Horror Favourites – Samuel Dunning

With eccentric characters, a witty script, fun visuals and a spectacular cast, Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox is a time-warptastic, trip like no other – that will keep you coming back time and time again and its out now from GrimmVision. To celebrate we chatted to the movies star Samuel Dunning and found out what of any horrors he loves the most.

Meet mad scientist Tim Travers – played in a interstellar turn by Samuel Dunning (Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, The Equalizer) – who inadvertently causes all manner of mischief when he creates his own time machine and then travels back one minute only to kill his younger self, in an experiment that he hopes will solve the time traveller’s paradox. But when he tests his theory and the world seems completely unchanged, it raises more questions than answers, setting him off on a wild mission to solve his hypothesis.

There’s only one problem, the universe was bad enough with only one Tim Travers and now, there’s several running around causing all kinds of mayhem. As each Tim branches off, they explore love, friendship and scientific discovery – all while being hunted down by a mysterious hitman attempting to kill each of them.

Adapted from his short film of the same name, writer-director Stimson Snead makes his feature debut with this acclaimed astute and endlessly entertaining new feature that infuses humour and heart, while poking fun at the mind-bending theories of time travel. Following its run on the festival circuit, including at Grimmfest 2024, where it earned praise galore, the film is now set for its UK wide debut on digital from 26 January, courtesy of the brand-new label GrimmVision. The brilliant cast includes Felicia Day (The Guild, Supernatural), Joel McHale (Community, The Soup), Keith David (The Thing, Armageddon) and Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn).

Below star Samuel Dunning tells us about his favorite scary movies including one featuring one of his co-stars:

“Funny enough I was never much of a horror fan growing up. I liked intense films and blood and gore but couldn’t STAND jump horror. To be honest, I still don’t have much of a tolerance for it.

That said, I have very much grown into a fan of slow-burn and more thematic horror, the horror that focuses on disturbing you more than eliciting an adrenaline rush. That said, I wouldn’t even call myself much of a horror movie person- I just like any movie that is good! BUT horror and genre in general tends to attract my attention and love the most, both as an actor and filmmaker, because it always seems to flex the most creativity and imagination from top to bottom and inspires me to do the same. Now that I’ve said all that, let’s see if my “favorite horror movies” actually fall in line.

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) has always been a go-to for me. It just has everything I want in horror, great writing and suspense, fabulous acting and characters- Kurt Russell alone, I mean come on. And of course above all else it has the best SFX put to screen, coupled with some of the most fun gore effects I’ve ever seen. I realize this isn’t a hot take by any means, but it was a staple of mine through college and I put it on at least once a year on a whim. It just always plays pristinely.

Also on the top of my head is The Blair Witch Project. I actively avoided this film for much of my life and really only watched it in earnest a few years ago and was utterly floored. Unlike The Thing I would never casually throw it on- it’s too real, too visceral, and too genuinely upsetting to have on for fun. Mostly I think this is because of how human and relatable it is- just the simple idea of getting lost in the woods, or anywhere for that matter, is enough to turn people against each other and to bring out the ugliest side of ourselves, which the film portrays immaculately.

Growing up in the woods of Maine you really take to heart the possibility of getting lost and the very real danger that entails both physically and mentally. Adding in the prospect of a fabled witch in the woods actively looming over every thought and shadow, it is truly a masterwork of horror in that what you don’t see is worst of all. And don’t get me started on the ending- perfect.”

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox is on digital 26 January from GrimmVision

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox trailer