Misc
[INTERVIEW] Roger Conners Talks the Making of ‘MEAT’: Killer Costumes, Queer Panic, and Carnage in Cleveland
Horror Press is always on the prowl for great indie horror films, and there are few films we’ve been following the development of as closely as MEAT.
An Interview With Roger Conners
When a self-destructive friend circle lets one of their own take the fall after a night of drug-filled partying goes wrong, their biggest mistake comes back to haunt them years later. With their old friend out of jail, a killer named The Stud is on the loose to exact vengeance for the events of that night, picking off members of the group one by one. And as the poster and trailer promise, this time, he’s going in raw.
The film has made quite the buzz in the horror community and is wrapping up the final stretch of its long funding campaign on IndieGogo and Kickstarter. But who is Roger Conners, the director and co-writer behind MEAT? What drove him to make the film, and how did the villainous design of Stud come to be? We find out about that, and a whole lot more, in an exclusive interview, one you can only find here on Horror Press.
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So, just want to start off by saying I really am glad you could talk to us here at Horror Press about MEAT. It’s one of the projects we’ve been keeping our eyes on, and I know a good chunk of our readers have been too.
Roger Conners: I very much appreciate hearing that! My team and I are so thankful for the overwhelming amount of support we have received for MEAT.
A lot of people ask for an elevator pitch of a film, but I want to put the heat on you here. In ten words or less, tell me what MEAT is about. Condense the spirit of the film down for me.
RC: Mean gays do shitty things and get their deserved comeuppance.
MEAT is an unabashedly queer film. It’s an LGBTQ+ themed slasher as you’ve put it. Could you tell us what the intersection between the creation of the film and the queer community has been like throughout making it?
RC: I’ve been working in indie film since I was 19 years old, and when I started this journey things were very different, especially when it came to queer representation in cinema, horror or otherwise. Queer characters were rare to come by, and if they did exist, they were often presented as an over-the-top stereotype or as some form of comedic relief. Today, queer characters have the potential to be much more layered and nuanced. This is why I feel MEAT succeeds. Yes, it’s a slasher. Yes, it’s jam-packed with gut-churning gore that horror fans will love. But I assure you that it is also so much more.
MEAT was shot in Ohio, your home state. Given the inherently political nature of the film, and the conversations going on in Ohio regarding the suppression of queer and trans rights, were there any reservations towards making MEAT there? Did it fuel your artistic process?
RC: While Ohio is an extremely conservative state that is brimming with anti-abortion billboards and anti-queer rhetoric, Cleveland is very much a little blue dot surrounded by a sea of red. We do often see much of that hostility and aggression overflowing into our neighborhoods and infesting our safe spaces. A local community theatre I support has been dealing with picketers who bombard their local drag queen story-time, and seeing that in my backyard has certainly been a harsh smack of reality. These moments fuel my fire and make me feel that MEAT is more important than ever. There are still voices out there attempting to drown us out, so we need to rise above the noise and ensure that we remain outspoken, vigilant, and constantly aware. Crafting cinema that focuses on the LGBTQIA+ community is my way of speaking out.
What was the first queer horror film you ever saw, and do you think there are any echoes of it in MEAT?
RC: I remember seeing Hellbent in the mid-2000s, which really blew my mind. It was so unlike anything else I had seen up to this point. I absolutely channeled my love for that film while crafting a queer-themed slasher of my own. It inspired me to think outside the box and consider the idea that queer characters could not only exist within a horror film, but could also lead one.
One of the bigger challenges of indie filmmaking is that there are inevitably ideas that need to be left on the cutting room floor, primarily because of cost. Were there any ideas you were able to make work that you didn’t initially think would happen?
RC: I always tend to write big and then scale it back until it becomes achievable within our means. The original treatment for MEAT was about 150+ pages long and brimming with over-the-top sequences that would be difficult to pull off on an independent budget. Luckily, my co-writer Zach Shildwachter is far more reasonable than I am and was able to reel me back a bit. But overall, the script has remained true to the original concept, and most of the standout moments of gore that I originally envisioned made it to the final draft.
