12. FOUND FOOTAGE feat. JOEL MCCARTHY

Welcome back!

This week we talk about the official announcement of a WEAPONS prequel, a new trailer for A24's BACKROOMS, and Eli Roth's ICE CREAM MAN reboot! Then we're joined by our special guest JOEL MCCARTHY for a conversation about RunNGun and found footage horror. Check out the video version of the episode @WhispersIntheWoodsPod on YouTube!

Stay tuned next week as we conclude our SHOWDOWN series by determining the DEADLIEST HORROR VILLAIN... OR ELSE!!

Special thanks to Joel McCarthy, Kiah Ellis-Durity, Stefan Petr & Jordan Siudy

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Hello, and welcome back to Whispers in the Woods, your last resort for horror news reviews and sometimes interviews. I'm Emily.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

I'm Devin. And I'm Tom. Sometimes interviews. This week interviews.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

This week interview.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Our very, very first guys. And I'm so excited for it. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

I'm very excited. I'm a little nervous, but I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

It's gonna be great. And I know I say this every week, but this is going to be the best episode yet. We have some great horror news coming up, including X-Files casting announcement, the weapons prequel official announcement, the announcement of Panos Cosmatos' new film, and also a trailer for backrooms. Yes, very excited. After that, we're gonna have a special guest.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

A really special guest. I'm very excited to have on.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

And this week we're also recording a video. So if you're only listening to this, don't forget to watch the video as well. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Two new things. Two new things in one. All at once. So our new guest, our first guest is going to be Joel McCarthy. Mr. Running Gun himself. Mr. Running Gun himself, the longtime organizer of the 48-hour film competition that has been very popular in Vancouver. We've all done it.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Yeah. We've all done it. Yeah. It's very fun. It's uh you get real tired, but uh you get a really cool film in 48 hours. Exactly. A cool opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Well, how about we start it up with some horror news though? Yeah. Let's do it. Okay, so the X-Files, Ryan Kugler's X-Files. Uh we have the official casting announcement. So Himesh Patel, he's the lead actor in a movie called Yesterday, you might know.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

And then Danielle Deadweiler from The Woman in the Yard. These two have both been cast. They are the official leads.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Very cool. Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

And they have shoes to fill, don't they?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Yeah. They sure do. It's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

I'm sending good vibes. I'm excited. Uh then, so Zack Krager and Zack Shields, two Zacs, are going to be writing the Aunt Gladys prequel.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

Wow. Ooh, I'm excited. That's gonna be fun. I'm very, very excited to be excited.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

I've many excited for this movie. Um there's no like plot details just yet. That's great. All we know is that it's going to be uh well, its working title is Gladys.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

I love it. Which I'm fine with. I hope it starts 1600s.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Exactly what I was about to say.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Very like old. Or even older. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Because we only speculate on how old Gladys really is. It'd be nice to see some confirmation. Yes. Maybe she was friends with Thomason way back in the days.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Maybe she is Thomason. We don't know. We don't know.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Um, one little like bit of trivia about this. So Zach Shields, who's writing this with Zack Gregor, uh, he also wrote Krampus. Oh Krampus. He's also in a horror-themed band called Dead Man's Bones with Ryan Gosling. I love that band of all the people. Yes. What?

SPEAKER_03 3:21

He's Ryan Gosling all the time. Yeah, I used to listen to it all the time throughout university. It's so it's great. Wait, does Ryan Gosling sing in it?

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Yeah, he does. I didn't know that. Yeah, singing.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

And yeah, it's if you like nice, like spooky, ooky, not country, but like, you know, you're definitely wearing a wide-brim, black hat, suspenders. Like it's a good vibe. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Okay. Uh, next up, so Panos Cosmatos, the director of Mandy, Beyond the Black Rainbow, among others. Uh, he's his next film is titled Flesh of the Gods. Okay. And this is going to be a period piece set in the 80s. It's starring Kristen Stewart and what's his name? Wagner Mora, who played Pablo Escobar in Narcos. Okay. Okay. Interesting. Yes. The two of them are playing vampires.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Devin loves it.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

He's so happy.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Uh-huh. And uh they like fall under the influence of this other vampire and then descend into what Cosmatos describes as a hot rod joyride deep into the glittering heart of hell.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

His films are always like kind of batshit crazy. Oh, 100%. Have you seen Mandy?

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Oh, yeah, I've seen Mandy. Yes. Yes. Good one. Uh, next up. So, we have the new band the two.

SPEAKER_03 4:44

And I take it you've both seen it. I have to do it. Yeah, the new trailer. Ooh, how are you feeling? It looks so cool. Really good. I'm really excited.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Okay, let me just say, like, they're using the original music from like the original shorts. They are. Ooh, I didn't know that. Um, which is really cool. And then they're doing like a mixture of found footage and more cinematic looking stuff. So I have high hopes.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

I do have high hopes. Me too. I hope it doesn't let us down.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

I don't think it will. It looks like it's gonna be a really cool, good time. And again, letting new people make films. Exactly. They understand what modern audiences really want. Yep. And just the trailer itself and the fact that it's practical sets, I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Once again, I will say I am jealous of Kane Parsons. And that's valid. I think we have my big disabled.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

I think you're lying to yourself if you're not a little bit jealous of this guy. But he earned it. I mean, like he started this whole thing with those backroom shorts.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Oh, yeah. He worked hard to make those things. He's just gonna put his stuff out there.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Exactly. And also, uh, idea for an episode. I think before we review the backrooms in May, we should do an episode on the short films. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

That would be cool. Yeah, there's like nine or ten of them, I think.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

And I haven't seen any. So I think it should be fun to check out. Yeah, let's watch them.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Let's do it. It's exciting.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Okay. Uh, next up, we had, I think you wanted to talk about this, right? Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Yeah, so Eli Roth is coming out with Ice Cream Man. Um, I think it's like kind of a spin on like an old like straight to video 1995 film. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

It's it's starring um cut what's his name? Ron Howard's brother. Yeah. Clint Howard.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Clint Howard.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Yeah, there were a few of them, at least two.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

Um yeah, so the synopsis for this film is an idyllic summer town that spirals into madness when a local ice cream man, ice cream vendor begins serving children treats with horrifying, bloody results.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

I think he's turning children into ice cream. I believe so. I believe that's what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 6:52

Which I do like. This is interesting. It's kind of reminding me of this um horror anime and manga series called Jinjo Ito. Have you seen it? No, I haven't heard of it. There's this one episode about an ice cream man. So I highly recommend you watch it because I was like, well, that was disturbing and short and so colorful and unexpected.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

I wonder which came first. Maybe who was inspired by whom.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

Jinjoito's been out for a while.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Was it early 2000s or 90s?

SPEAKER_03 7:21

Um, the anime came out a couple years ago, but I'm not sure when the manga came out.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

And do you know if Clint Howard is back as the ice cream man? So I saw a poster and it wasn't him. Okay. It was a younger guy.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

There's not too many details on it right now, so I could be wrong. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_03 7:41

Ice cream-based horror? As a lactose and tolerant person. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Ice cream is horror to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:49

Well.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Um, the release date for this film is August 7th. Nice. And uh, yeah, the film will feature music from Snoop Dogg and NAS. So it's unexpected. That is.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

I'm not gonna lie, I did not see that coming. I wonder if Snoop has done another horror movie aside from Bones. I mean, like scored, because he had songs in Bones.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

I think so. Probably not horror stuff.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah, I wonder if this is his second horror appearance.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

The last thing I'll say about this film is Eli Roth himself said that it's his most terrifying and insane project to date.

SPEAKER_03 8:25

That's him saying that?

SPEAKER_06 8:26

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

I've seen The Green Inferno.

SPEAKER_03 8:30

I've seen Hostel Theory.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

That's a bold claim for him, I think.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

No, definitely. So I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Yeah. We'll actually watch that one in theaters with you, Emily. Really? Claire Fire? No, but this is.

SPEAKER_01 8:45

Because you might be seeing like little kids ground up in ice cream. That doesn't like it.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

Well, maybe if they're not being ground up, maybe if it's just all of a sudden poof, they're ice cream. I can deal with that. I don't think it's gonna be like it's totally gonna be like it's just gonna be like a Disney ride.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Then that's what it's gonna be like. Did anybody else have any other horror news?

