Last Updated on October 8, 2024 by Angel Melanson
Fresh off its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest and a Cher-attended screening at Los Angeles' Beyond Fest, Spider One's Little Bites hits VOD and theaters nationwide today, October 4, via RLJE Films and Shudder. Starring Krsy Fox, Barbara Crampton, Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons and Chaz Bono, Little Bites follows a young widow and mother, who desperately tries to protect her daughter Alice from the grips of a fiendish, flesh-eating monster named Agyar.
Ahead of the monster movie's wide release, we sat down with director Spider One and star Krsy Fox to talk about the terrors of parenthood, what's next for the creative couple, and Cher's favorite horror movie.
Krsy, how would you describe your collaborative relationship with Spider One? He's writing and directing; you're starring, producing and editing. Is it a smooth ship or does being married mean the filters are off? What's the vibe?
Krsy Fox: We actually have a very good working relationship. Once we're in pre production mode our life is kinda all work all the time. A lot of the bigger discussions happen during pre-pro so there aren't a ton of surprises on set usually. Being the primary producer I'm involved heavily in everything from casting, to locations, to paperwork, to the type of camera we're going to shoot on. Spider always has a lot of strong creative choices for how the film should look and feel, and I always want to support that and help him get exactly what he wants out of the visuals. I'm the total cheerleader that's like “if that's what needs to happen or what we need to see we will figure it out”. I think the creative vision of a director is one of the most important things to get a great strong and stand out film. I'm also the one who loves to push the gore and the horror as far as we can.
On set we keep everything really professional and focused. I think the most challenging time often can be once we get into post and we're through a shoot, we're exhausted and the edit begins. Luckily, even though we're from different generations, we have a lot of similar sensibilities. That really helps out because he can trust me creatively to get a first pass on an edit. Also the fact that I'm the producer and lead of the film I'm on set for every moment, and can also discuss things about the edit or creative thoughts as they're happening. So once I step into that post mode I know exactly what we both want. I love the process of the edit because in every film it continues to surprise us and it has taken the films in directions that we hadn't considered. Spider's notes are never that crazy so luckily we don't kill each other during it, but we both are strong and opinionated and not afraid to push for what we want. We definitely are very honest with each other.
I also really love acting in the films that he directs. I find that I feel extra safe and I can get to extremely vulnerable places in that environment. He's a thoughtful, clear director that really trusts his actors and enjoys watching them work. I've done some of my best work with him. It makes it fun and he's the kind of director you always want to please. This film in particular I felt like I lost myself in my character more than I ever have in anything. It was a heavy role and my character suffered a lot of abuse. It was nice to see Spider's face at the end of any of the highly emotional or traumatizing takes, and in this film there's a lot of them.
Little Bites deals with themes of motherhood and what a mother will do to protect her child — a theme that's front and center this year in films like Longlegs and Never Let Go. Why do you think this is in the air right now?
Spider One: Parenthood/ motherhood have always been prevalent themes in horror and for good reason. Rosemary’s Baby, Mother!, The Exorcist, hell, you could even argue Frankenstein had its roots in parenthood. Having children is terrifying! Ha! And the task of protecting them from the onslaught of the world at times feels impossible. Perhaps the recent resurgence of this theme is a direct reflection of the chaos of the times we live in. Maybe parenthood is this generations atomic bomb. A large percentage of young people are choosing to not have children for fear of bringing them into the world. I’m not sure I agree with that assessment of the world but it is a real fear and where there’s fear there is horror!
KF: I think it could be a lot of the political conversations that have been very forefront in the news and on people's minds. I also think we've gotten to a place where society is embracing having very honest conversations about the struggles women go through having children. Whether it's conceiving, postpartum, or just trying to be a good mother and role model with all the criticism and judgment you constantly face as a parent. Having a young daughter myself I really resonate with films that tackle this subject. I also love that it's being represented in horror in such creative and terrifying ways. When I read the script for Little Bites I knew I had to play Mindy. I had tears in my eyes as I read the first pass of the script. Mindy is a character who lost her husband and is just doing the best she can to raise her daughter and keep her safe, meanwhile behind closed doors she's being slowly eaten alive and abused by a horrifying monster. Instead of supporting her or offering her help, the people in her life just hand out judgement, false accusations and disgust. I think anyone who is raising a child, or even a victim of abuse or someone that struggles with addiction will really connect with this film and feel heard. That's why films like this are so important, and I love that this topic is being explored in my absolute favorite genre. There's also a really terrifying monster which is always a plus.
You've built a little horror family for yourself; folks will likely see much of your supporting cast in your Instagram posts having backyard hangs. Talk to me about your particular repertory company (which now includes Fango's Angel Melanson).
KF: Since I was a child I've always been obsessed with horror movies. I wanted to watch them, read about them, be in them, so I feel like when I came to Los Angeles I really found my people! The horror community is incredibly tight knit. Everyone knows each other, are fans of each other and are constantly trying to support and lift each other up. I've never been part of something as amazing as that. I really mean it, from being a fan of the genre, to a journalist, podcaster, to SPFX artist, or an actor or filmmaker you're part of something that, if you love to be scared, you belong.
I became close with Angel immediately, like truly the first time we met. She came to the premiere of my feature directorial debut and I spent the entire night laughing and nerding out with her. I see our friendship as Pen15 meets The Craft, it's just amazing. Barbara Crampton and Bonnie Aarons were also early horror friends of mine (they both were just standouts in Little Bites). Bonnie was in my debut feature and Barbara is a light and quickly became one of my best friends. She is amazing at bringing people together and we even have this horror actress group that gets together every month. Also seeing other filmmakers out there killing it like Damien Leone with the Terrifier franchise is beyond inspiring, and I've really gotten close with so many people that blow me away like him. I'm blessed to be in Terrifier 3 and be part of a newer franchise that I just love so much. My daughter Elle who is about to turn 5 is also a staple in the horror community. She loves horror movies and her heroes are Freddy, Jason, Art, Michael, Leatherface and the upcoming Big Baby (more on him later). She's even on the wall at Horror Vibes coffee shop! It's amazing to see my daughter share such a love for the genre at such a young age like I did.