You’re in Phase 3 of MEAT’s funding campaign, with (at the time of writing this) just under a month left on IndieGogo. Could you detail the most challenging part of finishing MEAT on the production side of things?
RC: We have had varying levels of success with our three attempts at crowdfunding through Indiegogo, and thankfully Phase 3 has proven to be our most successful by far. While we certainly saw support early on in our process, we didn’t have much to show for it because we were just starting off and getting the ball rolling. There was no footage so no trailers, no stills, and not much to help convince fans of the genre that this was a project worth backing. I ended up funding most of what we filmed over the first year out of my pocket. While it was extremely stressful and financially draining, it was worth it. We decided to film the movie in three chunks, and we then used our early footage to create a teaser trailer to help promote our content. That really helped stimulate a significant amount of attention for our film.
Having one of the more memorable slasher villain designs in recent memory, The Stud, I was wondering if there were any particular inspirations for the killer we might not immediately assume?
RC: You know, the idea of the aesthetic of the killer’s costume really started with that jacket. I had it custom-made for myself and used it for a photo shoot, and every time someone saw it, the first thing that came out of their mouth was, “You could kill somebody with that thing!” And the fact is, yes, you could. It weighs about 50 lbs., and those spikes are all very much real, it would get such a response from people I knew it was just worth utilizing it. So, I designed a few prototypes built around the jacket, and we decided to lean into the whole fetish/bondage/leather vibe with the harness and the rubber suit.
Can the actor actually see out of that thing or does The Stud need a handler?
RC: The mask is as difficult to see through as you think it is, so we must strategically choreograph every sequence involving the killer. Every step, every turn, every grab must be perfectly timed to ensure that the actor under the mask is always safe and able to confidently operate within his surroundings. It provides a lot of challenges, but I think it’s absolutely worth the hassle.
And in terms of The Stud ripping and tearing through his victims, how nasty can the fans out there expect MEAT to get?
RC: Oh, let me assure you that the violence and gore are absolutely of the utmost importance here. Sure, this is a piece of queer cinema that’s telling a queer story, but first and foremost this is a queer slasher, and it’s intended to give fans of the genre exactly what they want from it. The kills are our top priority, and we are going all in on the practical effects and intensity of the kills. A great example in my mind would be the climax of Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation. Those whole final 15 minutes or so take your breath away, and it just felt so real and visceral and unflinching. That’s the kind of tone I’m striving for here. Brutal, unsympathetic horror with a high body count.
The concept trailer for MEAT has a very catchy song by synth artist Toska Bear behind it. Working with Toska Bear and finding MEAT’s musical voice, placing it at the forefront for selling your movie, how did that process happen?
RC: I’ve known Jason, aka Toska Bear for years now, and I’ve been following his journey and the progression of his sound, which is honestly so kickass, and I jam to it regularly, so I knew I wanted to incorporate a few of his tracks in MEAT. One day I kind of just fell into a black hole of listening to Prom Queen Days on loop, and I started envisioning how it could play into the movie, so I just asked him on a whim, and he was super into the idea right off the bat. I started using his music as a soundtrack for the conceptual stages of pre-production while we were creating the look for The Stud and style of the film and the overall vibe we were going for. It was hugely influential on the tone of the movie, so I’m very thankful he’s been so generous with allowing us to use his music throughout it.
You have been an assistant director on many projects, but also primarily an actor from what I understand. Does that give you a sort of edge as a director when it comes to directing your cast?
RC: I feel that the connection I share with my cast is probably my strongest suit as a director. Having been an actor for the majority of my life, I know what I personally expect from a director and what I need to help build upon my performance in order to truly deliver. I like to think I provide my cast with a safe space where they’re encouraged to dive a little deeper and really explore the depths of their characters’ psyche, and I definitely motivate them to go there.
You’ve mentioned on your Horror Press Podcast appearance that very few filmmakers are out here making queer horror films, and it’s true. Do you have any contemporaries you would want to give a shout-out to, or personal inspirations that deserve mention?
