Interviews
[Interview] Tiny Bull Studios on the Origins, Giallo Influences, and Challenges of New VR Thriller, ‘Blind’
Driving in the dark of night, rain pouring down, a figure appears in the faint glow of your headlights. There’s a sudden cut to black, the blare of a horn and the sound of glass and metal as your car swerves out of control.
Jean awakes sometime later but isn’t sure how much time has passed since the crash. Immediately, as you gain control, there’s that feeling of helplessness. She knows that
something is amiss. The room you are in is pitch black and it’s only when you accidentally bump into something that you catch a brief glimpse of your surroundings: minimalist outlines of a bed, a dresser, and a door.
Not only is Jean trapped, she is now blind – well, not entirely. Anything that emits noise within her surroundings also lights up the nearby area, but only momentarily. It’s a clever echolocation mechanic and one that goes hand in hand with Blind’s monochrome look to give the game a distinctive feel and aesthetic.
As she starts to explore those first few rooms, Jean is greeted by a stranger who uses phonographs to communicate with her. This “Warden” has trapped her here and the only way to escape is by solving his carefully placed puzzles scattered throughout the mansion, unearthing clues, and attempting to piece together Jean’s lost memories.
Blind is a VR thriller that infuses its atmosphere and narrative into the puzzle gameplay itself. While some of the solutions can be a little obtuse and the voicework inconsistent, it joins a growing number of independently-produced virtual reality titles looking to expand the first person genre in new and inventive ways.
Bloody Disgusting recently spoke with Matteo Lana, CEO of Turin-based developer Tiny Bull Studios, about its newest game, where the original idea for Blind came from and the challenge of developing for VR.
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Where did the idea for Blind originally come from?
We came up with the idea during the 2014 Global Game Jam. The theme was “we don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are”, and almost as a joke someone on the team suggested we make a game about a blind person, for the simple reason that we could avoid
doing all the graphics! We quickly realized the idea was not bad at all, as the team ended up creating “Come to see my house” and winning the friendly competition in Turin. We then decided to take that concept and turn it into an actual game, that we then pitched to Fellow Traveller at Game Connection and were successfully signed.
Are there any specific films, games, or other works of fiction that inspired the game’s story and the way that it looks?
The biggest influences for the story and atmosphere probably come from the Italian Giallo movies of the ‘70s. We were always fans of thriller masters Dario Argento and Mario Bava, whilst our artists mainly took inspirations from German Expressionists and Gustave Doré.
Why choose to develop the game for virtual reality?
When we first pitched the game to our publisher, Fellow Traveller, the concept was for a game based on a blind girl using echolocation, we knew about VR but it really wasn’t on our minds. When we pitched it Fellow Traveller excitedly asked if we were making it for VR, so we just kind of went with it and said: “Sure, of course, it is a VR game!”… then we actually realized it made total sense to build a VR game around that concept, and the rest is history.
Is there a chance Blind will receive a non-VR mode or version at a later date?
We created Blind with VR in mind, and we believe what’s most interesting about the game is how you’re completely immersed in darkness when there is no sound. That would obviously be lost on a “flat” version of the game, although all the mechanics and story would still work fine… I guess we might consider it at some point, we’ll see!
What was your biggest challenge during the development of Blind?
Probably the way VR technology kept changing over the years, together with the fact that before Blind we had worked mostly on mobile games – Blind was a very big step up for the team.
What are your thoughts on the longevity of virtual reality? What would you say to those who view VR as a passing trend?
A lot of people have been saying VR was a fad, but 6 years after the Oculus Rift was announced there are more and more studios working on VR games. HMD numbers keep growing, and even some major studios are starting to seriously consider VR as a viable medium. I think only time can tell, but I’m fairly optimistic and I think VR is here to stay.
Were there any features that didn’t make it into the final build of the game?
A few, yeah. The biggest one was a sort of hint system that would guide Jean towards the next puzzle or key item, but we decided to leave it out to avoid breaking the immersion. We’re currently thinking of adding it with a future update and make it optional so that players can choose if they want to try and make it on their own or if they’d rather just play more casually and see where the story goes! We’re listening to feedback following the initial launch so there could be scope for further changes to the game.
Blind is now available to buy for all major VR platforms including PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and OSR.
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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