While in Toronto to promote the release of Dream Eater, writer/director/stars Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams joined us to talk about their Lovecraftian found footage horror film.

In this interview, they discuss the film’s influences — from The Blair Witch Project to Unsolved Mysteries — and share how the project was picked up for distribution by Eli Roth’s The Horror Section.

00:00 Introduction
00:24 Where did the idea for Dream Eater come from?
01:46 Was Dream Eater Always Intended as a Found Footage Film?
03:46 How Dream Eater Was Influenced by Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project
05:11 Alex Lee Williams on Why He and Mallory Drumm Acted in the Film
05:49 The Lovecraftian Inspiration for Dream Eater
06:57 Unresolved Mysteries and the Sleepwalker Killing
07:44 How Eli Roth Picked up the Distribution for Dream Eater
09:23 The Growing Influence of Social Media on Film Promotion
10:38 Conclusions

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

The horror-comedy Scared Shitless arrives on VOD September 2, 2025, ahead of its U.S. release on October 3. During a special Fan Expo Canada screening, we spoke with writer/producer Brandon Cohen, director Vivieno Caldinelli, and Kids in the Hall’s Mark McKinney about bringing this outrageous film to life.

00:00 Titles

00:13 Introduction

00:54 Brandon Cohen on Writing the Original Short for Scared Shitless

01:37 Vivieno Caldinelli on Getting Hired to Direct Scared Shitless

03:10 Vivieno Caldinelli on Collaborating with Steven Kostanski

03:59 The Casting of Scared Shitless

04:42 Mark McKinney Invited to Join the Interview

04:56 Mark McKinney on the Character He Plays in Scared Shitless

05:31 The Influences on Scared Shitless

06:50 The Practical Effects of Scared Shitless

07:23 Will There Be a Sequel to Scared Shitless?

08:11 Concluding Notes

The Jury Experience: Million-Dollar Murder or Web of Lies?

The dark fairy tale RITA is now available to stream on Shudder. We spoke to writer and director Jayro Bustamante about the film, which includes the real 2017 Guatemalan tragedy that inspired the narrative of the fantastical realism of this film.

00:00 Introduction
00:30 Jayro Bustamante on the 2017 Guatemalan Tragedy That Inspired RITA
03:30 The Balance of Fairy Tale Elements with the Dark Story of RITA
05:22 The Fantastical Cliques in RITA
06:36 Does Jayro Bustamante Hope RITA affects how girls are treated in Guatemala?
07:51 Conclusions

Candlelight: The Best of Bollywood on Strings

In advance of the film’s Toronto premiere as part of the Blood in the Snow film festival, here is the interview we conducted with writer/director Jeffrey St. Jules (Bang Bang Baby) on his third feature THE SILENT PLANET, prior to the film’s World Premiere at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival.

00:00 Introduction
00:19 Jeffrey St. Jules on the Inspiration Behind The Silent Planet
01:05 Jeffrey St. Jules on Casting Elias Koteas
01:47 The Ambiguous Backstory of The Silent Planet
02:59 Comparing The Silent Planet to Duncan Jones’ Moon
03:33 Jeffrey St. Jules on Briana Middleton’s Character of Niyya
04:51 The Dark Twists in the Films of Jeffrey St. Jules
05:19 Jeffrey St. Jules Changing Genres with Each of His Films
06:43 The Release Plan for The Silent Planet
07:13 Conclusions

Candlelight: Christmas Classics

Meet Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot (Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet) and learn about his latest stop-motion masterpiece Memoir of a Snail. Distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, Memoir of a Snail is now playing. Don’t miss this exclusive interview with the talented animator!

00:00 Introduction 00:21 Memoir of a Snail Trailer

02:07 Adam Elliot on the 15-Year Gap Between Mary and Max and Memoir of a Snail

02:51 Adam Elliot on His Career Plan of a Trilogy of Trilogies

03:40 The Inspiration for the Story of Memoir of a Snail

04:50 Adam Elliot on His Use of Neurodiverse Protagonists

06:32 What Type of Audience is Adam Elliot Aiming for with Memoir of a Snail

07:53 What Adam Elliot Looks for When Casting

10:13 Adam Elliot on Guillermo del Toro’s Support of Stop Motion and Whether He Hopes Memoir of a Snail Would Return Him to the Oscars

11:41 Conclusions

Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More

I spoke via Zoom to John Adams and Toby Poser of Adams Family Films to talk about their new creature horror film Hell Hole, available to stream on August 23, 2024, on Shudder.

