A rising figure on the heels of several impressive works in the scene, writer/director Spencer Zimmerman is making a rapid name for himself on the heels of several well-received titles to his credit. Now, in honor of his short film "Headcase" screening at the 2025 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival, I talk with him about his early interest in filmmaking, the making of the short, and some upcoming plans.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Spencer Zimmerman: Of course! I feel like I actually came quite late into the horror world. There are so many dedicated fans in the horror space that I feel like a bit of an imposter, because I was always resistant to the genre at first, and it wasn’t until after film school that I really discovered it as this wonderful sort of trojan horse for edgier, weightier stories that maybe wouldn’t find an audience if they were done in a straight ahead style. Something about the lens of horror really gives filmmakers licence to experiment and push boundaries - I think it’s no secret that many of the most impressive films, and some of the best directors working today, have come up through horror. And I think it’s perhaps been through this recent renaissance of horror that I’ve really come to fall in love with the genre’s unique ability to champion more subversive stories that wouldn’t otherwise find an audience. Skinamarink, for example, is such an incredible boundary-pushing piece of work - you would never in a thousand years find anyone making that for any reason other than it being a total labour of love, and it’s a testament to horror audiences for being open to receiving it and really loving it.
Me: When did you first discover a passion for filmmaking? Were you always interested in the creative arts growing up?
SZ: Absolutely - like tons of filmmakers in my generation, we had phones and iPods with cameras on them, and before that we had our parents' point and shoot cameras that we grew up with - so filming and image making has always been something I’ve done.
But I think the specific bug for movies over anything else for me was in my upbringing. My dad is a huge movie buff, and some of my earliest memories with him were spent watching The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and the original Lord of the Rings movies. Some people's dads coached their hockey teams or were scout leaders or something, but my dad showed us movies of all kinds and just really turned us onto the magic of film. Whenever I get together with my dad and my brothers, we all speak in this shorthand of movie quotes that drives our mom crazy. It’s hilarious because it’s almost like another language that the rest of my family can’t understand.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
SZ: I mean, without a doubt, directing a movie is the best seat in the house. I’ve worked as a technician, as an editor, as a producer - all of it I love, but the reason directing takes the cake for me is that I get to have my hand in every department of making the movie. And when you get a really amazing team like on Headcase, it’s just an opportunity to collaborate and have fun with tons of fantastic artists and craftspeople, and make work that all of us love.
Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills did you acquire working on those that transferred to feature-film projects?
SZ: Honestly, there’s not a lot of difference between feature and short filmmaking. I think people get really overwhelmed with the prospect of making a feature film, and to their credit it’s no small task, but in my experience it’s about 80% as much work to produce a short as a feature - the only real difference is when you’re making a feature film you do it for longer (and of course it costs more money!). Obviously, the stakes are higher, but it’s really the same machine doing the same work; you’re just sustaining it longer.
So, in short, I think I had a tremendous advantage having done so many shorts before working in features. The experiences on short films I’ve had with interpersonal management, the creative problem solving, and perhaps most importantly, the understanding of the bigger picture of the project, all have been so so helpful.
Me: That brings us to your latest short, "Headcase." What can you tell us about the project?
SZ: So, Headcase is this bizarro, deeply satirical horror comedy about Karen (who goes by her stage name Kylie), who is a failing, wannabe influencer who’s just desperate for any kind of attention she can find. And when she finally gets a “life changing” brand deal, she strikes and kills a pedestrian, whom she decides the only way to handle is to dismember, and “discover” for content, but things get surreal when the head wakes up and speaks to her, and she’s forced to keep him around while she tries to cling onto her precious brand opportunity.
Headcase was produced through the Crazy8’s film program, which is a talent incubator that selects 6 projects from over 150 pitches, and challenges each team to shoot, edit, and finish a short film in only 8 days. It goes without saying it was a craaazy experience to make the film on such a compressed timeline, but honestly, I feel like we actually pulled off exactly the film we set out to make and didn’t have to pull any of our punches.
Me: Where did the inspiration come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
SZ: Pat, my co-writer and fellow mad scientist, came up with the premise for Headcase and pitched it to me as something we could make together through Crazy8s. Initially, Pat and I both sort of thought maybe we were too busy to make the film, and we'd see how we felt closer to the deadline.
