, and they're buying merch left and right and crust plushies, and you know, all this other stuff that I have. And it's one of those ones that you know the rollout didn't happen as well. Anchorbave is brand new kind of reboot, so there were little learning curve stuff there. So it's gonna be one of those ones that's a slow roll, you know? It's gonna be a slow roll, but the people who love it, I haven't gotten one bad review, not one. So I'm very excited, and we keep expanding. It just got onto Tubi and Apple TV, and you know, it's pretty exciting. So I think it's nice because as a director it's so rare that it's perfectly received the same way you intended, and it is being received the same way I intended, you know, funny, silly, a lot of heart, and a lot of laughs. I think people thought it was a lot more heart and a lot more laughs than they thought it would, which is great.

SPEAKER_05

Absolutely, yeah. So Kendall and I started planning this podcast just a little over a year ago, and the inspiration came from attending a horror convention and and just you know seeing the rapport that guests have with the fans. And so when we started talking about this and I started making a list of guests we wanted to get, you were on there, and that this was even before you know crust. So, what is great is that I love and I'm sensing that this was like a very therapeutic experience for you. And what does it mean to you to have the fans come out and support you like this? The people that have been watching you for years.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I think what was really good is I got really big on social media and TikTok in the pandemic, and you know what was great is people were saying you're underrated, you're underrated. And I thought I finally went, is that an insult? Are you guys insulting? And they said, No, we see you as valuable, but you're not working as much as we think you should. So when I did my indie go-go, they all showed up and they said we weren't kidding, we wanted you to see it. The other nice thing is a lot of young people are talking about it because they said, you know, look, uh, mental health is important to us, and we didn't grow up like you, we didn't have cool, weird movies like Rocky Horror and Swamp Thing and Toxic Avenger. They grew up with corporate, you know, MCU and Harry Potter and Hunger Game. The weird quirky movies are hard to find, and so they really appreciated that this is their weird little cult movie that they can relate to. They said, and look, we get movies about mental health all the time, but they beat you over the head with it. And you didn't beat us over the head with it, it was just part of it, you know. Part of it is that Vegas, you know, my character is struggling with depression. And luckily it doesn't slow down the film or anything, but it's part of who he is, as opposed to, you know, you've got to go take a run, or you know, it that it was subtle. And so I think that's the you know, I've had a no neurodivergent person, you know, say, look, as a neuroperson, I have a background movie and it used to be this, and just letting you know that now it's crust, and you know, I like to have it on all the time. So all the be, you know, those that's why you do these things, you know. So you have something out there in the world that hopefully is positive and starts a discussion. Like I didn't know my movie. A famous editor said to me, You have the movie that you your idea, then the movie you write, then the movie you shoot, then you end up with the movie you have, all different. And the movie I have is a referendum on saying there are no shortcuts to mental health, you know, drinking, partying, murdering people. Those are not the solutions to mental health. There's no shortcuts, and everyone in my movie is struggling with some sort of either past or future or whatever, and they're dealing with their own things, but the shortcuts aren't working. So that's what I ended up with, and I didn't realize that's what I was writing. That wasn't the intention, but it kind of ended up that way.

SPEAKER_05

You know, something Kendall always mentions is that especially if he's having a trying day at works, Kendall's been in human resources for 30 years. So imagine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

My wife is in HR as well, she's a benefits director.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, it's uh not always no, well, like Kendall loves the benefits side of things, you know, and then problem solving. It's just, you know, if you didn't know how to deal with people, and so sometimes he will come home and say, Oh my gosh, I just gotta get this day out of my head.

SPEAKER_03

We need to watch Jason Forhees just go to town on my wife goes, you know, when I was directing and all these people were coming out, and she goes, Welcome to it, man. You know, she goes, Me and HR, we get kicked in the teeth every day and have to smile.

