The Fantastic Fest vlog had been a success.
Each day, it crept a little closer to thirty million views, and there were several reasons for that.
The format had practically become a trademark of the channel. Owen had been turning festivals into videos that millions of people followed as if they were a series for quite some time. Add to that a thumbnail that was difficult to ignore, with faces like Owen, Jenna, and Anya, a channel that had already surpassed ten million subscribers by a wide margin and, of course, Fantastic Fest.
But Lights Out had its own story as well.
It had not been born as a traditional studio production.
Everything had started with a YouTube short film of less than five minutes that had exploded across the internet until it became one of the platform's most viral horror shorts.
Barely a year later, that little short had managed to become a feature film and open Fantastic Fest.
It was too good a story for the internet not to pay attention.
And there was another reason helping as well: the reviews.
The first screening had ended on the night of Thursday, September 21, and only a few hours later, the first reactions from those who had been inside the theater began to appear: journalists, specialized critics, and members of the accredited press.
They were good.
By the following morning, Lights Out already had twenty-seven reviews registered on Rotten Tomatoes.
85%.
Owen was surprised to see that number, since from what he remembered, the movie in his previous life had not received such good reviews. But they had not been bad either.
Still, it made sense. He and Matt had worked hard to try to improve the original script, and the percentage from the first wave of reviews was always higher before eventually stabilizing downward.
But it had the potential to be a horror movie with an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
At 80%, the film would comfortably surpass the minimum 60% required to be considered fresh and would often qualify for the Certified Fresh seal if it met the minimum number of reviews.
It had not only started well on Rotten Tomatoes, but also on Letterboxd, IMDb, and Metacritic, which was a good sign that the movie would have good legs when it came to its story and characters, rather than relying solely on a strong marketing campaign, a universally understandable concept, and the hype surrounding anything connected to Owen.
Bloody Disgusting, one of the best-known outlets specifically dedicated to horror cinema, had given it 4 out of 5 skulls, highlighting Matt's ability to turn an extremely simple idea into ninety minutes of tension without wearing it out.
They also especially praised Anya.
"Taylor-Joy gives Lights Out a heart that its monster, on its own, never could have provided."
Collider was equally positive.
Its review highlighted something different: the script.
The premise was still extremely simple.
But Owen and Matt had built a family story around it that was considerably more complicated than many people expected from a movie born out of a viral short.
According to Collider, the relationship between the two sisters and their mother was what allowed the movie to survive from scare to scare.
IndieWire was somewhat more restrained.
A B+.
But something the media highlighted was that Owen did not act in it.
After Cannes, after winning Best Actor and surprising all of Hollywood with Good Will Hunting, it would have been safer for him to act in his next movie himself, but he had not.
Even so, it had still turned out to be a good movie, which meant he did not have to be on the screen for it to be good.
@fantasticfest · Sep 21, 2023
LIGHTS OUT has officially arrived.
From viral short to Opening Night at Fantastic Fest.
Welcome to Austin. 💡
📸
The photograph had been taken in front of the festival's official backdrop.
Matt stood at one end, wearing a smile that was far too wide and carrying the energy of someone who had probably been talking nonstop ever since he arrived.
Next to him was Anya. Blonde, elegant, and completely comfortable in front of the cameras.
Then came Yoshua Sudarso.
The actor who played Rebecca's boyfriend.
Yoshua was thirty-one years old and, up until that point, his career had been fairly modest.
He had landed the role through Backstage while still represented by a small agency. His most recognizable credit remained Power Rangers Dino Charge, where he had played the Blue Ranger between 2015 and 2016.
After that, he had appeared in an Indian-produced action western in 2018 and little else.
Nothing that could compare to this.
When he landed the role in Lights Out, it had already been excellent news.
Twenty-five thousand dollars for the job.
It was not a fortune by Hollywood standards, but for someone in his position, it was a very good contract.
Besides, this was not just any production. It was the new movie from the two guys who had turned a film made for barely twenty thousand dollars into an international horror phenomenon.
That alone had already been enough to excite him.