RC: I know you interviewed them recently, but the Monster Makeup boys out of Rhode Island are kickass. Their most recent title, Saint Drogo exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I mean, it left my jaw on the floor and had me thinking about it for weeks after my initial viewing. Then, of course, we have my beloved podcast co-host Troy Escamilla, whom I was lucky enough to work with on the set for Teacher Shortage, and we’re going to be reuniting for his next feature, Hollow Lake, in the summer of 2024. I’ve recently had the chance to watch works from Chris Moore and Jay Pmlieri, and they are both fantastic artists with defined styles that I really enjoy.
We all watch the classics, your Halloween’s, Nightmare’s and Friday’s. But what are some obscure slasher movies you think most people don’t know about that they should? What’s a lesser-known must-watch for you?
RC: Some of my favorite slashers would be titles such as Stage Fright, Intruder, and The Prowler, which offer up some of the finest kills from within the genre.
Daydream with me a bit. No reins, no questions asked, just unlimited funding, whatever you need to make it. What kind of horror movie would you make? Would it be a sequel to Meat, or something more out there?
RC: Oh, you mean MEAT: 2 the Bone? Oh yes, that’s definitely something I envision coming to fruition at some point in the near future. I have a script for a pretty wild body-horror-infused outbreak film like The Crazies, Demons, or even The Sadness. The only thing scarier than one person trying to hunt you down is 50 people trying to hunt you down. A film like that falls right in my wheelhouse, but one step at a time. Before I talk about anything else, I need to ensure I serve up a delicious serving of MEAT to our very patient and supportive fanbase. They deserve something meaty to sink their teeth into.
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And there you have it, my carnivorous film fans; you get to see how the sausage gets made. To support Roger and the rest of the MEAT cast and crew, check out the IndieGogo to contribute to the film here! Make sure to also follow Roger on Twitter here, and Zach on Twitter here for the latest updates on MEAT.
And for more articles and interviews like this one on the latest and greatest in horror movies, television, and news, stay tuned to Horror Press!
Misc
[INTERVIEW] Can AI Consent? An Interview With the Crew Behind ‘Black Eyed Susan’
Black Eyed Susan was a stand-out hit at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest this year. In the film, the down-on-his-luck Derek (Damian Maffei) is coerced into product testing Susan (Yvonne Emilie Thälker), a life-like sex doll meant to be able to take a beating and bleed and bruise like a real person. Susan’s complex AI leads to conflicted feelings from Derek. The audience at the fest was open to the challenge of Black Eyed Susan’s taboo and transgressive subject matter. To gain a little more insight into the film, I talked with writer and director Scooter McCrae and lead actor Yvonne Emilie Thälker.
Black Eyed Susan was a stand-out hit at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest this year. In the film, the down-on-his-luck Derek (Damian Maffei) is coerced into product testing Susan (Yvonne Emilie Thälker), a life-like sex doll meant to be able to take a beating and bleed and bruise like a real person. Susan’s complex AI leads to conflicted feelings from Derek. The audience at the fest was open to the challenge of Black Eyed Susan’s taboo and transgressive subject matter. To gain a little more insight into the film, I talked with writer and director Scooter McCrae and lead actor Yvonne Emilie Thälker.
[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
An Interview with Scooter McCrae and Yvonne Emilie Thälker
Horror Press: Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
Scooter McCrae: It came from the deepest darkest recesses of my usually very sunny, open, and fun mind. There was no inciting incident that led to the screenplay being written. I was very much thinking about being a guy, and getting older, and thinking “Everything’s been really good” but even with that there’s certain things that we think about that tend to just go dark. I find that a great place to play. It helps give the lighter moments their weight.
HP: Chuck Palahniuk’s short story Exodus has similar themes and mentions “turning people into objects and objects into people. How does that idea apply to Black Eyed Susan?
