News
‘The Friendship Game’: An Interview with Director Scooter Corkle
We had the privilege of speaking with Scooter Corkle, a Vancouver-based filmmaker. We talk about his newest release, horror/mystery The Friendship Game starring Cobra Kai’s Peyton List and Color Out of Space’s Brendan Meyer. We also touch upon the writing process and the challenges of making a film. It was an absolute pleasure, and I look forward to seeing what this well-respected talent has to offer us in the future.
Synopsis: The Friendship Game follows a group of teens as they encounter a strange object that tests their loyalty to each other and has increasingly destructive consequences the deeper they go into the game.
Interview With Director Scooter Corkle
iHorror: I got to watch the film. I really enjoyed it. I noticed that everything was vibrant, and the acting was well done; it wasn’t forced, and it seemed natural for everybody. With all the young kids, well, I know they aren’t too young, but I compared them to my daughter’s friends; it all seemed very real to me, and the friendship game. My daughter will be turning eighteen soon, and her friends are the biggest part of her life. This film hit home, and it will resonate with the younger generation.
Scooter Corkle: I appreciate that; I hope so; thank you.
iH: And this was your second feature, correct?
SC: That’s correct.
iH: Was this your first actual horror film?
SC: Yes, outside of my first short film, it was a Korean-influenced horror film called Chloe and Attie; we made it in 48 hours. It is like 8 or 12 minutes, something within there. Yes, this is definitely my first feature within the horror pantheon.
iH: Are you going to go back?
SC: Yes, absolutely. I have always been a huge fan of genre. I love elevated genre the most. Even my first film is a small-town thriller, but it lays into the tropes and the pieces of the thriller genre that I really like. So, yeah, I will definitely be back.
iH: When you were doing the film [The Friendship Game], what was the most challenging part?
SC: For any film, it is going to be time. The more money you have, the bigger your budget you have, the more time you can afford. You have talent that have schedules and other shows that they are on. Everyone always that “your crew and yourself are always going to be the best; you’re going to try and get the best available.” Time is always the thing that you are going to be up against the most. We shot this pretty quickly; it was a lot of fun in a short amount of time.
iH: It seems like it. Psychological there was a lot there, and it was greatly paced. With many of these types of movies, I always worry that I will lose interest and get bored, but it was all paced well.
SC: Thank you, and that all comes down to having a good editorial team. And our producers were really honest to make sure that it was moving for sure. Because at the end of the day, you want to keep the audience with you. I really wanted to make sure that our cast led the piece, which they do. And I have said to everybody, “our cast rules.” Even what you said, they are so natural, and Peyton [List] does lead the charge; she’s genuinely good. I am so excited for her fans to see her in action for sure.
iH: I had only seen her [Peyton List] in Cobra Kai; this is my first viewing outside of that universe, she carried it, and she was just great!
SC: And it’s real. It was a real performance. Damien Ober wrote some very interesting characters to play with, and as a director, I usually give cast as much leeway as possible to own on their performance so that it does come through as naturally as possible. I am glad that you felt that.
iH: And I gotta talk to you about it; I don’t know if you have a name for it but the trinket, the actual game.
SC: The strange object.
iH: [Laughs] I really enjoyed it because I got a Hellraiser vibe.
SC: Yes, absolutely.
iH: and you know, there is something really creepy, for me at least, going to a yard or an estate sale. It is just creepy, so I really liked that. Also, at the end of the film, when you come back around full circle, [Little Spoiler], you have the two older ladies come, and the lady tries to sell them [The Friendship Game] for ten bucks. That was a good catch at the end.
SC: Yes, it’s a nice button. Again, Damien [Ober] and I looked at the tropes, played with the tropes, and then really pushed the bounds of where we can take a dramatic indie, cosmic horror. So the reference to the puzzle box from Hellraiser, we definitely love that comparison, and it is a device. “Be careful what you wish for”; was designed really, really, well, and we couldn’t have asked for a cooler object, and a lot of that is from our production designer, Richard Simpson, and that piece that he designed with some of the 3D printers is just so fun, we love it.
iH: It is amazing what you can do with that stuff. What is your favorite horror film? Do you have one in particular that you revisit from time to time?