What he probably had not expected was to find himself a few months later walking the opening-night premiere of Fantastic Fest, posing alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Owen Ashford, Jason Blum, and a group of photographers shouting his name.
On top of that, his character turned out to be considerably better than he looked on paper.
Rebecca's boyfriend could have been exactly what one expected from a horror movie.
The useless guy, cannon fodder, and the one who refuses to believe anything even when he sees it happening right in front of his eyes.
But no.
He came out looking better than most boyfriends in the genre.
For Yoshua, this could end up being far more important than the twenty-five thousand dollars.
Next to him stood Owen. He wore a dark suit, one hand inside his pocket, and that relaxed expression that seemed to have become a habit.
Sarah was beside him. Dressed entirely in pink.
She had honored the bet.
Sarah had tried to negotiate, but Owen had refused. Of course.
Although, unfortunately for Owen, she had managed to turn the punishment into something considerably less humiliating than expected.
The dress was still pink. But it also looked like it had come straight out of a fashion shoot.
Rather than someone paying off a bet, Sarah looked as though she had set out to prove she could turn it into an advantage.
Beside her stood Elizabeth. Her mother both on and off screen.
With Owen and Sarah on either side of her, it did not take long for the internet to find another topic of conversation.
Finally, there was Jason Blum, smiling for the camera alongside the group.
The comments began piling up almost immediately.
@lizzystaria:
the Ashford genetics are actually ridiculous
@julia-tbs:
Elizabeth played their mother in the movie and is literally standing between her actual children at the premiere.
@georgianicole23:
Jason Blum standing there like "yes I found another profitable horror franchise"
@Lumen04:
Sarah was supposed to be embarrassed and somehow turned the punishment into Barbie premiere fashion.
@4nOn25:
Imagine uploading a creepy short to YouTube and one year later Jason Blum is standing next to you at the Fantastic Fest premiere of the feature adaptation.
@bleueberrynegan:
Matt looks like he drank three Red Bulls before walking onto the carpet XD
@sarahashforddaily:
SHE ACTUALLY WORE THE PINK DRESS LMAO
@RyanskyII:
Blonde Anya + pink Sarah standing next to each other is dangerous.
…
A few minutes later, another video appeared.
This time, not from Fantastic Fest's official account, but from one of the entertainment accounts covering the red carpet.
@FilmUpdates:
Sarah Ashford talks LIGHTS OUT, her first feature film, and explains the very pink dress at the Fantastic Fest premiere.
🎬 CLIP (40S):
The reporter looked her up and down before smiling, "First of all, you look amazing. Very... different from everyone else tonight."
Sarah laughed, "Thank you."
She briefly looked down at her own dress, "It's because I lost a bet with my brother."
She made a small grimace as she said it.
The reporter laughed, "Of course it was Owen. So this is your first feature film. How are you feeling right now?"
Sarah's smile changed slightly. She was still smiling. But for the first time, there was a hint of nervousness.
"Nervous. Definitely nervous. But also really excited. I loved making it. Anya was amazing to work with and I learned a lot just watching her. And Matt is…"
Sarah paused as if searching for the right words, then added, "Matt is Matt."
The reporter burst out laughing.
Sarah smiled and continued, "He's insane, but in a good way. He cares about everything. Every shot, sound, every little thing. So... yeah. It was really fun."
The reporter nodded, "You were great in One Minute Time Machine, by the way. I'm excited to see what you do here."
The surprise on Sarah's face was immediate.
Sarah looked somewhat surprised and smiled, "Thank you. Seriously."
The clip ended there.
💬 Comments on the tweet:
@mattrogersfanpage1:
"Matt is Matt" the best possible description.
@mcehtnayoung:
The way her whole face changed when the interviewer mentioned One Minute Time Machine.
@arthurr3:
She lost the bet and somehow won the carpet.
@francisTD:
Owen forcing his sister to wear pink to a horror premiere might be the most sibling thing he's ever done.
@karencarter561:
She looks so nervous omg 😭
But one of the comments that began racking up likes the fastest came from a fairly well-known account.
@owenasfhord:
Matt is crazy? @mattrogers
Sarah replied only a few minutes later.
