Screen Crusades

Patrick Bateman meets Cabin in the Woods? A WOUNDED FAWN stars Sarah Lind and Josh Ruben join Knotfest's Ryan J. Downey to talk about the new hallucinogenic horror film from writer/director Travis Stevens (Jakob's Wife, Girl on the Third Floor). The art world, misogyny, narcissism, a serial killer; RogerEbert.com described A Wounded Fawn as ‘70s grindhouse cinema crossed with Dario Argento, combined with Francisco Goya. Watch it ad-free and uncut on Shudder.

Ryan J. Downey spoke with the young cast of Netflix's latest title METAL LORDS - Jaeden Martell (It), Adrian Greensmith, and Isis Hainsworth - to find out what it was like working with Tom Morello and D.B. Weiss.

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Game Of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss tell Ryan J. Downey about METAL LORDS, about three teenage misfits who enter a battle of the bands. Weiss wrote and Morello served as the executive music producer.

COUNT D tells Ryan J. Downey all about his new TV series, METAL AND MONSTERS. The first episode of the longtime Rob Zombie bassist's GibsonTV show reunites Don Dokken with Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. Downey and the Count talk about their love of Freddy and horror, the origin behind the show, and more.

Is a new type of marital sex enough motivation for a middle-aged dad to lose 50 lbs? Writer/director George A. Tramountanas stars in Win a Trip to Browntown! He talks to Ryan J. Downey on the latest episode of Knotfest's Screen Crusades about comic books, Kevin Smith, micro-budget filmmaking, balancing raunchy comedy with heart, and actually losing 50 lbs in three months.

THE SEED skewers social media influencers with body horror, gore, and a practical creature. Ryan J. Downey talks to Lucy Martin, Sophie Vavasseur, and Chelsea Edge about the blend of comedy and commentary in THE SEED. Writer/director Sam Walker's Shudder Original Film is the story of a weekend getaway at a remote luxury villa interrupted when a meteor crash lands into the swimming pool.

VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE! singer Michael Vampire talks THE LOST BOYS with Ryan J. Downey. Directed by the late Joel Schumacher, the 1987 classic stars Jason Patric, Keifer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, and the late Corey Haim. Plenty of Knotfest friendly bands draw inspiration from it. In fact, Vampires Everywhere! is the name of a comic book seen in the movie.

HELLBENDER is the work of a teenage model, her sister, and their parents. Ryan J. Downey talks to the (actual) Adams family about the witchy horror flick's creation. John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, and Lulu Adams are “the family that preys together” (The New York Times), acting collectively as the writers, directors, producers, and stars of a series of films produced from their Catskills compound. John, Toby, and Zelda talk with SCREEN CRUSADES about how they got started, HELLBENDER (the movie and the band), their next film on the way, and how the horror community embraced them.

Jordan Graham discusses how he handled the writing, directing, editing, composing, cinematography, set design and more on 2021's most buzzed about and acclaimed horror film, Sator, on the latest episode of KNOTFEST's Screen Crusades with Ryan J Downey. 0:00 - Doing more with less 5:45 - Early filmmaker influences 12:45 - The critical reception to Sator 15:30 - The music of Sator 22:07 - Blurring fact and fiction with found footage 27:50 - The influences behind Sator’s atmosphere 33:35 - What comes next for Graham 44:10 - Creating film universes and Quentin Tarantino Sator Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e_Ij0S-sBw On the surface, the film is a simple story of a young man named Adam on the desperate and obsessive hunt for a mysterious being called Sator, who has been a constant and menacing presence in the lives of his family for generations. Through the interview, Graham talks about the real inspirations behind the film. June Peterson, who plays Adam’s grandmother, is Graham’s actual grandmother. She claims to have been hearing the voice of Sator in her head for her entire life, and views the entity as more of a guardian than a demon. Downey and Graham also discuss the way the film creates an unsettling and trance-like atmosphere using its creeping pace and experimental sound design - all on a tightly restricted budget. Sator is now available on-demand. Screen Crusades theme written and recorded by Matt Osenton. https://noblehooks.com/​

The director shares what it was like to work with his mentor and why a film like The Exorcist merits such a comprehensive examination like the Shudder documentary, 'Leap of Faith'. Philippe's most recent feature length project, Leap of Faith, takes an in-depth look at the genesis and execution of one of cinema's most enduring entires directly from the man that directed it, William Friedkin. During his conversation with Downey, the director discussed how his previous examination of legendary shower scene in Psycho with his 78/52 documentary, (the shower scene in Psycho famously featured 78 different shots and 52 different cuts to create the finished product) began a line of communication between he and Friedkin. Grouping the film into a category with the likes of The Shining and Psycho, both Philippe and Downey discussed how these types of films don't just bolster the genre, they have a transformative quality to them that make the film definitive setting them apart from their genre. The Exorcist shaped culture in a way that made the film resonate as much more than just a movie. To watch it was a rite of passage, an experience that has to be completed before you die, and that serves as a testament to the vision and storytelling ability of Friedkin. Furthering that conversation, Philippe's Leap of Faith takes an almost scholarly approach in how it explores Friedkin's methodology in making the film. The result was such a genuine tribute to the director's creative contribution, that Friedkin shared with Philippe that the documentary made him better the he was - the words from his mentor were enough to move Philippe to tears while reading the message.

The Cleansing Hour writer/director Damien LeVeck joins Screen Crusades to talk about avoiding or subverting demonic possession tropes; his fascination with the supernatural and esoteric; the challenges involved in setting a horror film in a single location; and what The Cleansing Hour has in common with The Little Mermaid.

Knotfest Presents: Alive Cast Q&A w/ Ryan J. Downey featuring Angus Macfadyen, Thomas Cocquerel & Camille Stopps. Knotfest.com Exclusive Premiere Screening Now - Sept 24th

NIAMH WILSON (Saw III & V, Degrassi) joins SCREEN CRUSADES to talk about Shudder's original film 'Random Acts Of Violence', the new horror flick written/directed by Jay Baruchel (This is the End, How to Train Your Dragon, Tropic Thunder), who also co-stars. Niamh talks about growing up in showbiz, working with Baruchel, the comic book source material, Degrassi fandom, what she’s listening to, and much more.