Grimmfest’s Grim Tidings from Lucky Cerruti

A family road trip takes a horrifying detour in Boxcutter, the debut feature from New York writer-director Lucky Cerruti, which makes its world premiere at Grimmfest this weekend. Combining dysfunctional family drama with an increasingly brutal descent into terror, the film promises to deliver one of the festival’s more uncompromising experiences.

The story follows estranged siblings Rob and James, who are travelling to their father’s funeral alongside their respective partners. When the group stops at a remote roadside diner run by the Curtis family, an uncomfortable encounter leaves them eager to get back on the road. However, a fatal car accident soon sends their journey spiralling into a nightmare where guilt, desperation and seemingly good intentions have devastating consequences.

Written, directed and edited by Cerruti, Boxcutter marks his feature debut following a string of independent horror projects, including Freak, Gorenography and Uncle Sleazo’s Toxic and Terrifying T.V. Hour. His filmmaking reflects a lifelong fascination with the genre, beginning with the classic Universal Monsters before developing into an appreciation for slashers and contemporary low-budget horror.

With Boxcutter preparing to unleash its particular brand of American nightmare on Manchester audiences, we caught up with Cerruti for our five Grimm Tidings questions, discovering his favourite horror icons, the childhood film that still terrifies him and why confronting death might be one of the genre’s greatest attractions.

Grimmfest’s Grim Tidings from Lucky Cerruti, Writer-Director of ‘Boxcutter’

Tell us why you are at Grimmfest.

My name is Lucky Cerruti and I am a writer/director from New York City. I am so honored to be attending GRIMMFEST for the world premiere of my latest feature, Boxcutter. The film is such a personal project that I’m so proud of and I can’t think of a better place for our world premiere. Very thankful to GRIMMFEST for having me!

How did you get into horror?

I’ve been a horror fan for as long as I can remember. I was a big fan of the universal monsters as a little kid, and I just wanted to watch anything and everything I could from there.

What scares you the most?

Death scares me the most. The inevitability and finality of it all. I wasn’t brought up religious so I don’t have a belief system in place for what comes after. So it’s just a big question mark. That scares me. I think that’s another big draw to horror for me. It makes me confront my own mortality on a regular basis. It’s good exposure therapy I guess.

Who or what is your favourite horror character?

That’s tough. I’ve always been a Jason guy. But Leatherface is up there too. Frankenstein’s monster is another one. Too many to choose from

What is the grimmest thing you have ever seen?

If we are talking pure scare-factor, probably the original Pet Sematary. I still think that Zelda is the scariest character ever put on screen. If we are going for straight-up grim, maybe something like Martyrs. Talk about grim…

More from Grimmfest

Boxcutter receives its world premiere at Grimmfest on Sunday 11 October at 12.25pm at the Odeon Great Northern in Manchester. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, giving audiences the chance to discover more about Lucky Cerruti’s uncompromising feature debut.

Keep checking Love Horror throughout Grimmfest for more Grimm Tidings, as we put our five questions to the filmmakers, actors and horror favourites descending on Manchester for this year’s festival. We’ll also be bringing you interviews, reviews and more coverage direct from Grimmfest throughout the weekend.