But then a few weeks later - and 1 day out from the pitch deadline - Pat sent me an email with some more thoughts on it, and we both were like “fuck it, let's give it everything we’ve got.” There was something about it, we couldn’t turn away from. We went full tilt and put together the whole thing in - and I’m not exaggerating - 4-5 hours before the deadline. And then we just submitted and imagined it would never go anywhere. But then, a few weeks later, we got word back from Crazy8s that we had advanced to the next stage! So we went to work on a pitch, and the film took off from there.
What first attracted me to Headcase was the way Pat was able to pull his social commentary out of this crazy, absurd, horrific premise. It was such a strange, original idea, and I loved it - but I knew absolutely nailing the tone of it would be crucial to pull it off. I didn’t want it to feel goofy or slapstick, so I really leaned into the sort of surreal, horrifically awkward tone of projects like Kinds of Kindness, After Hours, and The Curse. And that kind of dry, sardonic tone became a north star for me in the making of Headcase.
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to life?
SZ: So, Headcase is a really unique project in that it initially came to me from my good friends Pat Moonie and Siobhan Connors, who, of course, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the film.
We knew from the beginning we were going to cast the two of them as the leads, so it actually freed us up in this incredible way to write towards characters that already felt like real, three-dimensional people. I had worked with Siobhan a few times on my last few short films, and it was such a pleasure every time. I knew from experience both her and Pat were such incredibly talented actors and that they would be able to pull off whatever I threw at them, so I never had to be concerned about writing something we couldn’t do. I think more than any one quality that either of them possessed, I just knew that they always made really surprising and interesting choices as actors. The quality and depth of those choices were what I was after.
There are so many different ways of playing someone like Karen. What was important is that I knew Siobhan could do it in a way that felt grounded and realistic, and not like we were playing some kind of caricature of an influencer. We wanted to create a character who felt like someone you might actually know, and someone you could sympathize with, despite her insane actions in the film. Even though she’s making these reprehensible choices, I knew as long as we understood her plight as a human being, her deep-seated need for validation, the audience would be able to root for her.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
SZ: It was totally electric. I’ve never made a film that has felt this awesome the entire way through. Everyone was working so hard for the movie, and you got the sense they genuinely were loving what they were doing. I just feel so, so fortunate I got to be at the centre of it with them. I’ve met so many amazing people since going to film school and working in the industry, and I’ve sort of just been collecting them in a mental Rolodex, making a note that I would love to work with them. Headcase was a perfect opportunity to bring them all together to make a movie we all cared about. It was a dream come true.
They say that 90% of directing a film is casting, which is true, but I honestly feel like the crewing process is an extension of casting the film. These are the people who are doing the actual day-to-day, nitty-gritty work of creating the movie, and you want the absolute best people you can find. They are the ones who are going to be helping you with the hundreds of tiny decisions you need to make every day, and having excellent people makes a world of difference.
Me: What are you most looking forward to with its upcoming release?
SZ: Honestly, I just can’t wait for the world to see it! It’s such a special little film that has the heart and soul of dozens and dozens of people in it, many of whom will be coming to the premiere! Obviously, it’s making a pretty pointed social commentary, and I’m really excited to see how that is received, but more than anything, I’m just happy we’ve landed at Fantasia!! I don’t think we could have found a better home for this movie than with Fantasia - it seems like the perfect place for this movie to find its audience and show its face to the world.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
SZ: Drink coffee!
But really, I think the main thing that keeps me creative is just going through the motions and routines of getting up and going the work regularly. It’s like any other muscle; it can be so, so difficult to get started and get moving, but you just have to put in the time, day after day, and keep training it, and eventually it will start to feel like a reflex rather than an exercise. And it's those moments when I really get into the groove that I find myself at my most creative.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
SZ: We are very excitedly marching towards a feature version of Headcase!! The project is still in its infancy, but we want to take Karen and push her as far as the fabric of the story will let us. There are soooo many opportunities that we just didn’t get a chance to explore with the limited run time of the short, and I cannot wait to really get into it with the feature.
This interview is part of our coverage of the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival. Click the banner below to check out our reviews and interviews from the festival:
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