Five FrightFest Facts with the Cast and Crew from ‘Starsuckers’

Over the last two decades, Brett M. Butler and Jason G. Butler have quietly established themselves as two of Canada’s most prolific independent filmmakers. Through their company Substance Production and distribution label Tiny Cabin Pictures, they’ve built an impressive body of work spanning horror, comedy, drama and thriller, all while remaining fiercely independent. Their films have reached audiences around the world and earned a reputation for blending sharp character work with an offbeat sense of humour.

Their latest film, Starsuckers, makes its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest, bringing with it a wickedly entertaining mix of celebrity culture, social satire and horror. Starring Manon Ens-Lapointe, James Alex, Jersey Anderson and Jacob Stickles, the film follows an ordinary couple whose dream weekend with their celebrity idols quickly descends into manipulation, murder and psychological chaos. Ahead of its premiere, we caught up with the filmmakers and cast for our latest Five FrightFest Facts.

The Butler Brothers (Brett M. Butler and Jason G. Butler), and stars James Alex, Jacob Stickles, Jersey Anderson and Manon Ens-Lapointe from Starsuckers

Tell us about your film

The Butler Brothers: Starsuckers is our warped and demented treatise on celebrity culture and the dangers of putting your idols on pedestals. It takes place at a gorgeous wooded retreat where their favourite celebrity duo invites a “regular” couple to join them in a decadent weekend of emotional renewal, but of course things don’t go as planned and things spiral out of control in ways we’ll leave to the viewer to discover.

James Alex: Starsuckers is a razor-sharp satire of influencer and internet culture. Equal parts funny and gory.

Manon Ens-Lapointe: Starsuckers is a horror-comedy’s little freak sibling about celebrity culture, relationships, desire, and the lengths we’ll go to get what we want.

How did you get into making movies?

The Butler Brothers: We got into it from opposite directions; I briefly dabbled in acting after realizing I didn’t want to work in a cubicle and sent Brett a couple scripts from indie films I was cast in while he was doing Film Studies at University and writing on his own time. We both agreed we should jump in and start making movies ourselves; it was that quick. In hindsight, it’s wild we didn’t figure it out sooner, considering we grew up together and enjoyed films from an early age, much more so than our peers.

James Alex: I received a Fisher-Price PXL 2000 camera as a Christmas gift and started making wacky little movies on cassette tapes.

Jersey Anderson: I got into acting because I’ve always loved performing and telling stories, and film quickly became something I knew I wanted to pursue seriously. I love getting to step outside of myself and become someone else completely. There’s something so exciting about being on a set and watching an entire story come together from so many different people and departments. Getting to be part of a film like Starsuckers has been such a fun experience because it’s so different from anything I’ve done before.

Jacob Stickles: I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was 6. I got into it really when I met my friend, filmmaker Mat Seguin, and film industry professional Clayton Drake.

Manon Ens-Lapointe: Circuitously! Mainly, I grew up with a cinephile father and took a transformative film class in high school. I went to an arts school, was a music and dance major, and was very shy. I thought I wanted to be an editor; eventually I took a small speaking role, and my film teacher noted I might be good in front of the camera. I chipped my way out of my shell and went on to become an insufferable musical theatre major and I’ve been committed ever since.

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

The Butler Brothers: Great question. The irony of being indie filmmakers is that we have less time doing what got us into the business in the first place, watching movies, so film festivals are our opportunity to make up for it!

Bowels of Hell – the double entendre title alone tells us we’re in for a great time, not to mention a very relatable plight with a demented twist sounds like a helluva good time!

Ithaqua – great filmmaker, great cast, great premise, let’s go Canada!

The Brook – we’d be remiss not to take in a UK film that has all the classic horror trappings of the English countryside wrapped into a very cool take on the time continuum plight!

Jacob Stickles: Indie horror. Indie horror has some of the best horror moments in the genre.

Jersey Anderson: I love to see films like Basic Instinct, The Substance, and The Menu screened. I love horror/thrillers that have a really strong visual identity but also have something darker underneath them (like Starsuckers)! I’m especially drawn to stories about obsession, beauty, power, and the lengths people will go to get what they want.

Manon Ens-Lapointe: Any of Christopher Nolan’s 70mm IMAX films. I keep missing them but hear they’re life-changing in that format. Scary-movie-wise, maybe The Omen, the first scary movie I ever saw, for nostalgia. Or Marriage Story (2019), so stressful.

James Alex: I’ll happily leave the curation to FrightFest. I’m excited to see many of the films from this year’s lineup. No notes. 10 out of 10.

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

The Butler Brothers: Best Creepeo, awarded to the creepiest cameo, an unexpected actor scene steal that makes you scream in delight or cringe from creepy surprise!

Jersey Anderson: I’d give out the “What Did I Just Watch?” Award, for the movie that leaves you completely stunned when the credits roll. I love films that take a huge swing and leave you thinking about them afterward, whether you loved it, hated it, or aren’t entirely sure what just happened.

James Alex: Best behind-the-scenes making of a horror story. Sometimes the true horror lies in the making of the thing, you know?

Jacob Stickles: Best Original Idea! I find people play it safe too often these days with reusing IPs that they know have worked in the past. Nobody takes chances on a good original idea anymore.

Manon Ens-Lapointe: Maybe Best Scream? Big fan of a good scream; have yet to do one myself. There’s so much nuance in the perfect scream, perfectly picked for the right moment, and you can sense illicit lozenge use. When it’s right, it’s right.

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

The Butler Brothers: No More Beer. It would star the Hemsworths; they would need to work out a bit more though.

Manon Ens-Lapointe: All the Shots You Didn’t Take: A Film About Misses, starring Danny DeVito. I think he’d make a great fake blonde.

James Alex: It would be called YOU THINK IT’S GOING WELL, HUH? starring an A.I. Val Kilmer.

Jersey Anderson: It would be called The Circus because I’ve always got so much going on, and played by Victoria Pedretti, an actress made for horror.

Jacob Stickles: It would be called The Mind of Jacob Stickles, and Christopher Walken would play an evil Jacob who’s just a manifestation of my self-hatred.