Movies
Help Philippe Mora Expose ‘The Growling’
Australian filmmaker Philippe Mora has had a rather wild career so far, especially when it comes to our favorite genre. From cult favorites like The Beast Within and Communion to trashy treasures like Howling II: Stirba, Werewolf Bitch (aka Your Sister Is A Werewolf) and Howling III: The Marsupials, you’d be hard-pressed to say that the man hasn’t left his mark in the realm of horror. That goes double for his aforementioned gonzo werewolf sequels, both of which are not easily forgotten by those who have seen them, whether you enjoy them or not. It appears that Mr. Mora is not quite done with the werewolves, however.
The filmmaker recently took to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe with the proposal to make another entry in the lycanthropic subgenre, this time in the form of a mockumentary entitled The Growling. The premise of his latest comedic manbeast endeavor involves the divulging of a secret society that his been living among us for hundreds of years. A society comprised of werewolves, many of whom have been politicians, religious leaders, and celebrities, guiding us through the ages. Philippe has been in the loop since 1984 and is finally coming forward with everything he knows.
In typical Mora fashion, the listing for the project has its lupine tongue firmly planted in cheek, with multiple gems such as this littering the page…
Most political parties have internal werewolf packs. Werewolves in LA and New York are trained to be Vegans to throw off investigators. Hybrid lycanthropes cannot control their own cursing and obscene language, particularly in Los Angeles. If someone starts speaking obscenities, stand back immediately.
The Growling is seeking a meager $200,000 as its goal. No perks are presented, just the filmmaker’s pitch for his vision. You almost have to admire that, as instead of attempting to bride interested parties, he is promising only a film. At the moment the project is 18 days away from its deadline and is sadly in need of a lot Mora money. So, if you are so inclined, feel free to pitch in on The Growling and help reunite Philippe Mora with his werewolf pals one last time. Also, don’t forget to pick up Scream Factory‘s Howling II on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray next month on July 14th. Why? Aside from the high camp entertainment value and some Christopher Lee action, the best answer happens to also be rather NSFW…
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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