RAVE

RAVE

Directed by Jimmy Gruss, Riley McMahon

A masked DJ slices and dices his way through an afterparty in the Hollywood Hills.

Director Statement

“Rave” was born from our obsession with presenting slasher cinema the way we’ve always wanted to see it.

We wanted the film to feel modern and sleek while still paying homage to the cinematic language of the iconic slashers that shaped us.

The confines of the slasher subgenre are what first drew us in. It’s a rich sandbox to play in, full of opportunities to both honor and subvert audience expectations. Over the years, certain tropes have become part of the genre’s DNA and audiences anticipate seeing them play out. For us, it was a blast to lean into these tropes while injecting our own comedic style.

When we first conceptualized “Rave,” we knew the music had to be a pivotal element, as our antagonist is a bloodthirsty DJ. We worked closely with our composer throughout production to craft a score that feels as though it were conjured by LZR FACE himself—something hypnotic, pulsing, and slightly unhinged.

Another cornerstone of slasher cinema is gore, and we wanted to execute this aspect of the film in a bold, unforgettable way. While still maintaining a playful tone, we set out to deliver crowd-pleasing, gruesome kills that function as visceral set pieces within the film.

“Rave” was created as a proof-of-concept short with bigger aspirations of expanding it into a feature film that we have already written the screenplay for. We truly believe we have the next great slasher villain in our hands with DJ LZR FACE, and we cannot wait to unleash “Rave” to the world!

Director Biography

Twenty-four year old filmmakers Jimmy Gruss & Riley McMahon hail from small town Indiana. Their undying love for the silver screen has inspired them to carve out their own lane in cinema history. Tally Mark Productions was established by Gruss and childhood best friend McMahon. The two deeply believe in the power of motion pictures and plan on telling riveting stories for a long time to come.

Plays in

Into the Unknown: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Shorts