You're not shy about showing the monster in your movie. What's your take on spoilerphobic filmmakers these days?
SO: Well, I suppose there is always a balance and certainly depending on the film, choosing what to show or not show becomes a strategy. Though, at the end of the day, I believe that you have to decide what will compel people to want to see the movie. We have a great and unique monster in Agyar and our FX team (Kenneth Calhoun and Ashley Stansbury) did such a stellar job that hiding him would do us all (and the audience) a disservice. For me, I always had a very specific way I wanted to represent and reveal the monster. There is a very deliberate progression to what we see as the film progresses. As the story unfolds so do the physical aspects of the monster.
KF: I think it's really dependent on the film and what kind of story you're trying to tell. I'm someone who tries to avoid watching trailers and reading about films that I'm excited to see. I always seem to have the best experience when I go into movies blind. I also really don't like when trailers give away the biggest moments or scares in the film. Sometimes it's hard because you need to show the story and the scope of the movie in two minutes but I don't want to see it ahead of time. With Little Bites, the monster is very different from any other films I've seen. He's intelligent, manipulative, scary, abusive and he has a lot of dialogue. We knew we were really going to have to show him and he would be a big part of the marketing for this film, but we also wanted to reveal him slowly. At first he's always partly in shadow and the audience won't be sure what exactly they're looking at and what Mindy is talking to. But slowly more of him is revealed. Spider used inspiration for lighting him from Apocalypse Now. Seeing half of his face, or arm, or head while he expresses horrific thoughts really added to the slow building dread in Little Bites. I feel like this was incredibly important to the tone of this film and how the story unfolds. But I do still love a monster in the shadows and letting my imagination terrify me as well. With Little Bites you're gonna get a lot of monster and I know the horror audience will really love that.
You've got Cher as an executive producer on this film. Talk to me about Cher coming on board, and share what you can about Cher's horror fandom. Is she more of a Blumhouse gal or an A24 fan?
KF: This was an incredibly cool turn of events. I'm very close with Cher's son Chaz and we were at her house for one of his birthdays. She sat down next to me on her couch and began asking me a ton of questions about our films and how we make them. I remember thinking, is Cher really this interested in our horror films? It turns out she was and she continued asking Chaz about the films after he came on board as a producer in our film Bury The Bride. When it came time for us to start pre-production for Little Bites, Cher was like “I'm in”. Obviously we were very excited to have her on board and she has so much experience making films and you know, winning Oscars… Her career has been just unmatched. It was funny because she didn't love horror and was genuinely scared to watch the movies, but I think we're slowly making a horror fan out of her. She recently has been talking about how much she loved the films Get Out and Split and has watched them several times. I think she's truly finding the sub genres she loves and she has great taste. We brought Little Bites over to her house to screen with her and I was so nervous, but she genuinely loved the film and had so much thoughtful input and asked great questions. Sitting beside Cher watching myself act literally had me feeling like I was going to have a stroke, but it was amazing to have someone like her love it and give great feedback. She is also on board to Executive Produce our new feature we just completed called Big Baby. I told her I'm going to make a horror fanatic out of her yet, I already see it happening!
SO: Having Cher as an executive producer is nothing short of mind blowing. Her achievements in music and film are unmatched and to have her believe in my movie is an honor. I can’t speak for her taste in horror but she knows film and she knows story and performance. I think that is what is most important to her regardless of genre.
What's next for your horror journey? Where do you want to head next as a filmmaker?
SO: As we speak, I have already wrapped production on my next film Big Baby. I can best describe it as a meta slasher. I’m incredibly excited about it! The goal as a filmmaker is to of course continue to challenge myself and improve with each project. Writing and directing share equal importance to me, so I would like to continue to do both. Ultimately, I suppose, the goal is to create a film or films that engrain themselves in the consciousness of the world of horror. Films that are watched, enjoyed and discussed decades after they’re released.
KF: Next we have our latest film Big Baby, currently in post. I produced and co-star in with Brandon Scott who was just amazing to work with. It's a really exciting and scary meta slasher that feels like The Shining meets a classic 80's slasher. It was so much fun and I can't wait to see people dressed as Big Baby at future horror cons! Also I play Jennifer in Terrifier 3, a film I'm so excited to be a part of. It was just such a fun and epic shoot, Damien is such a hands on and fantastic director. I seriously had the best time and can't wait to see how many people throw up or are scared to death! I created an animated series with Kate Siegel and our producer Mali Elfman called Dark Corners. They are horror shorts for young children. Kate and I were having a playdate with our daughters one day and we realized there's no horror for very young children. So we decided to create something as a safe bridge into the genre. Something kids can enjoy right from pre school into their teens. We have some legendary writers on the shorts like Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, Heather Langenkamp, myself, Kate and Mali. We're so proud of this project and can't wait to share it with all the creepy little kids out there. We're launching in October 2024.
I also have a feature I'm planning to direct and produce hopefully towards the end of the year. I miss directing and it's a very scary paranormal feature that I can't wait to dive into. I know with our production company OneFox Productions we really want to be shooting at least a couple features a year and diving into different sub genres. It's important to us to keep surprising people and always be making something fresh. It's going to be a crazy fall and I can't wait for all of it!
Little Bites is now playing on VOD and in theaters nationwide.