SPEAKER_03 9:09

No, I have stuff for later on, but not for right now. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Well, actually, I think maybe yours does count as horror news. Does it? I think so.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

We're gonna put it up front? Yeah. Why not? Let's know. It's very exciting. Yes. So um recently this advert has come out that I'm actually in. It's for Mazda. And you might be thinking, why are they talking about the car ad? Well, this car ad is very different than other car ads. It's not like other car ads. In fact, it's a short horror film. It's five minutes and 14 seconds. And I filmed it in February, and the trailer for it premiered at the Oscars. And thank you. And the whole there are five different movies. One's action, one's drama, one's a musical, one's sci-fi, and mine is the horror one, and it's out now on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Amazing. I've seen it, and it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

And uh Devin is a rising star.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

Oh, you're too kind. Two Kai.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

It was also shot by Hoyt Van Hoydema. Yeah. So it looks incredible. Yeah, it does.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

I can't lie. Yeah. Yeah. And it was just a lot of fun doing night shoots. Learnt a lot.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Yeah. Oh, so it's called More Safety. More Safety. We wanted to check it out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:19

Masta Masta CX5. Very cool.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

Does it play on TV and stuff too?

SPEAKER_03 10:25

I don't have TV, you know?

SPEAKER_01 10:27

So I'm not sure for like a five-minute ad too.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

Yeah. Maybe, or maybe it's just on socials, maybe movie theaters. Oh. I could see it in movie theaters. In like a pre-show. Yeah, which would be fun.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

That'd be amazing. That would be really nice.

SPEAKER_03 10:42

I'd just be sitting there like actually be the sound that covered my mouth and be like the whole time. And probably take pictures, I can't lie, because it'd be crazy.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Yeah, you can break theater etiquette in that instance for sure.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Because it's the pre-show. So that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Okay, so I think that wraps up horror news, right? Which means we are gonna take a little break now. Yes. And when we come back, there is going to be a guest here.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Another person you guess. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Welcome back.

unknown 11:12

Welcome back.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

We now have our guest with us, Joel McCarthy, Mr. Running Gut Himself. Hello, Joel. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_07 11:21

I'm doing alright. I'm in. I'm doing okay. Thanks so much for being here. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Okay, well, let's do we want to just jump right in? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

Might as well kind of were before. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

We're mostly talking about found footage films today. Hell yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_07 11:37

Honestly, I've been reflecting and I and I think it's like my favorite type of horror film. Swain, I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

I've been wanting to do this episode for a while. So totally, yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

But also as like organizer of Run and Gun, we definitely have a lot of run and gun style questions for you, too. Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

We'll start off with the run and gun questions. First one is what's your headspace going into your last year organizing run and gun?

SPEAKER_07 12:03

Oh well, I mean, I don't think I'm like gonna be fully cast out to see when things happen. Um but I I I'm like prematurely casting myself out. I think uh I mean I I'm excited. It's a weird, weird time because like we're you we're starting to think about like the legacy of run and gun. What does it continue as? Which is so silly because like it was something that we like kind of half baked started when we were like in our early 20s. We had no like there was no grandiose thoughts about run and gun at the time. Like we would if you would have told me it went more than three years at the time, I would have been shocked. Um, but it's turned into this huge thing. Yeah in Vancouver, like it's been a it's been a weird process, so yeah, like we're kind of we're stepping into our third generation of run and gun is kind of the way I see it. Like it started out very punk rock, like basically ran it out of our own bank accounts, and it was like we didn't know nothing legit about us. It was just like, hey, I can rent the Rio Theater, let's do this. And then uh it was super fun, and we got bigger and bigger and started selling out and all that sort of stuff into into COVID, and then in COVID, um, we kind of were about to start doing a run and gun, and then there was kind of some turmoil there and and some pressure for us not to do run and gun um from a bunch of I mean people that that were concerned. I mean it seemed like it was the end of the world. It was a concerning time. But people were kind of being like, if you do run and gun, you are you're gonna the world's gonna blow up. You killed us all. Uh so instead of killing your grandmas, we decided to uh we did like an off-brand run and gun thing that I ran out of my house called Vancouver Quarantine Performance Project, a terrible title.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Um in need of an acronym there.

SPEAKER_07 14:05

It was it was bad. Um uh but it was just kind of something I impulsively started, and then at that point, um Sasha, who I kind of just knew through things, um she was like, Hey, like this looks really cool. Like, can I help you with this? And I and I'm not one who usually asks for help. I was like, I'm gonna do this. So she helped and then got us like sponsors and things like that. Because like our sponsors for Run and Gun before were just like handshake deals of like, hey, can you give us a discount and can you give us a prize? But we never even asked anyone for cash or anything like that. And so we did two rounds of VQPP during the pandemic. We did first wave and second wave, which timed the waves. And then at the end, you know, when people were starting to get vaccinated and things were like looking like they were gonna open again in 2021. I was like, I kind of want to reboot Grun and Gun. And at that point, Sasha and I had started dating, and we're we were like, hey, let's are we gonna do this? Let's do this. And so at that point, we started like hiring more people, making it bigger, becoming a not-for-profit, yeah, getting a board, um, all that sort of stuff, and expanding, and then going into last year's run and gun, like right before the gala, we went through a breakup and it was like it's it's all all good. So it was kind of this like thing where both of us were kind of looking to pass it off to the next generation, but it was kind of like your problem now. So I kind of like left holding the bag. She's still like helping with the transition and stuff. So at this point, it's like it's kind of become something bigger than what I like what brings my heart joy. It's like a lot of as you get bigger, there's a lot of like weird fires you're putting out, and like and you like you know, um before I like post a meme that might be offensive, or like what would the board think? What would our sponsors think? And like if you post that 9-11 meme, we were in this world of trouble, and you're like, Well, I I want to just be in a world where I where I can. So I want Run and Gun to move on and to keep being because I I think unfortunately we've become like an important staple to a lot of filmmakers. Oh, definitely too. Yeah. Oh shucks. So I I want that to continue, and like as much as like I have moments where I'm like just burn it all down. Um, so I'm kind of like shits and giggles has been like my little side project where it's more what what's authentic to myself, and yeah, now we're moving on to so I'm excited. It's a long answer to this question, but I'm excited this is the the third kind of big wave of run and gun. Yeah. And I'm excited to just like keep you know, like a curler, just like throwing the bario, and you now people are gonna start sweeping and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

Well, the Vancouver indie scene like for films is so big. Huge, you are definitely gonna have so many different people that are gonna want to help you keep it going for sure.

SPEAKER_07 17:27

Yeah, I know. It's I I I it's gonna it's gonna long story short, it's gonna go on. We already have some people that have joined up on the team. Some stuff I haven't we haven't announced yet. And uh it's gonna be an exciting time. Cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

And you're not allowed to talk about it just yet.

SPEAKER_07 17:44

I mean, I I I will probably announce like who the the so like basically we've got two new junior co-directors that are kind of coming on that I'm gonna kind of train throughout this season. And then um sorry, I'm all good. Um and then I'm I'm going to uh and then we also have a director of show who is is Tristan. He's been kind of one of my basically last year was like finally the year where if I got in a car crash leading up to run again, the show could go on. Okay, and so I was like, okay, like this he knows the flow of it. We got these new festival directors who kind of run the business side and the hype side and all that sort of stuff. Right. And yeah, my I basically gotta you know, I'm still I'm still kind of running, I'm the festival director still, but yeah, I just gotta like start telling people, oh hey, this is the password of the Gmail. Right, this is where we've hidden the bodies. Yeah, get everything lined up. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

So I guess, yeah, kind of touching on like the future generation of running gun, like how do you feel that the Vancouver indie scene has changed over the last little while?

