Horror and punk have long shared an anarchic spirit, but few films fully explore the raw, rebellious energy that connects them. Enter Dylan Stav and Will Cheston, the creative minds behind Scum of the Earth, a film that blends supernatural horror with the gritty, no-holds-barred world of punk and metal. Inspired by their own experiences within these subcultures, the duo crafted a story that examines the toxic traits of these scenes while delivering a chaotic, genre-bending ride.

From a psychedelic real-life experience involving a mysterious book to the brutal challenges of indie filmmaking, Stav and Cheston reveal the unique inspirations and struggles behind their latest project. In this exclusive interview, they discuss the importance of camaraderie, satire as a tool for critique, and the unexpected hurdles that nearly derailed production.

The Intersection of Horror and Punk/Metal

We felt horror and punk/metal shared similar themes, and we felt that comparison wasn’t utilized as much as it should be. We saw the untapped potential. We grew up surrounded by those subcultures and the people that populate them. We were amused by the idea of those tough and cocksure characters being faced with true evil, and if they were—they’d probably shit their pants.

The Importance of Camaraderie

We started with camaraderie first. That was the most important element of the story. If the characters didn’t feel like real friends, the film would never work. The music featured in the film was the backdrop and support for the punk and metal aspect of our film, as well as the circumstances the band finds themselves in. As fans of supernatural horror, we wanted to include classic elements of the genre but provide our own fresh take.

A Psychedelic Experience as Inspiration

We had our own psychedelic experience where we found a mysterious book written in another language deep in the woods as teenagers. We were terrified of this book, but we kept it. It has always been a source of inspiration for us, and being fans of films like Evil Dead, we knew we wanted to incorporate that personal story into our work at some point.

The acid-fueled quest itself was the original approach we took to the classic trope. Not knowing if what you’re experiencing is real because of the substances you’ve taken created interesting circumstances for our characters. It immediately gives both the audience and our characters an excuse for their supernatural experiences.

Overcoming Production Challenges

Every aspect of this short film was challenging… it never ended. Though the most challenging moment by far was our production location shift from Calgary, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario a month before we were scheduled to shoot. A series of unfortunate events led to everything falling apart. We had to start over completely—locations, crew, equipment, producers, everything. It was spirit-crushing, but we couldn’t stop then. We focused and pulled it off. By complete chance, Calgary had a record-breaking snowfall the day we were supposed to start filming. We wouldn’t have even been able to reach our remote locations. It (although incredibly stressful) was all for the better.

Critiquing the Punk and Metal Scenes

We chose to critique the toxic traits of the punk and metal scenes by making our characters, especially Caleb, reflections of everything we see being wrong with them. Being in and around these spaces growing up, we realized that despite many bands advocating for human rights, the scene is plagued with misogynist, homophobic, and even racist attitudes. We didn’t want to shy away from the reality that these people exist, and talk and act like this.

It’s no coincidence that when a character in the film is openly homophobic, he dies and becomes evil incarnate in the very next scene. We also chose to critique the “tough-guy” machismo that is ever-prevalent in these spaces. Stories like that of the band Mayhem, where the dark and brutal ideas of a metal band led to several murders and the burning of ancient churches, inspired us to offer a sort of “cautionary tale” approach to the dangers of these ideas when spread among impressionable people. We chose satire as our weapon of choice and deconstructed these mentalities to show them for what they truly are—ridiculous.

A Genre-Bending Approach

We wanted Scum of the Earth to start as a light-hearted bro comedy about a group of friends in a band, and then have a definite tonal and genre shift partway through, descending into darkness and horror. Due to the poor choices and lack of foresight among the characters, their own decisions lead them down this path. The “barn discovery” scene would be the defined moment this shift takes place.

Basically, if someone walked into our film knowing nothing about it, we wanted to take them for a ride by playing with expectations of the genre. The absurdity of these characters being in these situations never loses its humor, and therefore there are laughs throughout, but there are some genuinely creepy moments—or we hope so, at least.

The Future of Scum of the Earth

We have been toying with several different ideas. We have been in talks with a few different producers and production houses concerning next steps and have written a full-length version of Scum of the Earth that is in the revision stages. It starts about 15 minutes before the start of the short, and then continues after for another 45 minutes, so we see definitively where the characters are going and what ends up happening to them.

We are still in our festival run and can’t stream it yet, but we are in negotiations with a few different services and are hoping to have the short streaming by this summer.

Where to Follow Scum of the Earth

To stay updated with the future of Scum of the Earth and other projects, people can follow @scumoftheearthfilm and @the9thproductions on Instagram.