Fantastic Fest 2026: Unpacking the Weird Fetishes and DIY Filmmaking of ‘Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole’

No Film School: Tell us a bit about how this project came about? What are the origins of Mr. Creamjeans?

Heath Benfield: It all began when I reunited with my old college buddy Josh Griffey to make a short film simply for fun. We were both knocking on the door of 40 and wanted to recapture the fun we had making inconsequential little movies in the dorms. It went so well we ended up making 9 more shorts that year (2023).

It got us asking ourselves: could we eventually make a feature? Shorts are achievable with full-time jobs and families, but a feature is a whole different animal. We decided an anthology was the only feasible way to do it, since it's mostly a collection of shorts. We had plenty of scripts in the bag, but the real challenge was finding a cohesive theme. Griffey's co-writer Jonathan Holliday noticed some of the stories were laced with a sleazy, sexual humor and jokingly suggested the wraparound storyteller should be named Mr. Creamjeans.

Griffey laughed it off, but I thought it was brilliantly hilarious. Once you commit to a name like that, there's no looking back. We leaned into it, and that's how you end up with a 30-foot rubber peen in your movie.

NFS: I saw that Mr. Creamjeans' Hidey Hole was at least partially funded by an Indiegogo campaign. Can you share some of your crowdsourcing strategy and how you found the experience?

HB: Yes, we successfully raised $33,000 on Indiegogo. That might not seem like much for a feature film, but trust me, it took a lot of work and planning. Additionally, our campaign was shadow-banned by the platform because the subject matter was apparently too taboo.

Therefore, the campaign never saw a lift from Indiegogo; it was our team working our personal connections every day for a month. But we had plenty to sell. Some awesome perks, a bunch of fun marketing content, and most importantly, a tangible proof-of-concept. We had already shot and edited a 20-minute segment paid for by ourselves. I believe that sample gave backers the confidence that we could go the rest of the way and finish the movie.

At this point, I'm sure I could write a book about all the lessons I learned from crowdfunding, but my best bit of advice is to engage the biggest team you can. We named our production company Misfit Parade because we are very inclusive with collaborators. If they feel ownership, they will help sell the movie too. We couldn't have done it without our big crew.

NFS: What camera did you use for the film? What was the shooting and editing workflow like?

HB: We shot on the Blackmagic Cinema 6K, which I loved for its open gate capabilities. That extra resolution saved my butt when reframing several shots in the edit. Since I'm lazy and set in my ways, I edited in Adobe Premiere instead of the camera's native NLE - DaVinci Resolve. I definitely regretted that decision when it came time for color. I love Premiere, but round-tripping back and forth just isn't worth it.

NFS: Feel like the tag of "Troma, but elevated" in the film's FF description is pretty spot on. What are some of your horror, and filmmaking in general, influences?

HB: It's so funny that Fantastic Fest described us as "Troma, but elevated," because that's exactly who we want to be. Not necessarily in style, but in spirit. Troma answers to no one and invites everyone who shares their sick sense of humor. We want the same for Misfit Parade.

Stylistically, we were shamelessly making Tales From the Crypt episodes. I've been rewatching the entire series now that it's streaming on Shudder. If you watch the season 5 episode 'Death of Some Salesman' starring the immortal Tim Curry, you can see exactly what we are trying to do in every segment of Mr. Creamjeans.

As for directing influences, I'm inspired by filmmakers who deliberately point the camera at the main storytelling idea moment to moment. It basically all comes from Hitchcock, in my opinion. Revealing story shot by shot.

NFS: What advice would you give any aspiring filmmakers looking to release their own horror films, or perhaps join their own film collectives like Misfit Parade?

HB: In a nutshell, do the following: Drop your ego, have fun, and go all in. Making feature films is overwhelming and you can't successfully do it on your own. Whatever success comes our way is because we have assembled a dedicated group of misfits who all bring their unique talents and perspectives to the effort. And we got there through practice and iteration.

We made 10 short, super cheap films in one year before we had the confidence to try our feature. And given the nature of shooting several anthology segments over 2 years, we were able to add great team members as we went.

Be patient, take it step by step, and make sure everyone is having a great time - because that shows up on screen.