SPEAKER_07 19:01

It's it's been I mean, there I I've thought about this question because you sent it to me, and I have like a bitter side and a sweet side. We can be bittersweet on the bar. Never mind. So like the thing that's exciting is there feels like there's a more coherent indie scene, whereas like before we started running on, I'm not saying run and gun was the only thing, there's other things that were a part of this, but indie film kind of lived in weird little shadows and stuff like that. There wasn't like a coherent thing that people were kind of coming to. And like I was at a time where like if you were blessed to do a crazy eight, you had a chance to like showcase your skills. But beyond that, it was like a mix of people not watching each other's stuff, and a lot of like we have to support, you know, these cronies who've done their time, and like you were you know, a sideshow doing stuff. So I felt like I was I had done two feature films right out of film school and had been going touring uh around with them. We were having so much like good fortune on the festival circuit. Um, my first feature doc was was kind of a festival darling, and we just were getting flown to Maui, and all these things are exciting. Wow, and then at home it was like nothing, not a single door would open, and then we were getting all these like American distributors calling us all the time, wanting our phone. Yeah. And it was just like, what the fuck is going on in Vancouver here? And we play festivals with these like telefilm films that were like five people in the audience, and you like wanted to tear your eyes out, it were just like boring kind of melodramas, and I was just like, what is happening here? So like I just kind of wanted to create something where anyone could just like have a chance to prove themselves, to show what they got, to have people come, etc. But it was just kind of and so from there, these last few years, there is there's been other things beyond. Like I feel like there's a lot of like indie film meetups and screenings, and it did grow and grow, and I feel like now it's like there's this huge loving community and uh welcoming to young new people, old new people, etc.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

We've noticed this wave, like Emily's partner has also been championing the creators meeting up in person to share, more like less scrolling, more in-person meeting.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

Yeah, yeah. Just last year he did like an event where he kind of rented out a warehouse and then had a bunch of just different like creators and filmmakers come together and just screen their stuff and chat and hang out.

SPEAKER_07 21:44

Exactly. And then that's that's what it's all about. And then the the pessimistic side of it is I feel like like it's really cool how many people have gone on to do features, to grow in a lot of creative ways. But I feel like the economic side of the indie filming industry has not improved and like I feel like every year everyone is because of the cost of living, which is insane here. Because of you know a number of factors of oh there's like less grants and support than there was when I was like getting started. So I feel like it's it's sad because there's so many great creative people and so much of our energy is built around like how do I pay rent this month? How do I feed myself? How do I feed my child or whatever. So you know it's nice that we can all get together but it's it's tough and like it's hard because we have our you know our our competition we need to sell tickets to survive. We need to sell registration. And it's tough because I know that everyone's purse strings get tighter and tighter each year.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Yeah I mean I personally feel that I'm making a short film right now and you know yeah the budget's pretty tight for it so I've started a Kickstarter I'm gonna post that sometime this week but we're gonna share it. Yes thank you but yeah just kind of any way that you can get money for a film these days is is nice.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Yeah. Well what else do we have?

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Okay the next question is one of my personal questions that I put on here um whatever happened to Blood and Guts and maybe will we see a return?

SPEAKER_07 23:23

I mean I have I have been very open with like whoever wants to like take on blood and guts I'm like happy to support and champion. Because I don't it wasn't a bad idea or anything. The thing was this we started blood and guts around the third year after we did three like the third year run and gun it sold out really fast and became this whole like we this whole thing that it was like oh shit we've kind of become too big our first kind of time where we hit that because the first two years we were just young and scrappy and like we couldn't fill the Rio and then all of a sudden it's like oh we sold out and we sold out this and we maxed out our teams like what's gonna go and so the idea was like instead of making run and gun bigger why don't we create like a small little run and a small little horror niche one because like who's it's not gonna get the same level of support as run and gun whatever and then like boom it was just as big and wow really Vancouver lab tour they do they do good for us it was it was a it was like it was like the it was one of those you build it they come it was the easiest like launchable competition we did. So then we did run and gun again then we did blood and guts again and it all the that blood and guts is the first time we moved to three screenings. Okay because people were just like kicking down the door so then all of a sudden it was like as big as run and gun and I realized like that's tough I'm spending like a whole year was like I don't make there's very little it was like and then it was it's it's a tough thing because you take stock of like well what am I creating to fulfill myself and like I'm doing all this so it was just like a lot of work and I realized like I just kind of created the same trap that I was trying to escape. Sure. And so I think that like I think blood and guts should exist. I'm not against it and I'm I'm willing to champion people who want to start blood and guts I I I like I will happily put the sword on their shoulders or whatever. Ideas are forming I've no like ego about it if someone like wanted to try to resurrect it because I think that there is clearly like an audience there it exists and like the only thing was it was a lot of work whereas like the way we designed shits and giggles is it's actually like a fraction of the work. Right and it's still I think the core of what I enjoy doing but yeah just like the only issue with blood and guts is it was popular.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Right too popular.

SPEAKER_07 26:04

What is also the difference between shits and giggles and run and gun so shits and giggles is like uh uh it's it's kind of like our lesser like it's it's pretty funny we specifically to like chose a title that we can't even like buy promotions on because shit on it um and so the idea was like there's no sponsors allowed it's it's uh like an indie filmmaking competition you have to spend under 250 bucks outside outside of food and gas appreciate that yeah yes um so it's kind of leveled up there and then all your equipment has to be able to fit in the back of a Toyota Prius. I love it that's great you provide the Toyota Prius's no we do but Evo is not a sponsor but they exist I mean it's all kind of honor system there and so um and then every year we have a theme so uh this year's theme is secrets you have an entire year to make the film interesting we should do that you should definitely do it none of us have done it yet no none of us have done the films just have to be under five minutes and then we do the screenings in November and uh yeah the thing that we do usually if we do three screenings but then we can not play every film and so it's a little easier on us it's a little less to wrangle but you know we only get like 70 to 80 submissions and we play like like 50 or 60 ish.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

So it's okay yeah that's pretty good then it can be any genre.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Any genre.

SPEAKER_07 27:35

Oh cool sounds like you kind of created run and gun again starting from the bottom basically kind of going from like the principles that like the the the the childhood heart of running and not yeah not get turning it yeah because I I I do love that run and gun's gotten big but it wasn't it was it it's just it's just so hard when you start getting like committees and like so many fingers in the pie. Yeah. It's become a bit of a beast yeah exactly and then people like you know it's like oh we're at the or feam and this like the for for shits and it's like we're just at the Rio. We've sold out our finals every year and I've been like oh too bad and we just move on it's great.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

Perfect I like the budget cap because I am a a filmmaker with no money so it's like this is great.

SPEAKER_07 28:29

And that's like one of the things that people it's tough because one of the things that some people get upset about with run and gun is like well that team had two Ari Alexas but but at the same time it's like these people got to play around with these toys that maybe they're on sets where they're not doing something fulfilling. Maybe they're making Hallmark videos or whatever, right? And so there's there's something kind of nice about like letting people play with whatever they want to play with. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:00

So and it's cool to see the range of films from like the ones when it's the high school students all the way to somebody who's been working in the film industry with the Ari Alexa and they're all valid. Exactly like they're all valid films.

SPEAKER_07 29:12

And it's it's just yeah it and it's it's really cool to be a part of an event where those people can all be in the same room treated in the same way and that's that's like really what the heart of it all is all about. Exactly the friends make along the way. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

Well I guess this is a good segue question but what's like the process of kind of like starting a film festival.

SPEAKER_07 29:37

So I think like the biggest thing like just so the most important thing to starting a film festival is to book a day at a theater and lock yourself into it. That makes sense because then everything is like oh shit there's that deadline and it's covered right so I think I think that I think that that's like once you do that get a little delusional and just go for it right like it's it's one of those if you build it they'll come things and you know your first year you might not you you might just barely break even or something like that but I feel like there is like that support there and what have you and like I've been you know talking uh today like the Smash Potato Kids sketch fest just uh finished their entries and like all they had to do was like we're gonna do this. This is the day on the calendar this is the day the films are due and it all kind of just magically came that way. But yeah it's interesting like the first year we started running gun we did way more obsessive promo we worked way harder promoting the event yeah because we're like no one knows anything we printed things out went to every film event and what have you and then now it's like I don't even think we've really done any promos about registration.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

It kind of promotes itself people know it's on 420 at midnight.

