Full Breakdown
SC Films Pushes Action-Horror “Cotton Eye Joe” to TIFF Market
8/12/2026, 8:29:22 PM
Film Launch at the Toronto International Film Festival Market
SC Films announced that it will begin worldwide sales for its new action-horror feature Cotton Eye Joe at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) market. The film entered production this week in Illinois and is slated for international distribution following the market debut.
Production Details and Creative Team
As night falls, the survivors become prey in a cat-and-mouse chase with a relentless serial killer.
The cast includes genre veterans Bill Moseley (known for *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2* and *House of 1000 Corpses*) and Sean Gunn (*Guardians of the Galaxy*, *Tromeo and Juliet*), alongside Cassidy Terracian, Brian Dole, Eloise Lola Gordan, and Moses Jones. The picture is written and directed by Nick Merola, with co-writer Brandon Weavil, whose recent feature *Dolly* was acquired by IFC. Producers Casey McEnry and Colin Olsen negotiated the sales deal with SC Films’ chief executive Simon Crowe, who also serves as an executive producer with Fin Crowe.
Official Statements & Responses
Nick Merola highlighted the personal significance of the film, noting that it reflects the kind of horror that inspired his early love for the genre.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I started making horror movies in the second grade using my dad’s VHS camera, so to be stepping onto the set of my first feature with this incredible cast and crew is beyond a dream come true,” — Nick Merola
- “I started making horror movies in the second grade using my dad’s VHS camera, so to be stepping onto the set of my first feature with this incredible cast and crew is beyond a dream come true. Cotton Eye Joe is exactly the kind of movie that made me fall in love with the horror genre as a kid – incredibly bloody, suspenseful, and most importantly, fun..” — Fin Crowe. Nick Merola
