Most people don’t give and take punches for a living.
Most people don’t become social media influencers for a living either.
Viddal Riley does both.
The professional boxer and internet sensation from Hackney, England has dominated life in and out of the ring. From his start as a boxer at the ripe old age of six to winning the European Junior Silver Medal in Anapa, Russia and representing Team Great Britain in the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, he paved his amateur career with success as he went 41-8 (with 19 KOs). Currently sitting at 4-0 since his professional debut in the cruiserweight division, the undefeated 23-year-old, who’s signed with Mayweather Promotions, has taken his win streak inside of the ring and extended outside in his online endeavors. Riley currently has over 1.1 million subscribers on Youtube, 315K followers on Twitter, and 620K followers on Instagram. His content ranges from incisive and earnest commentary on professional and YouTube boxing to uniquely-crafted music videos. Riley has plenty to say about the current status of his boxing career, and what he plans to accomplish in the future on social media.
Frederick Daso: People tend to think that you’re a YouTuber first and boxer second, but that’s not right. You are a professional boxer first, and a social media sensation last. Tell me what initially got you into boxing.
Viddal Riley: He used to box and didn’t have the support to work through to the level he would have wanted and was working towards. Boxing for me was a journey started by my father. He used the box, and he didn’t have to support that work to see it through to the level that he would have desired and was working towards. And, we’ve heard that quite a lot. Historically, people have the talent, but they don’t have the back end, and they don’t have what you need to maximize your talent. He didn’t make the same mistake with me. He said to me to try it. He realized, ‘Okay, we’ve got a little talent, let’s hone it, harness it, and see how far you can go. That happened at the age of six, I would say, I started a bit earlier, but I mean, going into the gym for the first time was six years old. That’s when I first got in the ring or someone else my age and stuff like that.
The journey started at six years old. And yeah, it’s been very eventful. There’ve been many highlights, some of which I forget even, unless I go back and check the memories and photos. But it all started as a family thing, and now I’m just trying to take it to the next level. That’s really how boxing entered my lap. It’s just been a journey of 10 years as an amateur boxer. During that time, I won eight national titles, a European junior silver medal in Anapa, Russia and in 2014 became a Youth Olympian for Team Great Britain in Nanjing, China. I pushed myself as I was in charge and reached the elite levels. A lot of my skills and mindset stems from being in the gym from such a young age.
It brings us to the present day, where I’m now an undefeated professional with four wins, three of them being knockouts. I haven’t boxed in over a year, which is painful to say, but these things do happen. I look at it as a time to recoup and refresh cause once the ball starts running again, we can’t stop it. So I’m taking my time and appreciating it. As much as this is painful, I know that bigger things are to come in the future.
Daso: I love your mindset and, speaking of your accomplishments, when you’re an amateur, what was the turning point or was there a definitive moment when you were an amateur boxer where you knew that, ‘Hey, I could turn pro.’
Riley: I always wanted to be a professional, not an amateur boxer. I didn’t watch much amateur boxing since I wasn’t aware of that circuit. I just knew from watching on TV that I wanted to do that. I’ll be honest with you. It didn’t hit me at a certain stage until I decided to turn professional. I always wanted to be a professional. My successful amateur career made me realize that I would succeed as a pro with what I’m achieving because I always believed that I could be one. No moment really brought that home for me until it came into mind.
This is what I’ve been working towards and wanting to do since I was a kid. Now I’m finally at that stage where I can copy the guys and follow in the footsteps of the guys I watched on TV as a kid. So, no, there wasn’t one moment, but it was just, I looked at every moment as a stepping stone to become professional.
Daso: When I’ve seen you on YouTube, either alone or with other content creators, I always got the sense that you’re at least a couple of years older instead of being 23. You’ve got me where I think you’re 33 instead of 23. Tell me, what is it about boxing that has accelerated your maturity, or just, in general, the way that you carry yourself, right?
Riley: It’s just boxing is an honest sport, right? And we live in a world where very few are brave enough to be honest with themselves and with others. I think that stalls people’s progression because they’re in denial or they’re afraid of tackling issues that you cannot survive without addressing in the sport of boxing. People are looking to find your issues and win and get used to them. I thought that with my parents. Academically, my mom was more assigned to the role of making sure I have an education. My dad too, but more so it was boxing where he took that role and led the way. It’s just being honest, being truthful, telling you how to improve, and never allow me to see the world through the smokescreen of lies or false profits, which has never been the case.
Everything has been from this stark, cutthroat view: this is right, this is wrong. This is the truth. This isn’t. I think it just allows me to see through many things that go on because I just live in the truth. I think a lot of people don’t decide to do that until later years in their life. With me being this young, the maturity just comes from acknowledging the truth and acknowledging that to be improved and to increase your knowledge with, anything mentally, with his business relationship, anything is just to deal with the truth. I feel that’s the key behind my maturity.
23-year-old Viddal Riley is all smiles here.
Geraldine Davies
Daso: Well said. Your maturity has been evolved through boxing because you have to be in an honest environment where someone finds out your flaws, you either correct it, or you’re going to get beaten because they were able to exploit that flaw. Taking that into your actual professional matches, now you’re 4-0 reigning undefeated. I hope you keep it that way. Most of your matches have ended up in KOs or TKOs. But I saw your fight with Austine Nnamdi in Dubai. That’s the one that went the distance. I want to know, what does that fight reveal about your boxing IQ and your strategy to win? Because it seemed like in the ring, you respected his ability and, because of that, it wasn’t just a straight-out slugfest. It was more intellectual.