SPEAKER_07 31:01

It's been that way since the beginning and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:04

Everyone's in the routine now definitely um yeah let's get into today's theme which is found footage horror and the first question is why did found footage spring to mind when we asked you to choose a horror subgenre so for me found footage is like the filmmaker it's about filmmaking.

SPEAKER_07 31:29

That's the thing I really like about it and like it it harkens back to like for for me watching like as a kid like America's funniest home videos and watching watching uh uh CKY I'm not sure can't kill yourself it's called it was basically it turned into jackass after jackass right yeah and so like that sort of stuff was so exciting because it looked like the stuff on my family's camcorder and you're like here here we are watching this movie and then when um and then um when the Blair Witch came out it was just like this huge thing of like these random people they made a movie and like the cool thing about all of this is like each found footage movie is like ultimately about the technology that these fictional characters have access to. And it might be the actual best thing that you have access to as a character. Or it might not be and there's like something really interesting about you know this how they use the technology and justify why they're shooting and stuff like that. But I think so I I re I watched one of the paranormal activities last night and I was just like I was legitimately terrified and I was like why oh yeah because because I I don't get scared very easily in films and I'm always trying to break down how do they shoot this oh that's an interesting way to light it and like I'll I'll still enjoy them and like you know in the theaters there's very few films that have like legitimately scared me in the last like 15 years but yeah I I was last night watching um the marked ones and I was there's a lot of moments where I'm like oh shit and it's it's so interesting and the limitations of like the camera that they the fake camera they're using has like terrible low lights so you're looking in this like blackish blob for movement and stuff like that. And yeah and so like just in general I love how it's like telling and like so with the Blair Witch project it was like one of the cameras could record audio the other couldn't yeah one was film one was video and like it's so filmmakery and like so you know you know exactly how they're making it and and like with para with uh with that one it's like the blacks on those cameras was so bad. So everything is just so dark. Yeah you can barely see some of the most pivotal moments you can't see and you're just you're terrified because you're like in that moment and there's something yeah there's something just sort of magically equalizing with with fan footage films where you're like wow this could be made for a million dollars it could also be made for 1000 and you can buy into the reality too yeah I feel like it's the most real feeling subgenre for sure which kind of yeah in turn makes it one of the scariest yeah yeah and I I just love when they give you a little like stuff about the tech too like I'll get into with parallel activity three but even like with the one last night like the guy also gave him a GoPro and he like dangled it down a vent and connected it to a TV and I'm like this is I love the idea of like the tools that these characters have.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Are the same tools that you've used yourself too I'm sure.

SPEAKER_07 34:57

Yeah yeah and and ones that I would overlook like you know because now I have access to fancier cameras than like my mom's old camcorder. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Which is what I like started on but like some of the things that you can shoot with those old camcorders might feel more lifelike and more real and more creepy than having all the 6K I can't think of a big budget found footage movie.

SPEAKER_02 35:23

Like I'm just sure it's a remake of Blair Witch. I saw that yeah there's they have like drones in it instead Cloverfield was huge.

SPEAKER_07 35:34

That one came out when I was working in a movie theater and it was the first time we had dealt with like mass people puking in the theater right yeah yeah yeah so I am people's moving here either code green or protein spell in theater or whatever. Protein spelled so there's definitely some shortfalls to it but yeah that that one was like JJ Abrams it was huge. Right. Um what was that one with those I guess it's the the one with those like three boys who get super chronic. Yeah. There's a few and even like a lot of the paranormal activities are over a million dollar budget now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

Except for that first one.

SPEAKER_07 36:18

Yeah it was 10 grand.

SPEAKER_02 36:19

Yes crazy 15 grand or something it's awesome.

SPEAKER_07 36:22

But yeah when I was asking you kind of about which um found footage films were your favorite you immediately said paranormal activity three paranormal activity three why okay it's okay so like I think like one of the things and I I dealt with this in the marked ones is like when you watch a found footage film you want to feel like it's not bullshit that they're filming right like when it feels like why are they filming this whatever right but I love the justification of like it's this um wedding videographer so he's got all this gear because it takes place in the 80s and we're using you know it they're faking out the 80s technology like they're putting a smaller camera inside like a fake box and stuff like that for the mirror shots but they're using what they have and it's really about that process. So there's this moment where you know the guy wants to keep a camera going on where he can see the kitchen and see the living room but he only has two cameras which the already the idea of this guy who has a wedding videography business having two cameras makes sense. It checks out I don't go oh I don't know I've got I've got more than two cameras I do you know and so he like cuts off the top of his fan he mounts the camera onto this oscillating fan yeah and it is the scariest thing I've ever seen because you have this camera that's slowly going over and you go oh my god something terrifying's happening in the kitchen oh my god oh my god and then the camera goes away and you're like go back go back and it just it like that alone that gag was just I I just the feeling I had watching paranority three in the theater was the whole time I was like please end soon I'm so scared and cool most of the things that are good in that most of the best moments are fill are moments where like almost nothing happens. It's all um bomb theory.

SPEAKER_02 38:25

Yeah yeah yeah I think there's one moment in the film where it has to do with like Toby and one of the little girls is playing in that little like creepy closet. Yeah little door that was the scariest thing for me it like slammed shut at one point and little girls like stuck in there banging on the door and then the kids like talking into the door.

SPEAKER_07 38:48

Yeah the other thing I love about Paranormal activity three and and the first few is yeah those wide frames where you see like a door a closet under the bed you see all these different vantage points and and you'll they'll fast forward for hours or they'll show you a clip for like you know a whole 15 seconds and the cool thing is like you as an audience member become the director and you're looking that like you know usually a director would be like oh let's show this closet let's show this let's show that right it's like we're gonna show you everything and we're gonna have almost nothing happening in the frame and you're just gonna be looking at these things. Or you see like a kid playing in bed sorry but you see that little door like open a crack and you're just like so it's just like a mix of that stuff a mix of like how well they justified the technology I felt like that film just had no moments of like why are they filming this like we already know he's kind of investigating some paranormal stuff there and it's like yeah this guy's a fucking nerd.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

And I love the way they lampshaded in the first one asking Mika why are you filming this? Why are you filming this?

SPEAKER_07 40:02

Kind of a funny question do you hate Mika as much as we all do I I feel like I feel like you need to I feel like horror is one of like the great genres where you don't have to like the characters the vessel of it is I find he's like annoying and I I don't want to spoil the I don't like that he has a head the fat marked ones the last minute of the marked ones I'm just gonna pretend never existed hopefully you've forgotten the last minute because I just I just think it was silly but yeah I I I'm annoyed by him but I I just I'm okay I like I'd rather I kind of just get annoyed when like new filmmakers like Reed Save the Cat and they just try to make these these uninteresting characters who are like oh they're nice or whatever. This guy's like he's kind he's annoying he's yeah I don't like him.

SPEAKER_02 41:00

I mean yeah we just had our worst boyfriends episode and he made it to the very end just from how annoyed we were by it.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

He made a lot of really strong contenders but uh succeeded planetary boyfriend make it on the list oh absolutely the Mitsumar boyfriend I'm sorry yes Christian was up there Mika was only beaten by Adrian from the invisible man.

SPEAKER_07 41:27

Oh I still oh who was like the he ended up being the bad guy right but I want to I want to see it. It's really good right he's a very bad guy terrible um so out of the entire franchise how would you kind of rate all the paranormal activities okay so I've only seen five of them so the goat paranormal activity three uh it's it's just it's next level I I won't won't debate this further on it number two paranormal activity one you gotta give credit to the OG yeah and then the marked ones I'm putting in three then I'm putting in paranormal activity two and then I saw four I can't remember anything about it so that's de facto last place yeah yeah it's yeah it's not good.

SPEAKER_01 42:21

And you have seen the other two right the last two?