@sarahashford:
I said "in a good way"
Naturally, Tyler decided to get involved.
@TylerKline:
She's not wrong.
@mattrogers:
I prefer "intensely passionate."
@maya_hawke:
No. Crazy is better. Lovably crazy, though.
By then, the thread had already accumulated a considerable number of likes. It did not help that half the cast had ended up getting involved in the discussion.
…
A few minutes later, another red carpet clip appeared.
This time, it was Elizabeth's.
@DiscussingFilm:
Elizabeth Ashford talks about making her feature film debut in Lights Out at Fantastic Fest.
🎬 CLIP (52S):
The video began with Elizabeth standing in front of the festival's official backdrop. She looked much calmer than Sarah. Though clearly excited as well.
The woman interviewing her smiled and asked, "This is your first feature film, right?"
"Yes. My first feature film at forty-five," Elizabeth replied with a smile as she said it, "So I guess it's never too late."
The reporter laughed softly and asked, "How does it feel to be here tonight?"
Elizabeth briefly looked toward the carpet, as if she were still trying to take all of it in, "A little surreal. I acted in theater when I was younger. Nothing huge, but I always loved it. I loved acting, movies... all of it."
She paused briefly and then continued, "And then Owen started getting interested in the same world when he was a kid, so I tried to support him as much as I could."
The reporter nodded, "And now he's the one who brought you back."
Elizabeth let out a brief laugh, "Exactly."
She looked toward something off-camera.
Probably Owen.
"He gave me the opportunity. But I also told him that if he was going to cast me, I didn't want special treatment. I didn't want people watching the movie and thinking, 'Oh, that's just the producer's mother.'"
"Even so, I'm proud as a mother, and grateful because he helped me fulfill one of the dreams I had when I was younger," Elizabeth concluded.
The clip ended shortly afterward.
…
It did not take long before another one appeared.
@FilmUpdates:
Owen Ashford talks Lights Out, turning the viral short into a feature, Second Take Films' second October horror release, and teases more comedy sketches.
The clip lasted a little over a minute.
🎬 CLIP:
A young interviewer approached with the microphone, "First of all, congratulations on the movie. It's kind of insane when you think about it. It's been, what, a year since the Lights Out short went up on your channel?"
Owen nodded, "Around that, yeah."
"And now you and Matt turned it into a feature, Universal and Blumhouse are distributing it, and it's opening Fantastic Fest. What was that process like?"
"Difficult and intense," Owen replied.
The interviewer laughed, "Very honest answer."
"While Lights Out was moving forward, at one point I was shooting Good Will Hunting. That made the logistics fun," Owen explained.
He smiled slightly and continued, "There were periods when I was shooting during the day and then having calls with Matt or production at night. Video calls, rewrites, budget conversations... all the glamorous parts of filmmaking."
"But you made it, and here we are."
Owen briefly looked around, "We made it. And getting to premiere it here, opening Fantastic Fest, that's pretty special," he said.
The interviewer nodded and changed the subject, "This is also the second year in a row that Second Take Films has a horror movie coming out in October. Are you expecting another Paranormal Activity?"
Owen exhaled through his nose, amused, "That's a complicated question."
"You don't think so?"
"No, I think it has the potential to be bigger," Owen said with considerable confidence.
The interviewer raised his eyebrows slightly, "Really?"
"Yes," Owen nodded and began counting on his fingers, "Anya's fantastic. My mother, sister, and Yoshua as well, everyone did a great job. Matt made a really good movie. The short already gave us an audience before the feature even existed."
The man nodded. That made sense.
"And this time we have Universal distributing. Paranormal Activity had to grow. Theater by theater and city by city. Lights Out is going to open around the world on the same day, in a huge number of theaters. That's a completely different ceiling."
"So you're optimistic."
"Very," Owen stated.
The interviewer smiled and said, "Okay. Last question, and this has absolutely nothing to do with Lights Out. The Tell Me Why sketch."
Owen looked down for a second, smiling, "What about it?"
"I don't think anyone expected that from you. And it was really good. People are already asking for another one. Are you doing more?"