Riley: Yeah. I only found out two days before I was fighting him. I prepared seven weeks for an opponent that pulled out two days before. The whole game plan was based on that style of fight. Austin was a completely different style to what we practice in the US for. I was kind of working out on the spot on what he’s going to do. That’s why I gave him that respect because I wasn’t aware of what threats he would bring to the ring. I only saw footage of him on the Monday before the fight. I didn’t know entirely what to expect. My approach was ‘don’t do anything stupid.’ Don’t allow this guy at short notice to catch you off guard and give you anything unexpected.
I would say that’s why that performance was a more reserved one because I feel like that’s how I had to be.
Daso: Absolutely. You got the job done, unanimous decision, and that’s okay. That’s so insightful because you only had two days. You were learning on the fly while you’re in the ring.
Riley: Yeah. You can say the same thing for him also. You can say he only found out two days before, but he was always scheduled as a backup. Though he knew confirmation two days before, he was already training to be in shape because he was aware that if anything goes wrong with the current opponent, he would have to step in. And respect to him for that. A lot of respect to him because he could have said, ‘No, you guys told me too late.’ For me to be part of an event with a star-studded audience such as KSI (Olijide “JJ” Olatunji) and Miniminter (Simon Minter) from the Sidemen (the group also includes Zerkaa (Josh Bradley), TBJZL (Tobi Brown), Behzinga (Ethan Payne), Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn) and W2S (Harry Lewis)), Badou Jack, Naseem Hamed, MoVlogs and owner of the Five Palm Hotel, Jumeirah Dubai, was amazing.
It was great. It was a great audience to showcase my skills, and I would have gone into better performance, but the wind is what matters and how you win is important. I feel like I caught one without stretching myself too far and looking into the challenge. I’m happy with it for the time when that performance happened. When I watch it back now, I take those things into account, which was good for the time. But I’d expect more from myself now.
Daso: Through studying your overall career, both boxing and social media, I kind of boiled it down to kind of two key pivotal moments for your professional career. The first one being you signing for Mayweather Promotions. I saw the video covering it and KSI’s reaction, and then really also you becoming KSI’s trainer. I have two questions for you here. One, what did Jeff Mayweather see in you, as a potential top contender in the cruiserweight division that encouraged him and his team to bring you on under the Mayweather Promotions fold, and then second, what’s the real story behind when you first met KSI? It wasn’t just like you coming on to be his trainer.
Riley: To answer your first question, Jeff himself said I could listen to his instructions because he cornered me for a sparring session, and he did give various commands that I should follow that could help me in that spot. He said he used to work with many boxers who would be doing their own thing and not listening. He noticed that I took what he said and attempted to incorporate his feedback as he said it. He said to have the ability to try his and to listen to him at that level led him to believe that I could be a professional. It was also the level of the opponent that I was sparring with while trying to do what Jeff said.
Riley is ready for action in the ring.
Geraldine Davies
Daso: If you don’t mind me interrupting, didn’t your sparring opponent at the time, Andrew Tabiti, go on to be a future champion in his division, or was he already one?
Riley: He fought for a world title. He’s the best cruiserweight in America. He fought for a world title when I was sparring with him, and I was trying these moves. Jeff was like, you’re an amateur at this point. And you’re fighting the best guy this country has to offer in your weight division, and you’re doing what you need to do. So, you can be a professional. I guess maybe that is a time when I knew I could be professional before was after that spring session, with testing myself against a high-level professional and proving that I wasn’t out of place. Once you can fit into the highest standard, you have no reason to doubt and second guess yourself. I feel like that’s why Jeff believed that could be a top cruiserweight.
In terms of KSI, JJ is the person who is. I’d say he’s the person who gave me that platform to showcase my talent and the only books in talent, but everything else as well. But it wasn’t just him. I trained a lot of other YouTubers before that. I trained many people who are friends with him, and they recommended that he train with me because of how the results went. And obviously, my credentials as well. So, it’s rare to see a guy at 19 years old be a head coach of somebody, but he believed that I had enough knowledge to pass on to him and allow him to have successes in his boxing. That’s what we saw, and that’s what’s happened.
Daso: That’s right. The results speak for themselves.
Riley: It was, it was a thing where it was mentioned a few times he’s going to come down to the gym, I’m going to talk to him, see if he wants to come down. And one day, he did. From that day, he said, yeah, cool. Yeah, this is where I need to be. And, we did a look back from that point. I mean, he’s still moving forward now. It was a big turning point in both of our lives. As much as he already had a bigger stage than myself still, I would say it was a life-changing experience for him. I mean, he learned something that changed his life. And, I learned things from him in terms of socializing, YouTube, how to maneuver our brand. I learned that from him. It was a really give-and-take relationship as it came to coaching.
Daso: Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m so glad to see it blossom on both sides of the equation.
Riley: Me too. That’s normally the best situation in life. Both people can benefit from it and understand that, yeah, this is what we will bring to the table and elevate.
Riley is too RIL to catch COVID-19.
Geraldine Davies
Daso: I want to try and dispel the notion because a lot of people may think that, ‘Hey, you’re only relevant because you train KSI,’ but after getting on his platform, you’ve shown yourself to be a top content creator on your own terms. I want to establish that then ask you, how has your relationship with KSI evolved from being his coach initally? You’re not as coach anymore but you’re still in his camp though, right?
Riley: I’m not. I’m now his friend. I don’t have involvement in his boxing as of now. If he called me and asked for help and asked me, ‘Can you help me out with this or whatever,’ I would, of course, help him, but I’m not in his training team. Our relationship has naturally progressed into being a friendship. So that’s enough for me. That means more to me than being a coach.