SPEAKER_02 42:24

I haven't actually seen seven I've seen next of kin as well six. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 42:30

Uh that one's pretty good as well I would recommend that I was looking at a few lists last night of like which where they rank and a couple lists had the marked ones up pretty high so I was like if I'm gonna watch one I want one that like people think is good. And I liked how I was it was nice to be like oh you can make a paramount activity that's good and solid and doesn't take place in like upper middle upper middle class to rich white people's houses. And like there's like these it was like the story of a you know apartment complex and it's and and you know it's like all kind of like main Mexican characters and stuff like that. It's and it's it works really well. My only issue is they didn't have like the wide shots with all the doors and stuff and I was like that's that's what this that's what this thing is about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

It frustrates me so much that I'm sure it's Mika who forces Katie to keep the bedroom door open so that they can look down the hallway. And I just can't imagine because he also makes her sleep on the side to the open door.

SPEAKER_02 43:34

She literally gets like bitten or scratched and he's like ah let's just keep recording and see what happens Mika Um but yeah to kind of expand and like talk about you know the found footage films that people probably first think of when you know they bring up the the subgenre out of Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity and VHS, which franchise Would you say has been the most influential to the subgenre? Oh.

SPEAKER_07 44:04

I feel like I do the Merry Fuck kill here, but No, I think I think I'd be uh influential.

SPEAKER_08 44:13

I mean, I I think that's a good question.

SPEAKER_07 44:18

They're kind of all influential in their own ways, yeah. You kinda like have to give it credit to Blair Witch, because it really did it that film like shocked everyone to like its success. And like the amount of like people talking about I was like pretty young when it came out. I think it was like 10 or something like that. But like everyone knew about that film. And like that put fan footage on the record, uh, on like the the radar type thing. Yeah. But I feel like Paranol Activity is like the perfect vessel, and I think Paranol Activity being that 10 grand film that was you know, just kind of came out of no. I don't know. I gotta give it to both those. VHS is cool, I've seen a few of them, and I I love it's like they're fun anthologies, and I I definitely enjoy them. But I don't feel like VHS is like VHS is like the remix.

SPEAKER_02 45:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 45:17

And and like after watching that one last night, because I was like, how are they doing so many paranormal activities? But after watching that one, which I think is like the sixth one or something like that, it made me go. I I honestly walked away from it like, why aren't there more of these? Because it is so easy to shoot, and like once you get out of this idea of like it not taking place in these, you know, upper middle class kind of suburbs, there's a whole world of you know, anyone can get haunted by demons. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:48

As the horror genre has shown us. Exactly. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 45:51

Even podcasters, even podcasters.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

Um, yeah, I mean, that kind of segues into the next question. Perfectly, yeah. Have you seen Undertone?

SPEAKER_07 46:00

No, I saw the trailer. Have you seen it?

SPEAKER_01 46:02

Yes, we saw that we reviewed it. That's really good. Yeah. It's funny, you were talking just a minute ago about a theater experience you couldn't wait to end, and that was me during Undertone.

SPEAKER_02 46:12

I was suffering over his eyes to all exception. And the ears.

SPEAKER_01 46:18

Like 90% ears, 70% eyes. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_07 46:23

It's a beautiful feeling, yes.

SPEAKER_03 46:24

Yeah, and no, that movie very much utilizes space. Yeah. There's a lot of like, oh gosh, wide.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

We're shooting down a hallway and what's gonna appear down there.

SPEAKER_03 46:37

But and also he is directing the next paranormal activity, the director of Undertone. Okay. Yes, that's yeah. So exciting to look for.

SPEAKER_02 46:44

That film, you were also talking about like one of the scariest films you've seen in the past like 15 years. And I mean, I don't really get scared at films anymore either, but that film freaking got me. Oh my god, just the audio alone is like just insane. Like, I don't know why horror films don't utilize the audio more like that. The hairs on my entire body were like standing up through pretty much the whole film. Like it's a theater experience for me.

SPEAKER_07 47:13

Okay, well maybe we'll have to go see I gotta find someone to go with you to these things. Yeah, yeah. True. They can't see it.

SPEAKER_04 47:23

I have no idea what you know, like how to do it. Still has to watch it. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

If you can't see it in theaters, I would like recommend seeing it in a dark room with headphones in. Yeah. And that's how you get the full experience. Oh, like almost the full experience. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:40

So yeah, kind of speaking about that director of Undertone, he's yeah, directing the new paranormal activity. So, what are kind of your hopes for the new one?

SPEAKER_07 47:49

I mean, I think I think just my my my hopes for the new one, because I think they gotta stop trying to like tie it into the original. Like, I no one I don't think people give a shit. I think paranormal activity is just like a stamp you put on a film. Yeah, and then like the cool thing is the buy-in on it, that is like you won't get into the film and already the audience is like something suspicious is going on, and like there's a level of free uh like free suspense that they get by just having the word parallel activity, and you just kind of like you know like you like you can start them almost a little slower because you know, like, oh something's really going on here, they're just building characters. But yeah, I hope that I hope that that you know this this guy gives approaches it with a lot of freedom and like autonomy and like doesn't feel like they have to tip their hat at the old films. That's yeah, I think there's been enough of them. Just just let it be its own paranormal activity. And like and I I would love to see more filmmakers take on the take on the franchise. It's a really cool, accessible franchise. And as much as they're all made for over a million dollars now, they they could be made for a lot less. Yeah, exactly. And and not suffer a lot out of quality.

SPEAKER_02 49:11

For sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:12

And uh I wonder, do you think that they're gonna go the standard route and just call it paranormal activity? Or is it gonna be paranormal activity eight and subtitle?

SPEAKER_08 49:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 49:21

I mean it's I I hope that they meet up with the fast and the furious It's Tokyo Drift.

SPEAKER_04 49:33

Paranormal to I would actually get our ticket pretty soon. Paranormal er.

SPEAKER_02 49:45

Um, yeah, next question is Have you made your own found footage film before?

SPEAKER_07 49:51

I I haven't. I I'm it definitely was really inspiring to watch. I've done like I feel like for horror, I've done like a few horror comedy short. I've like worked, I've been writing a horror feature that I rewrite every five years that I like think, oh, now I know more about the subject matter, I'll keep writing it. But no, I I don't think I've done a found footage that I I mean I used to make so many films like when I was a teenager in my early 20s. Before I became a parent, it was filmmaking was my mistress.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

Is there anything you can tell us about this script of yours, or would you keep it all close to the chest?

SPEAKER_07 50:35

It's kind of it's basically it's a horror comedy that is um kind of like this world where like kind of like almost zombie rules in a way, but those who get infected rapidly age younger while they become like vicious buttons, yeah. It's like yeah, a bunch of like a horde of like crazy scary ass children and people getting infected there, and then the core couple in it is like these two people where you know they're a young pregnant couple and dealing with all the anxieties of bringing a child child into the world while all the external stuff is these terrifying little monsters. And uh yeah, it's there's there's so much heart to this film, and there's a lot of really good like twists and turns and moments that I just like have I've fallen in love with years ago, but then the first bit, like the first time I was writing this film, I hadn't become a parent yet. And so I had you know, you've your different perspective, and then right, and then I tried to like rewrite it a few years, like like right when I was my son was like just getting born, and I felt like I had all this new perspective and stuff like that, and now I'm like I've got more perspective on things and what's interesting, so I've been like dabbling at rewriting, like page one rewrite each time. But I have certain scenes that I like am so obsessed with in characters that I like so there's certain things that stay the same, but I'm like, okay, my voice has changed, etc. And so I think like when I stopped wanting to make it earlier, I was like, I need to make a lower budget horror first because like who's gonna trust me, who's gonna let me do this? And then now I'm like gone full circle. We're like, mm-hmm, fuck it, we ball.

SPEAKER_01 52:33

I love that concept too. It sounds like a great way to utilize the creepy horror movie Child. Yeah, like the Brady twins.

SPEAKER_08 52:40

Would you have your kid in it? Oh, he'd probably get involved for sure.

SPEAKER_07 52:43

It depends what age he is by the time I finish it. But yeah, the yeah, the the first draft of it, I was so like jazzed on where it was going, all that sort of stuff. And then The Last of Us came out and I played the game, and the end was the end I had cooked up. I thought it was so crazy, like, what if they kill the scientist because she's pregnant and this, that, like they're trying to find this the answer through you know a fetus, whatever. And I played this game and I was just devastated. I was like, I'm sorry, that's my ending. And I felt and so I just like put it in a drawer and I was like, fuck this. Damn you, Druckman. Yeah, it was gonna be great. It's it was great, and like Last of Us 2 is like my favorite video game of all time, or maybe below Breath of the Wild, but um so I'm not like but it like I lost steam and then kind of lost steam the second time, and we'll see if I can keep the steam alive because I do feel like there's enough to chew on here, and I feel like there's meaty moments, and and yeah, I just think that there's a lot that you know, the fear of how a child is gonna change your life in a world where children are fucking just murdering people.

