I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead – The New Sensational Slasher by Sean Parker

Sponsored Feature: Bloody Marvelous Pictures

I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead is a new slasher from the twisted mind of director Sean Parker.

Watch the trailer!

In the bone-chilling homage to ’80s and ’90s horror slashers, I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, directorial sensation Sean Parker takes audiences on a nerve-wracking journey into the heart of darkness. Set against the haunting backdrop of the Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum, this thrilling slasher unfolds as a dorky young girl finds herself invited to the ultimate survival party.

Trapped in the depths of the bunker with the cool kids, the party takes a gruesome turn when a mass killer emerges from among their ranks, preying on the unsuspecting teens one by one. As the twisted narrative unravels, the audience is immersed in the eerie atmosphere of the Diefenbunker, where every shadow conceals a potential threat.

With 90% of the film shot in this iconic location, the bunker itself becomes a character, contributing to the film’s bone-chilling authenticity. As filming resumes and the crew volunteers their time to perfect every heart-stopping frame, I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead invites horror enthusiasts to join them in creating a truly immersive and terrifying experience.

The movie’s dark subject matter starts with an active shooter situation in a school opening this otherwise slasher homage, promising a gripping narrative that may not be suitable for all audiences. As Sean Parker unleashes his directorial debut, audiences can expect a sensational slasher that pays homage to the golden era of horror, blending suspense, thrills, and an atmosphere that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.

I'll Be Glad When You're Dead by Sean Parker

A Q&A with Director Sean Parker and Producer Brendan Butt

Thanks for joining us to discuss your upcoming slasher I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead! How did you come up with the concept for the film?

Sean: [The idea] really started with the location. I had been to the Diefenbunker [a cold war military bunker turned into a museum] numerous times and always thought that [the Diefenbunker] was this great, ominous location, almost a character in itself and [the bunker] just needed to have a horror film set there. After that, [writing a script] was just a question of what kind of story could be told there. Me being a fan of the slasher subgenre, it wasn’t long until I settled into that classic narrative of the teens falling prey to the relentless killer. The bunker would be a great place to throw a party and the teens in this movie really take advantage of the situation.

Being a fan of the slasher subgenre, it wasn’t long until I settled into that classic narrative of the teens falling prey to the relentless killer.—Sean Parker

I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead is an homage to ’80s and ’90s slasher films. Are there specific films you drew inspiration from?

Sean: There’s so many great [horror movies and slashers] that have given us really iconic killers. I gravitate more to the motivated killers and the revenge plots over the ominous random killings. The Burning, Sleepaway Camp, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend. These movies all have killers with solid looks and decent motivation for their killings. In I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead the killer is very grounded and that’s important.

Brendan: There’s also the indie element. Making it on your own…

Sean: In that area, the filmmaker that’s had the greatest impact on me is Kevin Smith. Kevin Smith was the one that actually sort of inspired my film career. I caught Mallrats, the movie… And if, you know, Kevin [can] make a movie and put it out like this… So that’s what piqued my interest as I looked more into Kevin Smith and you know, where he came from, where he got his start, how he threw caution to the wind.

The cast looks dynamic in the promos I’ve seen so far. What was the casting process like? Any particular attributes you were looking for?

Sean: Casting I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead was challenging. There’s only so much reach that you can get with a non union extremely micro budget film… Eventually from the casting calls I found some cast locally in Ottawa and others in the Toronto area. The main assets I was looking for were their authenticity and their dedication. I needed actors who wanted these roles in the same way that I wanted to make this movie and I found them. My cast is fantastic and are extremely talented and very passionate about making I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead.

Brendan: Sean started casting calls for I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead early on in the making of the movie. He took his time with the process – but what’s really important is that he got a solid cast that embodies the spirit of their characters. I remember seeing the self-tape for our final girl and I couldn’t have been more impressed with her work.

Anything you can reveal about the killer’s story or design? The story?

Brendan: From a behind-the-scenes standpoint – there were some challenges getting the parts for the costume. Especially the gas mask. Post COVID-related hardships, there is still a strong market for breathing devices. Sean had a strong vision for the character’s look – and wanted to make the costume out of things that might be found in the displays.

Sean: From a story perspective it was important to the story that the killer’s costume and weapons are open for everyone to see. That made our design process really organic. I wanted the killer to be a part of the bunker. The costume, the weapons, all things that can be found within the displays of this bunker. The costume is happenstance in that way mildly similar to how Michael cobbled together his look, grabbing the coveralls and then the mask as he proceeded further into town.

Sean had a strong vision for the character’s look – and wanted to make the costume out of things that might be found in the displays.— Brendan Butt

I know the film has an intense start, opening with an active shooter situation in a school. What are you aiming to achieve by going in this direction?

Sean: As much as I enjoy films like Halloween and Friday the 13, I’m a fan of motive. The plot was constructed from the inside out really. I landed on teens vs the killer very quickly but then I started asking who is this killer and why are they killing? To be clear, this isn’t a movie about a school shooting as it takes place on the anniversary of that tragedy. The shooting is the inciting incident which sets all of our characters on their path a year later.

What are some of the special perks horror fans can expect from donating to the Indiegogo campaign?

Brendan: It’s been a huge pleasure to work on the Indiegogo campaign and the perks for this final kick at the can. The big thing for us is that we wanted the initial perks to be focused on the movie and then unleash other perks that match the theme of “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead”.

Sean: We’ve really packed the Blu-Ray with special features for the hardcore fans. It’s been a huge focus of the post-production. We want to give audiences a piece of physical media that they can get hours of entertainment from.

Support the campaign here.