There’s something deeply satisfying about a horror movie that knows exactly what it is, knows what you think it is, and then completely shreds your expectations. “The Cycle,” the new Shudder film from director Jordan Downey, is one of those movies. And the less you know about where it’s headed, the better.
The film follows Meg (Deborah Ann Woll), a forensic investigator drawn into a disturbing mystery when the body of a man missing for 36 years turns up at the scene of a horrific crime. What begins as a grim detective story involving Meg and veteran detective Marks (Jeffrey Donovan) gradually becomes something considerably stranger and more horrific. It has shades of “Se7en,” “The Silence Of The Lambs,” “The Thing,” and even “The X-Files” in how its characters approach increasingly bizarre circumstances with deadly seriousness. But Downey has something else up his sleeve, and when the film finally shows its hand, it does so with impressive confidence, ingenuity, and gloriously disgusting practical effects.
It’s the kind of movie that reminds you why it’s worth digging through the seemingly endless low-budget horror offerings on streaming services. Every once in a while, you find something special.
Downey joins The Discourse Podcast this week to discuss the film’s unusual origins, his commitment to practical effects, the influences that shaped its distinctive tone, and where the story could go next. We also spoke separately with Woll and Donovan about the considerable leap of faith required to bring such an ambitious production to life.
One of the more impressive things about “The Cycle” is its patience. Downey spends much of the film establishing his characters and their investigation before unleashing the more outrageous elements. That restraint wasn’t always easy to maintain, especially after spending so much time watching the same footage in editing.
“I find myself getting impatient at times,” Downey admitted, explaining that familiarity with the material sometimes tempted him to cut scenes. But something interesting happened when he and his collaborators experimented with a shorter version.
“I think we had a version that was an hour and 30, and surprisingly, when we would show it to people, the feedback we were getting was like, you don’t need more of what’s coming at the end of the movie. That’s there, and we were happy with that. We want more character up front.”
Rather than simply adding more horror, Downey returned to shoot additional character material. It’s an unusual decision for a genre film with such elaborate surprises waiting in the wings, but one that pays off handsomely.
For Woll, much of her confidence in the project came from her earliest conversations with Downey. Beyond their shared affection for the genre, his willingness to collaborate and the sheer amount of preparation already put into production impressed her.
“He came with a 150-page, like, coffee-table-sized book of concept art and inspirational art that he and his co-writer and the DP, Kevin Stewart, had put together,” Woll recalled. “I was just impressed by their preparation and their vision. They had a really strong, unique vision.”
Woll also had specific ideas about Meg, whom she and Downey envisioned as a “macabre archivist.” Rather than playing another relentlessly serious investigator, she wanted someone whose unusual relationship with death hadn’t completely robbed her of a personality.
“I wanted a ton of personality,” she explained. “I said, I think, one, she should be a little funny, right? Both intentionally but also kind of unintentionally.”
Her research even included browsing university forensic anthropology departments, where she found plenty of eccentric personalities and fashion choices that informed Meg’s appearance and behavior.
“They all just had so much personality. And they were funny, and they were fun. And even though they dealt with death, they still had so much life about them.”
Donovan similarly credited Downey’s willingness to entertain small, seemingly insignificant character details that ultimately became important pieces of the larger story. For him, the challenge was making Marks more than another weary detective investigating another gruesome crime.
“Jordan created such specificity of his script throughout,” Donovan said, describing how they worked backward from key moments to establish details that felt earned. “We tried to figure out the math of, if this is what he uses in the end, then how does it begin?”
Of course, there’s another substantial reason horror fans should seek out “The Cycle”: the film’s extraordinary practical effects work.
For Downey, approaching this particular corner of the genre without practical effects was never really an option.
“It wouldn’t have even crossed my mind as an option,” he explained. “Because this is a celebration of a certain kind of movie.”
Rather than shy away from the genre’s most celebrated effects sequences, Downey and his team aimed directly for them.
“Let’s try to dethrone the great sequences of this genre if we can,” he recalled thinking. “We’ll aim for that, and if we fall a little short, then fine. Those are legendary people and sequences we’re talking about.”
The filmmaker enlisted effects artist Patrick McGee, whom he’d previously worked with on his “Stork” segment for “V/H/S/Beyond.” As luck would have it, McGee had apparently spent much of his career hoping to tackle precisely this kind of project.
For Woll, finally seeing the finished creations was a tremendous relief.
“It could have been really bad,” she laughed, acknowledging the risk of signing onto a production that depended so heavily on effects that didn’t yet exist. “It could have been a hand puppet. It could have been so many things.”
Thankfully, what arrived on set was considerably more impressive.
“It reminded me of every creature feature I’ve ever loved,” she said. “You could tell that Patrick McGee and Trevor and his team had put their heart and soul, blood, sweat, and tears, quite literally, into this piece.”
And while Downey is understandably reluctant to reveal too much about what “The Cycle” ultimately becomes, he’s already given some thought to where its mythology might go next.
“I think there’s a great prequel in the things that happened that led up to the events of this,” he teased. “I think there’s a great TV series that explores the life of Meg’s father in all of the things that he was going through in the 30 years that she didn’t know where he was.”
He’s also considered a sequel that would pick up Meg’s story years later, potentially finding her in a position similar to her father’s. Nothing is confirmed, but Downey certainly isn’t short on ideas.
And what if someone hands him the keys to an established horror franchise? He’s got a few candidates in mind, including “Doom” and “Dead Space.” But there’s one particularly furry, toothy property he’d love to resurrect.
“‘Critters’ is the thing that I think has so much potential, and I would love to get my hands on,” he said.
Elsewhere in our conversations, Woll discusses the challenge of giving Karen Page a satisfying sendoff in the upcoming third and final season of “Daredevil: Born Again.” After more than a decade playing the character, Woll is understandably invested in ensuring Karen’s story reaches a satisfying conclusion, even if that doesn’t necessarily mean closing the door on her forever.
“Look, they’re trying to wrap a ton up with this season and bring in a lot of new elements,” Woll explained. “And I think all of us are just trying to give each of these characters the sort of sendoff that they deserve, and whether they come back or not is not up to us.”
For Woll, the key is making sure the finale feels true to the character she’s spent so many years developing.
“We wanted to sort of say, like, hey, does this finale comment on the arc and the theme of who this person is? So, you know, I hope through the writing and through my work I’m able to do that. And we’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Donovan has a considerably shorter update regarding the possibility of returning for the recently revived “Sicario 3,” which will bring back Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro. Asked whether he’d received the call to reprise his role as Steve Forsing, the actor offered a simple response.
“I have not. Fingers crossed.”
“The Cycle” premieres on Shudder on October 23.
Watch our full conversation with Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan below, where the actors discuss their collaboration with Downey, character development, the film’s practical effects, and their respective Marvel and “Sicario” futures.
Listen to the full episode of “The Discourse” featuring Jordan Downey below, where we get further into the film’s influences, its carefully constructed slow burn, the extraordinary effects work, Stephen King’s endorsement, and Downey’s hopes for future projects.
The Discourse is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, Bingeworthy, and more. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening. Also, remember to subscribe to The Playlist Newsletter for more conversations, reviews, and film and TV coverage.
Mike DeAngelo is a film writer, podcaster, and entertainment journalist whose work has appeared in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, and beyond. He is the host of The Playlist’s podcasts The Discourse and Bingeworthy.