SPEAKER_04

That's exactly yeah, I was telling Cory the situation yesterday. It's oh my god, you know, yeah, but it is what it is. I'm good at it, right? Or I wouldn't still be trying it. But yeah, you know, you need a break and you need a release, and that's what I found with your movie. It's oh my gosh, the first guy got stuck in the uh less, his name is Oh my god, that just that just warmed my heart in a very strange way.

SPEAKER_03

People there was very funny. There was like a woman goes, Well, he used the B-word a lot. I was glad to see him go.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. Funny how some things are like memorable. You know, exactly. Yeah, I loved it.

SPEAKER_03

And he's a wonderful person. It was very funny. He was almost not gonna do the movie, and I was like, dude, you gotta, and we were talking, and I've known him for years. He's a wonderful, lovely person. He's you know, I'm glad you fought for me. He had something about a sag card. He goes, You really wanted me for the movie, blah blah blah. And I was like, relax, buddy, you also fit in the dryer.

Corey’s convention epiphany with Sam Raimi line story, why Horror Heals exists

SPEAKER_04

Logistics matter, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

Easy, Lawrence Olivier. You also fit in the dryer. So, what did you guys think of the mental health aspect of the movie?

SPEAKER_05

That just speaks to what we're doing, you know, why we started doing this, because you know what really the aha moment was I was standing in line to meet Sam Raimi, and there was this young man behind me that was clearly in duress. He was holding a stack of DVDs, he's kind of shaking, kind of muttering to himself a little bit. And you know how those conventions are, you're packed in like sardines.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And I was about to say, hey man, if you want to step out, you know, to go to an area where there's not a lot of people, we'll just let you back in when it's your turn. The other guy next to him saw his DVDs and he's oh man, I love that movie. And all of a sudden, like all the anxiety washed away. And this kid was had a friend, and they just started talking. And so, and it was just like it just I knew that right then there's like, oh, this is something. Then I had a nice little chat with Sam Raimi, and I immediately called Kendall because he had been pestering me. We have another podcast that we've been doing for three years called Family Twist. And he's like, We need to do a horror one. You know, horror is part of the reason that you know that's been a part of our relationship for the last 20 years. And I'm like, what are we gonna talk about? You know, I don't want to do like a brother review podcast. And so I told him the story, and he's yeah, yeah, I can see that. And it's just to you know, it's just horror conventions are my happy place. Yeah, I love meeting new people and having people come up and start conversations and new friends while you're waiting in line, and you just feel the positive energy from everybody, and it's like people from all walks of life, and it's all ages, you know, it's grandmas down to infants dressed up as Pennywise the Clown, you know?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But there's a it's a community, right? Everybody needs community. I remember seeing Trekkies, you know, and one of my negative friends was like, I want a bunch of losers, you know, that this woman calling herself a commander, and you know, and he was like, dude, this woman is a lesbian in Iowa, you know, she doesn't have a lot of community, and so the Star Trek community is her community, and it was actually Scott who helms The Walking Dead, and he said, and it was him, it was my we've been friends for a long time, and he just said, Look, everybody needs a community, and for her to be a commander and seen as a respected is a lot better than she probably feels when she walks down the street, you know, right? So everybody needs their community. People say to me, 'Oh, how'd you get into horror?' And I said, 'It was the audition that came across the desk. I didn't seek out Wes Craven and say, 'I need to be in your movies. I got an audition for Roach. And then when Facebook came 20 years later, people said, 'Oh, Roach!' And I was like, 'What?' I also love the character, and then I started going out in conventions, and I realized that these people they're very protective and they're very, you know, that you said, no one ages out, no one says, I don't need to see, you know, this woman anymore because she's over 40, you know, or Sean Whelan because he's getting older, or you know, none of that. So I also realized that, and they're just so supportive of the people they like. You know, you the people go, Oh, well, don't you love going to Comic Cons for Twister? And I go, Look, all those people are dressed up and they're all trying to party or they're trying to get some cred for their costumes. Now you walk around, you see them post there's all those people posting their costumes on these YouTube sites and stuff. And I said, But the horror community comes and buys things and talks to you and wants to know stuff about you. You know what I mean? It's not about them. Yes, there's cosplayers and stuff, but even the cosplayers come over and want to meet you and talk to you, and yeah, so it really and what's so nice if you know it's the heartbreak is if people under the stairs opened and had six weeks at number one now, it would be mind-blowing. But six weeks in '91, it didn't matter. It was a horror movie, and it was like, was that your big break? And I go, No, because it didn't blow up, you know. But six weeks at number one is huge, but horror doesn't have the same cachet, and now it's like the only thing that's selling. So if I had a comedy, I'm turning it into a horror comedy because my community is just so supportive, and I really support them. And I'm getting definitely, you know, getting more into horror stuff, but it's always been socially conscious. I mean, Night of the Living Dead was a referendum on civil rights, right? You know what I mean? You know, so I I had no idea why people love this movie so much, and I'm watching it and I'm sitting there thinking, oh man, yeah, okay, first zombie movie, very cool, but then the ending comes, and just God, this is amazing. Just like Texas Chainsaw having a disabled person, like it's just things they don't have to do, but they choose to do. So for me, doing crust with the mental health aspect is great. My next movie, Swipe, is about we just shot it with Rebecca Kennedy as the lead who was Neela, but we it's about a sister saving her brother from these women who captured him because he was catfished on a dating site, and so it's a woman saving her brother and other men from a mother and her crazy daughters, like Texas Chains, but they're torturing men. So it's a woman saving a man from crazy women, and I go, just because let's flip the script.