00:00 Introduction

00:18 Clip from Hell Hole

02:12 Interview John Adams and Toby Poser on Hell Hole

02:22 The Genesis of Hell Hole

03:19 Shooting the Film in Serbia

03:48 Casting the Film

04:33 Workings with MastersFX on the creature effects of Hell Hole

06:42 The Influences of Hell Hole

07:56 The “Villain for Science” of Hell Hole

09:04 What Hell Hole Might Have Been Like with a Bigger Budget

09:52 The Conspicuous Absence of Zelda Adams from the Film

11:00 What’s Next from Adams Family Films

11:54 Conclusions

Candlelight: Tribute to A.R. Rahman

We were on-site in Montreal for the World Premiere of the Satanic Cult professional wrestling horror film Dark Match at the ‪2024 Fantasia Film Festival. We hit the red carpet to interview writer/director Lowell Dean and cast members Sara Canning, Ayisha Issa, Michael Eklund, and professional wrestling superstar Chris Jericho!

Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More

The ambient slasher film IN A VIOLENT NATURE, written and directed by Chis Nash, opens in theatres this Friday, May 31, 2024, distributed by IFC Films and Shudder. In a series of Zoom interviews in promotion of the film, I spoke with both producer Peter Kuplowsky and actor Ry Barrett about this much-buzzed-about film.

Make sure to support this independent Canadian horror film by getting tickets are one of the links below:

• https://www.inaviolentnature.com/

• https://www.cineplex.com/movie/in-a-violent-nature

Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/ #InaViolentNature #canadianfilm #peterkuplowsky #rybarrett #chrisnash #shudder #ifcfilms

Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More

To coincide with the film’s release onto VOD, we spoke via Zoom to Mike Cheslik, the co-writer and director of the slapstick silent film Hundreds of Beavers. We talk about the film’s successful festival and roadshow run, upcoming projects for him and his collaborator Ryland Brickson Cole Trews, and a mutual love for releasing films on physical media!

IN THIS SILENT SUPERNATURAL EPIC, A DRUNKEN APPLEJACK SALESMAN IS THRUST INTO THE FRIGID WILDERNESS. CAN HE GO FROM ZERO TO HERO, BECOME NORTH AMERICA’S GREATEST FUR TRAPPER, AND DEFEAT HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS?

• Fundraised and shot in Wisconsin and Michigan
• Completed over 4 years
• 12 weeks of shooting
• Filmed in subzero temperatures
• 1500+ effects shots

00:00 Titles

00:24 Introduction by “Billy the Beaver”

00:49 Mike Cheslik on the idea for HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

01:20 The Influence of Guy Maddin

02:04 How HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS differ from Mike Cheslik’s previous film LAKE MICHIGAN MONSTER

02:43 The Video Game aspect of HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

03:24 How Many Beavers Were There, Actually?

03:51 How difficult was HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS to edit

04:45 The challenging compositions of HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

05:33 About HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS’ performative roadshow

06:20 Mike Cheslik on what’s next for him

07:23 Mike Cheslik on the success of HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

08:01 Mike Cheslik on a future Blu-ray release for HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

08:37 Conclusions

Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

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We spoke via Zoom with Caitlyn Sponheimer, the writer, director, producer, and co-star of the coming-of-age drama Wild Goat Surf, now playing in limited release, distributed by Vortex Media.

Set in a rundown Penticton, Okanagan Valley RV park during the summer of 2003, Goat, a surfing-obsessed, thirteen-year-old skater girl, navigates the unbridled, unstructured, summer days of youth, dreaming about becoming a surfer like her deceased father. While her mother sublets their rental unauthorized and takes on two jobs during the bustling summer months, Goat is left to her own devices; coping with grief through rambunctious actions that soon go too far.

00:00 Introduction

00:21 Caitlyn Sponheimer on how she got the idea for WILD GOAT SURF

01:14 Finding the right girl to play Goat in WILD GOAT SURF

02:50 The casting of Nate and his friendship with Goat

05:10 The relationship between Jane and Goat in WILD GOAT SURF

06:51 Caitlyn Sponheimer on whether she believes Jane is oblivious to Goat’s petty crimes

09:14 The importance of the RV in WILD GOAT SURF

10:45 Caitlyn Sponheimer on Jane’s big moment in WILD GOAT SURF

12:45 What Caitlyn Sponheimer hopes audiences take away from WILD GOAT SURF

13:54 Conclusions

Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

I spoke via Zoom with producer, writer, and star Jonas Chernick about The Burning Season

Alena and her husband spend a summer up at Luna Lake Resort. JB runs the place. He and Alena begin a dangerous and passionate secret affair. Summers only. That’s the rule. Until they break it. A sexy and tragic love story – told backwards.

