After a strong run on SCREAMBOX, indie holiday slasher New Fears Eve has made the jump from streaming to physical media with a new Cineverse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray.
Directed by P.J. Starks and Eric Huskisson, the film follows three friends trapped at a mandatory New Year’s Eve company party while a masked killer known as The Doctor turns the celebration into a fight for survival. Its cast includes Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Hannah Fierman (V/H/S) and Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick.
Following the film’s streaming success—including six weeks in SCREAMBOX’s Top 5 and two weeks at number one—we spoke with writer, director and producer P.J. Starks about the unexpected physical release, its 13 special features, the lasting importance of physical media and what could come next for New Fears Eve.
When did you first realize that New Fears Eve was performing particularly well on streaming?
After it debuted on SCREAMBOX, we saw a steady move through the Top 10 list. Ultimately, it trended in the Top 5 for around six weeks, and two of those were in the number-one spot. That’s when we had a feeling it was doing fairly well.
Without sharing any confidential figures, what information or feedback did you receive about the film’s performance?
Not long after it was trending on SCREAMBOX, we got an email from Tony Wash, their Director of Programming, congratulating us on the release and how it was doing. I’ve known Tony for years, so that was really cool to receive. Either way, that told us it was performing well for them.
How did the Blu-ray release come about? Did Cineverse approach you after seeing the streaming results?
In our initial talks with Cineverse, they had told us there were no plans for a physical release—which, of course, was a blow to my soul since I’m a big physical-media collector. The business side of me understood it because they had no idea how the film would do.
After the film dropped, that all changed. They reached out and said they wanted to release the film on Blu-ray. Of course, we were really excited about that prospect.
What does receiving a physical release mean to you personally as an independent filmmaker?
Like I said, I’m an avid collector of movies. As a filmmaker, it means even more because genre fans, particularly those who appreciated our movie, will now have a tangible version they can put on a shelf in their homes.
If we’ve learned anything, it’s that film accessibility via streaming is finite. It’s only a matter of time before every film is no longer available online due to contracts, legal issues, etc. This means the world because it means our film will have a life beyond the digital void.
How involved were you in the Blu-ray presentation, including its artwork, packaging and additional content?
I was heavily involved. The artwork they used is from the initial streaming release. It was artwork I had designed and sent them. They repurposed it for the Blu-ray, which was fine because we’d already approved it.
Even though Cineverse said they had no plans to release a Blu-ray, I still figured there was always a small chance they would change their minds. Therefore, when I edited the special features for the Indiegogo release, I put 20 together in total. Ten of those went on that release, and I held back the other ten just in case.
I’m glad I did because the Cineverse release is almost entirely different from our Blu-ray. It has ten brand-new special features, but I did throw in the three I liked most from the Indiegogo release, just to make it 13.
Looking back, which producing or marketing decisions helped New Fears Eve reach a wider audience?
We believe being with a larger company has helped somewhat. In the larger picture, our fanbase and viewership are still very niche. This means the only direction to go is up.
Eric and I are still growing as filmmakers, so our traction within the horror community will hopefully continue to grow as well.
What has this experience taught you about working with distributors and building a longer life for an independent horror film after its initial release?
I can say that every decision you make turns into a learning experience—sometimes good and sometimes bad. Regardless of how it turns out, it thickens your skin and makes you more aware of how things should be handled going forward or next time.
I can say with certainty that the hustle never ends. Thankfully, we’ve gotten so much support for this film, and it shows. That’s why we’re still talking about it nine months after the initial release.
Do the film’s streaming performance and Blu-ray release affect your plans for a sequel or future projects?
Not necessarily. I guess if everyone hated the film, it might cut the legs out from under the excitement of doing another. Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case.
The story is larger in the sequel, which means the set pieces are larger. Obviously, this comes with a bigger price tag. Ultimately, whether we can acquire the budget we need will determine if New Fears Eve Part 2 sees the light of day.
Why do you think physical media remains important to horror fans, even in a streaming-dominated market?
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the ease of access because I can be lazy. Sometimes I still stream movies I own because I don’t feel like getting up from the sofa [laughs].
As I said previously, there’s something special about having a tangible copy of the film. It might be the assurance of knowing you’ll always have the film readily available, the experience of searching your collection for 45 minutes only to select the same film you’ve seen hundreds of times—as we’ve all done since the rental days—or just the nostalgia of physical media in general.
I just always say it’s better than a crack habit.
What would you like viewers discovering New Fears Eve through the Blu-ray release to know before watching?
This film is very special to me because I wrote so much of myself into the script. It’s a very personal narrative. But before you think it’s some artsy-fartsy experimental drama, it has a very thick layer of sophomoric humor and lots of gore.
As a matter of fact, the inappropriate conversations, kill count and disgusting humor have caused some viewers to lose sight of the bigger picture altogether. Not everyone will love the film, but genre cinephiles who like a good laugh, a gnarly death and Kevin Smith are going to really enjoy it.
The New Fears Eve Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is now available exclusively through Amazon.
