As spooky season inches closer and closer, Die’ced: Reloaded is fitting for the encroaching season. Set during Halloween, it’s a gory slasher that follows a demented killer named Benny (Jason Brooks), who busts out of a hospital and leaves a trail of butchered victims in his wake.
The film expands upon director Jeremy Rudd’s 2023 short film Die'ced, while building upon the world and Benny’s backstory, all while conveying a strong final girl named Cassandra (Eden Campbell).
Prior to the film’s release in select theaters and VOD, we spoke with Campbell about his inspirations for the slasher and expanding his short to a feature-length film. This interview was edited slightly for clarity.
Can you talk about the experience of expanding the Die'ced short film into this feature-length movie?
Jeremy Rudd: It [the short] had a good reaction online, but I self-distributed that one. A lot of people weren’t able to see it because I did it on my own. Teaming up with Epic is a great thing. They have more reach, power, and connections, so a lot more people can see the film. They were able to add an additional 30 minutes and remaster and remix everything. It’s a much better watch from beginning to end, for sure.
Where did the inspiration come from regarding Benny's scarecrow costume and even some of his mannerisms? Were there any specific slashers or other horror movies that you turned to as inspiration for the look?
Jeremy Rudd: I really wanted to have a scarecrow killer. I felt like there’s a lot of clowns in the horror universe. I felt like the scarecrow is underutilized in the space. I also wanted to have a painted face so viewers could see his expressions and mannerisms. I just teamed up with Jason Brooks. He plays the villain. I brainstormed mannerisms and ways he would move, how he’d walk, and how he would turn his head, things like that. I wrote in the script that he has a disorder where he believes that he’s a five to eight-year-old kid. He has fun killing. I wanted to have that playfulness to him, but also a serious tone. He jumps back and forth between the personalities.
I used to watch Jeepers Creepers. I thought of that as a scarecrow. I wanted a big, tall, scary villain look. I also pulled from the different films I watched growing up, like Child’s Play, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and kind of what mannerisms those villains did. I also pulled from some newer villains, but I wanted to have my own unique villain. Working with Jason Brooks, we decided how this villain would act.
Regarding Cassandra, were there any final girls from other slasher movies that you turned to for inspiration while writing her character?
Jeremy Rudd: I wanted to have a badass type of final girl. I looked at the final girl from Halloween. I feel like Terrifier’s final girl [Sienna] is also a great final girl at playing a back and forth, cat and mouse game with the villain. She holds her own within that chase.
What was your experience like working with Eden Campbell as your final girl? She gets pretty bloody in this movie.
Jeremy Rudd: I feel like she definitely had a lot of fun ,especially during the ending scene. She got pretty bloody in that scene. I know it was her first time during stunt work like that, where she did a lot of chase scenes and fighting with Benny, our villain. I think she had a lot of fun. It was great working with her. She took direction really well and was very creative on her own.
This film has some pretty grisly kills that slasher fans should enjoy. Were most of the effects practical?
Jeremy Rudd: They were mostly practical effects. They were primarily done by Jason, who plays our villain. He also has a special effects team. He did a lot of the practical effects.
Anything else that you'd like to add?
Jeremy Rudd: If you saw the first one, I believe this one is ten times better. It was polished a lot more. The first one I did on my own. Everything was done on my own for the first time. Epic took everything I did, remixed it, remastered it, added additional music and sound effects. It’s a lot more polished and a lot better watch from beginning to end.
Would you like to do a sequel?
Jeremy Rudd: Based on the feedback, I definitely want to do a sequel. There’s a lot of unanswered questions people want to know about. They want to know about Cassandra. I left it a little vague with her on purpose so viewers can want more from her, and of course, from Benny as well. There’s a lot more story to tell. I believe a part two would be ten times better.
Die’ced: Reloaded is in select theaters 8/8 and on VOD 8/12 from DREAD.