Five FrightFest Facts with Cameron Francis, Katherine Lozon and Garin Jones from ‘Blood Secret’
- Interview
Peter Campbell- 0
- 11 minutes read
World premiering at this year’s Tubi FrightFest in London, Blood Secret is the latest genre offering from filmmaker Cameron Francis, who continues to build a reputation as one of the most resourceful and ambitious voices in independent horror. Based in Orlando, Florida, Francis wears more hats than most filmmakers could dream of, working as a writer, director, producer, actor and even magician, all while crafting films on budgets that prove imagination is often more valuable than resources.
After spending decades performing on stage and screen, working with directors such as Kevin Smith, John Hillcoat and Taika Waititi, Francis turned his attention fully to filmmaking during the pandemic. What began as a series of self-made short films shot with minimal resources quickly evolved into his debut feature, Cover, an acclaimed indie thriller that screened at FrightFest and Panic Fest, won the Audience Award for Best Thriller at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, and secured distribution through The Horror Collective.
Now he’s back with Blood Secret, a tense horror story making its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest. Joining Francis are stars Katherine Lozon and Garin Jones, who help bring the film’s dark secrets and strained friendships to life. To celebrate the premiere, we caught up with the trio for a special edition of our Five FrightFest Facts.
Cameron Francis, writer-director of Blood Secret and stars, Katherine Lozon and Garin Jones
Tell us about your film
Cameron: Blood Secret is a contained horror movie about two woman resolving a misunderstanding that’s part thriller, part supernatural horror, with a dash of slasher thrown in for good measure.
Katherine: Blood Secret is a journey through the gruesome reality of friendship, deception, and how far will someone go to keep something hidden.
These two friends, like all friends, love each other, endure loss together, celebrate the happy times, stand with one another when life swerves in different directions, and yet… even with all that history… they still are not always honest.
This film explores the uneasiness of communication with the people closest to you. How sometimes being honest with those we love the most comes at a terrible price. And what you want… will cost you.
How did you get into making movies?
Cameron: I had always wanted to be a filmmaker but it seemed out of reach. In 2017, I read that Steven Soderbergh had made a feature film shot on an iPhone. I thought, well, I’ve got an iPhone, why aren’t I making movies? So I downloaded the Filmic Pro app on my phone and started playing around with it.
In 2020, during the pandemic, I started making one man band short films in my apartment. Over the next two years, I made nine short films. In 2023, I decided to make a self financed feature film. That movie turned out to be Cover, which I made for about four and a half thousand dollars.
Garin: Being a theater guy, I never tried to audition for film because I figured it was outside of my skill set. I am forever grateful that Cameron thought otherwise and gave me a chance to be in Cover and now Blood Secret. It has been a bucket list experience and endlessly fun.
Katherine: Well, I started working with Cameron at the theme parks. We found ourselves being theatre nerds and having conversations about movies, art, and being creative humans.
He mentioned one day he wrote and shot his own short films during Covid and that he was wanting to actually take on a full length feature. One day he took a huge chance on me, someone who does not consider herself a film actress, and offered me the role of Macy. I was completely taken aback.
If he was going to take the resources and money to create a full length film, surely he would not risk that on someone who had not been on screen before. But also selfishly, I did not want to miss the chance to actually get to work alongside someone so creative and passionate about cinema. And to this day, that offer to join the cast of Cover changed my life forever.
I told Cameron several times, if he ever felt like I wasn’t delivering the character he created, he could replace me at any time! And that offer will stand forever lol.
What films would you love to see screened at FrightFest and why?
Katherine: This is my first experience at the festival and I am just truly excited to see everything from super high budget productions to rag tag individuals like ourselves.
Art is beautiful, and the fact that we can all come together to celebrate what can be achieved is something special.
Cameron: Tough question. I’m not sure how to answer it because they do such a great job programming a mix of small little indie films like mine and bigger budgeted fare that I’m not sure I’d want to change anything.
I also love going into films I know nothing about, so I just want them to keep doing what they’re doing and surprise me!
If you could create your own award to give at FrightFest, what would it be and why?
Cameron: Best Film Featuring A Charcuterie Board.
Kidding. I actually don’t have a great answer because one of the things I love about FrightFest is that there are no awards. It’s just about experiencing cool genre movies with other passionate genre fans. That sense of community is what it’s all about.
Katherine: Inspired by our director Cameron, I would have an award that honors and brings attention to those creatives who do it alllll!
He wrote, directed, produced, edited, performed, lit, and sound created our entire film. That kind of multi-talented creative should be given their flowers.
Garin: They Deserved Better.
This award would go to the film, specifically a character, that invoked so much empathy with the audience that you really wish they didn’t have their throat torn out the way they did. I love a kill that hurts to watch, but want to honor those characters that made me feel.
If your life was made into a horror film, what would it be called and who would play the starring role?
Garin: Werewolf Waterpark: A bachelor party breaks into the water park they went to as kids only to find out the night maintenance guy uses the wave pool in conjunction with the full moon to mimic the tides and keep his beast at bay. Unfortunately, the arrival of a group of entitled drunk men disturbs this monthly ritual and the wolf is set free.
I would be the wolf, played by Dane DeHaan only because I’m not brooding enough to be Matthew Rhys.
Cameron: Strange Tales Of The Neurotic Spiraler starring Alan Ruck (as he specializes in playing neurotic Camerons).