SPEAKER_04

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

No, and you know, the father was abusive to the mother and the daughters, that's why they're like that. Another tough story point is their younger sister committed suicide after being raped, and so they're angry, and this is what they do, but they're all nuts out. But again, it's not I'm not trying to shove a socially conscious movie down your throat. It's a fun movie. These are great iconic women characters, and we've never seen Haname Lee from Pitch Perfect. She plays like a woman with a that's mute and all wears a blue tuxedo and a bladed dildo. Those people, it's insane, it's insanely fun. But again, I think horror is very smart that way, you know. They know how to mess with they they have really great commentary on society, and most people don't know it. And I didn't even know that people under the stairs was so ahead of its time socially, you know. It's an overner white guy writing about wealth gap and slum lords.

SPEAKER_05

It's always very socially conscious, too. I mean, he did it his approach as movies. You know, there's there's some there's a mess, it's not hitting you over the head. Yeah, and the two movies that you mentioned, you know, Texas Chainsaw and Night of the Living Dead, like there was no go-go back then, so they had to bed, borrow, and steal because they had their vision and they weren't going to let you know the studio system compromise that. And what's interesting now is we're starting to see you know mainstream videos, um indie movies, and like, oh, like the substance, and you know, Smile was just fantastic. So there's like these big 2000, 3,000 theaters now, and it's like, oh, fine, fine, like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So it's just yeah, I think yeah, the substance being nominated, and I think that Sinners is gonna be, you know, have you guys seen it?

SPEAKER_05

No, I I I want to see it so bad. Kendall's not a big gun in the theater. He's like, he's like, let's watch it.

SPEAKER_03

Now listen, do not wait till it comes on TV, see it in a theater. If you can see it on IMAX, but see it in a theater. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05

And making it and it's yeah, it's like I just I don't know. There's the first time I saw that trailer, I'm like, there's there's there's something and when you see, you know, well, especially a horror movie, to see like no drop between this weekend and second week in box office, and that tells you that like that they're all about this movie, you know, like an what's interesting now, and what I'm really trying to do is what I'm seeing, or what feels like what's happening, is the hook is kind of the key.