The Burning Season directed by Sean Garrity is now playing in limited release, distributed by Northern Banner.

00:00 Introduction

00:25 Jonas Chernick on where the idea for THE BURNING SEASON came from.

02:03 Jonas Chernick on the title of THE BURNING SEASON

04:43 Jonas Chernick on the effect THE BURNING SEASON’s secret has on his character JB

05:54 Jonas Chernick on the role of the spouses in THE BURNING SEASON

07:09 Jonas Chernick on why the characters keep returning to the resort

07:55 The resort as a character in THE BURNING SEASON

08:58 Jonas Chernick on his working relationship with director Sean Garrity

10:00 Jonas Chernick on whether he prefers writing comedies, dramas, or a mix of both

11:19 The Writing Accolades of THE BURNING SEASON

11:36 Conclusions

Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More

At the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, we sat down with Mexican-Canadian filmmaker Ilse Moreno to speak about her short documentary The Canadian Dream. The 9-minute-long short had its World Premiere as part of the Hot Docs 2024 Shorts Program 1. The film is based on an interview with Ilse’s father Alberto Moreno Sartorius and his poor experiences as a migrant worker on a farm in Leamington, Ontario. The ultimate goal of the short film is to spread awareness about the rights of migrant workers in Ontario, regardless of their status. Enjoy this short, but poignant interview.

Note: The interview was recorded in Varda at the TIFF Lightbox and despite efforts to clean it up, ambient noise can still be heard in the background.

Candlelight: The Best of Bollywood on Strings

We spoke with artist Ben Maruo (Elysium, Chappie, The Hobbit Trilogy) at Fan Expo Canada 2025 about his sci-fi graphic novel series Huxley.

00:00 Titles

00:23 Introduction

01:29 Interview with Ben Maruo.

Candlelight: The Best of Bollywood on Strings

At the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, I met with director and subject Patricia Franquesa to speak about her film My Sextortion Diary, which had its Canadian Premiere at the festival. Before listening, please note that the film’s topic involves being blackmailed over stolen personal photos, so listener discretion is advised.

Candlelight: Tribute to A.R. Rahman

With Love and A Major Organ is the debut feature film from director Kim Albright. The film is written by Julia Lederer, based on her stage play, and is set in a world where hearts are made of inanimate objects and people suppress emotions to escape into technology, the story shares the travails of a vibrant young woman deftly played by Anna Maguire (Violation), who rips out her heart for the man she loves, played to mild-mannered perfection by Hamza Haq (Transplant) who promptly disappears with it. I spoke to director Kim Albright via Zoom to discuss With Love and A Major Organ, which is now playing in limited release in Canada.

00:00 Introduction

00:16 How Did With Love and a Major Organ Come About?

01:50 How Does With Love and a Major Organ Differ from the Play?

03:15 Depicting Hearts as Everyday Objects

04:34 What With Love and a Major Organ Says About Lack of Interpersonal Connections

06:30 The Casting of With Love and a Major Organ

10:23 Anabel and George’s Character Trajectories in With Love and a Major Organ

13:16 The Ultimate Message of With Love and a Major Organ

14:40 Conclusion

Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Candlelight Jazz: A Charlie Brown Christmas ft Thompson Egbo-Egbo

I spoke to director Matthias Hoene about his film The Last Exit (aka Little Bone Lodge), which screened as part of the 2023 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

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Candlelight Jazz: A Charlie Brown Christmas ft Thompson Egbo-Egbo

We spoke to Czech writer-director Robert Hloz about his science fiction film Restore Point, which screened as part of the 2023 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

Get Sci-Fi Rise by Igor Dvorkin, Duncan Pittock, Ellie Kidd and over 1M + mainstream tracks here https://go.lickd.co/Music

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Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More

To coincide with the theatrical release of his sci-fi comedy RELAX, I’M FROM THE FUTURE, which won Best Feature Film at the 2022 Blood in the Snow Film Festival, I Zoomed in with the writer/director Luke Higginson to talk about the film.

