Interviews
[Interview] ‘WolfCop’ Director Lowell Dean
WolfCop has been out on home video for a couple weeks now and if you haven’t seen it by now, I just don’t get you, man. Lowell Dean’s film is a riotous romp that works well as both an absurd creature comedy and a cop drama. In a genre that’s flooded with garbage like Sharknado, WolfCop stands tall as a unique work that happens to be damn well made.
I spoke with writer/director Lowell Dean about the origins of the film, balancing the tone, and the hardships of properly hacking off a head in a meth lab.
Read our review of WolfCop and my interview with lead actor Leo Fafard.
Before WolfCop you did 13 Eerie and some TV documentary work. How did you make the transition to such a no-holds barred type of film?
13 Eerie was my first film and it was a big break for me in a lot of ways. It was my first time ever directing something with a pretty healthy budget. Prior to that I was just doing my own short films for fun and I’d be lucky if I had a thousand bucks for those. 13 Eerie was a pretty big leap and gave me the taste for feature films.
It wasn’t my script at all, I just kind of lucked into being able to direct it. I learned a lot and I really enjoyed, but for my next film I definitely wanted to do something that I wrote, that’s more of my personality, which is a little but more messed up. WolfCop was just me trying to say, I want to write a feature film as well as direct and it was a tough road to get it made but we did it.
Were there any moments while you were writing or filming that you thought maybe you should pull back, that maybe you were going too off the rails?
Totally. That was a big struggle everyday. From prep to shooting and even when we were editing it, we were trying to find the tone. There were times on set where we’d shoot a scene and it felt too silly. So I’d say, okay do exactly what you just did, but do it as a drama. I think when the movie’s called WolfCop, you know, I didn’t want it to be just a two hour running joke with everyone winking at the camera. I didn’t want it to be Sharknado or even The Naked Gun level of humor. My goal was always a comic book movie, but I didn’t want it to be so funny you didn’t care about the characters.
I really love how some of the scenes are set during complete daylight. You don’t see that a lot in werewolf movies.
We got lucky I guess with the concept of the solar eclipse, so we got to see him in the daylight a bit more. But a big thing for me, is I love practical effects and I love the work that Emerson (Ziffle) did so it would be a shame to hide all that work under the cover of darkness. I mean sometimes it’s good for suspense but with these lower budget films it can also feel like you’re hiding something if you just shoot at night. I like the opportunity to show Lou in broad daylight, you know, in the middle of a convenience store. It’s something you’ve never seen so it’s absurd too, just seeing a werewolf walk into a store.
I really love convenience store scenes in general.
(laughs) I agree.
For the most part the film is all practical effects. What CGI did you have to use?
Our intention was to always try to go for practical first, but this was a very tight budget and a quick shoot. For example, the solar eclipse, we weren’t lucky enough to get B-roll of a real solar eclipse so we had to do that through CGI. There were some practical effects that didn’t turn out as perfectly as we wanted but we didn’t really have time to do multiple takes. It was like, okay we got our two takes of the guy’s head coming off, we’ll have to fix it in post.
Was there anything in the script that you had to take out because it wouldn’t work within the budget?
Definitely. The very first transformation scene in the bathroom was actually supposed to roll into a very big fight scene. It’s kind of impled, some guys walk into the bathroom and then it cuts to the moon. You kind of fill in the gaps. Originally I wanted to have a kick ass epic fight scene and we were going to build a completely fake bathroom and just destroy it. About two weeks before shoot we had the hard meeting, the budget meeting. Deb our production manager basically told me “You have three big fight scenes in your script, you can afford two, pick which one you want to lose.” Sadly that was the one. I’m going to try and hide those gags somewhere in a different movie.
That scene really works though, with the implied violence and the whole face off gag.
It was really the only scene that could be cut. There was no way I was cutting the barn scene.
I love the barn scene. The car is another one of my other favorite parts of the film. Just seeing a cop that’s a wolf drive a car is genius.
