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Principal photography has officially wrapped on Trüebadour, the upcoming sci-fi thriller starring Ryan Bergara, and an official first look at its star has been revealed.

From director Jennifer Zhang, Cbr has obtained an exclusive first look at Ryan Bergara as Mike, the bombastic CEO of the tech start-up at the center of Trüebadour’s premise. The photos showcase the star in a role completely different from what his fans are accustomed to.

Bergara, co-host of Watcher Entertainment’s Ghost Files, took to Instagram to celebrate the completion of filming (which occurred in April), telling his fans, “And just like that @truebadour_film is Wrapped. What an amazing experience with an amazing group of people.” Kevin Kreider, also appearing in Trüebadour, shared a similar sentiment and revealed “The last time I got this same exact butterfly feelings when I wrapped Bling in 2021.”

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ryan...

Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara (hosts of Watcher Entertainment's hit series Ghost Files) will guest star in next week's episode of The Rookie. Will the supernatural come with them?

Madej and Bergara will be bringing their paranormal investigation skills to The Rookie in Season 7, Episode 15, "A Deadly Secret." The episode airs on April 22, and its official synopsis reads: "Documentary filmmakers interview the LAPD on a complicated missing person's case connected to John." Fans were quick to pick up on an Easter egg in Season 7, Episode 13 of The Rookie, where, for a brief moment, two characters could be seen watching the Ghost Files episode ("The Trapped Spirits of a Haunted Escape Room").

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Watcher (@wearewatcher)

It will be the first appearance of the Ghoul Boys themselves on network television, but Bergara and Madej did previously appear in a Season 3 episode of S.W.A.T. as conspiracy theorists Eric and Ira.

In February 2025, it was revealed that Jennifer Zhang's sci-fi thriller, Trüebadour, was expected to begin filming in April. Ryan Bergara, who will star in the upcoming film, took to Instagram to give fans a positive status update.

Bergara confirmed via Instagram that production of the sci-fi thriller has officially begun. Bergara shared several behind-the-scenes photos, telling fans: "First days of Trüebadour in the can! Having a blast working with these folks and trying to take in and celebrate every small step of this journey! So here’s a lil bts while we continue the long road ahead!" Reflecting on his experience so far, he added, "And if I’m being embarrassingly honest… making a movie on the Universal lot, seeing The studio tour trams pass by, the same trams that I’ve sat in literally a hundred times, was surreal and genuinely a childhood dream fulfilled."

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When an AI fiction generator wreaks havoc on a tech startup after its implementation, the company must deal with the disastrous creations prompted by their own minds. Writer/director Jennifer Zhang explores the unnerving results in the upcoming sci-fi thriller, Trüebadour.

Per Deadline, Jamie Lee Curtis is the newest addition to the talented team behind Trüebadour, joining as an executive producer.The film stars Kevin Kreider and Ryan Bergara and is Bergara’s first leading role in a feature film. Additional cast members announced thus far include Gina Su, Matt Gottlieb, Tom Herrick, and Zhang herself.

Related'i Thought I Was Deserving': Angela Bassett Reflects On Disappointment Over Oscar Loss to Jamie Lee Curtis

Angela Bassett recalls when her on-screen reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis' winning the Oscar over her went viral.

Trüebadour is based on Autopilot, a sci-fi short film also written and directed by Zhang. With two feature films under her belt,...

Ryan Bergarahas found his next film role. According to Deadline, the popular internet personality has joined the cast of Trüebadour, an upcoming story about a company that introduces a device that creates stories with the use of artificial intelligence. Everything will change once the device doesn't act in the way that it's supposed to. Trüebadour will be directed by Jennifer Zhang, the filmmaker who previously worked on Charon. The themes the project will deal with appear to be very relevant to the current landscape of the entertainment industry.

Exclusive: Ryan Bergara and Kevin Kreider will star in Jennifer Zhang’s sci-fi thriller Trüebadour, set to begin shooting in April.

Jamie Lee Curtis has also come onboard as an executive producer.

The film marks the feature lead acting debut of Ryan Bergara, known for his new media network Watcher Entertainment and series like Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Files.

Kreider will also be joining the cast, which includes Gina Su, Matt Gottlieb and Tom Herrick.