SPEAKER_01 53:59

Keep the steam alive, keep the dream alive.

SPEAKER_02 54:01

Yes. Do you feel like you might make this film soon, or do you feel like you need another five years?

SPEAKER_07 54:08

I don't know if it's another five years. I think like a lot of it is like every year I do run and gun, the part of it is like at the end of it. I'm like, fuck the amount of energy I put into this, I could have made a feature and things like that, right? Because leaning into Run and Gun, I had done two passion project features beforehand. And since then, pretty much everything like features I've done have all been like for higher documentaries, and like it's it's so I mean it's just harder to make those sacrifices to make stuff when you have like, oh, I've got a child, I've got these bills.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

Sorry, I think I heard something odd from the camera there, and I just want to go check off. Yeah, yeah, for check it out. That was a bad noise. Like a shutting off kind of noise.

SPEAKER_03 54:53

That's what that sounded like.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

We're back.

SPEAKER_07 54:55

We're back. So perhaps this is my like retirement from run and gun project.

SPEAKER_01 55:01

Yeah. Cool.

SPEAKER_03 55:02

Okay. Well, I think it's a very interesting subject matter because it just touches on so many themes like people with anxiety of having children due to the environment, climate change financially. There's so many reasons. So it's a very fascinating concept.

SPEAKER_07 55:17

Yeah, and that's why like it's it's kept sticking with me over the years, right? Like, I haven't fully abandoned this film, but I yeah, I I lick the wounds of someone did my ending, and I don't feel brilliant anymore. Blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_02 55:32

I feel like again, I've definitely had that happen before when writing things you see something on TV and you're like, damn, I can't put it in anymore. Uh when did you start the film? Like writing the film?

SPEAKER_07 55:44

Writing that?

SPEAKER_02 55:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 55:46

I feel like I was I was probably it was I think it was after my first narrative feature. Um I yeah, it was kind of like I was on the I was on the festival circuit and I'm just paranoid. And uh people kept asking, like, hey, you know, we really are looking for any kind of genre, films, horror films. Like, that's what all the distributors were hungry for at the time. Do you have anything? And I kind of I my friend and I had like had a conversation about this idea at one point, and I was like, I think there's something here. And so yeah, it's been it's been like sitting on a shelf for like 15 years.

SPEAKER_08 56:33

But maybe one day, and then you can look back at this and be like, ah, we interviewed that guy. Yeah, famous. It was there.

SPEAKER_02 56:41

Yeah, and I kind of just want to like open the floor to like any other found footage films throughout the years that have kind of like excite you or have inspired you in any sort of way.

SPEAKER_07 56:53

Okay, I mean, it's so interesting because like the line between found footage and mockumentary, I feel is like a little line. I guess it's found footage is generally like a horror framing and um but I'm just trying to think. I mean, I really did like um uh what's the one I talked about, the J.J. Abrams one when they were. Was cool to see that you could do like the big epic one. Um but yeah, I feel and like Rack and like you know, my friend Gigi got to direct one of the VHS. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, um, and so that was like really cool to go to the preview of that. Like I just I do love the genre and I feel like it generally terrifies me. I just I need to be more made aware of like what's coming out and stuff like that. I realize like a lot of my references of what found footage horror is is old, but I think also part of that is it is like challenging now because if you're not doing like a period piece, the technology is different in a way. Like the thing that I like about like a shooting on tape is like you hit play and it like plays through all these things. I mean they do so much edits and stuff like that. Whereas like realistically, and this is like the only genre that I'll like say this about, is like the the truthful found footage horror right now realistically should be a vertical TikTok series. It's true, yeah, it's true because most people like the thing is we all have we can all be shooting 4K, but I think like this idea of what people shoot on their phones, like that, and people are filming stuff more all the time. Like the big thing with you watch older found footage, like, oh my gosh, you have a camera?

SPEAKER_08 58:40

What's that?

SPEAKER_07 58:43

Whereas like seeing, you know, someone with it, so I I really think that parallel activity would work well as a vertical found footage series. Um and and it it's like one of the few that I wouldn't be upset if they moved that direction. Yeah. Because I I think that that is authentically where found footage would be today.

SPEAKER_02 59:06

Yeah, it makes sense for right now for sure.

SPEAKER_01 59:09

There was that film Spree, that was somewhat vertical, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 59:12

Yeah, yeah, so Trailblazer, like kind of on a phone, like dash cam vibes. Oh Spree's fun. That was Joe Kiri.

SPEAKER_07 59:21

Okay, I'll have to take a look at that. I also like the American Vandal series. I love that show. Huge styles. I know it's not horror at all, but I loved how they used a mix of like found footage and stuff like that. All the vertical stuff in there was like it was brilliant. I just have so much love for that series. Totally.

SPEAKER_02 59:41

It's a good one.

SPEAKER_07 59:42

It's about the technology. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 59:44

I think my favorite's probably I know you didn't like it so much, but Grave Encounters. That was fun. I've never seen it. I'll have to. You've gotta watch Grave Encounters. It was filmed at Riverview in Poco. Um, yeah, with a modest Canadian budget, um, but it's super effective.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:01

Okay, well, I I think I knew some people who worked on it. I just have never seen it. Grave Encounters.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:06

Yeah. What about you guys? Do you guys have a favorite?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:09

I recently watched As Above So Below uh and loved it. I might be stealing yours here yet.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:15

That's okay, we can share. Let's share. I do not own this movie. More people that like it, the better, in my opinion. Because when it came out, it was kind of at the end of a bunch of um film finish movies, so it didn't get as much buzz than it rightfully deserves. Because it's a great film. Okay. It was actually filmed in the catacombs. Okay. Sounds terrifying. Yeah, exactly. It's claustrophobic-wise, no way. It's scary.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:42

But it's kind of like popcorn scary. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You just have a good time.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:45

You're the full once you see a clue in what story it is, you're like, oh, they're doing that.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:51

It's very cool when you kind of get the shoe drops.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:55

Yeah. Yeah, it's really good, very entertaining.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:57

Okay, I'll have to give it a now. I've got two great recommendations.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:00

So many movie suggestions by the end of the day.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:03

Just need someone to hold my hand.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:08

Oh, this is kind of an off-the-cuff question, but do you watch horror movies with your son?

SPEAKER_07 1:01:13

Uh he's super into horror these days. I mean, his big thing is like he loves Five Nights at Freddy's The Games. And I took him, I took him to the new one in theaters. That's his first like horror movie in theaters, which is really exciting. But no, he he wants to read horror books. Like, he loves horror, but it's always push and pull because I don't have like if if I had my way, like I'd be like, oh, let's watch whatever type thing. And I've probably shown him some things I maybe shouldn't have. But he also has another parent who has ideas on that parent. So it is it is a push and pull. But he's when he is a little older, there's always so many more horror films I want to expose him to. And um yeah, but also it's like dealing with you don't want to have a kid waking you up in the middle of the night with nightmares. Yeah, so I'm finding that balancing act.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:09

Yeah, I mean, I was definitely that kid. I was a horror child. My dad um was also a kid when he had me, but he was just, you know, showing me sod whatever else I shouldn't be watching at like six, seven years old. So I'm very much like a product of that's great.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:29

And like I had my friend across the street from me, this is real sad, but his mom died when we were quite young, and his dad was had to work all the time, but would let us go to the video store and would rent. We rent anything, and we would like we would go to the horror section and we'd get like every like Friday the 13th, the uh the Freddie Kruger films, Nightmare on Elm Street, like all the like all the horror movies. Yeah, and like a lot of it was we just wanted to see which ones had boobs, but of course I don't think I was Tom, but we we just loved it, and like we just watched so many R-rated horror films, and I lived in a house that was like very strict on that stuff, so it was a great awakening.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:15

I miss a video store. Me too. Oh my god. I remember being scared of just the it VHS box. Like we would be walking, and I didn't watch Claw. Claw because that was filmed in New Westminster, and that's where I grew up in Brindby Village Museum, where I worked. Yeah, so it's scary because it's filmed here, and it made it extra scary. I gotta re-watch it now.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:35

I didn't know it was filmed here. I remember watching it as a kid, and that scene where the blood was like landing on the book.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:41

I was like, so scary.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:43

And I feel grateful to be old enough to remember going to Blockbuster and going into the horror section, turning a DVD over and being like, is something terrifying gonna be on the other side? And you hope there isn't, you also hope there is.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:56

It's funny because I feel like as a kid, yeah, I was watching all these like crazy, scary films, the scariest films ever. But the horror movie cover that got me the most was Chucky for some reason. Really? I don't get it.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:12

I get it. Your toy coming out of you? Uh it's scary.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

Joel, do you have like a horror movie cover poster that you remember scaring you?