SC: I don’t have a favorite, but one that I like to mention is Ravenous, which is kind of a B movie but also stars Guy Pierce and Damon Albarn of Blur; he did the soundtrack. Robert Carlyle is also in it; it is like a cannibal movie during the Spanish American War. It is a really fun ride, and it can get cheezy at times, but the performers are so good that it doesn’t even matter. It is a great film that not many people have seen; I love spreading the word about it.
iH: Ravenous; I will have to check that one out. What do you have next in the pipeline? Anything that you are working on or going to be working on?
SC: I have lots lined up that I am working on, writing-wise. But as far as anything that has been currently green-lit, no. As you always do, I’ve got a couple of irons in the fire and a good amount of time to spend writing. I want to get into potentially doing a series, creating a series. The Flanaverse, you know? I am trying to do what Mike Flanagan has been doing. [Laughs]
iH: [Laughs] Yeah, definitely, he’s doing it! When you start writing, do you ever get writer’s block? Stare at a blank page? Blank computer screen? Is there anything that you do to help you through the process?
SC: Yeah, I think everyone gets a little writer’s block. I usually like to take a nap, if I’m honest, I’ll put headphones on and close my eyes, and I will give up for a little bit. I think it kind of resets my brain, and I will find a new idea; I like to structure everything. I’ll take a big board of cards and move things around, and I will try to figure out what the theme is in this part of the movie; that’s a big part of my process. I will card and outline to death before I start writing. I need to know where I am going; otherwise, I can’t be emotionally connected to it.
iH: Very interesting, visually seeing everything with the cards.
SC: Yeah, it needs to be practical with the cards, and I can be organic with the writing, which is important for me anyways; that’s my process.
iH: With this film, The Friendship Game, was there a different ending? Or multiple endings?
SC: We’ve had multiple endings. It is a movie that plays with the that I’ve been coining the “ultiverse,” the alternate universe. There were a bunch of different ways to go; I think the main thing we needed to concentrate on was Zooza, Peyton [List], and really making sure that her arch made the most sense and was a satisfying emotional arch. Where we ended up with our ending was always going to happen, we were always going to get to this point. The other endings, I think, didn’t give the audience the emotional arch that we grave, so yeah, there were multiple pieces to it, but I think we landed in the one that was always going to come.
iH: Very good, I enjoyed it! I hope that it does well, as it should. I appreciate your time; thank you so much, and congratulations.
SC: I am glad you liked it, and I hope your daughter gets to see it.
The film is now in select theaters, On Demand, and Digital from RLJE Films.
Indie Horror
_CIVILIAN Is the Micro-Series That Proves You Don’t Need Much to Make Something That Matters
The ripped-from-the-headlines social thriller is currently in production, and the story behind it is just as compelling as the one unfolding on screen.
When filmmakers Sean Michael Gloria-Orn and Cailan Gloria-Orn decided they were done waiting on film industry green lights, they set out to build something on their own terms. The goal was simple: create something meaningful while raising awareness around a growing issue. Then, right when they needed it most, a new independent cinema ecosystem, ShoStak.tv, and the “First 150” Film Challenge found them.
_CIVILIAN, the debut micro-series from Alien Outlaw Media, follows a group of tenants forced to choose between compliance and survival after a predatory power company begins hiking energy costs to compensate for AI data centers, until one ordinary man becomes an unwitting symbol of resistance.
It’s a thriller pulled straight from the kinds of headlines most of us have already scrolled past and quietly dreaded. Monopolized energy systems. Power bills climbing into the thousands. The creeping realization that the system was never designed to protect you.
And this is only the beginning.
Watch the trailer for _CIVILIAN below:
The concept is built to expand far beyond the central issue explored in Season One, tapping into a broader range of everyday fears experienced by modern civilians.
_CIVILIAN was made with a skeleton crew of just three people. Sean writes, directs, handled audio on the pilot, and edits. Cailan, stepping behind the camera for the first time, operates camera while also appearing in the series. Their close friend and photographer Justin Blaine Miller handled slate and captured behind-the-scenes photography.
A married couple and a few friends proving something the industry tends to forget. With enough conviction, a great story doesn’t require permission.
_CIVILIAN is being created as part of the ShoStak.tv “First 150” Film Challenge and debuts Episode One: Powerless on the internet-native cinema platform built to support independent filmmakers bold enough to create on their own terms.
