Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Grizzly Peak blends horror and thriller genres with a fresh LGBTQIA+ perspective, creating a unique "lesbian meet-cute slasher" experience.
- Innovative use of live video calls and drone footage brought cinematic quality and narrative cohesion to production despite tight scheduling and remote collaboration.
- The film’s Grindhouse aesthetic allows audiences to engage with its dark humor while prompting reflection on technology and political change.
Jason Ragosta’s film Grizzly Peak has been selected for FilmQuest 2025, one of the world’s premier genre film festivals. The film stars Gigi Saul Guerrero, Danny Glover, Haley Bishop, Spooky Madison, and MacCallister Byrd, with key contributions from composer Andrew Scott Bell and cinematographer Brent Johnson. Ragosta, who also wrote and directed the film, brings his personal experience and identity to the forefront of this inventive horror-thriller hybrid that combines heartfelt storytelling with genre-savvy flair.
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
The film is based on the anxiety I felt building up to brave my first same-sex date in public and hatred and violence LGBTQIA+ around the US and the World face every day.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
"After test screenings with friends we discovered that adding the aged print Grindhouse look gave permission to the audience to fully enjoy the film and laugh at the Darkly funny moments."
An example of this can be see/heard in a clip of Danny Glover's cameo that I recorded in the theater of the audience reaction at HorrOrigins through this Instagram link.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
"My two favorite parts of the film are Danny's 'Too slow, motherfucker' line... and Gigi's transition in the last scene when she goes from smiling and chatting with Haley on the phone to being filled with dread as she realizes what's in the box and what it means."
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
We had shot Gigi and Spooky's coverage of the pickup truck scene the night before and only had Danny Glover for about an hour and a half during the day. We were running behind so I called an audible and had him come to the house that we were shooting the opening driving scenes where grip and electric was already set up and we wrapped the pickup truck and shot day for night for Danny in the truck. It worked great and saved our shoot day, getting us right back on schedule.
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
That it's difficult and rewarding to find the courage to be who you are but you also have to be ready to fight for it in a world where hatred and intolerance seem to only grow stronger.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
This is the first film I've been able to shoot that fully incorporated LGBTQAI+ themes and It felt really good to have the full expression of who I am. I have a bunch of feature scripts that go much further and I can't wait to shoot them!
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
"I took a very specific approach to shooting the 'Screens' in Grizzly Peak... We shot Haley through Whatsapp live with her as just another actor but on the screen."
We shot her coverage with the Alexa 35 and avoided making them VFX shots which added a more cinematic quality and kept them consistent with the rest of the footage. We used the same technique with the drone controller screen, which had our DP shooting the monitor screen in one area while our drone operator was shooting the action of the scene in another area, which was pretty cool. I also made the choice to only shoot the killer through the drone view until he was in the same frame as our lead actresses. It was also cool shooting all of the drone footage in the film which allowed Andrew Scott Bell's incredible score to transition us through the acts of the film as our heroines fought on through their journey.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
We shoot way more pages a day than a standard Hollywood film. We shrink our budget by writing in what we have access to. One of department heads who works on bigger films came up to me at one point and said the filmmakers from the feature she had just come off's heads would explode if they saw how we shot Grizzly Peak and how fast we moved, which was fueled by our literal race against the sun to make our days.
"We shoot way more pages a day than a standard Hollywood film... which was fueled by our literal race against the sun to make our days."
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
FilmQuest is one of my absolute favorite film festivals in the world. My film ZTV: Sympathy for the Devil played there in 2021 and I had one of my best festival experiences ever. I recommend it to all of the filmmakers I meet and often describe it as Horror-Camp for filmmakers. Anyone who has a horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or genre film of any kind should absolutely lock in FilmQuest to their list of Fests to submit to.
"FilmQuest is one of my absolute favorite film festivals in the world... I often describe it as Horror-Camp for filmmakers."
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
Grizzly Peak is a Lesbian Meet-Cute Slasher that combines Horror & Thriller genres to craft a truly unique experience. It also goes a little Meta with the Grindhouse look that we've applied. I really fell in love with the idea of an old print of a new film, having modern technology appear in an old-school grindhouse film. All of these choices were made intentionally to poses two questions: A.) Are we in a toxic relationship with technology? and B.) Has anything really changed politically since the days of Easy Rider?
Where do you see this film going next?
We have a screening at Monsterfest in Austrailia and have submitted to fests through the end of 2026. Grizzly Peak was picked up by a distributor so after the fest run it will be available for rent on the Telling Visions Unlimited website along with my other short ZTV: Sympathy for the Devil.
"At the core of all my work is a desire to tell the kind of story that an audience can get lost in and come out the other side feeling they got something out of it that was worth their time. Also, I strive to make the kind of cult classics that inspire repeat viewing and fan devotion."
Cast & Crew
- Gigi Saul Guerrero, Danny Glover, Haley Bishop, Spooky Madison, MacCallister Byrd — Key cast
- Jason Ragosta — Writer-Director
- Andrew Scott Bell — Composer
- Brent Johnson — Cinematographer
