Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast. I'm your host, and today we are talking about a show that probably sounds like a strange candidate for a modern streaming reboot, until you actually look at how they made it.When Netflix announced a new take on "Little House on the Prairie," a lot of people reasonably expected a soft, nostalgic retread of the 1970s TV series. Instead, the 2026 reboot starring Alice Halsey, Luke Bracey, and Warren Christie dropped last month, and it is a completely different beast. It pulls much closer to the raw, gritty reality of the original books than the old show ever did. It already got picked up for a second season, and a huge reason the series hits the way it does comes down to how it looks.My guest today is cinematographer C. Kim Miles, ASC, CSC, MYSC. He shot four of the eight episodes this season, and he had to deal with absolute chaos to pull it off. We're talking severe prairie weather, tornadoes, ticks, rough terrain, and keeping heavy camera gear moving around actors wearing full period costumes. It was a brutal shoot, but the visuals speak for themselves.If you follow Kim’s work, that adapt-and-survive approach shouldn't surprise you. He lensed "The Brothers Sun" for Netflix, shot the Apple TV+ documentary "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" which earned him an Emmy nomination, and worked on projects like "Yellowjackets," "Lost Ollie," and Robert Zemeckis's "Project Blue Book." He knows how to ground large-scale, difficult productions in real human texture.We talk about building the look of the new series, fighting the elements, and what it actually takes to make a pioneer story feel dangerous again.Before we jump in, do me a quick favor: if you enjoy the show, take ten seconds to leave us a review on whatever app you're listening on, hit that subscribe button, and send this episode to a friend who loves film craft. It genuinely helps get the show in front of more people. Now, here is my conversation with C. Kim Miles.

On today's episode, I'm chatting with cinematographer James Kniest about his work on the upcoming Amazon original film, The Devil's Mouth. The setup is classic survival horror: a group of college friends on a Thailand trip end up trapped in submerged caves. There's a dangerous predator in the water with them, and all their ugly personal baggage and past conflicts start bubbling up while they try not to die. What makes or breaks a movie like this usually comes down to how real that claustrophobia feels, so James and I talk about what it actually takes to shoot in dark, wet, cramped spaces without it looking like a soundstage.Before we get to that interview, I want to talk about a fantastic new track from the San Francisco punk band Tess & The Details. They just released a cover of Green Day's "Scattered," which is featured on a new Green Day tribute compilation out from Coffin Curse Records and Punk Rock Radar. Even better, all the proceeds from the compilation go straight to no-kill animal shelters.Rather than just doing a carbon copy of the original Nimrod track, they completely made it their own. Frontwoman Tess Stevens directed the music video as a bit of a love letter to the Bay Area, shooting at places like an old BART station payphone and the legendary San Francisco venue Bottom of the Hill, which is unfortunately closing down at the end of 2026. I'm going to play a quick snippet of the song right now, and then I'll play the full track at the very end of the episode after the interview.Ok lets get into my conversation with James. In addition to The Devil’s Mouth, we chat about our shared love of music, the current state of the film industry, and what it was like working with Mike Flanagan. The Devil's Mouth will be available to stream on Amazon Prime on 7/29. I hope you enjoy the show

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Following Films Podcast.Before we get into today’s show, do me a quick favor: if you’re enjoying what we're doing here, take two seconds to leave us a review, hit that subscribe button, and send this episode to a friend who loves movies. It really helps us out and keeps the lights on.This week’s episode is brought to you by the folks at Universal Pictures Home Video to celebrate their release of Obsession. They’ve been kind enough to give us a copy to pass along to one of you. If you want to get your hands on it, we're running a quick giveaway. Just send an email over to [email protected] with the subject line "I want Obsession" and tell us why you should win. Just make sure you include your full name and your mailing address in the body of the email so we know where to send it if your name gets drawn.Today, we're talking with Double Danger, the French musical duo who handled the score for Evil Dead Burn. The movie just hit theaters, and if you’re a physical media collector, the soundtrack is actually getting a vinyl release this September.If you haven't caught the trailer yet, the plot centers on Alice, played by Souheila Yacoub. She’s a young widow trying to process the death of her abusive husband, Will. She goes to stay with her former in-laws for a memorial, which already sounds like a nightmare on its own, but then things go completely off the rails. They come across the Necronomicon, unleash the usual Deadite chaos, and Alice has to hunt down a Kandarian dagger to burn the whole family house to the ground just to stop the spread.It takes a lot of those classic, messy Evil Dead tropes and grounds them in a pretty dark family dynamic. We talked with Double Danger about how they approached scoring that specific brand of chaos, how they landed on the sound for this entry, and what it was like working in such an iconic horror universe. Here is our conversation with Double Danger.

