Five FrightFest Facts with Chad and Trey McClarnon from ‘The Other People’

Sibling partnerships in cinema often produce something uniquely charged, and with The Other People, brothers Chad and Trey McClarnon have crafted a horror film that feels as personal as it does unnerving. Chad makes his feature directorial debut with this deeply claustrophobic tale, co-written with Trey, who also serves as executive producer. Together, the pair draw on their shared creative history to deliver a reality-based nightmare that lingers long after the lights go up.

At the heart of the film is Lyndie Greenwood’s compelling performance as Rachel, a newlywed who finds herself battling forces that seem to inhabit both her new home and her own mind. When her troubled stepdaughter befriends a boy who appears to live in the shadows, the family is dragged into a harrowing confrontation with fears that are all too recognisable. Drawing comparisons to the existential dread of genre classics from the 1960s and 70s, The Other People has already been described as a “chiller” in the truest sense of the word — one that doesn’t just frighten, but follows you home.

The McClarnons are no strangers to collaboration. With backgrounds spanning stand-up, theatre, and shorts, their journey into filmmaking has been anything but conventional, yet it’s one that has equipped them with a sharp eye for character and atmosphere. In The Other People, they channel those experiences into a story about family, grief, and the lengths we’ll go to protect the ones we love, even when the danger comes from within the walls we trust most.

In this edition of Five FrightFest Facts, Chad and Trey reflect on how they first found their way behind the camera, share their dream films to see on the FrightFest big screen, and even imagine the horror movies their own lives could inspire.

Chad McClarnon, Writer-director and Trey McClarnon, co-writer and executive producer

1. Tell us about your film

Chad: The Other People is my first feature film as a director. I wrote it along with my brother and Executive Producer, Trey McClarnon. We have an absolutely incredible cast that is anchored by an absolutely outstanding performance by the great Lyndie Greenwood. It’s a reality-based horror film about a family that’s dealing with the absolute worst version of my own worst fears. A lot of people have been calling it a thriller, but to me it’s more of a dread-er, or I guess like a chiller is probably the real word for it. In mood, I wanted to build or a sort of timeless throwback to those kinda of existential dread films of the 60s and 70s.

Trey: The film is a dark, claustrophobic horror film inspired by disturbing true events that take takes an unflinching look at the depths people will go to protect their home, their family, and their way of life. This is not a second screen movie. It’s a movie that invites you in and asks you to watch carefully. If you watch carefully, you will be rewarded. This is the kind of horror that you can’t leave in the theater. It follows you home uninvited.  It sticks with you long after the credits roll.

2. How did you get into making movies?

Trey: I followed a pretty normal path into filmmaking. I wrote plays. I went to law school. I did stand-up. I was a trial attorney. I did more stand-up. Then I started making films with my brother Chad. We made a short film, then another one, then another one. I retired from law to make movies full-time and never looked back. Law sucks. Movies rule. Making movies with my brother rules.  I don’t want to do anything else.

Chad: I took a film animation class in college from a guy called Steve White and loved it so much that I asked him to teach me how to make a short film. I wrote that film with my brother and we shot it the next semester. It was terrible, and no one will ever see it, but the dream was born!

3. What films would you love to see screened at FrightFest and why?

Chad: Honestly, programming a festival is incredibly difficult. There’s an absolute mountain of films that hits their inbox every year and the only way they come away from that task with a coherent program is through hard, dogged work. I have only ever lived on the bare edge of those types of decisions, and so at the risk of sounding patronizing, I want to see the films that the programming team at Frightfest chooses for its program. It’s absolutely incredible every year. It’s one of the top festivals in the world to look to for what is new and hot in the genre space, and it deservedly has earned that accolade.
IF you’re asking for something that’s more of a repertory title, John Carl Buechler’s Troll turns 40 next year. Ripe time for a huge reunion event with cast and crew in attendance. It would be a landmark event. I think Noah Hathaway started doing tattoos… maybe he could ink some flash in the lobby or something. It’d be sick.

Trey: Easy answer, Wizardream! The final film directed by the amazing John Carl Buechler starring Malcolm McDowell. Buchler died before it was finished or released, and I hope that it sees the light of day one day. Seriously, if anyone reading this has the material from Wizardream, please call me. We will help you finish it.

4. If you could create your own award to give at FrightFest, what would it be and why?

Trey: Best VFX shot that you thought was practical. There has been such a trend lately in film marketing to belittle CGI and VFX artists, and they do amazing work. They often do work that is so amazing, that it gets used as an example of why we need more practical effects and less VFX. I want to celebrate these awesome artists and make VFX cool again.

Chad: Sound Design. Even when festivals do the kind of awards that call out specific departments or roles, sound design is often overlooked. There is no singular technical component of a film that will tank it faster or save it more than a well-designed soundtrack.

5. If your life was made into a horror film, what would it be called and who would play the starring role?

Chad: I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and I see weird shit in my house. The Other People is my life in a horror film and Lyndie Greenwood plays me.

Trey: Southern Werewolf Attorney starring Dave Bautista. about a decorated trial attorney with a dark secret. Can he finish the trial and save his client before the full moon?

The Other People trailer