Yvonne Emilie Thälker: We’re asking ourselves the question of “what is a person?”, and that goes back to Frankenstein. That’s one of the wonderful things I love about sci-fi movies and, to an extent, horror movies. Black Eyed Susan is a mash up. It is kind of asking a lot of those same questions: Is how you treat objects a reflection of how you treat people? How do we treat an AI that mimics a human, and how does it reflect on us? We write sci-fi and horror to examine our fears around humanity.
SM: To Yvonne’s point, really good science fiction is about sociology. It’s not about the technology itself. You know, that’s a bit of, as I like to say it’s the cheese and the mouse trap.
We live in a world where corporations are people, and real people don’t even get the same respect or tax breaks that fucking corporations get. There’s just so much inequality between objects and people. And sometimes I think objects get the better deal and people get the raw deal, and sometimes it works the other way around as well. But in science fiction especially, there’s going to be a point at which people and technology are just simply going to meet, and there’s going to be some kind of sociological showdown trying to figure out who gets what rights and who gets to say what, and which one has more validity.
HP: Yvonne, What was it like to play a role that is highly gendered and objectified as a nonbinary person?
YET: It’s probably impossible to put all of my ideas about my own gender and the role into a succinct couple of words, because I think aspects of my gender can be very fluid. They can also be kind of agnostic- I’ve got other things to worry about. Every nonbinary person is different. As a model too, there are times where being in a very feminine dress or role for the camera feels like drag. It feels like a thing I’m putting on, but it’s not a full reflection of who I am. But that’s what acting is.
I really like the ability to shape shift. That’s one thing that people would sometimes tell me as a model throughout the years. To me, that’s a big compliment. I like the ability to be chameleon-like and look one way in one shot and then very different in another.
So I really relish the opportunity to play roles that are very much not me, even if there probably is a twinge of feeling slightly uncomfortable being in this kind of very specific, objectified feminine space. I’d love the opportunity to play other types of characters and other types of genders that I’m not.
HP: It’s also empowering to see another nonbinary person in a lead role!
YET: That’s so wonderful to hear! That is the main reason why I decided to be assertive about my pronouns and my identity early on. I think it is important to be myself and an example for others. Seeing yourself represented is so important and can help people not just to come into their own, but also let them know that they belong in this world.
SM: I like what you’re saying too because the representation isn’t the point of the character or the story.
HP: I think a lot of times, people who might not know a trans person only think of us as our identity and don’t realize that we have full lives outside of that.
HP: What does it mean to have a sexual relationship with someone or something who can’t consent? Especially when they might not be a person, but look like one.
SM: That goes to like vibrators or dildos or fake pussies to an extent. Are they willing participants? You just don’t think of it that way. The fact that the doll in the movie has an AI, that’s what is causing confusion; the fact that it has the ability to give off the impression of having sentience. And with sentience comes the question of consent.
I’d like to think that the movie does talk about it. And the great thing about being a writer or a filmmaker is that I get to ask all the questions I want, and I reserve the opportunity to not have to ever answer them. That’s art. You don’t have to answer these questions, but raising them is what’s important.
YET: I would say for me, I actually feel like Susan consents. She’s designed to not only physically be able to take a beating, but to kind of want it. So there’s that issue of: she’s designed to consent. Is that really consent? It is possible to be in BDSM culture and to want to take a certain level of violence. You are consenting to it and you want it because it is cathartic for you in some way. But you know, the story of Susan, I think goes beyond that. For me, the sticky issue is more: how are you okay doing this to something so human like and not doing that to a real human?
HP: I’m wondering what that does to our conditioning. Also in terms of what we see about heterosexual relationships in the media and pornography.
YET: It does influence us when all the women are represented as young and small and beautiful and mostly white and able-bodied and it’s like, there’s no stretch marks, there’s no chipped nail polish. But then when some men encounter real women they’re like, “Oh my God, when this woman that I went on a date with took her makeup off, she’s got acne and under eye bags”. I think that’s a very specific kind of misogyny working there.