Owen's smile widened slightly, "It was fun," he simply said without answering.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the answer you're getting," Owen said with a shrug.
The interviewer laughed.
Owen added, "There'll be some news about that soon."
And the clip ended exactly there.
The internet took several things away from the clip, and the comments began appearing quickly.
@elliecinema:
He really just casually said his mom, sister and Yoshua all killed it proud producer mode activated.
@cinephileben:
This man does not believe in having free time.
@doodlerhappy11:
Owen said they were going to win the Oscar with Paperman. What happened? They did.
He said Good Will Hunting would get into Cannes. What happened? It got into Cannes and won two awards, something that hadn't happened in years.
Now he's saying Lights Out can be bigger than Paranormal Activity.
I believe him 🗿
@adamfleqs:
NEW SKETCH CONFIRMED I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS.
@danimango27:
Interviewer: are you doing more?
Owen: 🙂
that man knows exactly what he's doing
@anyaarchive:
Plot twist: Anya comedy sketch.
…
During the first few days of the festival, that had been practically all the internet could see.
Red carpet photos.
Quick interviews.
Thirty-second clips of the actors answering the same questions from slightly different angles.
The usual at any Hollywood premiere.
That was why, when the vlog finally appeared, the difference was immediate.
It was not forty seconds carefully selected by a media outlet.
It was dozens of minutes.
Moments that normally would never have left that group, and with millions of people watching the video, it did not take long for clips to start flooding the internet.
Small fragments of the vlog constantly appeared on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and accounts dedicated to film.
That was precisely where the true power of the format became obvious.
Fantastic Fest could show the premiere.
The vlog showed how they had gotten there. One of the segments that produced the most material came from the first few minutes of the trip.
🎬 VLOG – First few minutes:
"We just got to the airport," Owen commented as the camera followed him.
He and Jenna appeared in frame, walking in with their luggage, still wearing that slightly sleepy expression of people who had been forced to wake up far too early.
They walked a few meters.
Owen looked ahead. Then he gave a small nod, "There they are," he said.
The camera immediately turned and zoomed in.
They were impossible to miss.
More than ten people gathered around several suitcases and backpacks.
A group far too large and far too loud to go unnoticed.
Owen and Jenna started walking toward them.
Matt was one of the first to notice, "There they are!" he said, opening his arms.
He stepped away from the group and walked toward them with an amount of energy that did not match the hour at all.
He greeted Owen first.
Then Jenna, and finally even walked up to the cameraman.
Matt then looked directly into the lens and raised two fingers, "Hi, YouTube! Finally, another vlog!"
"What do they feed this guy?" Eric asked from behind, "It's seven in the morning."
The laughter came almost immediately.
Tyler, meanwhile, just kept staring directly at the camera.
For several seconds. The cameraman eventually noticed and pointed it straight at him.
Owen followed his gaze, "What's wrong?" he asked.
Tyler pointed at the camera, "That was my job. I was the camera guy."
There was a second of silence.
Jenna tilted her head slightly, "How tragic."
Owen and several others laughed.
"A very serious problem," Curry commented.
"It was part of my art," Tyler said with a shrug.
Eric gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder, "Look on the bright side. You won't have to carry a camera around for twelve hours anymore, and now you can actually appear in the videos like a normal person."
Tyler thought about it and then nodded, "Good point."
"Should we introduce the new cameraman?" Matt asked, "I'm sure everyone's going to want to know who's behind the camera now."
The image shifted slightly toward Owen, as if looking for permission.
Owen narrowed his eyes for a moment, "If you want. You can take the opportunity to promote your social media," he finally said.
The camera made a small affirmative movement.
A second later, it turned completely around.
For the first time, the face behind the lens appeared.
He was a young guy, probably in his early twenties, holding the camera with one hand while waving with the other.
"Hi, guys. I'm Ryan."
His Instagram handle immediately appeared at the bottom center of the screen.
@ryanwoodsfilm1
"Thanks, boss," Ryan said, as the camera turned back toward the group.
Owen nodded and looked around, "Since we're at it, we should introduce everyone. Especially the new faces. Take advantage of it. Millions of people are going to see you. Promote whatever you want."