SPEAKER_03

Late night with the devil. Well, it's an exorcism movie. We've seen those, we've all seen those, but it's on a late night talk show. That's the hook, right? And then it's you know, uh in a violent nature, it's you know, a murderer, but it's from the slayer's point. Like, there's gotta be a good twist, and that's why I was so excited about Swipe. Is go, it's Texas Chainsaw, but just women, yeah. Imagine that, you know, a crazy mother, and you know, and crust is basically little shop of wars. If the guy liked, you know, if he liked the Audrey too eating the people because he was sad, right? Because he's depressed. So the flip is it's a sock, but he's not upset about it, he likes it, right? Yeah, and so it's Ryan Kugler, who we don't know except for big most people don't know Fruit Veil Station, which was his first movie. That's how Michael P. Jordan broke, or whatever, and I saw that and I loved it as small independent, but then he did, you know, Black Panther and all the other, you know, the other movies. You can tell this was a very special project, but again, it's like a sharecropper 1932 South Black experience. Is it a socially conscious movie? And is it a thing about culture? Is it a thing about a coming of age story? Is it a music? It's all of it, and it's a horror, you know, and that's what's great, is that and it's impossible to see once. So what's exciting is that you see that he made a deal to go, look, I'll do this big Hollywoods one, but I'm gonna do this one. And and so that's why I'm getting excited is to keep making movies that are lower budget because these people make movies that are just too like I saw Y2K, I don't know if you saw that, it was super fun. Did you see that? Yeah, I thought it was fun and silly, like Kyle. They spent 15 million dollars, and I was like, I could have made that movie for one. Yeah, we're not in the day of big luxurious trailers anymore, right? You know, and now that I'm producing, I go, I don't need that. It doesn't, I need a comfortable, I'd love a comfortable place. It doesn't have to be a 60-foot trailer, you know. I'm never gonna use everything you put in here. There's just no way I'm not gonna use the TV or the oven or the you know what I mean. So why don't you just give make a very comfortable thing? I'm gonna use a nice TV, a nice little plate, nice bathroom, you know what I mean? And you realize that it's almost like when we used to have to get first class to go to San Francisco, you know, and I'm in LA, it's a 45-minute flight. And I thought, that's wasteful. I don't need that. You know, if you can and I'm traveling far, yeah, put me in business class, right? Make me a little more comfortable. And I understand like comfort is this thing, but I also know that community, having all of us like not in our trailers separate, but all together in one place and having a common goal and stuff, it makes it more about the movie, you know, instead of just a gig. Yeah, you know, that you're so my me and Rebecca's goal now that we've have our two production companies and are doing some stuff is just quality scripts. And luckily, I feel like crust was, and our next one is, and we got big talent because they wanted to be a part of something interesting, and having a woman woman be the, you know, there's a six foot five woman who carries a sickle, they're all mute, none of them talk, and then there's a bald-headed woman who's just all in black and she carries a little diber and she whistles. Oh, and Hamily with her little uh she has wind chimes and she dances around with her wind chimes, which is super creepy. So that makes it fun.

SPEAKER_05

I'll just say that.

SPEAKER_03

But I it was so interesting. I said to the author, I said, you know, it's always very important to know what the movie's about. And he said, It's unresolved family trauma. And I'm like, There you go. Yep. The sister and the brother have a trauma. I don't think we can get away from mental health in anything.

