Subverting Expectations: How Jordan Downey Blends Procedural Thriller with Horror in The Cycle

Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Maynard, and today we're talking with director Jordan Downey about his new movie, The Cycle, which is currently streaming on Shudder.

Before we jump into the episode, a quick heads-up: The Cycle is streaming right now on Shudder, and it works best if you go into it knowing as little as possible. If you haven't watched it yet, pause this episode, go put it on, and come back when the credits roll. We're going to dive into details you'll want to see for yourself first.

Ok your back; spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned…

On paper, it sounds like a classic procedural: forensic anthropologist Meg, played by Deborah Ann Woll, gets brought in to help investigate a gruesome double murder along the coast. But things get bizarre fast when they find a third body preserved at the scene, and it turns out to be her estranged father who went missing 36 years ago. Once Meg gets him on the autopsy table, she starts finding anatomy that shouldn't exist, peeling back a nightmare where her father was cursed as a werewolf. The catch here is that the curse doesn't just stop because the heart does.

Along with Woll, the film has a fantastic cast including Jeffrey Donovan, Gretchen Corbett, and Will Hochman. Downey manages to blend a cold, methodical crime investigation straight into a creature-feature horror without it feeling goofy, which is no easy trick.

If you enjoy the conversation today, do me a quick favor: subscribe to the podcast, leave us a rating or review wherever you're listening, and share the show with a friend who loves good genre cinema.

Now, let's get into my conversation with Jordan Downey.

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