Interview: ‘Ganymede’ filmmakers talk Christian extremism and queer horror

In many ways, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is “some sort of spiritual closeted ancestor” to Colby Holt and Sam Probst’s Ganymede. Marred in controversy, the former found the filmmakers slathering on gay themes and images over the monster flick, even though the writer denies he had any intention of making a gay film or outing its star Mark Patton. Decades later, Freddy’s Revenge has been reassessed and reclaimed by the queer community as a transformative piece of cinema.

With Ganymede, now on VOD, Holt and Probst take a stab at creating something equally as impactful. The story follows young teen Lee Fletcher (Jordan Doww) as he comes to terms with his sexuality and reconciles with his faith. When he crushes on classmate Kyle Culper (Pablo Castelblanco), a devilish monster claws out of his closet and stalks him. The exaggerated metaphor counterbalances the real-life horror present throughout the film. The filmmakers strike an incredible balance, teetering between reality and fantasy. It’s at times so uncomfortable that you can’t help but squirm in your seat.

“We definitely wanted all of the performances to be grounded and real and all of the circumstances, apart from the physical manifestation of the creature, rooted in reality and what’s going on in our national discourse around LGBTQ+ topics right now,” Holt shares with B-Sides & Badlands over email. “The horror is quite literally created from the horrific worldview forced upon our lead character. We feel that the fictional horror is actually a direct result of the real-life horror.”

Doww’s lead performance is particularly moving. When Lee’s parents enlist Pastor Royer (David Koechner) to initiate conversion therapy sessions, Lee agrees to electroshock therapy to squelch his erotic feelings for Kyle. Doww digs his teeth into the material and unearths the complicated emotions coursing in his veins, often bringing out powerful nuances and subtleties to the character.

“We knew that he understood what was going on here with Lee. So much is under the surface and our direction tended to be subtle and focused on facial expressions,” Probst describes working with Doww. “For example, there was a scene where Lee is confused and dealing with his peers and we simply just had to say, ‘More eyebrows! It’s in the furrowing of the eyebrow.’ And that’s all that he needed. We also focused on close-ups to convey Lee’s internal struggle, so we worked hard to keep them grounded and subtle since we were often so close.”

Ganymede, one of 2024’s best horror films, arrives as a brilliant dissection of religious fanaticism. With an emotionally-wrought script and strong ensemble performances, the queer horror film positions itself as one of the most essential in the genre. There’s something to be said about an indie film that explores deep, dark themes better than many mainstream offerings, effectively transmitting its messaging with intensity and electrifying authenticity.

Below, Holt and Probst discuss the creature design, their creative approach, and Christian extremism.

What was the approach to crafting the creature design?

We collaborated with the wonderfully talented and kind special effects artist Anthony Kosar and the team at Kosart Studios. We worked very closely to come up with this creature. We wanted it to have almost a fetal look to represent the evolution and journey into Lee being his full self. We also wanted to nod at some of the elements of gay life that scare those unfamiliar with it and oftentimes that is leather iconography. So we put him in boots, leatherwork, and chains in the form of a harness. What would someone scared of gay life hold onto and create something scary out of?

Having actors like Robin Lively, David Koechner, and Joe Chrest gives the film a bit of credibility in a lot of ways. How did they further elevate your material?

Well, we were working with seasoned professionals who understood the material, understood the tone, and knew how to deliver it for us. We had a lot of trust with them and most of our conversation and direction happened before we were shooting. So much is in the casting and we were lucky to have an amazing Casting Director named Matthew Glasner who understood our vision and knew what we needed and brought forward such amazing talent for us.

David Koechner’s performance as the pastor is infuriating and terrifying. What sort of conversations did you have with David around how to deliver the character?

One of the first considerations was talking with him about the importance of playing this character with sincerity and earnestness, as over the top and out there as Pastor Royer is. The thing that makes David so funny in comedic roles is the same thing that makes him so terrifying here. He is fully committed to it and grounded and real. He doesn’t wink at the audience and that was why we felt so good with this role in his hands.

It might seem OTT for many, but David’s performance feels very true to life. Did you model the pastor after anyone in particular or is he an amalgamation?

Holt: Colby speaking here, my Dad grew up in an obscure fundamentalist Christian religion that is very insular and cultish. He was fortunate enough to leave that church and meet my mother before I was born. I do think there is a world in which, had he not had the courage to leave, I could have found myself in this environment. My grandmother was still a part of it well into my childhood and I would go to church with her or to funerals and the type of stuff you hear in the film is what they were like. I thought back to times I sat through those sermons and the high drama of it all and just put it right on the page. This stuff is real and still exists!

There’s a trend in queer horror right now. There are at least two or three other conversion therapy horror films this year, including Haze and The Exorcism of Saint Patrick. Then, there were Children of Sin and They/Them a couple of years ago. Why do you think this topic is trending right now?

We are in a moment where a segment of our society is pushing back on the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. This is a moment of backlash. LGBTQ+ acceptance is at an all-time high and so is violence and rhetoric against us. Those two things are linked. Much of their tactics use religion as the underpinning of their bigoted and anti-freedom arguments against our existence. At its best, horror reflects our society and our fears back to us and what we fear right now is extremists holding positions of power and exercising that power to further their horrific and wrong viewpoints.

For a religion that is founded on love and compassion, Christian extremism is full of hate. Why is that?

Because they are intentionally ignoring the core message of Christianity and instead have decided to use obscure passages and ideologies as a cudgel to motivate and control their followers, all in service of furthering their own power. We don’t think the people you are referencing are Christians at all, they are just extremists using Christianity as drag.

What is your takeaway from making this film?

There is a hunger for queer horror. There is a reaction to the ideas we are putting forth. For all the advancement our community has made there is a strong and scary segment of our society that is truly dedicated to our destruction. Is this a horror film or is it an accurate depiction of life in modern America? Maybe it’s both, but the biggest takeaway for us is that the line is blurry.

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