Daso: That’s beautiful. Now that’s the question, how have you and KSI evolved from trainer and boxer to a friend and social media collaborator?
Riley: Well, we experienced a lot together. I think we experienced a lot together, and it’s hard to make history with people and not have love for them and respect them. Because it’s hard to make history, and it’s hard to make meaningful history that people are aware of worldwide. I think we pioneered a big movement on YouTube, such as boxing and getting into the sport. Now, we see it grow to a level that I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to see it grow that far, but for anyone to deny that KSI is a pioneer of the YouTube boxing thing is lying. He wouldn’t have done that alone. That’s the facts of the matter. He didn’t do that alone. I was the guy there, someone else, maybe they could have done it, but they didn’t. I was there.
With that, I would class myself as a pioneer within that field, in that industry, and the successes made people want to be involved. I would say that KSI learning the skills that I equipped with him led to his eventual success. And, yeah, it’s hard to not have respect forever for one another, or even bond with each other beyond just coaching, especially when you spend that much time together and you realize how much you guys have achieved in each other’s company.
Daso: Seeing you guys evolve from the first Logan fight to the second one showed your relationship was beyond just a coach and trainee; you two were a unit. It’s undeniably evident when you guys do have the time to collab that chemistry has always been there, and it has grown.
Riley: Yeah, for sure. For sure. I think it will always be a relationship that is kept because there’s no reason for either of us to turn on one another at all. It’s just not going to happen. We’re always going to be on good terms and supporting each other when in music, boxing or whatever field we decide to take up.
Daso: You mentioned the YouTube boxing scene as a whole, right. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. I’ve been watching the fights, especially the latest one, TikTok versus YouTube. I want your professional opinion because you are a professional boxer first and foremost. What do you think, does this mean for the sport of boxing as a whole, that you have personalities, internet personalities providing a larger microphone for boxing as a whole? Then I have a particular question for you.
It’s called the ‘Mayweather Question.’ From what I saw on the internet on the Mayweather-Paul fight contract, it turns out Mayweather got $10 million to show up just to put on his trunks and show up. For you as a professional boxer, who’s in the very early stages of your career versus him who’s past the twilight of his career, he made more money just putting on his trunks before fighting than he did, in 30 to 35 fights in terms of purses. How do you position yourself in both your social media and boxing career to where someone who’s going to pay you $10 million just to put on your trucks regardless of the fight outcome?
Riley: I think it’s all about how many people care that you put on your trunks. That’s the way it boils down to because people do that every day when everyone cares. Floyd has built a brand around money means built a brand around being the highest-grossing boxer forever. Another thing is consistency, which a lot of people seem to fail at noticing. A lot of people seem to fail to realize he’s very consistent. Yes, he’s the spins and the tools, this and that, but he’s never failed in the ring. That doesn’t happen because he buys Bentleys. It happens because of the work he puts into the gym. That’s what everyone has to remember at the bare minimum. You have to be good at your craft. There’s no point marketing yourself if you can’t fight because you will be exposed, and once you’re exposed, if you prove not to be anything, then people will switch off.
I’d say to put yourself in a position where you can make that money without having to guarantee yourself a win is to have enough people interested in watching you fight anyway. That’s the thing where you can make that money. Logan can make that money. All these guys can make that money because we want to see what happens, right regardless of results. That, and because we’re intrigued to see what happens, it equals money equals revenue, the attention equals revenue. We’re always focused on your craft first, but then close second, make sure you’re showcasing your skills and exposing yourself as much as you can to a wider audience. Because once that wider audience takes to you can then begin to dictate terms on how those people see you, who will be on your shorts when you decide to put them on, how much you can charge for people to see you put your shorts. These things are the privilege of those who have enough attention for people to care.
I’d say that the biggest thing is the attention: the traction and the reach. If you can reach millions, you can make millions. That’s the way that you got to look at it here.
Daso: If you can reach millions, you can make millions. Well said. That quote just segues into another perfect question. Going back to the YouTube versus TikTok match, the event was projected to be 500,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys from what I saw online. It was revealed that there was only over a quarter of that 136,000. Here we are, they, these guys had a cumulative falling of over two hundred million, if you want to crunch the numbers. They failed to get even a tenth of that. What do you think that means for the viability of future influencer boxing?
Riley: Well, I don’t know how solid those numbers are. I don’t believe it was 136,000 buys total. I believe the total was more than that. But if it was that anyway, then many factors take place, such as illegal streaming. The platform is not being established as well as others is another factor. People don’t know really how or why, like where to find this show. We’re not going to search for some new platform to watch some fights that we can get on a stream link. Just on Twitter, it comes down to stuff like that will affect the pay-per-view, but it’s. I think it won’t be because their followers don’t want to see them fight because once you get followers and that community, they follow you regardless of what you do—also being part of a community based on the internet.
People are also smart enough to work their way around, getting what they want without being charged. That always has to be taken into consideration. I feel like many people try to dismiss the fact that streaming illegally on the side is a big thing. The person who normally watches boxing on TV isn’t thinking about a stream in the forefront of their mind. Right. However, the person who’s always on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram. Yeah. They’re going to see that link and go, well, here it is. So that’s treating them legit. That’s a big factor. I think a lot of people dismiss that.
Riley is all business on the set of his music video.
Geraldine Davies
Daso: I’m inclined to agree with you here. I think that’s a really good point you make about the platform through which the event occurs. If I had to sum up what you’re saying, the platform wasn’t established enough. It wasn’t secure enough to prevent those things. Now, I have a bonus question for you.