SPEAKER_05

No, right? No, so our other pod called Family Twist, and it's all about um DNA because we found Kendall's birth family. Um, he was adopted at birth. Wow, both of his parents were dead by the time he was 16, and so years and years went by and we we found his fate. We moved from San Francisco to New England just because we found his his dad and his sister. Wow, and so and we've talked about so we've been doing that podcast, not just at his story, but like other people's stories that are so they say there's one in 20 people who have misattributed parentage. And I'm like, there are some there are stories in the in the stories people tell me like there's a there's a couple hoarder. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, and yeah, it is so that is good. It's so exciting to see someone like yourself that is having this like um change, like you know, like it that doesn't happen for everybody, and and that's what this podcast podcasting has done for our idea, how therapeutic it would be to do these, and it's like, oh this is our pivot, like we're we're pivoting now. This is what we're gonna do to close out our career, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. No, I think it's I think I think I love this idea that the mental health, because I don't know, I feel like Twilight Zone, and you know, I loved Twilight Zone as you can tell from crust, but he would always, you know, and then the people who got it wrong would emphasize the twist of what happened, you know. It's the the cook, the to serve man is a cookbook, you know, like that kind of stuff. Well, it was never the twist, it was how people reacted to what was happening. The humanity of it, planet of the eight in the middle of that movie is a long thing about humans shouldn't run any planet, let alone this one. And it was a dialogue, it was like a play, and that's Rod Serling, because he was so interested in you know, with his horror sci-fi, all of it examining the human condition through that. And I think that's what good horror does, you know, is how do people react to terrifying situations? And I think when we see that, you know, I don't know why people love the horror stuff, but man, it really joins people together and uplifts them and makes it seem like they have a place to go and they can see themselves in these movies, you know? And I think that's huge. I think it's really fun.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, you made people underst 35 years ago, your first film, um, in West Craven on icon. Um, what away from him, like as a as a filmmaker now.

SPEAKER_03

The set vibe starts from the top, you know, and he was very mellow and very chill. And he just he really cared about acting, he really wanted it to be as truthful as possible. Under that's an acting definition, being truthful under an imaginary circumstance, you know, and he would put us in crazy circumstances, but he wanted us to be very human, you know, and he allowed, you know, like Roach's death scene. I wanted, I told him, I said, I want to be very sad, me, but not show him anything. So he allowed me to go around the corner and get very prepared and very sad. And you know, people would come up and go, is he okay? And he'd go, he's working, you know, he's working and that was lovely for him to care enough to have a good performance. And I'm very happy with that death scene because he let me do that, you know. And it is more heartbreaking because he's trying to be really strong and you know, help the girl before he goes. And I think that was the lesson is you have to care about your acting. And the other thing that was really cool is that you have to be a fan of everybody you're working with, you know. And he was a fan of the special effects, and he loved all of it. So I think that makes people feel really good when you say, God, this is yeah, and he's well, he definitely had a gift of putting a cast together.

SPEAKER_05

I mean, that that movie couldn't more better cast unbelievable, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, unbelievable. Young Ving Rains. I mean, come on.

SPEAKER_05

He's so good at it, and it's like what what a risk two of your leads are children because they could go sideways like real fast. Like people seem to see, you know, especially kids in horror movies. Like, yeah, I think nine times out of ten, people like hate the kids in horror movies. But not though, I mean, those two were, you know, fantastic.

SPEAKER_03

No, and that is that you know what? That's so true. They always get such a tough time, the kids. She was 19, I think, playing younger. And he was obviously he Brandon was a kid, you know. And he's such a likable kid, you know.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

That's why he did really well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Um, you know, you mentioned as a very impactful character. Like, I'm just curious the interactions you have with fans at the the horror conventions by the conventions that are really um love that movie. Like, what are those interactions like?

SPEAKER_03

I I I think the it's the because it's a cult movie, and I still stand by that, because if you say, Oh, I was sending people under the stairs, they'll go, you know, I'm talking outside of the horror community. Right. Um, a lot of people don't know it. They know Wes from Scream and Freddie, and you know, the most interesting thing is I always ask how young you were when you saw it, you know, because I forget there's the father as being kind of like a pedophile to the girl, and there's incest and cannibalism, like there's three stooges comedy, too. Right, like the elect stuff on the door and the wacky, like me bonking them in the head with the slingshot. It's so strange, it's such a strange movie. But some people will say, you know, you scared me as a kid. I will get you scared me as a kid, and you were my first crush. Like so many women go, Roach was my first crush, and I'll be like, sweetie, that says way more about you than me. I was like pale and long fingered. What are you talking about? But mostly thinking people, yeah, half a ton. Uh, they were like, Man, this really is, this really is, it's just such a unique movie. So it's either you haven't seen it or people love it. I haven't gotten a person going, it was okay. Yeah, you know what I mean? Because I think it's so out there that I think it's either gonna be, you know, you don't and I just haven't had any gun going, no, I didn't like it, you know.