Before we get into things, this week’s episode is brought to you by the folks at Universal Pictures Home Video to celebrate their release of Obsession. They’ve been kind enough to give us a copy to pass along to one of you. If you want to get your hands on it, we're running a quick giveaway. Just send an email over to [email protected] with the subject line "I want Obsession" and tell us why you should win. Just make sure you include your full name and your mailing address in the body of the email so we know where to send it if your name gets drawn.As for today's show, we have a really interesting one for you. If you’re looking for something new to check out at the cinema, you're in luck, because the movie we're talking about actually hits theaters today, July 17th. It's called Horsegirls, and it centers on a 22-year-old woman named Margarita who is trying to figure out her own independence while dealing with her mother’s illness returning. What makes the dynamic so fascinating is that Margarita has autism, and she finds her outlet and a sense of control through the world of hobbyhorsing. Yes, we are talking about competitive stick-horse riding. It’s a subculture that a lot of people might dismiss or find odd at first glance, but the film uses it to look at some messy, complicated family dynamics and what it actually takes to prove you can stand on your own two feet.To break it all down, we are chatting with the filmmakers themselves, Lillian Carrier and Lauren Meyering. They join the show today to talk about bringing this specific world to life, avoiding the usual Hollywood clichés about neurodiversity, and getting into the real, sometimes uncomfortable friction between parents and adult children. It’s a great conversation, and I think you’re going to get a lot out of it.Before we jump into the interview, do me another quick favor: if you're enjoying the podcast, take a second to hit subscribe, leave us a review on whatever platform you're listening on, and share this episode with a friend who loves indie cinema. It really helps the show grow.All right, let’s get into my conversation with Lillian Carrier and Lauren Meyering.

Welcome back to The Following Films Podcast.Before we get into it, if you like what we do here and want to help the show grow, please take a quick second to subscribe. And if you’re feeling extra generous, leave us a review on whatever platform you're listening on—it seriously goes a long way and helps other movie lovers find us.Today we are talking about Above the Line, a film that hits digital and VOD today. The story follows six struggling Hollywood hopefuls who decide the ultimate way to make a comeback is to team up and literally rob the Academy Awards from the crooked producer who crushed their dreams. But as you can imagine, in a town completely built on make-believe, trying to pull off a real heist might just be the toughest role of their lives.It’s got a fantastic ensemble cast—Cedric the Entertainer, Gregg Henry, Sophia Ali, Jackson Pace—and it’s just a great, fast-paced 90 minutes.Joining me today to chat about how he put this whole wild ride together is the co-writer and director of the film, Jeffrey Scott Collins. I hope you enjoy the show.

Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast! I’m your host, Chris Maynard, and today we are taking a look at the sonic landscape of the summer’s breakthrough film hit film.Joining me on the show is Rock Burwell. He is the brilliant mind behind the dread-inducing score for the hit psychological thriller Obsession, which originally blew audiences away during the Midnight Madness program at the Toronto International Film Festival.Working in close collaboration with director Curry Barker, Rock has crafted a soundtrack packed with smart synth work and atmospheric ambient cues. It masterfully explores the emotional undercurrents of the film, layering horror with warmth into pure, confrontational dread. It is easily one of the most exciting, disorienting, and genuinely great scores of the year.The Obsession Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available right now thanks to the team at Waxwork Records, in partnership with Back Lot Music. You can grab your copy today on vinyl, CD, and cassette, or stream it wherever you get your music.Before we jump into my conversation with Rock about taking creative risks, finding comfort in discomfort, and building this incredible sonic world, do me a quick favor: hit that subscribe button for the Following Films Podcast so you never miss an interview.Now, let's get into it. Here is my conversation with Rock Burwell...

Welcome to the Following Films Podcast. I’m Chris Maynard.This Friday, a chilling new nightmare arrives on Shudder, and it explores the dark, complicated, and sometimes supernatural bonds of family. The film is TheVoices of our Mother, and it follows Harriet Scaflen after the death of her 95-year-old mother. When Harriet suffers an unexplainable health scare, her four estranged children return to the ancestral family home to care for her. But as old animosities and long-buried secrets come to light, they quickly realize their mother’s illness is anything but medical. There is a supernatural evil awoken inside her—one seeking revenge on her own children just to survive.Joining me today to discuss this tense, 93-minute psychological horror film is its writer, director, and co-star, Mark O'Brien.You know Mark from his incredible work in front of the camera on shows like Perry Mason, Your Honor, and Halt and Catch Fire, as well as his recent role opposite Simu Liu in Peacock's The Copenhagen Test. But he is also one of the most exciting filmmaking voices in modern horror. His debut feature, The Righteous, was ranked one of the top 100 horror movies of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is back behind the camera with this incredible cast, including Sheila McCarthy and Georgina Reilly.We’re going to talk about building tension, balancing family drama with supernatural terror, and bringing this eerie vision to life.Before we dive into the interview, if you enjoy the show, please take a quick moment to support us by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform and telling a friend about the episode. Word of mouth means everything to an independent show like ours.Now, let's welcome Mark O'Brien to the Following Films Podcast.