JJ just launched his promotion company. This is just speculation on my end, but could the next YouTube event be held under that and plot with a more mature and official platform such as DAZN?
Riley: KSI’s promotional deal is with people who work on Sky Sports. And that is a secure network. As you said, I was commentating on the Mayweather-Paul fight in the UK on Sky Sports. What you just said is valid because he’s signed with a promotional company, which has rights to Sky Sports for showing his events.
Daso: I couldn’t even watch the repeat because it’s blocked in America. That’s how secure it is.
Riley: Right. See, so in the UK, anyway, he will be secure since that’s already a country locked down to say, if you guys want to watch more shows, we’re going to, it’s going to be on sky school. It doesn’t mean it won’t be; people still won’t find that makes it a lot harder with a big network and a big company. I feel like these are the steps people are taking to avoid piracy.
Daso: Absolutely. Absolutely. Because at the end of the day, if you get in the ring, you want to secure that bag.
Riley: Course it’s important. You must have given us a service and for a fee. You want people to pay the fee, and it will contribute to your pockets, as we know, but it’s only right. It’s only right. You’re going through pain. You’re going through war. You’re getting attacked for people’s entertainment. If you don’t feel like you don’t feel that guy is deserving of being paid right, then that’s a whole new discussion, but I think that can be out of order. That’s out of order because this person’s putting themselves through hell for your entertainment to argue for some. If the fight is worth it, that is fair.
Daso: Absolutely. I mean, hearing the fighters from that event not getting paid as far as we know up to this point, it’s very disappointing. Right. I think that might have negative consequences for future fights because I am so amazed to think I’m not going to get paid; my management will make sure that my payment is secure at the end of the day.
Riley: Yes. That’s what your team is for. No one can do anything alone, and you need people in your team that can make sure those risks and those possibilities are kept to a minimum. It won’t fully extinguish them because the internet is a place that is undefeated, but it will help. It will help.
Daso: Getting back to the social media side of things, right. You know, you’re a full-time boxer. I mean, you haven’t found the ring for over a year at this point due to injuries and also COVID. But you know, let’s say that before then, you were fighting, and you’re working on social media as well. How did you balance the two? How can you leverage your reach so that you command more eyes, more attention and therefore translate into more money when you keep on fighting?
Riley: Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit to bring in still the numbers that I do. And, like my last video was number two, trending in the world on YouTube. That’s crazy even to think, very creative in the world. There are some amazing creators that my video can be ranked second, only second to the European football or soccer as you guys call it is a big deal worldwide, soccer slash football, as I call it, is the biggest sport in the world. It’s a full second to the Euros when Spain and England and at least half of the teams are playing. I can’t complain about that. I’m not bigger than the euros. I’m the second. I was the second biggest thing for a while. I think I work within my means. I don’t do anything that I can’t keep up.
I think that’s my number one thing. There’s a lot of things I would like to do. I could offer a lot more, but it wouldn’t be consistent at this point. I think I’ve found the lane where I can make content and not fall off because of our content; I can manage this. I thought many people who have this big spike and then the decline are because they’ve chosen an angle that has got them their views, money, and attention, but they cannot keep it and maintain it.
That type of content drastically decreases the quality. That’s when people switch off. I’ve managed to keep a steady mood going. And, I think that’s allowed me to be out of the ring for over a year and still bring in the attention and numbers that I do. And I know what to talk about. I know where my opinion is valued, and I know where it isn’t, and I just don’t choose to create content in areas that I know people will not be interested in. It doesn’t make any sense. I know what people want from me, and I balance what people want from me with what I’m comfortable with doing and what I want them to see I can do. Right. And for that full process, I think it’s working out better than I thought it would.
I’m happy with the position I’m in. I know we’re move rapidly once I start acting in some other things, but for now, I’m content. I’ll keep moving steady until people see that big spike and change. Once that happens, there’s not going to be much room for others, because I know my mind is already ahead of maneuvering in the social world. I know what I’m going to do based on hanging around with the likes of KSI and many others. I know he’s the main one, but I do like to make sure people realize it’s not just him. Right. I’ve had influencers from multiple YouTube is with over a million subscribers and then watching how they move and take their advice. That allows me to know how to move forward with my own channel and with my own content.
Daso: You also create music videos and have a growing podcast series. How do you combine all of these endeavors into a coherent, unique narrative about your ultimate vision for you boxing and social media career?
Riley: I feel like with everything I do, I try my best to keep the branding as close to my true self as possible. These endeavours also would not be successful if I didn’t work within my means. I feel some of my ventures could be bigger than they are but for how long? Consistency is key and prioritising boxing is always No.1.That holds the key to everything.
Daso: Absolutely. What are those things that are going to be activated, then?
Riley: Listen, listen, right now, the way I feel is that I’ve been placed in this position to allow others to have more time. I think I’ve been placed in this position to allow others to have more time, allow me to learn more, and not just be content as a man, as a human being, to learn myself, and two, to be more knowledgeable, more confident. And, once those things are being checked off in the doc, you things have been checked off in the dark, and everyone in the world likes to see people came out. I know it’s like you come out of nowhere, and no one comes out of nowhere. You weren’t paying attention at that time.
Don’t get me wrong. I am getting the attention, but I know it’s going to skyrocket. The same people that say, ‘Oh, you only can make content about this. He hasn’t fought in this long.’ Once I’m back in the ring, there’ll be the same one singing the praises. I can’t worry about them too much. I just know what I want to do, if you care. If you don’t, whatever. I don’t live and die by public opinion. And I don’t care that much. I only care about the people that care about me genuinely care about me.