Jenna glanced at him from the side, amused, "So humble."
"I benefit from them making my video more entertaining, and they benefit too," Owen replied with complete naturalness, "It's a win-win."
Several laughs were heard immediately.
The camera moved to Anya first.
She immediately smiled at the lens.
"Hi. My name is Anya Taylor-Joy. I've been acting since I was sixteen. You might recognize me from The Witch or The Menu..."
For a second, the edit made the posters for both movies appear on either side of the screen, with Anya's face highlighted on each one.
"Underrated movie," Matt interjected from off-camera.
Anya smiled slightly and continued, "I play Rebecca, the lead in Lights Out... and I guess that's it."
She finished by looking toward Owen, as if she were not sure whether that had been too short.
Owen shook his head, "It's perfect. This is YouTube, not a press conference."
"Great," Anya murmured, much more relaxed.
Then it was Elizabeth's turn.
Her introduction was considerably shorter.
She did not need to tell her entire story or explain too much. She smiled at the camera, said her name, mentioned that she played the protagonist's mother, and finished with a small wave.
Sarah did something similar afterward, although she was much more at ease in front of the lens.
Finally, it was Yoshua's turn, the last member of the cast.
The camera turned toward him.
For a moment, he seemed a little more shy than the rest.
It was not hard to understand why.
Anya had already been used to interviews and premieres since she was sixteen. Elizabeth and Sarah were surrounded by their own family. Matt, Tyler, and Eric were already very used to it thanks to Owen.
Yoshua, on the other hand, still seemed to be processing the fact that this introduction would end up in front of millions of people.
He smiled anyway.
"Hi. I'm Yoshua Sudarso. I play Bret, Rebecca's boyfriend."
He paused briefly and added, "I also work as a stunt performer. I was born in Indonesia and... yeah, you can follow me on Instagram."
He vaguely pointed toward the bottom of the screen.
The edit immediately obeyed.
@yoshisudarso
The handle appeared for a couple of seconds.
"That's it," Yoshua finished, still smiling.
The group responded with a round of exaggeratedly enthusiastic applause.
Matt even whistled.
Yoshua started laughing, "I think you guys are overdoing it."
The camera kept moving.
Owen then pointed at Curry and Cooper, "And you're probably wondering who these two guys are."
"Hey!" Curry protested.
"That sounded a little offensive," Cooper added.
"Let me finish," Owen said, raising one hand, "They're not part of Lights Out. Although you probably recognize them from Tell Me Why, if you saw the reel I posted on Instagram."
The image immediately froze.
A second later, a clip from the sketch appeared on screen.
Curry and Cooper singing Tell Me Why.
Then, back to the airport.
"Yeah, that's us. I'm the guy nobody recognized..." Cooper said.
Curry smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Not that many people recognized me either, but since I sang well, I came out looking better."
Owen made a small gesture with his hand, and Curry needed no further invitation.
"I'm Curry Barkley. Director, actor, screenwriter, YouTuber, I don't think I'm forgetting anything..."
"He's giving Owen some competition," Tyler joked.
Cooper immediately took over.
"Cooper Tomlinson. Actor. Comedian and aspiring cinematographer. You can also follow me on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok…"
Eric raised his eyebrows, "Wow, you really understood the whole taking advantage of the promotion thing."
"Owen said we could promote whatever we wanted," Cooper replied with a smile, imagining the hundreds or thousands of followers he would gain after this trip.
The camera continued moving until it reached the last person in the group.
Maya.
She waited until she was perfectly centered in the frame.
Then she cleared her throat, adopted an excessively solemn expression, and began:
"Hello, everyone. I'm Maya Hawke, daughter of the legendary Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman."
Owen had already started smiling.
Maya continued as if she were introducing herself in front of a board of shareholders, "My latest work includes Do Revenge, which is already available on Netflix, so go watch it, and Little Women, whose first season you can find on Prime Video."
The edit accompanied each mention by briefly making the corresponding posters appear on both sides of the screen.
"You probably also recognize me from Tell Me Why. I was the poor victim trying to figure out who murdered her brother."