SPEAKER_05

Right.

SPEAKER_03

Of course they're not gonna come to my table and go, I didn't like it. So maybe they, you know, but I just know a lot of people who know it love it because it I think it's because it is so weird.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And roach is such a I mean, you're like, oh, why do people love you? Oh, well, because I was kidnapped by a mother and a husband and wife who are really brother and sister, thrown into a basement, had my tongue cut out, but I'm smart enough to get out, and I crawled between the walls trying to protect the young girl. Yeah, it's not like I'm an insurance salesman. Exactly, it's a lot different. So I think that's it. I think people love the insanity, you know what I mean? Like that that you're just because it's such a different kind of movie, it's beyond, and I think that's what I also took away. I am not interested in a cookie cutter formula, yeah. And obviously, Wes is not at all. No, you know, most of the things he does, and he was always breaking the mold.

SPEAKER_05

And I think it does come down to like some of the C in the theater at a certain age. Like I was 15 when it came out, so I had to sneak in, you know, because it's definitely a goofy with my other buddy who we always you know bought tickets to whatever PG comedy and time to just try to pop into the theater to watch the R-rated horror movie. But it's like that, and like we're around the same time breed, and there were just a couple there's a couple of movies around the early 90s that are just like, oh, okay, wow, this is why it stuck with me because it's so weird and off the while. I'm just watching it again last night. I'm like, this is a fucked up movie.

Jordan Peele remaking People Under the Stairs, Roach legacy + social commentary

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's really weird. It's very so I finally came up with the term in my tale. I go, look, the movie is what I call it's very twisted, it's a twisted, weird movie. And I mean, come on, the ending is insane. What horror movie ends with, you know, spoilers, but one movie ends with you know, a little kid getting, you know, the little kid gets the gold, right? And all these people, any the people under the stairs are free, and a house blows up, and all the you know, tenants are grabbing. It's just such a weird, it's insane, absolutely and it's so great, though. Yeah, and you know, George Peel is remaking it, and people are like, Oh, are you how do you feel about that? And I just said, Look, remakes are tough regardless, you know, but there's been better versions of certain things, and you know, you could argue Star is born has been good and crappy and then really good again, or you know, uh, but I think he'll do it just as because he loved it as a kid, I guess it was one of his favorite movies, and he said the same thing that Brandon Adams said, and they said why? And he said, Because I never saw little black kid save the day on screen, right? You know, I'm saying save the day on screen, and he goes, That was so powerful for him. He said he used it as you know, for get out. It was an inspiration for get out because of slow burn and having a black lead. Gonna, I think, you know, there was one person who commented was like, Oh, so the white people are gonna be the bad guys and the black people are the good guys, and I go, What, like the original? What do you mean?

SPEAKER_02

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, you that's the original, he's not gonna have to do anything. No, no, and uh the movie is exactly that. And I go, and they're not saying all white people are terrible, no black people are great, they're saying these people, these white slumlords are insane, and they're insane, they're crazy insane. Yeah, so it'll be interesting to see. But I mean, are you kidding? I want to try out for daddy.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, oh yeah. Oh, that's that's a fantastic idea. I mean, uh I can't do no wrong. Like, I love the the three future films that he's directed. Love loved Keen. Keen Peel is definitely in contention for favorite sketch show. Um, and he's easy stuff too. Um, like the Candy Mino that he produced. Yes, and he you know, he they announced this remake before the election. Yeah, so it'll be an easy yes, yes, could it be more timely? I don't think so.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I don't know. If anyone was gonna remake it, I'm glad it's yeah, you know, because I think he'll mention Roach. He was talking about claustrophobia and horror movies, and he was like, Well, you remember Roach, he was like trapped between the walls and stuff, you know. And I was like, Oh my gosh, he mentioned it again. So I'm gonna have to lobby him to audition for daddy, even if I don't get it. I just want to get we'll put it out to the universe. I've done it all except a really good western. I'm gonna do a western, and then I'll be complete.

