When I chatted with Markiplier in January about his self-financed box office horror hit Iron Lung, my ultimate takeaway was that I hoped we’d hear about more YouTubers using the cash (and caché) they earned from content creation to bring their own passion projects to life.
And that’s exactly what’s happening.
YouTubers Jacksepticeye and Alanah Pearce are on the team for Godmother, an indie horror film that follows a woman whose romantic getaway takes a Rosemary’s Baby turn.
Pearce, a YouTuber, video game writer, and journalist, co-wrote the film with its creator and director John Veron. Jacksepticeye (aka Seán McLoughlin) joined the project as executive producer after Veron and Pearce faced creative pushback from interested studios.
As Pearce put it to TheWrap, accepting a Hollywood deal to fund production would have meant making “some studio-mandated cash grab Frankenstein version of ‘Godmother.’ What’s the point?”
She was the one who reached out to McLoughlin; he ended up personally financing the entirety of principal photography. Another of Pearce’s pals, prolific film producer Mali Elfman, also joined, with her longtime partner Helmstreet Productions. Helmstreet financed post-production.
McLoughlin told TheWrap he got behind Godmother because “I really liked the script and it felt like John had a very distinct vision for the movie and what he wanted. He had been trying to get it made for about 10 years and I really love being able to help people make the things they want.”
“I think the idea of being able to make it ourselves and avoid some of the headaches of a more traditional studio system, especially for an indie movie, has always been more appealing,” he added. “There are strengths and weaknesses to both, but being able to have full control and call the shots ourselves within our own timelines was a massive help. It didn’t feel right to do it any other way.”
Veron started working on Godmother after realizing the horror potential baked into the very concept of Airbnb. What if your hosts are a little too invested in your love life? That’s what happens to his and Pearce’s leading lady, Theo (played by Paige Evans), when she takes her tech bro boyfriend (Cameron Cuffe) and sister (Riley Dandy) to a vacation house owned–and maybe occupied–by a mysterious couple (Dee Wallace and Bruce Davison).
Godmother is set to begin a festival circuit soon, and (we’re guessing) will release later this year.
Pearce told TheWrap she’s noticed Hollywood’s increased interest in creator projects (especially horror projects) following the releases of Iron Lung, Kane Parsons‘ Backrooms, and Curry Barker‘s Obsession, and foresees “a huge, overwhelming wave of content-creator-led features funded by Hollywood over the next couple of years.”
She said she’s glad that Godmother–which was fully finished before all three of the aforementioned films hit theaters–will come out ahead of that wave, “not only because it’s easier to stand out, but also because I fear quality will drop.”
McLoughlin, meanwhile, said he’s “had a lot of projects floated my way recently” and that our industry is in “an exciting time.”
As you may know, McLoughlin is also set to produce an upcoming animatedSony Pictures film based on his favorite game of all time: FromSoftware‘s transformative Gothic classic Bloodborne.
After that? He wants to go from producer to director.
“I think directing has always been a goal of mine. I have lots of ideas for what I would like to make and I love the creative process involved in movie making,” he said. “We’ve had such an amazing year for horror and it’s very inspiring.”
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