She paused briefly. She was not finished.
"You can follow me on Instagram, @maya_hawke. TikTok, same username. Facebook, MayaHawkeOfficial."
One account after another began appearing on screen.
Owen slowly turned his head toward her.
Maya did not even look at him, "And Spotify. Yes, I make music too. My latest album, MOSS, is out now."
The album cover appeared for a second alongside a screenshot of her Spotify profile.
Maya pointed toward the camera and said, "So get those monthly listeners up."
There was a brief silence.
Everyone stared at her.
Tyler was the first to break it, bursting out laughing, "Wow! This girl really understood how to take advantage of the moment."
"That wasn't an introduction anymore," Eric added, "That was a full advertising campaign."
Owen shook his head, still smiling.
Then he walked over to Maya and looked directly at the camera, "Since you did so much advertising, you could explain the real reason you're here."
Maya turned toward him, "The real reason?"
"Yeah. I mean, we're friends, I could've invited you just because..." Owen said, looking at the lens.
"But since we're here, we might as well tell everyone watching this video the real reason."
That was enough.
The people who already knew began reacting immediately.
"Ohhh!" Tyler let out.
Eric joined in right away.
Curry and Cooper started laughing while Matt simply shook his head, as if he had known exactly where this was going from the moment Owen opened his mouth.
Anya raised an eyebrow, although she already seemed to know where this was headed.
Maya narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking for a second. Then she shrugged, "Yeah. Why not? It's not like we're trying to hide it."
Owen took a step back, leaving them in the center of the frame.
Maya held out a hand toward Matt.
He took it.
Then they moved a little closer, finally standing side by side.
Matt looked at the camera, "Yeah. We're dating."
For half a second, there was silence.
Then the group exploded.
Owen pointed at both of them, "And that's the real reason Maya is coming to Fantastic Fest."
The applause started immediately.
Tyler and Eric were the loudest.
Curry and Cooper joined in right away.
Yoshua applauded while laughing.
Anya did too, clearly amused.
Elizabeth and Jenna, on the other hand, simply shook their heads while smiling.
Then Eric made the inevitable mistake, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
"Kiss! Kiss!" Curry joined in.
Tyler took less than a second to follow them.
"Oh my God..." Jenna muttered.
"They're preschoolers," Sarah said beside her, although she looked amused by the scene.
Maya covered part of her face with one hand, laughing. Matt looked around as if seriously evaluating whether he could still escape.
He couldn't.
Finally, Maya looked at him.
Matt smiled, and they kissed.
The shouting and applause immediately grew louder, and that was exactly where the clip ended.
…
Only a few hours later, the internet had already divided those five minutes into a dozen different clips.
Each fragment seemed to find its own audience.
The first one that began circulating showed Matt welcoming Owen and Jenna at the airport with an amount of energy completely incompatible with seven in the morning.
@willtym55:
Matt showing up with puppy energy at seven in the morning and five minutes later we find out he's dating Maya Hawke. Great morning for him.
@ceccillewolts:
This man has already directed two horror movies and has Golden Retriever energy.
…
Another clip focused exclusively on Tyler staring at the new cameraman.
@marksKING2:
Ryan has been working for thirty seconds and already has an enemy.
@nataliepopcorn:
Tyler watching another man live the life that was once his.
...
Maya's introduction practically needed a section of its own.
@Ktronex-ud:
Maya promoted Netflix, Prime Video, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Spotify, and then announced a boyfriend. The woman used every second.
@Device1858:
This is literally better advertising than any junket.
@luzZD_2:
"Get those monthly listeners up" I completely respect the lack of shame.
@Leofmannn:
Curry and Cooper thought they had taken good advantage of the promotion and then Maya showed up to teach them how it's done.
…
Naturally, none of that managed to compete with the final clip.
@mayahawkedaily:
MAYA AND MATT???
@alexhantsvibs2001:
The real Fantastic Fest news just happened at an airport.
@ItzByWilson_:
Owen could have let them announce it normally but obviously he had to turn it into content. Business mind.
…
However, this was only one part of the vlog.
-------------------------------------------------
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Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07