After 11 consecutive weeks on the SCREAMBOX Top 10, Happy Fright Films and Pink Plaid Productions — the teams behind March’s horror-comedy Cannibal Comedian — along with new imprint Grain Ghouls, have just unveiled the official poster and intro trailer for their feature length documentary, Blood, Sweat, Tears… and More Blood: The Making of Cannibal Comedian.
This no-holds-barred behind-the-scenes look pulls back the flesh—er, curtain—on the brutal and often hilarious journey of an indie filmmaking skeleton crew that ventured into the Western desert in February 2020 to make their dream project, just weeks before a global pandemic slashed through their production like a final girl’s worst nightmare.
Fittingly, art imitates life as this doc mirrors the spirit of Cannibal Comedian — the story of a psychopathic cannibal who is fed up with his lack of ambition and takes a stab at stand-up comedy in an attempt to chase both his dreams and his victims. Directed and produced by Sean Haitz (Big Top Evil) and Ryan James (Chasing Chasing Amy) alongside editor Dan Ballester, the doc chronicles the film’s wild ride from script to screen.
Brand-new interviews and never-before-seen footage include stars Aaron Prager (Haunted House of Pancakes), Austin Judd (Big Top Evil), Robert Dunne (Criminal Minds), Johnny Hoops (House of 1000 Corpses), and Texas Chainsaw legends Edwin Neal and Allen Danziger — whose involvement marked his first return to horror in 50 years and sparked renewed buzz with his upcoming horror comedy The WeedHacker Massacre.
Highlights from the festival tour showcase genre icons like Joe Bob Briggs (The Last Drive-In), who honored the team at his World Drive-In Jamboree, and Kevin Smith (Clerks), who hosted Cannibal Comedian at his Smodcastle Film Festival. Appearances by horror veterans Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects) and Pancho Moler (3 From Hell) round out a cast of supporters who helped shape the film’s indie legacy.
The official poster, designed by artist Rafael Araújo, includes subtle nods to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’s parody of The Breakfast Club, Scary Movie, and The Blair Witch Project — the latter being a box office phenomenon that helped put UCF’s film program on the map, the alma mater where producer Ryan James first met frequent collaborator and editor Dan Ballester. This project marks the first release under James and Ballester’s new production outfit, Grain Ghouls.
The documentary will hit the road for a summer festival tour, starting with the Mightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival in Asheboro, North Carolina (May 25) followed by a midwest premiere at Days of the Dead Indianapolis (June 13–15).
Sean Haitz says:
“All you really need is the ambition to make something happen — the rest, you figure out along the way. The only tools I had for my first film were a camera and this big Jason Voorhies-Type character wielding two machetes. We went out into the woods and just started filming. Eventually, I learned how to write scripts, structure scenes — all of it came with time.
There have been plenty of moments where I’ve thought, ‘How in the world am I going to do this?’ But through persistence, a lot of trial and error, and the support of great friends, I’ve managed to keep pushing forward. Somehow, we always find a way to make the movie happen.”
Ryan James adds:
“From first scream to final cut, this new doc truly feels like a lifelong time capsule — a journey that begins with two kids from Florida and their grainy, lo-fi reimaginings of Scream and Scary Movie, winds through casting callbacks from Sean’s Mangrove Slasher 2 and Big Top Evil, and ultimately culminates in our shared trials and triumphs with indie filmmaking — complete with a global shutdown that forced us to rethink everything, adapt fast, and test how far we’d go to finish what we started.
I was deeply inspired by behind-the-scenes docs like The Snowball Effect and The Making of a Nightmare, which chronicle the earliest indie crusades behind Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Justin M. Seaman’s The Barn, respectively, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to experience a few full circle moments — from producing on both Shooting Clerks and Chasing Chasing Amy, to teaming up with Justin’s Scream Team Releasing label for distribution on this film and our own behind-the-scenes journey.
It’s serendipitous when early-career connections return to tap you on the shoulder and remind you that you’re on the right track. This documentary captures raw, creative moments where seemingly impossible obstacles push artists to innovate. We always joked that Cannibal Comedian had an eye-catching title that said it all — but at its heart, it’s about chasing your dreams at all costs. That’s exactly what we did — and now, the audience gets the opportunity to come along for the ride.”
After a strong festival run — including wins at Marina Del Rey, Days of the Dead, HorrorHound, and the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood — Cannibal Comedian was acquired by Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS) and its horror label Bloody Disgusting, the distribution team behind the box office–smashing Terrifier series, for exclusive digital and streaming rights through their platform SCREAMBOX with physical media releases through Scream Team Releasing, including a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and even retro treatment on limited edition VHS.
In addition to the feature-length documentary, the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is jam-packed with 6 hours of bonus features, including:
● Feature Intro by Sean Haitz
● Cast & Crew Commentary Track
● Filmmaker Commentary Track with Sean Haitz & Ryan James
● Comedy + Horror Featurette
● Alternate Ending
● Deleted & Extended Scenes
● Extended Stand-Up Comedy
● Short Films: Cannibaholics, Thumper’s Revenge
● Original Proof of Concept
● Full Trailer Suite & Teasers
Now Available:
Cannibal Comedian – Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, VHS, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Microsoft Xbox, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and SCREAMBOX (iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, YouTube TV, Comcast, Cox, Screambox.com).
Blood, Sweat, Tears… and More Blood – Blu-ray via Scream Team Releasing and Amazon.com.
Poster key art designed by Rafael Araújo
Trailer edit by Dan Ballester