That was a lot of fun. The Wolf Cruiser, as we called it, was never even a guarantee. It was discussed but it wasn’t in the first few drafts of the script. J. Joly, one of our executive producers, was like “You gotta put that car in there.” It’s a good indicator I think to the world what the movie is in terms of tone, you know, for anybody who’s slightly confused. If you see a three minute scene of a wolf tricking out his car you have to accept that it’s a comedy at this point.
It was really fun. Justin Ludwig (production designer) designed a version of a cop car and we had fun with it. One of the coolest things is Leo Fafard was actually part of the team responsible for building the car. He was the one who welded the W on the hood. I was like, “You’re really earning your lead role here.”
How is WolfCop 2 coming along?
I’ve already written the first draft and we are slowly tooling away at getting the financing. I hope we can start shooting by summer.
So that’s definitely the next project for you?
100 percent. I’ve got some stuff that I want to do but it looks like WolfCop 2 jumped to the head of the line. It’s really hard making independent films so you jump anytime you think something has momentum.
Awesome, I can’t wait. Could you share any crazy stories from the set?
I think everyday was kind of crazy but one funny story that pops in my brain is when WolfCop knocks off the severed head in the meth lab and starts the fire, we thought that would be a really simple thing. But the way the head was built and the way the table was, it actually kept just bouncing off. So we had our whole crew at one point standing just off camera, taking turns whipping the head at this meth lab. That was a really weird afternoon.
WolfCop is now available on DVD/Blu-ray. Get the damn thing!
Interviews
The Work ‘Grind’ Is Hell, So Brea Grant & Ed Dougherty Made a Horror Anthology About It [CFF 2026 Interview]
Genre fans rejoice! Chattanooga Film Festival is back for its 13th year in 2026 with a killer lineup and once again offering audiences both in-person and virtual options. After having its World Premiere at SXSW this spring, the horror comedy anthology Grind is playing CFF 2026 opening weekend.
From a screenplay by Brea Grant (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift) and Ed Dougherty (MLM) and segments directed by Grant, Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Grind features four interwoven stories that parody the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.
The anthology follows weary everyday people juggling side hustles just to survive, while going up against greedy oligarchs, and cleverly uses dark humor and bloody practical effects to portray a world much like our current economic nightmare.
Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of chatting with Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty about the socioeconomic commentary in Grind, casting Barbara Crampton as a villain, and DIY filmmaking.
Bloody Disgusting: Every segment in this anthology feels relatable because people are actually struggling to survive in the gig economy right now. How did the two of you come up with the idea of creating Grind?
Brea Grant: Like you said, we were trying to come up with a cool idea that seemed relevant right now. The thing that everyone we know is talking about is the economy, the lack of work, and the nightmare hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. It felt like the right time to write something that really featured that as the main horror. As the main thing that people were scared of, this world sort of came to us over the course of a couple of years.
Ed Dougherty: We wanted to make a hit film, and we said, “Let’s make a horror anthology, that’s the most marketable thing there is.” [laughs]
BG: [laughs] Definitely not!
BD: I love anthologies!
ED: We do, too. We feel like it’s kind of an undervalued form of horror film, but it’s a hard sell.
BG: People told us not to make it. They said, “Don’t make an anthology. It’s too hard to sell.” But we did it anyway.
BD: I guess I’m just one of those weirdos who likes anthologies and watches them all.
ED: We believe that there are a lot of weirdos like you out there. It seems like every good horror anthology has a long life, but it’s just getting over the initial hump that’s difficult.
BD: Chelsea Stardust directed some of the segments with the two of you and serves as a producer. How did she first get involved with this project?
BG: The project has a long history. We shot the first segment, which is about multi-level marketing, a couple of years ago. We had decided we wanted to make a full anthology, but it took us about a year after shooting that initial segment to shoot the rest of the movie. When we did that, we knew we needed to bring on a producer aside from Ed and me, since we were directing the bulk of the movie, so that was how she came on board. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and the one thing I know about her as a friend is that she is very organized, so it felt like a good fit. I just called her one day and said, “Would you want to produce these three segments that we have left to shoot of Grind?” and she came on board.
BD: There are some fun cameos in Grind, but we have to talk about Barbara Crampton. She’s so good as a villainess. Why did you want her for this role, and what was it like working with her on this film?
