Central Ohio filmmakers' new movie "The Cycle" streams this weekend
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Deborah Ann Woll stars in Jordan Downey's "The Cycle," streaming this weekend on Shudder. Photo: Courtesy of Shudder
A new horror film written, directed and produced by Central Ohio natives is wrapping up its festival circuit and is ready for its streaming launch just in time for Halloween.
Why it matters: "The Cycle" is the new (and a bit more serious) movie from Granville native Jordan Downey, who made the infamous horror-comedy "ThanksKilling."
The movie: Starring recognizable faces Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan, "The Cycle" is a murder mystery that begins when police find the body of a man missing for 30 years at a crime scene.
- It premieres Friday on horror-focused streamer Shudder.
- Jordan co-wrote and directed the film, which was shot in Astoria, Oregon, and his brother Michael is a producer.
The intrigue: The filmmakers are in the midst of a festival run that's led to good reviews and a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score.
What they're saying: The brothers say they're thrilled by the response from critics and horror fans who have seen the movie at festivals, and were shocked to get an endorsement from someone like King.
- "We grew up reading his books and watching his movies," Jordan tells Axios. "It was wild to see that he got ahold of it."
Perhaps best known for the over-the-top "ThanksKilling" from 2008 (shot in Licking County), Jordan is quick to point out the murderous turkey movie is nearly 20 years old, and his new film is a lot less tongue-in-cheek.
- Since then, he's directed multiple films and TV episodes, including the 2018 film "The Head Hunter" and a segment in 2024's "V/H/S/Beyond."
- "'ThanksKilling' was a horror-comedy that we wanted people to laugh with and laugh at," he says. "'The Cycle' takes itself very seriously."
Zoom in: When he moved to Los Angeles at 18, Jordan says, he had "never really experienced" a film scene in Central Ohio. Now he sees productions coming to Ohio and local festivals like Nightmares, and is "glad to see that it's grown."
- Michael is moving from the West Coast to Cleveland, where he's getting involved with the Ohio Film Commission and making a movie in Ashtabula.
- "We left because there was no film business in Ohio — now there is," Michael tells Axios.
The bottom line: The brothers are excited for the masses to experience "The Cycle" this weekend, and hope the scary mystery will be part of their hometown's Halloween festivities.
- "I want other people to take it and make it their own thing, talk about it, come up with theories and hopefully like it," Jordan says.