Daso: You’re playing the long game. It’s a long game. You might not be in the center of the spotlight right now, but you’re saying you understand that your season is coming.
Riley: I believe because I know I’m making moves. I’m putting things in place for that season to come. I’m not only waiting. It will come. Maybe one video is going to bang one day. If that video bangs, great. I’ll take it from there. But first, you got to put things in place. You have to plan for your explosion. You have to plan for that. Come up. That’s what I’m doing right now, wherever it’s harnessing my books and skills, wherever I’ve competed or not, whether it’s thinking of video ideas across more. I know that I have to be significantly smaller than my main. Still, I know with those channels as well, it will grow over time. You see who’s quality is everywhere. Anyone can have a hot moment when I was training JJ/KSI.
Those are hot moments because he was in the hot moment. Yeah. So, of course, I’m living off it. Of course, I’m getting some of the benefits of being hot, but being hot is only temporary. You come, you won’t be hot all the time. It’s just, it’s impossible. You’re not going to be hot all the time. If you play the long game, you continuously train and perfect your craft. No matter what you do, you will be appreciated, and you will also get rewards. And, I, being 23, as we mentioned at the beginning of the interview, where am I rushing to? I’m not rushing. I mean, I lived steady within my means across everything. When it’s time for things to propel, they will propel, but I’ll be ready for it because I’m not phased but prepared for things like that.
It’s a blessing to have been exposed to so much so early because most boxers don’t know what it feels like even to be famous or have any money or anything like that before reaching the highest level. I learned on the job and managed to watch someone I trained, see the press conferences, and see the big arenas travel the world. So when I’m doing it, I’m there. It will be the second time around for me in some sense. It’s not going to be anything new. There’s always something to learn. Based on it’s not going to be anything I haven’t seen before. That’s why I know it’s going to be amazing when this is me who’s in that position, because not only have I seen it, I can learn from those situations and then make sure it lands even better once I reach it.
Toronto, on – Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian genre films are pleased to announce the popular Festival is back for its 13th exciting year. The highly anticipated Horror Film festival presented by Super Channelruns November 18th– 23rd at Toronto’sIsabel Bader Theatre. The successful, long running festivaltakes on many different faces this year that include Scary, Action Horror, Horror Comedy, Sci-Fi and Thrillers. Festival goers will be kept on the edge of their seats with this year’s powerful line-up.
Blood in the Snow Festival begins with the return of alumni (Wolf Cop) Lowell Dean’s action horror feature Dark Match featuring wrestling veteran Chris Jericho followed by the mysterious Hunting Mathew Nichols. The unexpected thrills continue with Blood in the Snow World Premiere of Pins and Needles and the Fantasia Best First Feature Award winner, Self Driver. The festival ends this year on a fun note with the Toronto Premiere of Scared Sh*tless (featuring Kids in the Hall’s Mark McKinney). Other titles include the horror anthology series Creepy Bits and Zoom call shock of Invited by Blood in the Snow alumni Navin Ramaswaran (Poor Agnes). The festival will also include five feature length short film programs including the festivals comedy horror program Funny Frights and UnusualSights and the highly anticipated Dark Visions program, part of opening night festivities. Blood in the Snow Film Festival Director and Founder, Kelly Michael Stewart anticipates this year’s festival to be its strongest. “This was the first time in our 13 year history, all our programmers agreed on the exact same eight feature programs we have selected.”
Below is this year’s horror fest’s excitinglineup of features and shorts scheduled to screen, in-person at the Isabel Bader theatre.
**All festival features will be preceded by a short film and followed by a Q&A with filmmakers.
Super Channel is pleased to once again assume the role of Presenting Sponsor for the Blood in the Snow Film Festival. We extend our sincere appreciation to the entire BITS team for their unwavering commitment to amplifying the voices of diverse filmmakers and providing a platform for the celebration of Canadian genre content. –Don McDonald, the CEO of Super Channel
Blood in the Snow Festival 2024 Full screening schedule:
Monday November 18th 7pm – Dark Visions
Shiva (13:29) dir. Josh Saltzman
Shiva is an unnerving tale about a recently widowed woman who breaks with a long-held Jewish mourning ritual in hopes of connecting with her deceased husband.
How to Stay Awake (5:30) dir. Vanessa Magic
A woman fights to stay awake, to avoid battling the terrifying realm of sleep paralysis, but as she risks everything to break free, will she be released from the grip of her nocturnal tormentor?
Pocket Princess (9:45)dir. Olivia Loccisano
A young girl must take part in a dangerous task in order to complete her doll collection in this miniature fairytale.
For Rent (10:33) dir. Michèle Kaye
In her new home, Donna unravels a sinister truth—her landlord is a demon with a dark appetite. As her family mysteriously vanishes, Donna confronts the demonic landlord, only to plunge into a shadowy game where the house hungers for more than just occupants. An ominous cycle begins, shrouded in mystery.
Lucy’s Birthday (9:29) dir. Peter Sreckovic
A father struggles to enjoy his young daughter’s birthday despite a series of strange and disturbing disruptions.
Parasitic (10:00) dir. Ryan M Andrews
Last call at a dive bar, a writer struggling to find his voice gets more than he bargains for.
Naualli (6:00) dir. Adrian Gonzalez de la Pena
A grieving man seeks revenge, unwittingly awakening a mystical creature known as the Nagual.
The Saint and The Bear (6:34) dir. Dallas R Soonias
Two strangers cross paths on an ominous park bench.
The Sorrow (13:00) dir. Thomas Affolter
A retired army general and his live-in nurse find they are not alone in a house filled with dark secrets.