ShoStak isn’t just another platform. It’s part of a growing shift toward creator-first ecosystems that actually reward filmmakers for building an audience. ShoStak.tv pays creators based on the audiences they bring in, putting the power back where it belongs.
It’s exactly the kind of project the platform was built for, and exactly the kind of grounded, real-world horror many people are already living through.
Follow _CIVILIAN creator Sean Michael Gloria on Instagram at @seanmichaelgloria for the latest updates. “Episode One: Powerless” premiered exclusively on ShoStak.tv on Friday, May 1, 2026. Watch episode one here.
The micro-series is still casting in Atlanta and currently stars:
@seanmichaelgloria
@cailanorn
@gordontdanniels
@blaikelewis
@brettbrooks
@marcusnelson
@phaemonae.555
@devinellingwood
News
This Week in Horror: The ‘Resident Evil’ Trailer, a ‘Weapons’ Prequel, and Nicolas Cage Has Unfinished Business
This was the week Zach Cregger stopped being a horror director and started being a horror studio. That is not the only thing that happened, but it feels like it isn’t being stated enough.
The Resident Evil Teaser Is Here
The first footage from Zach Cregger‘s Resident Evil dropped Wednesday, and it does not look like anything this franchise has produced before. Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier who arrives at an empty house in the middle of a snowy night and spends the rest of the teaser discovering what he is actually surrounded by.
The footage is dark and still and operates as if something has already gone wrong before anything technically has, which is the same register Barbarian and Weapons lived in and that the games, at their best, have always understood.
Cregger Is Also Making a Weapons Prequel
While everyone was watching the Resident Evil teaser, Variety reported that Gladys, the prequel to Weapons, is moving forward at Warner Bros. with Cregger co-writing alongside Zach Shields. Weapons grossed $270 million worldwide and earned Amy Madigan a best supporting actress Oscar.
Gladys is set for September 2028. Cregger is currently writing a Resident Evil reboot and a Weapons prequel at the same time, which is either the most productive stretch a horror director has had in recent memory or the setup for a very good documentary.
Nicolas Cage Has Unfinished Business
Variety confirmed that Nicolas Cage and Osgood Perkins are making a new Longlegs film at Paramount. Not a sequel, but something set in the Longlegs universe, which is a distinction that raises more questions than it answers and is therefore exactly the right way to announce it. The original made $128 million on a $10 million budget. No release date has been set.
Hokum Opens Today
Hokum, the new film from Damian McCarthy, is in theaters today via Neon. Adam Scott plays a novelist who retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes and finds that an ancient witch has opinions about that.
The film premiered at SXSW in March and sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. McCarthy made Caveat in 2020, which was underseen and excellent. Hokum is his argument that the haunted house film still has architecture left to explore.
Shudder Is Having a Moment
The full May lineup breakdown is here, but the essentials are: Tales from the Crypt, all seven seasons, begins streaming today after years off the market. The Terror: Devil in Silver, the third installment of AMC’s horror anthology series, premieres May 7 with Dan Stevens. Heresy, a folk horror set in a medieval Dutch village, also drops today as a Shudder exclusive. It is the strongest programming month they have announced in a while, and May is only one day old. What a week.
Someone Let Ti West Near a Christmas Carol
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, written by Nathaniel Halpern, directed by Ti West, and starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge, has a release date: November 13, 2026 from Paramount. Robert Eggers is also developing a Christmas Carol adaptation. Two of the most formally precise horror directors working today have independently decided this is the assignment. There is no version of that sentence that is not exciting.
That is the week. May is already delivering.
Editorial
HHN35, Jack vs Oddfellow: Place Your Bets!
Halloween Horror Nights is back for its 35th installment at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida as the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares!
Over the years HHN has proven original houses draw as much of a crowd, if not more, as the intellectual property (IP) houses based off of established horror movies.
Leading each year of fear and headlining some of these original houses includes some of the most beloved and iconic characters. These icons include; Jack the Clown, The Caretaker, The Director, Chance, Dr. Oddfellow, The Usher, Lady Luck, and The Storyteller.