Trüebadour is Zhang’s third feature and the story follows the disturbing implosion of a tech start up after an innovative AI “storytelling” device is introduced into the company.

Zhang’s previous works include Charon, which was shot on an iPhone 8 on a micro budget, and in isolation during the pandemic in 2020, as well as 2022 short film, Fetish.

NextShark Studios has boarded the production, with founder Benny Luo executive producing...

Exclusive: Jennifer Zhang, is set to direct sci-fi feature length anthology, Trüebadour. Also written by Zhang, the film stars Gina Su, and Daphne Qin Wu serves as cinematographer.

Based on the sci-fi short Autopilot, Trüebadour follows an enigmatic engineering prodigy who introduces the bombastic founder of a tech start-up to an innovative “storytelling” device that scans its wearer to generate an original work of fiction. No one at the company is prepared for the unsettling stories their minds inspire, nor the disturbing consequences of using the device.

“I’ve always had a voracious passion for science fiction but grew up enjoying it while seeing very few faces and perspectives like ours represented in it. Trüebadour is as much a serious contribution to the genre as it is a love letter to Asian American sci-fi fans,” said Zhang.

When college friends Courtney L. Branch and Noel Braham launched the Micheaux Film Festival five years ago, the event, designed to put a spotlight on diverse and underrepresented creators, was limited to just a one-day affair.

“Really, [we] just wanted to do it as a proof of concept to see if this is something that people wanted, that they needed,” Branch told The Hollywood Reporter. “And they have responded in droves.”

The now-weeklong festival, which wraps on Sunday, is a testament to how much it has grown and the variety of the projects involved. Key premieres included Scrap, a film starring Vivian Kerr and Anthony Rapp about a single houseless mother; The Good Egg about a woman grappling with infertility who gets entangled with a con artist; and the documentary Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia about the effects of gun violence in the city.

There is also a screening of Gran Turismo,...

Just because everything is now warm and sunny outside doesn’t mean that horror movies can’t find their place. Just look at Midsommar or Jaws. Both films are set in an idyllic location for summer travel, they boast bright and colorful summertime fun… with something sinister lurking just below the happy façade. This July, (between July 2 and the end of the month), Shudder will be the exclusive host for streaming the 2023 Etheria Film Festival on their platform. The festival highlights all the latest horror film creations from an entirely female director pool, including Zoey Martinson (Cupids), Jennifer Zhang (Charon), Meg Swertlow (Give Me an A), Alix Austin (Do Not Resuscitate), and many more.

The Etheria Film Festival, a showcase of new horror, science fiction, and fantasy films directed by women, turns 10 this year, and they’re celebrating accordingly. And Bloody Disgusting can exclusively unveil what’s in store for this year’s fest, along with a sneak peek trailer.

The annual festivities will kick off with a live event in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at the Screenland Armour Theater with filmmakers and special guests in person for an onstage Q and A followed by an official afterparty. If you’re not able to attend in person, don’t worry; Etheria reteams with Shudder this year, and the official festival lineup will stream exclusively on the streaming service from July 2 through July 31, 2023.

Horror actress and director Brinke Stevens will receive the 2023 Etheria Inspiration Award from special guest presenters in person at the event.

“These films are so good your eyes will melt out of your brain,...

Exclusive: Avatar Entertainment has taken foreign sales rights on Charon, Jennifer Zhang’s mobile-shot feature, and will be shopping the pic this week in Cannes.

Shot entirely on an iPhone8 during lockdown, Zhang wrote, produced, directed, and edited the film solo. The pic won Best Feature at the 2021 International Mobile Film Festival.

Charon follows a notorious hacker under house arrest whose boyfriend on the outside begins calling her with odd and dangerous requests. As his on-camera demands become increasingly dark and perverse, Charon’s existence hinges on her ability to unravel the mystery, all while trapped in her apartment.

Eric Radic co-stars in the film via Skype, and Marc Morisseau, who self-quarantined before shooting his role in the apartment, is also in the cast. Korean-American mixer/composer Diana Cha composed the score.

“Shooting in isolation for days and days, I noticed that what I was capturing was really uncomfortable, manic,...

Chicago – The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) of Chicago, and their international Selection Committee, has announced the winners of the Apuc “Funniest Stay-At-Home Short Film Competition. The competition took place over the last three months of the global quarantine, and attracted entries from the U.S. and the world.