Cadabra (6:00) dir. Tiffany Wice
An amateur magician receives more than he anticipated when he purchases a cursed hat from the estate of his deceased hero.
9:30 – Dark Matchdir. Lowell Dean Horror / Action
A small time WRESTLING COMPANY accepts a well-paying but too good to be true gig.
Tuesday November 19th 7pm – Mournful Mediums
Night Lab (15:00) dir. Andrew Ellinas
When a mysterious package arrives from one of the lab’s field research stations, a promising young researcher uncovers a conspiracy against her masterminded by her jealous boss. She soon finds herself having to grapple with her conscience before making a life-or-death decision.
Dirty Bad Wrong (14:40) dir. Erica Orofino
Desperate to keep her promise to host the best superhero party for her 6-year-old, young mother Sid, a sex worker, takes extreme measures and books a last-minute client with a dark fetish.
Midnight at the lonely river (17:00) dir. Abraham Cote
When the lights go out at a seedy little motel bar, at the crossroads of a seedy little town, nefarious happenings are taking place, and three predators are enacting their evil deeds. Enter Vicky, a drifter who quickly realizes what’s happening right under everyone’s nose. After midnight, In the shadows of this dim establishment, evil begets evil, and the predator becomes the prey.
Mean Ends (14:58) dir. Émile Lavoie
A buried body, a missing sister and an inquisitive neighbour makes for a hell of an evening. And the sun isn’t close to settling on Eric’s sh*tty day.
Stuffy (18:26) dir. Dan Nicholls
A young couple sets off in the middle of the night to bury their kid’s stuffed bunny, as one of them is convinced that the stuffy might be cursed.
Dungeon of Death (18:33) dir. Brian P. Rowe
Torturer Raullin loves a work challenge, especially if that challenge involves hurting people to extract information from them.
9:30 – Hunting Matthew Nichols(96 mins) dir. Markian Tarasiuk
Twenty-three years after her brother mysteriously disappeared, a documentary filmmaker sets out to solve his missing person’s case. But when a disturbing piece of evidence is revealed, she comes to believe that her brother might still be alive.
w/ short: Josephine (6:15) dir. John Francis Bregar
A man haunted by his past seeks forgiveness from his deceased wife, but a session with two spirit mediums leads to an unsettling encounter.
Wednesday November 20th 7pm – BITS and BYTES
Ezra (10:57) dirs. Luke Hutchie, Mike Mildon, Marianna Phung
After fleeing the dark and demonic chains of his shadowy old home, Ezra, a killer gay vampire, takes a leap of faith and enters the modern world.
Head Shop (18:14 episode 1-3) dir. Namaï Kham Po
In a post-apocalyptic world, Anna’s life and work are dominated by her father Sylvestre, a short-tempered mechanic with a terrible reputation for tearing the head off anyone who dares cross him. He decides that she’s old enough to follow in his footsteps, much to her dismay. To prove herself, she must now decapitate her first victim. Can she find a way to defy fate?
D dot H (18 :15 episodes 1-2) dirs. Meegwun Fairbrother, Mary Galloway
Struggling artist Doug is visited by the beautiful and enigmatic H, who claims he holds the power to visiting “inconceivable places.” Still half-asleep, Doug is shocked when H vanishes suddenly and her doppelganger, Hannah, strides past.
Creepy Bits: “Last Sonata” (21:08) dir.
Adrian Bobb, Ashlea Wessel, David J. Fernandes, Sid Zanforlin and Kelly Paoli.
Set among forests, lakes, and small towns, Creepy Bits is a horror anthology series helmed by five innovative filmmakers exploring themes of human vs. nature, the invasion and destruction of the natural world by outsiders, and isolation within a vast, eerie landscape that is not afraid to fight back.
Tales from the Void: “Whistle in the Woods” (24:36) dir. Francesco Loschiavo
Horror anthology TV series based on stories from r/NoSleep. Each tale blends genre thrills & social commentary exploring the dark side of the human psyche.
9:30 – Self Driverdir. Michael Pierro Thriller
Facing mounting expenses and the unrelenting pressure of modern living, a down-on-his-luck cab driver is lured on to a mysterious new app that promises fast, easy money. As his first night on the job unfolds, he is pulled ever deeper into the dark underbelly of society, embarking on a journey that will test his moral code and shake his understanding of what it means to have freewill. The question becomes not how much money he can make, but what he’ll be compelled to do to make it.
A couple on a cottage getaway tries to work on their relationship but ends up getting more than they bargained for when they discover something sinister lurking beneath the surface.
Thursday November 21st 7pm – Funny Frights
Midnight Snack (1:41) dir. Sandra Foisy
Hunger always strikes in the dead of night.
Hell is a Teenage Girl (15:00) dir. Stephen Sawchuk
Every Halloween, the small town of Springboro is terrorized by its resident SLASHER – a masked serial killer who targets sinful teenagers that break ‘The Rules of Horror’ – don’t drink, don’t do drugs, and don’t have sex!
Gaslit (10:36) dir. Anna MacLean
A woman goes to dangerous lengths to prove she wasn’t responsible for a fart.
Bath Bomb (9:55) dir. Colin G Cooper
A possessive doctor prepares an ostensibly romantic bath for his narcissistic boyfriend, but after an accusation of infidelity, things take a deeply disturbing turn.
Any Last Words (14:22) dir. Isaac Rathé
A crook trying to flee town is paid an untimely visit by some of his former colleagues. What would you say to save your life if you were staring down the barrel of a gun?
Papier mâché (4:30) dir. Simon Madore
A whimsical depiction of the hard and tumultuous life of a piñata.
