Horror Favourites – Travis Greene & Jonathan Buchanan

Forget whodunit, it’s what the hell happened here and why were 8 Found Dead? Travis Greene’s wickedly warped, acclaimed horror gets its UK home premiere this spooky season from High Fliers, which had its UK Premiere on at GrimmFest 2023.

Excitement is building for a group of friends as they gear up for a fun-packed blowout at an idyllic, remote holiday rental. Carrie (Aly Trasher) and Ricky (Eddy Acosta) are getting ready to reunite with couple Dwayne (William Gabriel Grier) and Sam (Alisha Soper) – a social media influencer, who seems happier talking to her followers than to her partner and their other mates, who are all making their own way there.

As timelines switch, we see the friends arrive separately at the isolated guesthouse in the middle of the desert, where they are all met with a very unexpected welcome. The house is already occupied by another couple, Richard (Tim Simek) and Liz (Rosanne Limeres). Is it a double booking or deadly bad luck?

Realising there’s more to their surprising guests than meets the eye, it’s not long before chilling revelations are revealed and an extremely uncomfortable situation becomes twisted terror.

Skilfully crafted, unsettlingly tense and gratifyingly gory, 8 Found Dead guarantees a heart-pounding, blood-splatered thrill ride that will linger long after the credits have rolled.

Stop the search – you’ve found your scream vacation, so check in with 8 Found Dead – for the trip of a death-time.

Below Travis Greene (Director) & Jonathan Buchanan (Writer) list the horror films that played on loop, in the background, during the writing, filming & post-production process of 8 Found Dead:

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

TG: For me, it all starts with TCM. I fell in love with this film for its grimy yet beautiful photography. The sound design, minimal but textured, makes me feel alive and relieved that I’m not one of those poor saps hanging from Mr. Leatherface’s meat hook. Sure, the writing and acting is not Shakespeare, but TCM kicks off and stands atop the slasher genre. All that said, I’d argue that the remake is better.

JB: I still watch this movie through my fingers.

The Shining (1980)

TG: What TCM does with blood and gore, The Shining does with anxiety; unrelenting brooding dread. My wife doesn’t find this film scary, but then again, she’s not a middle-aged alcoholic man, stuck with his family in an ice prison, going through one of the worst episodes of writer’s block ever. Even when cutting comedies or television, I tend to put this film on in the background while I edit. Cuckoo’s Nest & Misery are also in the normal rotation. I keep the TV on mute and when I take a break, or periodically look up, I’ll tend to find a new, tiny detail (or mistake!) that I’ve never noticed before.

JB: This was my introduction to Kubrick, Jack Nicholson and the best horror movie dialogue ever written.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

TG: Not a horror film, but a perfect film. The writing, the acting, the direction, the pace, the nuances-everything. It’s such an unabashed, no frills, no cheap tricks, character-driven story, it sucks ya right in.

JB: Horror movie or not, Nurse Ratched is a horror icon.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

TG: I saw this in the theater twice in 2006. It was loud, it was nasty, it was fucked up. So much so that the production couldn’t get insured within the States, due to a scene involving a baby and a revolver. I love that the film stays (fairly) true to the original and then cranks up the depravity to 11.

JB: Aaron Stanford did a great homage to Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs and the burning crucifixion is unforgettable.

Deathtrap (1982)

TG: Jonathan showed me this clever little drama/thriller during pre-production. He used it as inspiration to write a small contained story, confined to a single location, but with an explosive and shocking reveal of an ending. Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve are phenomenal. I had never seen Superman so devilishly evil.

JB: Trust us. You have to see this movie!

Misery (1990)

TG: Another small, claustrophobic banger. I could watch Kathy Bates and James Caan play pinochle in silence, for hours. The character of Liz was strongly inspired by Annie Wilkes.

JB: Somehow the director and the writer of The Princess Bride made one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever. Wow!

30 Days of Night (2007)

TG: David Slade’s close-up compositions were a huge inspiration for our cinematographer, Ryan Valdez. You feel the cold desolation and peril of the citizens of Barrow, Alaska. The tension in the first act is phenomenal. You know what’s coming and it can’t be stopped. Also, I’ve never seen vampires portrayed in a more smart and terrifying way.

JB: I usually don’t like vampire movies, but 30 Days of Night is exceptional and Josh Hartnett is becoming one of my favorite actors.

X (2022)

TG: Ti West reclaims the throne as a modern Master of Horror with X. I love Ti. I study Ti. The House of the Devil changed my life and opened up a new realm of possibilities for the genre in the 21st Century. And if you were wondering, X > Pearl.

JB: Pearl > X and Mia Goth deserved an Oscar.

Two films that served as the biggest inspiration for us were left off this list: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe (1966) & The Strangers (2007). You’ll have to watch our film to understand why…”

8 Found Dead is out on digital now (High Fliers)