SPEAKER_07 1:04:21

Well, so I I worked in a video store. I was one of the last of the Mohicans. Um I'm trying to think of which which which one drew me. I mean, I think as a kid, the one that I always like looked at and was always like, what's that about was Hellraiser. It's just like the the the image of nails coming out of the hands. What's that all about? And yeah, I've actually never seen it.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:52

Oh really?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:54

Neither am I it's uh more interesting, I think, than you'd think.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:03

The special effects are so beautiful, yeah. I'll have to watch it. Really good.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:08

Like I didn't watch the thing till like a year ago, and I was like, wow, this movie is incredible. Yeah. Yeah, I would watch They Live right out of the house.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:19

Have you seen Big Trouble in Little China, Carpenter? Uh yes, I have.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:23

He's put on the video store. Oh, so um, yeah, that kind of concludes the questions for the sub-genre theme. Kind of going into our conclusion. How do you see the found footage sub-genre changing in the next decade?

SPEAKER_07 1:05:39

Well, as I was kind of saying, I feel like it's it's the the genre that vertical makes the most sense for. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:48

And they'll just have to turn the theaters on their side.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:53

How you experience it and stuff like that. I I don't I don't know. I mean I'm sure that there is a lot of Vertical horror that's amazing right now. But I I think that like the I I I mean as long as we have evolving technology and people have interesting ways to use it, I think like I think that the sky's the limit for for found footage because everyone has a 4K camera in their pocket. The only bad thing is watching these paranormal activities and stuff like that, it's like I don't think they're they work as well in 4K. True, yeah. You kind of need some shape to it, yeah. Yeah, for sure. So we'll see where it goes, but it's it's hard to not look at attacking a found footage film and being like, it takes place in 2010. Right. And then you just open up that door because the technology was yeah, pre-2010 is like a lot more interesting for the genre. But I feel like the the sky's the limit, and films like searching and uh stuff like that, like that's a good one, yeah. Do do it in a whole different way, and like the yeah, I think there's a lot of opportunities there. Found footage is not gonna die, but it is it is the medium of poor filmmakers. Yeah, it's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:10

This is our medium. I need to make one. Um, yeah, but it's interesting to think about it kind of shot on vertical. Would that mean that there's more like short form kind of thing? And then the space in between is interesting. How do you like screen it really? I guess everyone is just glued to their phones these days, so watch it on your phone. Um the question we had to ask you what words of wisdom do you have for indie filmmakers today? Rodgone.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:45

Rod and God.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:49

No, I mean I think I think um I think like the thing that I I've reflected on now is like the so like lame, such a boomer answering to you anyways, is like I think back to my career, my times, all that sort of stuff. And I think like a lot of the times when I was in the best days of it, I was so focused on like the head, I want to get this into this big film festival, I want to win this big prize, whatever. And then I had like summers where me and my friends would like go out to make a movie almost every day, and it felt like it felt like summer camp, and like that's something we kind of want to do with running gun and stuff like that. And like I think if you can like teach yourself to not be obsessed with a with winning an external validation and like truly realize that like one of the greatest joys on this planet is to create something with your friends. You're doing it right now. Exactly. Yeah, and like I think that that's because yeah, the results you you only have a certain amount of control over, right? You know, the this this podcast might only get four listens and we on a good day. But I think like the fact that you know, this is a day, a night where you could have been doom scrolling, you could have done absolutely nothing. You created you brought something into an existence, and I think that that's all that matters at the end of the day. And like I can't tell you too much. Like, I I remember certain screenings and stuff like that, but like I have some of my best stories and fondest memories of filmmaking was the act of fucking filmmaking. So just take a take a breath and enjoy. Like the fact that me and my friends are gonna make something silly this weekend, and like that's a cool feeling. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:44

Yeah, I think that is so important, especially like where we live and just you know, the industry in Vancouver is so saturated. So it's it's kind of you know, sometimes it's easy to forget that that's what it's about because there's so much competition, you know? And so you're like, oh, I gotta be the best.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:01

I gotta, you know, comparing yourself to others, like that person's a terrible filmmaker, but they got that grid. Nothing is fair, and it's like, yeah, just getting into that score keeping is gonna drive you bonkers and like just have fun, you know, still work hard to get it out there, but like your self-worth is not based on how people received your film, and like and you're gonna find that certain things that you make resonate with people in different ways, and like there's some stuff that I put way less thought into that went like viral on YouTube or whatever, and you're just like, why not that project? But you know what that thing ended up meaning something to someone, and that's cool. Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:45

Okay, uh yeah, the last sort of question I have is a fun one. In which horror franchise would you most want to direct an installment?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:55

Oh I mean I wouldn't say it's fine. I'll change what my my answer would have been um Final Destination, but I think that Zach and uh what's the other guy's name? Zach's from here, Zach Lopovsky. Yeah, what's his partner? I thought they did an amazing job of it. Because the thing I like about it is it's like it's these like Rube Goldberg machines, and there's something so cool about that, but like I feel now they they've done a great job, and I'm like, ah, you can you can close that. I mean they'll probably make more of them because it was successful. But I think parallel activity is a fun one because like it's it can be really open as long as you're not forced to tie it into the same like original fan. Yeah, the mythology. Yeah, put Katie to red. She needs peace. She needs peace. Um, so yeah, I think I think I honestly think it would be parallel activity, but I'm sure I'll think of one after and be like, oh on the drive home, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:55

What about you get?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:57

Ooh, I think I said to you the other day, evil dead.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:00

Yes, I think that's perfect for you. Emily, you know my answer. Yes, I do, Devin. It's interview with the vampire, the TV series that's been going on. Devin's obsessed. I'm obsessed. It's an obsession. Really good. So, one of those seasons. And you will do. There's 12 books. So I'm hoping.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:21

I think you know my answer. Yes. Terrifier for sure. I'm obsessed with the terrifier series. I want to take art to space. Um, I want to take him everywhere.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:30

Do you have a do you all have a favorite horror movie of all time? Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:35

House of a Thousand Corpses by Rob Zuck.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:39

I didn't even know that. Yeah. Uh, we just got Emily a uh covering book for uh House of a Thousand Corpses, so cool. Glad that works out. Um and mine would be Evil Dead 2. Nice. Same answer since I was 13.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:52

And do you know mine is a weird one, and I will advocate that this is a horror film. Okay. Willy Wonka. The original. The original Willy Wonka.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:01

I and that one is I think Matilda is a horror film.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:04

Um doll, like those books are not not horror. Witches is horror.

unknown 1:13:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:10

Yeah. Complete it. He yeah, so Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder, 1971 or 4. Amazing. That is a horror film, and that will always be my favorite. It's in my top four medalder books.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:21

I feel like you can I feel like you can score it to be. I feel like my favorite horror film is is us, Jordan Peel. That film, once again, I just I wanted it to end so bad because I was so fucking scared. But there's like moments of levity in it, and like and I just like could not stop thinking about that film for months after I saw it. I've seen it only twice, but I just like you liked it better than Get Out? I did. I think like I mean I liked Get Out, don't get me wrong, but I think like I saw Get Out when everyone was like, This is the movie that'll change. I think Get Out, like I feel like if if Get Out came out this year, it would have won like all the Academy Awards, because I think the bar was lower this year. Yeah. I think Get Out deserves all its laurels. But I feel like Yeah, and and more. Uh but um yeah, I went to us like the week it opened, I had not big expectations, and I just was like something with doppelgangers is so scary, and I just masterful filmmaking, and I just was like, I just was obsessed. I just was like, it's a five out of five film. It's perfect.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:29

Did you like nope? I I I had fun watching it.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:32

I didn't think it worked in the same way.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:35

Um but it it's it's a tough pressure when you're the hot filmmaker in town. Like I the the barbarian slash weapons guy, uh Zach Zacher. Zach Kringer. Everyone's name Zach now. Like he's got a big uphill battle for his next film because it's like Resident Evil. Is that what he's doing next?