It leads to this type of paranoia with people thinking, “Is my body good enough? Is my skin clear enough? Am I fit enough? Am I strong enough?” I think a doll like Susan could be very harmful in terms of if men were routinely using these dolls and abusing them, and then, they try to have a relationship with a real person, and the real person is like, “Yes, I’m into BDSM, but we need to use these safe words and safe practices. I need to feel like I trust you.” Then it shatters the illusion. We’re seeing the beginning of that in the world of Black Eyed Susan, where it’s going to lead to these unhealthy expectations, and, in my opinion, lead to actual abuse of actual humans.
SM: Yeah, addressing the illusion is important. Understanding why something is an illusion is part of the fun of it. It doesn’t take away from the pleasure factor. If you’re doing it right, it adds a level of confidence. When you go to see a movie, you’re not going to say, “It’s all fake. Well, what a waste of my time.”
As someone who does like pornography, and quite a bit, I’ll bring up Sturgeon’s Law, which is that 95% of everything is shit. And this applies to pornography, probably more than anything else. You watch whatever you want, as long as you know that it is, of course, fake and that the people making it are professionals.
In fact, I used to shoot and edit porn, and what’s interesting here is that the people who were making them were basically friends. They all work locally in the industry, but when they would get together, it was a lot of fun. People got paid. They were shot quickly and low-budget, but people were actually having a great time. People were cumming. We’d shoot them in a day or two at most, and it was just the best possible representation of how good pornography can get made by people having a good time and wanting to make stuff that gets out there and promotes just having fun. The worst shoot I ever did, some people came in from LA for me to shoot in a hotel: absolutely the worst porn shoot I ever had to do in my entire life. They were just literally snorting coke, and just, it was just awful. It was the worst cliche. And I couldn’t even believe I was there. It was just like watching zombies engage in calisthenics.
Many thanks to Scooter McCree and Yvonne Emilie Thälker for talking the time to talk with us at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
You can preorder Black Eyed Susan via Vinegar Syndrome here!
Misc
[REVIEW] The ‘Slayed’ LGBTQ+ Shorts Block at BHFF 2024 Tapped Into Queer Nightmares and Daydreams
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is over for another year, but many of the films I saw will linger long on my mind. That’s especially true for those that played as part of the annual ‘Slayed’ shorts block.
Horror Press was once again proud to sponsor ‘Slayed,’ which exists to elevate short films made by LGBTQ+ filmmakers and focusing on queer themes. If you couldn’t make it this year, check out our round-up of the block below.
Beach Logs Kill (dir. Haley Z. Boston)
A surreal daydream edges into nightmare territory in writer-director Haley Z. Boston’s Beach Logs Kill. The short centers on an always-in-detention misfit (Abby Quinn) who finds herself drawn inexorably to the school’s beloved quarterback, Number 36 (Ryan Simpkins). After a charged encounter in the locker room that may or may not have been in the misfit’s head, Number 36 heads out onto the field, where a horrific accident awaits them.
Beach Log Kills masterfully captures that muddled moment in all our queer awakenings when we can’t quite decide if we want to be with someone or be them — that place where desire and obsession collide, hesitation reigns, and anything could happen, but, inevitably, nothing does. Boston reclaims jock machismo through a queer, femme-forward lens, offering a locker room fantasy for every girl who ever watched their crush from afar, afraid to tell, along with one of the most memorable uses of a tampon in horror this year.
Lady Parts (dir. Ariel McCleese)
Some girls just make you wet. In the case of Iris (Ava Hase), dreaming about Ellie (Liv Mai) leaves her practically drenched. Writer-director Ariel McCleese takes this concept to the edge and beyond in her short Lady Parts, which combines elements of body horror and vaginal imagery with enough goop to make Cronenberg proud.
The short focuses on Iris’s struggle to confront her sexuality even as it threatens to spill over and consume all. An encounter with a boy, Ethan (Jake Holley), ends in tragedy, her body revolting. But what was forced and unpleasant with Ethan is beautiful and natural with Ellie, leaving them both reveling in the wetness.