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Candlelight: Christmas Classics

We spoke via Zoom with animator Seth Scriver (Asphalt Watches) and his half-brother and co-director Peter Scriver about their hybrid animated family documentary ENDLESS COOKIE, now playing.

00:00 Introduction

00:26 Seth and Peter Scriver on the Genesis of Endless Cookie

03:59 The Decade-Long Development of Endless Cookie After Asphalt Watches

07:36 Coming Up with the On-Screen Depictions of the Family

09:31 How Seth Scriver Settled on the Title of Endless Cookie

11:18 What’s Next for Seth Scriver?

12:34 Conclusions

The Jury Experience: Million-Dollar Murder or Web of Lies?

With Queen of the Ring now playing in select Canadian theatres, we sat down over Zoom with co-writer and director Ash Avildsen to talk about his passion for professional wrestling and how he came to direct a biopic about the legendary Mildred Burke.

Candlelight Jazz: A Charlie Brown Christmas ft Thompson Egbo-Egbo

In this exclusive interview, Writer/Director Anne Marie Fleming and star Keira Jang sit down with Sean Kelly on Movies to discuss their latest film, Can I Get a Witness?. They delve into the film’s themes, the creative process behind its unique storytelling, and Keira’s experience bringing her character to life.

00:00 Introduction

00:21 Ann Marie Fleming on the Inspiration Behind Can I Get a Witness?

03:48 Keira Jang on Her Character’s Arc in Can I Get a Witness?

04:54 Ann Marie Fleming on Teenagers Being the Leads

07:53 Ann Marie Fleming on Sandra Oh Being the Ideal Version of a Mother

09:34 Keira Jang on the Mother-Daughter Relationship Between Kiah and Ellie

10:31 The Incorporation of Animation in Can I Get a Witness?

11:36 The Darker Undertones of Can I Get a Witness?

12:48 Keira Jang on Her Character’s Reaction to Witnessing Death

14:12 Concluding Notes on Toxic Plants

15:15 Closing Bumper

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

In this exclusive interview, Atom Egoyan dives deep into the dark heart of “Seven Veils” and reveals the inspiration behind this powerful film. Learn more about his creative process and the themes of Salome in this fascinating discussion.

TW: This interview contains a discussion of sexual violence, both as part of the opera Salome and within the plot of Seven Veils.

SEVEN VEILS opens in theatres on March 7, 2025.

00:00 Patreon Promo Bumper

00:30 Introduction

00:50 Atom Egoyan on Making a Film Based Around the Opera Salome

03:34 Atom Egoyan on How Working with Amanda Seyfried Was Different on Seven Veils Than Chloe 15 Years Ago

05:32 Salome as “The First Biblical Sex Crime”

07:31 Themes of Sexual Violence in Seven Veils

09:14 Does Atom Egoyan Hope Seven Veils Opens People Up to Opera?

10:09 Closing Bumper

Candlelight Jazz: A Charlie Brown Christmas ft Thompson Egbo-Egbo

Get ready to be shocked by what Lloyd Kaufman has to say about the new Troma film #ShakespearesShitstorm in this exclusive interview recorded virtually during the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival! Tune in to hear all the juicy details about his latest release, streaming on January 15, 2025 on Troma Now.

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Candlelight: Tribute to A.R. Rahman

I was joined live on stage at Toronto’s historic Horseshoe Tavern to speak with the Trailer Park Boys of Bubbles (Mike Smith), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), and Ricky (Robb Wells), who were joined by the perpetually shirtless roadie Randy (Patrick Roach). The topic of conversation was the 25th anniversary of Trailer Park Boys and the release of their new film STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF KITTIES: THE BUBBLES AND THE SHITROCKERS STORY, which opened on December 6, 2024.

Candlelight: Tribute to A.R. Rahman

Karl R. Hearne and Dale Dickey shed light on the dark side of elder revenge in THE G. Check out this exclusive interview from the Fantasia Film Festival 2024. The film is now playing across Canada, distributed by Level Film.

00:00 Introduction
00:28 Karl R. Hearne on a Creating a Revenge Film About Elder Abuse
01:11 The Relationship Between Ann and Emma
02:29 Real Life Inspiration of Court-Ordered Guardianship
03:37 Ann Revisiting Her Criminal Past
05:24 The Relationships That Develop in the Film
07:27 The Most Challenging Aspect of Making The G
09:28 Concluding with Buffalo

Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More