About this episode

Justin Denton discusses the challenges and processes of making and distributing a gothic horror film on a limited budget.

Gothic horror is having a moment, and Justin Denton got there before the wave. His feature The Curse of the Sin Eater is now streaming on Prime, built for under a million dollars with 19 shooting days, a single private benefactor, Chicago theater actors, an English manor that half-burned down and got rebuilt by hand, and a composer found on Spotify who bowed his guitar like a cello because he didn't own one. Justin is a VFX veteran who has worked on $200 million productions, directed VR experiences for Legendary, and now has a completed independent feature with a Samuel Goldwyn distribution deal to show for a process that looks nothing like what Hollywood taught him and everything like what filmmaking actually requires. Chris and Daniel dig into the full journey with Justin: how the sin eater mythology stuck with him through COVID, why he pitched it as a drama dressed in horror clothing, what it costs to make a real film in a union town, how distribution actually gets done in the backroom deals before AFM (American Film Market) even opens, and why not having a recognizable name in your cast is the one decision that follows a first-time director all the way to the release screen…

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris, Daniel

Guest: Justin Denton

Topics covered

• gothic horror
• independent filmmaking
• film distribution
• VFX
• COVID-19 impact
• Gen Z in film

Keywords

• gothic horror
• independent film
• film distribution
• VFX veteran
• low budget filmmaking
• AFM
• COVID-19
• Gen Z
• Chicago theater

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Samuel Goldwyn, AFM

Books & works: The Curse of the Sin Eater

Places: Chicago, Australia, English manor

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