SPEAKER_02 1:14:55

Yeah, he's doing a new one.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:56

Now he's gotta appease fans. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:58

Yeah. I I used to watch The Whitest Kids You Know is what I remember from. And I'm like, what, that guy? The grapeest guy? But it's yeah, it's it's exciting to see, like, it's not exciting to see so many comedy icons dominating horror now. Like it's all it's all about reaction from an audience. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:21

Yeah, it's kind of like there's you know, really a parallel with comedy and horror. You're trying to get a visceral reaction out of someone either screaming or laughing. So yeah, I think like comedians doing horror makes sense in a weird way.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:37

Yeah. Well, guys, should we move it on to the final segment of the show?

SPEAKER_06 1:15:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:41

Okay. Um so our last segment is called Who What Watch Read When Hwan. Uh, this is the segment of the show where we get to talk about whatever we're watching, reading, doing in the horror genre. Oh. And uh maybe we should throw it to you if you're ready or whatever you're enjoying.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:59

I mean, right now I'm watching Invincible, and that's not really horror, but it's definitely pretty gory. Yeah. Pretty gorify. That's the most graphic scene I've seen in a long time. What is it?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:13

Oh, it's uh the uh superhero show.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:17

It's incredible. Uh I really liked, I gotta finish it because I was watching it week by week. Welcome to Dairy was like, Oh, yeah. Oh, there's some good moments there and stuff like that. I've been like, right now be reading really, really sad books written by uh Kirsten Kristen Hannah. Um but they're just like devastating, they're beautiful books that will make you cry so much. Yeah. Um my sister got me turned on in the butt. You know, there's horrors. Like one of them is about um uh female uh uh nurses in Vietnam, and it's like incredibly gory, but it's also really sad, and it's just it's beautiful. So but that I'm I need to be watching more horror.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:05

Hey, I totally feel that. I feel like recently, like I've just been so like just into my short film that I haven't really like even watched or read too much recently. Um so I guess my horror news is just yeah, doing my Kickstarter video for my horror short. Yeah. Um it's called No One Can Save You. And yeah, the synopsis is a toxic couple or a relation a couple in a relationship, uh in a toxic relationship, is um forced into facing some of their worst fears when they uh encounter something truly feral out in the Canadian wilderness.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:54

Love it. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:56

Um so yeah, I filmed a Kickstarter over the weekend. And yeah, it was a lot of being on camera, which I'm not normally doing. I'm normally behind the camera. So yeah, it was a lot of take after take after take and getting frustrated. Um, but I think it's good and I'm excited to post it. Sweet, excited to see it.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:18

Yeah. Um, going clockwise, I guess. Uh I'm going to watch a movie called Dead Lover. Uh, this is a Canadian horror movie that came out last year. I know I'm getting into some Canadian horror. They got mad at me for not knowing or really liking it. Canadian horror. I was bashing scanners and by extension Canadian horror. Uh so I'm gonna watch this to save face. Um but it's about a lonely grave digger who stinks of corpses, who finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affairs cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Then grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments. And uh indie horror, Canadian horror, uh, and just like synopsis. I'm like, I gotta check this out. That's wild. So that's that's like a you know, Tiff Darling movie, so I'm gonna check it out.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:09

Yeah. Well, my I kind of spoke about earlier, but I was in an advert for Mazda, and it's actually a short horror film, and it just came out. It's called More Safety, and it was a lot of fun. And usually, like Emily and Tom, I'm directing stuff, but when I've been in films too, my short films, I direct and act in them, so I'm like, I'm trusting the process. I will not get access to this monitor. I must trust the process. So it was great to see. Um, I'm like, okay, always good. And then um I watched this film called Pretty Lethal, which is an action thriller horror film. It's very specific. It's a ballet action thriller horror film, and it's gory and it's hilarious. I was caught off guard by how much I laughed during it. Some of the kills take place. Like, imagine a balleria doing a pirouette, but she has a toe blade, so she's also slicing people. It's to waltz up the flowers.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:02

Like, it's funny. There's one Canadian film that's kind of uh I think it's about to do a screening at the Rio, and uh that I do want to plug that's a former run and gun contestant. Have you all seen Sugar Rod? No, not yet. I've heard of it. Yeah. The word to describe it is like brave is like the first thing that goes back. Because it is like so it's so viscerally uncomfortable, and it's like a body horror and sticky and incredible the whole time. It's just like half the scenes, the characters are like naked and going cra crazy. And like this is a this Becca was a former student of mine when I used to teach at VFS, and like she just made so much like fucked up low budget horror. It was so weird. And you know, I think her the fellow students kind of like cast her aside, just didn't really get what she was doing, and uh she's done with Sugar Rot, it played at Fantasia. It's like and it's it's a it's a very uncomfortable, unforgettable film, and uh I'm just so proud of her, and y'all should see it. Okay, we'll go.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:19

When does it screen?

SPEAKER_07 1:21:20

I I think it either just did or it's about to at the Rio. I know I saw things for it. It just got um it was about to play in a film festival in the States, and they just pulled it because they watched it and was like, we can't screen it. Damn, that's all it's good. I like it. Yeah, we should, yeah. Yeah, it's it's like a little softcore porny, but it's so it reminds me of like trauma films, and like it's just so like just so gloves off. There's clearly no one saying what she can and cannot make. Gotcha. And like she just did not give a fuck about anyone and made this film that, like, if you go on like the letter boxes, people either like love it or are so angry at this film. There's no in between.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:10

There's making people feel emotions. Yeah, the types of films I want to make.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:14

So I'll come to that.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:16

Well, guys, I guess it's time to wrap up the show. Yes. We usually wrap it up by letting people know where they can find us on social media. Um, so if you wanted to give shoutouts to your on yourself. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:26

I mean run and gun or Joel McCarthy, I'm on most of those things as that. Eventually I'm gonna have to give up the run and gun social media account. So uh I guess Joel McCarthy and and shits and giggles, if uh I'm hopefully gonna keep running that way with it.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:44

I am at emily.english underscore on Instagram and at horrorho on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:52

And I'm at Thomas NJackson2002 on Instagram and Thomas N. Jackson on Letterboxed.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:59

And I'm DevonLusterity on Instagram, DevinlyLlusterity on YouTube, or DevinLesterity. I don't really check, but I'm the only one in the world. And then Devon Elasterity on Letterboxed as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:12

Also, you can find the show Whispers in the Woods Pod on Instagram if you wanted to give us like an episode suggestion review. Just want to say hi, please do. Yeah, and uh Joel, thank you so much for being here and doing this.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:24

Thank you for having Running Gun because that's how I met these two.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:30

You kind of like helped us start the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:33

You're the reason we are here.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:36

And now you guys are gonna do blend guns.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:42

Thank you. Oh yes, um, so that's about it then.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:45

Moira Christie.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:46

Oh, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:47

Yeah, thank you. So uh thank you, Moira Christie, for the theme. Thank you to Kia Alice Dirty for our logo, and thank you for thank you to Gordon Dearty for our mic. Um, who gave us these mics though?

SPEAKER_02 1:23:58

Oh, uh shout out uh Jordan Sooty and um somebody else. My other friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:08

All right, uh, deal with your lizard DNA, folks. We'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:12

See ya bye. Bye. Thank you, thank you.