Welcome to the show! Today, we’re stepping into the high-stakes world of underground competition with a look at the upcoming Spanish-language thriller, Queen of Shock.Written and directed by Emmy-winning documentarian and former PBS producer Robyn Symon, this feature is set to make its world premiere next month at Dances With Films in Los Angeles. Shot entirely in Mexico with a local cast and crew, the film takes a fascinating piece of Mexican culture and pushes it to a cinematic extreme.The story centers on the real-world game that is a test of endurance where people voluntarily shock themselves with electricity. In Queen of Shock, this tradition is reimagined as a brutal, viral underground circuit. We follow a struggling single mother who is forced into these escalating electrical matches in a desperate bid to save her kidnapped daughter.Joining us on the podcast is Robyn Symon to discuss:The process of adapting a real cultural tradition into genre cinema.The technical challenges of creating intense underground competition sequences.Her experience directing a Spanish-language feature in Mexico.The creative leap from documentary filmmaking into the world of narrative thrillers.It’s a gripping conversation about a film that explores the intersection of survival and viral sensation.Support the Show: If you enjoy these conversations, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. It’s the best way to help more film lovers find the show!

Welcome to The Following Films Podcast. I’m your host, Chris Maynard. Before we get into today’s conversation, I have a quick three-second favor to ask. If you love discovering the stories behind your favorite movies, please subscribe right now. While you're there, leave us a quick review, it helps other cinephiles find the show, and if you hear something you love today, tell a friend about us! Word of mouth is how we grow, and we appreciate every single one of you.Today, we are exploring a gorgeous new indie road movie that just hit theaters on June 5th. It’s called Carolina Caroline, and joining us is the man responsible for its stunning, emotionally raw look—cinematographer Jean-Philippe Bernier.This film is a beautiful contradiction. It draws heavy inspiration from classic 1970s Americana and grit-and-grain crime cinema, yet it maintains this deeply intimate, contemporary emotional perspective. Jean-Philippe teamed up with director Adam Rehmeier for the third time to craft a visual language that feels like an "endless summer"—that reckless, fleeting feeling where you think the sun will never go down... until reality hits you hard.In this episode, Jean-Philippe is taking us behind the scenes of how they built that grounded road-movie aesthetic. We talk about why embracing raw imperfections actually made the story feel more authentic, and how they visually balanced the tenderness of a romance with the high stakes of a crime thriller.It is a fantastic conversation for film lovers and filmmakers alike. So, grab your popcorn, settle in, and let’s welcome Jean-Philippe Bernier to The Following Films Podcast!

Welcome back to the podcast, everyone. Today, we are examining the architecture of memory, trauma, and the blurred lines of reality. Hitting theaters and VOD on June 12, 2026, is a film that I promise is going to get under your skin. It’s called This Tempting Madness, a breathtakingly tense psychological thriller that marks the feature directorial debut of Jennifer E. Montgomery.  Now, if you think you’ve seen all sides of Bridgerton superstar Simone Ashley, think again. She delivers a raw, bold, and genuinely transformative performance as Mia, a woman who awakens from a coma with a fractured memory, a grievously injured body, and the devastating realization that the man she loves is completely missing. Alongside an incredible supporting cast, the film takes us directly inside Mia's disoriented mind as she tries to piece together a past she can no longer trust.  But what makes This Tempting Madness truly unforgettable is where the story came from. This isn't just a Hollywood script; it is deeply inspired by a harrowing true story. Director Jennifer E. Montgomery wrote the film with her longtime collaborator and spouse, Andrew M. Davis, after living through her own firsthand tragedy. Years ago, Montgomery watched her own best friend's life quietly collapse over a period of six months—culminating in an act of severe violence. When her friend finally woke from a coma, those entire six months of memory were completely gone.  Instead of making a straightforward documentary, Jennifer and Andrew built an immersive cinematic landscape that mirrors how trauma actually works—in loops, contradictions, and shifting colors. From a custom score built literally out of Simone Ashley’s own vocal tones to vintage Panavision lenses that make the frames feel like unpredictable memories, every single detail of this film was crafted to make us question what is real right along with Mia.  We are incredibly lucky to have the mastermind behind this phenomenal film with us today. Joining me to talk about the immense responsibility of turning personal trauma into art, pushing cinematic boundaries, and running towards the fire of complex storytelling... please welcome the director and co-writer of This Tempting Madness, Jennifer E. Montgomery!