Horror filmmaker Ryan Glover and his partner Krista Dzialoszynski thought getting their film onto Shudder was a dream come true.
The two are no strangers to collaborating on projects, having done so since 2005 at Humber College. While they didn’t work exclusively with one another until after they graduated, Dzialoszynski said they had worked together on projects at Humber in larger groups.
But through Humber, they found similar interests and shared similar visions for projects and felt collaboration was effortless.
Ryan Glover (left) and Krista Dzialoszynski (right) on set of their newest horror film “The Strings.” The film premiered on the horro-themed streaming service “Shudder” on Nov. 23, 2021. PHOTO CREDIT/KRISTA DZIALOSZYNSKI
“Ryan and I just became friends when we were in film school and then we just kind of continued that after the fact,” said Dzialoszynski, a director, co-writer and co-producer. “Now we’re partners, and we live together and we work on each other’s projects.”
In third year, Dzialoszynski wrote and directed one of Glover’s films where he was the cinematographer. Glover recalled the project as the first of many they would work on together.
The Strings, a horror-musical film written and directed by Glover and Dzialoszynski, follows a musician visiting a cabin in the dead of winter to work on new material. Shortly after she arrives, she finds herself under attack from a mysterious dark presence. The film was released on Shudder, a horror exclusive streaming service, on Nov. 23, 2021.
Eric Cator is the Program Coordinator for the Humber Film and Television Production program at Humber College. Cator has worked with Krista Dzialoszynski and Ryan Glover on numerous projects. PHOTO CREDIT/ERIC CATOR
Glover said the main location for the film is his family’s cottage on Prince Edward Island. He had not been there in the winter and was struck by the possibility the island’s off-season might present.
“I’d look at the beach and I’d look at the cottage and wonder, what it would be like in the middle of winter,” Glover said.
His love of horror influenced many set pieces in the film but promised not to get into it to avoid spoiling the whole film.
“I’m definitely influenced with films that I love, trying to find, hopefully an original way to pay homage to stuff like that,” Glover said.
Shudder prides itself on being “humanly-curated.” No algorithms go into the selection of films or shows recommended to each subscriber. Shudder had more than one million subscribers in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand as of September 2020.
Now, The Strings is one of the films on the service.
Ryan Glover looking through the viewfinder of his camera on the set of his film “The Strings.” A horror-musical that hit “Shudder” on Nov. 23, 2021. PHOTO CREDIT/KRISTA DZIALONSZYNSKI
“We’re really flattered and honoured to be on Shudder because it’s known to be meticulously curated and features amazing films from all over the world,” Glover said.
Eric Cator, program coordinator for Humber’s film and TV production program, said “it’s great to see them get it out there and have that success.”
Cator, who didn’t teach the couple but has worked with them since graduation, said each has specific visions for projects, but “they collaborate with each other incredibly well and tend to co-write their projects together.”
Their success shows current and future Humber film students the opportunities in the industry, from big blockbusters to small budget independents, he said.
“It’s just a really nice reminder to students that there are a lot of different paths out there,” Cator said.