The Living Room (9:59) dir. Joslyn Rogers
After an unexpected call from Lady Luck, Ms. Valentine must choose between her sanity and her winnings – all before the jungle consumes her.
A Divine Comedy: What the Hell (8:55) dir. Valerie Lee Barnhart Dante’s classic Hell is falling into oblivion. Charlotte,
sharp-witted Harpy, navigates the chaos and sets out despite the odds for a new life and destiny.
Mr Fuzz (2:30) dir. Christopher Walsh
A long-limbed, fuzzy-haired creature will do whatever it takes to keep you watching his show.
Out of the Hands of the Wicked (5:00)dirs. Luke Sargent, Benjamin Hackman
After a harrowing journey home from hell, old Pa boasts of his triumph over evil, and how he came to lock the devil in his heart.
The Shitty Ride (9:13) dir. Cole Doran
Hoping to impress the girl of his dreams, Cole buys a used car but gets more than he bargained for with his shitty ride.
9:30 – Inviteddir. Navin Ramaswaran Horror
When a reluctant mother attends her daughter’s Zoom elopement, she and the rest of the family in attendance quickly realize the groom is part of a Russian cult with deadly intentions.
w/ shorts: Defile dir. Brian Sepanzyk
A couple’s secluded getaway is suddenly interrupted by a strange family who exposes them to the horrors that lie beyond the tree line.
+ A Mother’s Love dir. Lisa Ovies
A young girl deals with the consequences of trusting someone online.
Friday November 22nd 7:00 pm – Creepy Bits(anthology horror series)
Creepy Bits is a short horror anthology series that explores pandemic age themes of isolation, paranoia and distrust of authority, serving them up in bite-sized chunks. Directed by Adrian Bobb, Ashlea Wessel, David J. Fernandes, Sid Zanforlin and Kelly Paoli.
9:30 – Pins and Needles (81 min) dir. James Villeneuve Horror / Thriller
Follows Max, a diabetic, biology grad student who is entrapped in a devilish new-age wellness experiment and must escape a lethal game of cat and mouse to avoid becoming the next test subject to extend the lives of the rich and privileged.
w/ short: Adjoining (11:42) dirs. Harrison Houde, Dakota Daulby
A couple’s motel stay takes a chilling turn when they discover they’re being observed, leading to unexpected consequences.
Saturday November 23rd 4pm – EmergingScreams (94 mins)
Apnea (14:58) dir. David Matheson
A single, working mother finds her career and her offbeat son’s safety in jeopardy when she discovers that her late mother is possessing her in her sleep.
Nereid (7:48) dir. Lori Zozzolotto
A mysterious woman escapes from an abusive relationship with earth shattering results.
BedLamer (15:00) dir. Alexa Jane Jerrett
On the shores of a small fishing village lives a lonely settlement of men – capturing and domesticating otherworldly creatures that were never meant to be tamed.
Blocked (6:30) dir. Aisha Alfa
A new mom is literally consumed with the futility of cleaning up after her kid.
Dance of the Faery (10:23) dir. Kaela Brianna Egert
A young woman cleans up her estranged, great aunt’s home after her death. Upon inspection, she soon realizes that her eccentric obsession with fairies was not born out of love, but of fear.
Deep End (7:36) dir. Juan Pablo Saenz
A gay couple’s heated argument during a hike spiral into a nightmare when one of them vanishes, leading the other to a mysterious cave that could reveal the chilling truth.
Ojichaag – Spirit Within (11:21) dir. Rachel Beaulieu
An emotionally devastated woman seeks comfort in her choice to end her life. As she faces death in the form of a spirit, she must decide to let herself go to fight to stay alive.
Lure (9.56) dir. Jacob Phair
A tormented father awaits the return of the man who saved his son’s life.
Let Me In (10:00) dirs. Joel Buxton, Charles Smith
A reluctant man interviews an unusual immigration candidate: himself from a doomed dimension
7:00 pm –The Silent Planet (95 mins) dir. Jeffrey St. Jules Sci-fi
An aging convict serving out a life sentence alone on a distant planet is forced to confront his past when a new prisoner shows up and pushes him to remember his life on earth
w/ short: Ascension (3:57) dir. Kenzie Yango
Deep in a remote forest, two friends, Mia and Riley, embark on a leisurely hike. As tensions run high between the two, a strange humming noise appears that seems to be coming from somewhere in the woods.
A plumber and his germophobic son are forced to get their hands dirty to save the residents of an apartment building, when a genetically engineered, blood-thirsty creature escapes into the plumbing system.
w/ short: Oh…Canada (6:20) dir. Vincenzo Nappi
Oh, Canada. Such a wonderful place to live – WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. A musical look into the artifice surrounding Canadian identity.
Sometimes, you just have to return to the classics.
That’s especially true as Halloween approaches. While you queue up your spooky movie marathon, here are 10 iconic horror movies from the past 70 years for inspiration, and what AP writers had to say about them when they were first released.
We resurrected excerpts from these reviews, edited for clarity, from the dead — did they stand the test of time?
“Rear Window” (1954)
“Rear Window” is a wonderful trick pulled off by Alfred Hitchcock. He breaks his hero’s leg, sets him up at an apartment window where he can observe, among other things, a murder across the court. The panorama of other people’s lives is laid out before you, as seen through the eyes of a Peeping Tom.
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and others make it good fun.
— Bob Thomas
“Halloween” (1978)
At 19, Jamie Lee Curtis is starring in a creepy little thriller film called “Halloween.”