The Top Five winners were Raymond Hui with 2020 A Year In Review, Saloni Nahar with Self Tapes, Michael Crowley with Family Social Distancing, Jennifer Zhang with Stay Inside Jennifer Zhang Song and Meiling Jin with Meiling-ual … the films are available to view below.

2020 A Year In Review By Filmmaker Raymond Hui

Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

The international Selection Committee included chair Patrick McDonald, Mark Schilling, Darcy Paquet, Shelly Kraicer, Aimeé Laberge, Cherrie Lau, Kathy Wu and Sophia Wong Boccio.

Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema – founded and curated by veteran film programmer Sophia Wong Boccio – is dedicated to highlighting films in different Asian...

Chicago – Asian American musician, model, actress, influencer, producer and entrepreneur Jennifer Zhang, based in Chicago, is making waves in the U.S. and global music scene with the premiere of her latest single and video, “Flying High.” The song is East meets West, with Chinese instruments and sounds blending with an energetic contemporary beat.

The video features Jennifer in two distinct settings… ancient traditional China, and the dream energy of modern day flight. The song dropped on January 5th, 2019, click here., and is available now on global music platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and Amazon Music. The accompanying music video will debut on Saturday, January 12th, 2019, available on Youtube by clicking here.

Jennifer Zhang in the Traditional China Scene in the ‘Flying High’ Video

Photo credit: JenniferZhang.com

Jennifer Zhang was born in Shanghai, and came to the U.S. when she attended Northwestern University near Chicago. She...

The Evil Inside (aka Dead Inside)

Stars: Hannah Ward, Matthew Mercer, Rayne Bidder, James Adam Lim, Jennifer Zhang, Tara Strand, Sage Howard, Shanda Lee Munson, Jimbo Barnett | Written by Jennifer Zhang | Directed by Pearry Teo

It’s been three years since I first discovered the work of Pearry Teo. Back in the early days of this very site I was sent a horror film to review called Necromentia and immediately fell in love with the Hellraiser-esque nightmare – so much so that at the time I approached Teo for an interview (which he duly gave) and named it in my Top 10 of the year. Since then I have eagerly awaited news on each and every one of his films… From Witchville to Dead Inside, possible sequels to Gene Generation and Necromentia and his current project, the epic-sounding The Return of Captain Nemo.

So imagine my surprise when I was asked if...

We’re back with the latest installment of our Indie Spotlight. Today’s feature includes a write-up and interview from Kristian Hanson’s visit to the Dead Inside premiere:

Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark Announced: The Asylum officially announced the third film in their Mega Shark series:

“The Asylum has officially greenlit production on Mega Shark Vs. Mecha Shark, a much anticipated third installment in the ‘Mega Shark’ franchise, following Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus in 2009 and Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus in 2010. When Mega Shark returns in this all-new feature film, the government releases the top-secret Mecha Shark to defeat the franchise’s popular monster in a fierce battle that threatens the planet.

‘The fan response to the Mega Shark franchise has been rabid,’ said The Asylum partner Paul Bales. ‘In addition to a very persuasive online petition, we found that Mega Shark has taken on a life of her own.

Yes, our lives revolve around Google. It's gone from Yahoo!'s chumpy little brother, to the biggest website in the world. It's so big that Google somehow went from a noun to a verb! The people behind this kind of success have got to have their heads on straight. Let's hope the eight Google engineers who joined forces to produce the upcoming horror film Dead Inside were some of the good Google workers, not the ones who just hang around by the candy machine and try to say something that sounds smart.

Written by Jennifer Zhang and directed by Pearry Teo, Dead Inside is a creepy film set at a party where bad things begin to happen after one character has a premonition of another's death. Zhang is also featured in the film along with stars Lala Hensley, Matthew Mercer, Rayne Bidder, James Adam Lim, Tara Strand and Sage Howard.

Dead Inside which sees one of my favourite directors Pearry Teo re-team with with his Necromentia cohort Chad Michael Ward, was originally announced back in March and since then I’ve been keeping a close eye on the films official Facebook page waiting for further updates.

It looks like the wait is over as now comes (via Facebook) a new poster and freaky trailer for the film, written and produced by Jennifer Zhang, which is reportedly a mix of western and eastern horror, blending elements of American teen horror such as Scream and Final Destination with Asian fright films along the lines of The Ring and Ju-On.

