Director: Spider One
Writer: Spider One
Stars: Brandon Scott, Krsy Fox, Torio Van Grol
Synopsis: Successful horror screenwriter Adam struggles for inspiration until a terrifying nightmare about a masked killer sparks an idea for his new script. As he delves deeper into the story, the line between reality and fiction begins to blur.
Being a writer has its pros and cons, just like every other profession. You can be on a hot streak for a month or two, and then suddenly find yourself in a minor state of depression. The protagonist in the new horror‑comedy Big Baby goes through the highs and the lowest of lows as a professional writer named Adam Lewis (Brandon Scott). Adam is fresh off the release of a film he wrote, but the reviews are less than favorable. His girlfriend Kate (Krsy Fox) does everything she can to be supportive, but he continues to stress himself out and put himself down.
One night, after a lot of drinks, he begins having dreams about a man wearing a baby mask and a onesie, clutching an axe in his hands. Adam finds himself crying out to the hulking figure in his dream. The figure enters the couple’s bedroom and strikes Kate in the chest. Adam wakes up in a panic—terrified, yet excited to piece together what in the world he just dreamed about. He treats Big Baby as a new muse, but the more he dreams about him, the more he feels like those dreams are coming true.
The madman behind this flick is Spider One. To most people, he’s the former lead singer of the rock band Powerman 5000, but he’s also Rob Zombie’s younger brother. I had no idea they were related until the Q&A after the screening. The plot of this movie came entirely from Spider One’s mind. In a 2025 interview, Spider said he “wanted to make this a full movie after it was featured as a fake movie showing on a TV screen in his 2022 feature film Allegoria.” His script does a great job weaving between Adam’s dreams, his writing process, and what’s happening in reality. It’s always clear when Adam is dreaming about Big Baby, when he’s writing, and when real events are unfolding.
A meta aspect of the movie that I found hilarious was Adam listening to a podcast trash his new film. Soon after, he approaches the hosts in a coffee shop and lets them have it. Jordan Elsass and Radek Lord’s portrayal of the horror podcasters had me analyzing how I talk about media on podcasts and whether I can be as annoying as they are.
This is an independent film, and you can feel the tight-knit connection between its crew members. Krsy Fox wears a lot of hats (actor, editor, producer, co-writer). As Kate, she doesn’t play the typical girlfriend role—she uses her brain, thinks for herself, and doesn’t just accept Adam’s “everything is ok.” The chemistry between her and Brandon Scott is relatable, and their banter is charming. Her editing style is heavily inspired by Edgar Wright films and her past collaborations with Spider One, featuring lots of zooms and whip pans.
The supporting cast ranges from Adam and Kate’s hilarious and supportive friends James (Tori Van Grol) and Patrice (Kate Freund) to cameos from David Howard Thornton, Tracie Thoms, and Chaz Bono. Yes, you read that right—Sonny and Cher’s son. He delivers a hilarious performance as one of Big Baby’s victims in Adam’s script.
Spider One’s film career is quite different from his brother’s. He has directed several indie films and tends to work consistently with the same people on his sets. This has allowed him to make movies for the love of the art. He’s not trying to conquer major studios, and I really respect that. Big Baby was the opening screening at Panic Fest, and its meta elements resonated with me and many other audience members. Starting the festival with a film this strong gave me high hopes for the rest of the lineup.