Unsettled (dir. Bella Thorne)
The words “This is a true story” flash on screen like a punch to the gut at the end of Unsettled, a queer nightmare written and directed by Bella Thorne and based on the experiences of producer and star Jason Parks. Parks plays Jay, a young man whose night at a gay club in the Bible Belt of Oklahoma ends with him waking up bound in a bathtub, having been drugged and abducted by two men.
Thorne’s direction carefully balances frantic moments with quiet, breathless terror, and it will be interesting to see what she does with the material when she adapts it into her feature directorial debut, Color Your Hurt. Parks has said in interviews that making and watching the short was a “cathartic” experience, which is good to hear because the events depicted in it are truly horrifying. But the scariest part is the apathy of law enforcement and onlookers — and the haunting unspoken question of what might have happened to Jay/Parks if he didn’t break free.
Dream Factory (dir. Alex Matraxia)
The role of cruising in the gay community has faded over time as unambiguous queer bars and hook-up apps have proliferated. Writer-director Alex Matraxia’s experimental short film Dream Factory stirs the ghosts of this era, inviting viewers into a location that has long played an important role in the queer experience, both as a site to cruise in the relative obscurity of darkness and as a place to feel seen: the cinema.
Clocking in at around six minutes, Matraxia’s dialogue-free short doesn’t follow a conventional narrative, instead invoking a pervasive air of eroticism tinged with danger. Two men meet beneath the flickering light of the projector, while a cowboy and gangster, two archetypes of masculinity, fill the screen and a mysterious blonde figure roams the hall. The incessant hum of the projector underscores all as lips linger over ears and bodies stalk and crash.
Rat! (dir. Neal Suresh Mulani)
In addition to handling writing and directing duties, Neal Mulani stars in Rat!, a comedic horror short about the perils of provoking stan Twitter. Mulani plays Navin, an entertainment journalist who goes viral for posting a video criticizing a major pop star, Wally Max (Jacob Berger), for supposed queerbaiting. His editor may love it, but the star’s fans do not, leading some to hunt him down.
Rat! is especially interesting in its exploration of the gray areas of internet culture. Max’s fans are clearly in the wrong for taking fandom too far, but Navin isn’t entirely in the right, either. Mulani shows him looking up what others are saying about Max before composing his video, blatantly looking for an angle rather than expressing his true thoughts. And while there’s an important conversation to be had about the trend of real queer people (especially queer people of color) being shouted down by fans in these conversations, so is there a danger of making assumptions about the sexuality and gender identity of others.
Stink (dir. Matias Breuer)
There’s something so uncomfortable about the idea of being watched without your knowledge. Writer Drew Beckman and director Matias Breuer take voyeurism to a violating new level with Stink, an unsettling tale of unseen obsession.
The short opens on the beach, where a stalker (Beckman) watches the handsome Levi (Karan Menon) sunbathe. An eerie voiceover gives us a glimpse into the true depths of the stalker’s obsession as he draws closer to Levi, crossing more and more boundaries, dipping his fingers in a glob of saliva left behind in the sand and raising them to his lips. Things only escalate from there as the stalker enters Levi’s apartment while he’s in the shower, transfixed by his smell, desperate to taste. His thirst satiated for now, he moves on to his next obsession, but we’re left with the disquieting question of whether he’ll take things even further next time.
Girls (dir. Julien Hosmalin)
The soft, shy queer female gaze is juxtaposed with a leering, violent male one in Girls, directed by Julien Hosmalin, who co-wrote the script with Olivier Torres. This stylish French horror short centers around lounge singer Ally (Carmen Kassovitz), who runs away with Romane (Natacha Krief) on her motorbike, looking for a little peace. But when the bike breaks down, their getaway devolves into a nightmare as Ally is kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring and put up for auction.
With a truly satisfying climax, Girls is proof that the revenge subgenre needs more sapphic entries. If you’ve ever wanted to see a motorbike used as a weapon, this is the short for you.
We hope this recap convinces you to check out the ‘Slayed’ shorts block at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025. Until then, keep an eye out for these shorts, and be sure to support the filmmakers behind them.