Until now, Jamie’s main achievement has been as a regular on the “Operation Petticoat” TV series. Jamie is much prouder of “Halloween,” though it is obviously an exploitation picture aimed at the thrill market.
The idea for “Halloween” sprang from independent producer-distributor Irwin Yablans, who wanted a terror-tale involving a babysitter. John Carpenter and Debra Hill fashioned a script about a madman who kills his sister, escapes from an asylum and returns to his hometown intending to murder his sister’s friends.
— Bob Thomas
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
“The Silence of the Lambs” moves from one nail-biting sequence to another. Jonathan Demme spares the audience nothing, including closeups of skinned corpses. The squeamish had best stay home and watch “The Cosby Show.”
Ted Tally adapted the Thomas Harris novel with great skill, and Demme twists the suspense almost to the breaking point. The climactic confrontation between Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) is carried a tad too far, though it is undeniably exciting with well-edited sequences.
Such a tale as “The Silence of the Lambs” requires accomplished actors to pull it off. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are highly qualified. She provides steely intelligence, with enough vulnerability to sustain the suspense. He delivers a classic portrayal of pure, brilliant evil.
— Bob Thomas
“Scream” (1996)
In this smart, witty homage to the genre, students at a suburban California high school are being killed in the same gruesome fashion as the victims in the slasher films they know by heart.
If it sounds like the script of every other horror movie to come and go at the local movie theater, it’s not.
By turns terrifying and funny, “Scream” — written by newcomer David Williamson — is as taut as a thriller, intelligent without being self-congratulatory, and generous in its references to Wes Craven’s competitors in gore.
— Ned Kilkelly
“The Blair Witch Project” (1999)
Imaginative, intense and stunning are a few words that come to mind with “The Blair Witch Project.”
“Blair Witch” is the supposed footage found after three student filmmakers disappear in the woods of western Maryland while shooting a documentary about a legendary witch.
The filmmakers want us to believe the footage is real, the story is real, that three young people died and we are witnessing the final days of their lives. It isn’t. It’s all fiction.
But Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick, who co-wrote and co-directed the film, take us to the edge of belief, squirming in our seats the whole way. It’s an ambitious and well-executed concept.
— Christy Lemire
“Saw” (2004)
The fright flick “Saw” is consistent, if nothing else.
This serial-killer tale is inanely plotted, badly written, poorly acted, coarsely directed, hideously photographed and clumsily edited, all these ingredients leading to a yawner of a surprise ending. To top it off, the music’s bad, too.
You could forgive all (well, not all, or even, fractionally, much) of the movie’s flaws if there were any chills or scares to this sordid little horror affair.
But “Saw” director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, who developed the story together, have come up with nothing more than an exercise in unpleasantry and ugliness.
— David Germain
Germain gave “Saw” one star out of four.
“Paranormal Activity” (2009)
The no-budget ghost story “Paranormal Activity” arrives 10 years after “The Blair Witch Project,” and the two horror movies share more than a clever construct and shaky, handheld camerawork.
The entire film takes place at the couple’s cookie-cutter dwelling, its layout and furnishings indistinguishable from just about any other readymade home constructed in the past 20 years. Its ordinariness makes the eerie, nocturnal activities all the more terrifying, as does the anonymity of the actors adequately playing the leads.
The thinness of the premise is laid bare toward the end, but not enough to erase the horror of those silent, nighttime images seen through Micah’s bedroom camera. “Paranormal Activity” owns a raw, primal potency, proving again that, to the mind, suggestion has as much power as a sledgehammer to the skull.
— Glenn Whipp
Whipp gave “Paranormal Activity” three stars out of four.
“The Conjuring” (2013)
As sympathetic, methodical ghostbusters Lorraine and Ed Warren, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson make the old-fashioned haunted-house horror film “The Conjuring” something more than your average fright fest.
“The Conjuring,” which boasts incredulously of being their most fearsome, previously unknown case, is built very in the ’70s-style mold of “Amityville” and, if one is kind, “The Exorcist.” The film opens with a majestic, foreboding title card that announces its aspirations to such a lineage.
But as effectively crafted as “The Conjuring” is, it’s lacking the raw, haunting power of the models it falls shy of. “The Exorcist” is a high standard, though; “The Conjuring” is an unusually sturdy piece of haunted-house genre filmmaking.
— Jake Coyle
Coyle gave “The Conjuring” two and half stars out of four.
Fifty years after Sidney Poitier upended the latent racial prejudices of his white date’s liberal family in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” writer-director Jordan Peele has crafted a similar confrontation with altogether more combustible results in “Get Out.”
In Peele’s directorial debut, the former “Key and Peele” star has — as he often did on that satirical sketch series — turned inside out even supposedly progressive assumptions about race. But Peele has largely left comedy behind in a more chilling portrait of the racism that lurks beneath smiling white faces and defensive, paper-thin protestations like, “But I voted for Obama!” and “Isn’t Tiger Woods amazing?”
It’s long been a lamentable joke that in horror films — never the most inclusive of genres — the Black dude is always the first to go. In this way, “Get Out” is radical and refreshing in its perspective.
In Ari Aster’s intensely nightmarish feature-film debut “Hereditary,” when Annie (Toni Collette), an artist and mother of two teenagers, sneaks out to a grief-support group following the death of her mother, she lies to her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) that she’s “going to the movies.”
A night out with “Hereditary” is many things, but you won’t confuse it for an evening of healing and therapy. It’s more like the opposite.
Aster’s film, relentlessly unsettling and pitilessly gripping, has carried with it an ominous air of danger and dread: a movie so horrifying and good that you have to see it, even if you shouldn’t want to, even if you might never sleep peacefully again.