SPEAKER_05

All right, look into writing that western horror movie. We need we need another western horror.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, see that? That's gonna be yeah. Well, Ryan Kugler kind of beat me too, but anyway, yeah. When the next flick is coming, beginning of next year, the swipe should be coming out. Cool. We'll have a trailer hopefully in a couple months.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, awesome will be awesome.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, it's great.

SPEAKER_04

We'd love to have you back on and talk about her.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah, sure. For sure. We have a tradition that the um the last question we ask every guest is who is your favorite final person in a horror movie, the survivor?

SPEAKER_03

I think I always go back to Lori Strode and Halloween, the first one.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Just because you know, they treated her like shit in school, you know. And if anyone didn't have a reason to live, it was her, right? And but I always just felt good it was her because it wasn't, I don't know, a lot of the final girls are kind of badass or whatever, and I just love that I love that she was so lost, you know, she was so scared, and you know, but man, I'll never forget that moment ever in the theater when they got up and looked on the grass and he was gone. I know never forget that man. I have chills talking about it right now because uh it was like I loved it, it's never been done, it was so great, you know, and it was such a terrifying ending because I think I thought about that. Wow, what a that's so much scarier, you know, than a happy ending, right? Yep, you know. Oh, they got them. We'll take them to the mower, you know what I mean? Yeah, it was scary, and the way the music just started is but yeah, I think I of all I mean, I've seen a lot, but I definitely think her I never thought about, but I just think that yeah, because she was such a misfit, you know, and it's great.

SPEAKER_05

We keep Italian, I think she's definitely at the top of the list. You know, there's been a few surprises.

SPEAKER_03

Well, I think Halloween gave us permission to go. It's a horror movie. There is no good ending. Well, Night of the Living Dead as well, probably. But I mean, you know, a scary ending is you know is great. We all remember what's his name that just passed, the great actor at the end of at the end of Invasion of the Body Statues, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I'll never forget from that point.

SPEAKER_05

I did I played that character for Halloween five years ago. Love that movie. It's so good, man.

SPEAKER_03

What a great costume!

SPEAKER_05

It's yeah, that how funny that you just have a huge mustache, huge mustache, baby, like big curly hair, the trench coat, and I had a stuffed, I had a stuffed dog that I put a human mask on, the face, like the dog that does the switch. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, that's so great.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, you'll have to send me a photo of that every year for sure. Yeah, fantastic.

SPEAKER_03

It's a great question. Thank you so much for having me. And I think the fact that horror brings people together, and like there's a lot of people who don't have a community, and they find their community at these horror conventions and make lifelong friends. It's fantastic.

SPEAKER_05

Yep. If you take one thing away from today's episode, let it be this: there are no shortcuts to mental health, but horror might just be the scenic route. Sean Weyland poured his pain into crust and came out the other side with something beautiful, bonkers, and surprisingly heartfelt. It's a reminder that sometimes our weirdest stories are the most healing, and that horror fans don't age out, they level up. We'll be cheering for Sean as he brings Swipe to life next, complete with Sinister Sisters, Sharp Commentary, and yes, a bladed dildo. Big thanks to Sean for getting raw, weird, and wonderfully honest with us. And to you, dear listeners, may your monsters be fluffy, your fandom be fierce, and your dryer never eat the wrong sock. And remember, when someone asks, is horror good for mental wellness? You tell them, of course it is. The Horror Heels Podcast is produced and presented by How the Cow Eat the Cabbage LLC.