This year Orlando’s convention MegaCon had a highly anticipated and attended panel focused on Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights 35. The masterminds speaking of the 35th year celebration included Michael Aiello, Lora Sauls, and Charles Gray. The creators teased the landmark year to salivating fans.
Gaged by the audience’s reaction as each icon was reminisced about and displayed on the panel’s screen were Jack and Oddfellow. Here it was announced to the fanatical audience that these two icons will be returning to lead Halloween Horror Nights into its upcoming year!
Bring in the Clown!
Jack the Clown, born Jack Schmidt, is an icon created by Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights. Jack made his debut during the Halloween event’s tenth year in 2000. He immediately won over attendees and became a fan favorite. His popularity grew so much that he has reappeared again and again in many of the Halloween Horror Nights events.
Jack has been featured in three of the five Universal parks that have hosted HHN; Orlando, Hollywood, and Singapore. He has even claimed a spot in Universal Horror Unleashed.
Unleashed is a haunted attraction residing in Las Vegas that offers a fully immersive experience for guests. Unlike Halloween Horror Nights, this attraction is open year round! Universal Horror Unleashed features haunted houses, live entertainment, and themed bars and dining.
Here Jack stalks guests year round with his mistress in mayhem, Chance.
Jack’s History
In the late 1800s Jack was born with his brother Eddie inside the walls of Shady Brook Rest Home and Sanitarium. Jack escaped and ran away with the circus, leaving his poor and abusive family behind.
However, it was soon apparent he was not the jolly, entertaining clown he convinced his carnival spectators of.
Jack was a child murderer. As the traveling sideshow made its way through the southern states, a trail of abductions and disappearances followed. This attracted unwanted attention from federal authorities.
As the feds closed in, the clown disclosed his murderous ways to his employer, carnival owner Dr. Oddfellow. As the star attraction of the circus he hoped Oddfellow would hide him. However, the doctor was a man with his own sordid past with the law. He decided the best plan of action would be to cut ties with Jack, for good.
The circus owner had Jack Schmidt murdered, but not before the clown gave Oddfellow his trademark facial scar. A scar none of Oddfellow’s dark magic could erase.
Always the showman, Oddfellow decided Jack’s time in his show had not yet come to an end. Not even in death. The carnival owner hid Jack’s body, in addition to the thirteen children the clown had killed, inside his House of Horrors.
The Doctor is In!
Just like Jack “The Clown” Schmidt, Dr. Rich Oddfellow has a very long and evil history. He was introduced to Halloween Horror Nights in 2000, the same year as Jack. However, unlike the menacing clown, the doctor did not rise to instant fame.
Finally the Doctor found his time in the fog and in 2023 he was established as an icon of HHN.
Oddfellow’s History
Dr. Oddfellow is the notorious, darkly charismatic sideshow owner of Dr. Oddfellow’s Carnival of Thrills. He employed Jack Schmidt, the murderous clown who claimed the lives of at least 13 children. However, the clown was not the only member of the circus who had evil intentions.
Oddfellow was an evil sorcerer, and preyed upon his unsuspecting spectators from town to town. Using the souls of his victims, Oddfellow hoped to gain immortality as well as harness the power of the Dark Zodiac for himself. With this power he would have undying power at his fingertips all harnessed in the skull sitting on top of his trademark cane.
Dr. Oddfellow always left his mark of chaos, destruction and death. From the Jungle of Doom, to the 1939 Dustbowl, and an infamous 1969 Music Festival in upstate New York, Oddfellow reigned down his evil upon the innocent.
A Glimpse of HHN35
Not much has been revealed about how these icons of horror will be intertwined in the upcoming Halloween Horror Nights. However, we do know that despite how much these two despise each other, they will be sharing the spotlight as co-hosts for the much anticipated HHN35.
One of the ten haunted houses will feature the returning duo together. The house is called; Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos and Control.
As you travel through the house the stories of each icon of horror will be unraveled. You’ll wind your way through their evil dimension and see the two battle each other in a deathmatch that has been brewing for decades. However, as you near the end of the house Jack and Oddfellow come to realize that their power is much stronger together than separate. Will the souls of the guests be the fuel to their ultimate evil plan?
Tell us at iHorror who your favorite icon of horror is in the comments! If the two were to face off, who would win?
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News5 days agoResident Evil Drops First Teaser Trailer
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