Exclusives
Dafoe Talks Dean Koontz’ ‘Odd Thomas’
Willem Dafoe has spoken out about his part in the movie version of Dean Koontz’ best-selling novel Odd Thomas. Anton Yelchin stars in the supernatural thriller as a clairvoyant short-order cook who encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark forces. Fifteen minutes of behind the scenes footage and finished scenes were showed at the Australian International Movie Convention earlier in the year and demonstrated director Stephen Sommers’ quirky horror film approach.
Although Dafoe said he hasn’t seen any of the footage himself, he has high hopes. The two-time Oscar-nominated star talks exclusively to Australian stringer Maria Lewis (@moviemazz). Story inside. “You know, I haven’t seen any of it but I’m glad you’ve seen it and it looks good,” he said.
“There are many interesting things about that but what I’m really struck by is how good this young actor Anton Yelchin is.
“He’s fantastic, very bright, and he’s a really talented guy.”
Dafoe said he plays a “supporting role” in Odd Thomas along Addison Timlin, Patton Oswalt, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nico Tortorella. Sommers, who’s best know for his big budget blockbusters such as The Mummy franchise, Van Helsing and G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra, is directing and adapted the screenplay from the first novel in Koontz’ popular series.
Featuring Satanic plots, demons, and psychics, Dafoe said the scariest thing about the shoot was Sommers.
“Stephen is very energetic, he’s scary,” he said.
“But it makes him a lot of fun to be around.
“That experience was interesting because it’s not his normal kind of movie.
“He’s made a lot of really huge effects movies and while this does have effects in it, it’s a smaller movie.
“It has a lot of dramatic and touching type scenes.
“It was one of those cases where he fell in love with the book and it’s a very personal movie for him.”
Dafoe said he was “happy to be onboard” and, like the rest of the crew, was a big fan of the novels.
Odd Thomas is slated with a 2012 release.
Exclusives
Katharine Isabelle Battles Cosmic Horror in Exclusive ‘Junction Row’ Teaser Trailer [Fantasia 2026]
Among Fantasia 2026‘s massive final wave of programming this morning is Raven Banner’s Lovecraftian creature feature Junction Row, starring Canadian horror icon Katharine Isabelle, and we’re exclusively unveiling the teaser trailer.
Junction Row will celebrate its World Premiere at Fantasia on July 28.
Watch a housing compound fall under siege from Lovecraftian creatures more dangerous than drug dealers in the trailer below.
Junction Row follows “Juno, a recovering addict who leaves a fringe housing compound for a better life, leaving her beloved Ruby behind. When she learns that Ruby has gone missing, Juno returns, only to find Junction Row has become a hotbed of criminal activity, but she encounters much more than menacing drug dealers on her mission to find Ruby.”
Isabelle stars as Juno, with Natalie Brown (FX’s The Strain) as Ruby.
The creature feature marks the feature debut by director Ashlea Wessel, who has directed festival-favorite shorts like 2018’s “Tick” and 2020’s “Weirdo”.
Wessel co-writes Junction Row with Clown in a Cornfield author Adam Cesare and Matt Serafini.
Katharine Isabelle is coming off a brief appearance in Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, and more recently appeared in holiday horror It’s a Wonderful Knife. The horror icon is arguably best known for her turn as the eponymous werewolf in Ginger Snaps and for her roles in American Mary and Freddy vs Jason.
Fantasia teases that Junction Row tells “a story where the fear of the unknown isn’t confined to what lies above, but what waits beneath.”
Stay tuned for more from Fantasia as the festival gets underway later this month.