BG: She’s in her villain era, which is so fun. [laughs] Obviously, we’re huge Barbara Crampton fans, and when we were making MLM, it was a smaller part of the movie that we knew we needed to call on people who could do a good job but were also friendly to us [laughs]. I’m friends with Barbara Crampton, and we’ve done three movies together before this. So, it felt like someone within our reach, but could also really draw a horror crowd. She has a huge fanbase, and she’s also super supportive of all the projects that she’s been in, so that was also really exciting. She’s a great actress, and she’s super funny. I think a lot of these horror actresses, especially those who came up in the eighties and nineties, weren’t given an opportunity to be funny. I think she was ready to jump on an opportunity that was different than what she was used to; it’s not running around and screaming. She is a cult leader, and she is quite funny in it. She just takes the comedy so well and seriously, and she does such an amazing job with it. She has a scene across from Rob Huebel, who is obviously a comedy master, and I feel like the two of them together were hilarious. It’s been fun to watch Barbara go from these iconic roles to a different kind of role at this point in her career. We’re super happy to be a part of that.
ED: And she loves the movie and has been so supportive. Every time she posts about it, I’m like, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”
BD: This is an accurate parody of the current socioeconomic situation in this country, as well as our obsession with online culture. It repeatedly asks the question, “What are you willing to do to make money,” in a world with wealth inequality and evil oligarchs. It’s fun, and it’s a horror movie, but it’s thought-provoking. What do you hope audiences take away from Grind, besides having a good time?
ED: I read every review and every Letterboxd review; Brea does not. So, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen some reviews that say, “Good movie but doesn’t propose a solution.” I think we do propose a solution, which is that the power of unions and organizing is the only way that we will be able to fight back against oligarchs. I do think that is the message of the film. Organizing is the only way to defeat these villains. I do think we have a lot to say in the film. I’d want someone to say, “Man, I’ve never seen a horror anthology that had a political message before.” [laughs]
BG: I think the other thing is that what is currently happening is that we live in a world in which people kind of feel alone in this. They’re like, “Well, I’m doing bad, “or “I’m having trouble paying my rent.” We wanted to hang a lantern on the fact that this is happening to everyone, that wealth disparity is at an all-time high. We’re pointing out to people that you aren’t in this alone; you’re not the only person doing side hustles. Every filmmaker friend I have is working a side job of some sort at this point, and that is just in Los Angeles. Outside of this city, I think things are more dire. I think it was about infusing some politics into something that could make people realize that they aren’t alone and that there are ways of fighting back and fighting the system that has been set up against them.
ED: I think the tone of the movie, which is darkly comedic, also really matches the tone of life right now. Everything seems almost at a parody level as far as the disconnect between oligarchs and trying to make a living and reality. The absurdist nature of the film kind of captures the real tone of life.
BD: There are some cool creature effects and makeup effects in this movie. Can you talk a little bit about the practical effects and makeup?
ED: I think especially because of the message of the film, which is pushing back against the current hellscape we’re in, we wanted to use as many practical effects as possible. We used matte paintings, miniatures, and practical creature effects. I’m always afraid of the matte painting because we used the old school matte painter, but they do look a little AI. I heard someone make a noise behind me during one of the shots, and I was like, “I hope that noise wasn’t them using AI because that’s a matte painting.” [laughs] There’s also the fact that it’s pretty DIY. It’s a film that we financed ourselves and shot in our houses as much as possible. We wanted the whole thing to feel handmade and very tactile.
BG: We’re old school horror fans, so we love seeing practical effects. The practical stuff is really fun for us. It’s the stuff that we think is actually cool. [laughs] So, practical stuff made the most sense for us. We both grew up in the punk scene in the nineties, and I think it just kind of comes naturally to us to try to do things ourselves. And we both work on projects for big companies, with smaller companies, but always for other people, so trying to do something ourselves to see what that felt like was also part of the experiment of Grind.
ED: This was our chance to do everything we wanted our way.
Grind screens at the Chattanooga Film Festival on June 20.
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