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends’ impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable… or something entirely more sinister.

 

Check out this cool new poster and trailer for director Pearry Teo's Dead Inside.  The film, written and produced by Jennifer Zhang blends elements of American teen slasher films in the vein of Scream and Final Destination with those from Asian horror films such as The Ring and The Grudge. If they are blending all of these movies together this should really be a good one! Lala Hensely, Matthew Mercer, Rayne Bidder, James Lim, Jennifer Zhang, Tara Strand, Sage Howard all star in the creepy and haunting story.  Be sure to visit and "Like" Dead Inside on Facebook.  There's another little treat for you below the trailer!

Plot:

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister.

If you missed director Pearry Teo's insane little flick, Necromentia then brothers and sisters you need to go and pick it up like yesterday. Just don't blame us if you don't have the stomach for it.

Below you'll find the first details of Teo's next film Dead Inside which is being written and produced by Jennifer Zhang. Lala Hensely, Matthew Mercer, Rayne Bidder, James Lim, Jennifer Zhang, Tara Strand, and Sage Howard star.

Look for much more on this one soon!

Synopsis

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister.

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Feel the dead in the comments section below!

Director Pearry Teo (Necromentia, Witchville, The Gene Generation) helms Dead Inside, a horror flick we're told will blend American teen slasher films like "Scream" and "Final Destination" with the atmosphere of Asian horror films like "The Ring" and "The Grudge".

Synopsis:

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister.

Dead Inside stars Lala Hensely, Matthew Mercer, Rayne Bidder, James Lim, Jennifer Zhang, Tara Strand, Sage Howard.

Check out the first teaser trailer for Dead Inside after the break.

Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.

Clicker for BiggerPearry Teo (Necromentia) is ready to sip champagne and live caviar dreams at Cannes, with his film Dead Inside. However, part of his experience will involve a dark haunt and a mentally disturbed teen, as the first teaser trailer suggests. Cannes 2011 begins May 11th and horror fans can check out the first clip for Dead Inside below, as character Sarah talks of making new friends and dark premonitions. Enjoy an early look inside (trailer hosted externally).

The synopsis for the Dead Inside is here:

"Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister" (Teo).

Release Date: 2011.

Director: Pearry Teo.

Writer: Jennifer Zhang.

Executive Producers: Paul Cychosz, Debby Chang, Derek Parham, Haruyoshi Sakai,...

Pearry Teo, director of The Gene Generation (review), Necromentia (review) and Syfy's Witchville will tackle Dead Inside which we're told will be a spine-tingling hybrid of Eastern and Western horror influences.

Directing from a script by Jennifer Zhang, Dead Inside is a mix of "teen slasher films in the vein of "Scream" and "Final Destination" with those from Asian horror films such as "The Ring" and "The Grudge"." According to 28Dla, Teo is scouting Victorian Era houses that can fulfill the required creep factor.

Synopsis:

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister.

No word on casting yet, but Dead Inside is being produced by Paul Cychosz, Debby Chang, Derek Parham, Haruyoshi Sakai,...

Director Pearry Teo (Necromentia) is currently scouting locations on an upcoming horror feature, titled Dead Inside. The Victorian Era houses, including attic, being explored signal that this film will have haunting elements of some kind. The synopsis also signals paranormal Esp will be included, as character Sarah foretells future, murderous events! Have a look at the early details on this film, from Dmn Films.

The synopsis for Dead Inside is here:

"Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends' impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable... or something entirely more sinister" (Dead).

Director: Pearry Teo.

Writter: Jennifer Zhang.

Executive Producers: Paul Cychosz, Debby Chang, Derek Parham, Haruyoshi Sakai, Tom Wilson, George Huang, Adam Zika, and Rex Chien.

*a blend of eastern and western horror influences.

Pearry Teo, the directorial genius behind one of the best horror films of 2009 and one of my personal favourites, Necromentia, is returning to the horror genre with his next film Dead Inside, which is written and produced by Jennifer Zhang.

Sarah, a mentally-disturbed teen, has a jarring premonition of her friends’ impending deaths one night at a sleepover. As her houseguests begin to turn murderously against each other, Sarah must determine whether her visions represent the preventable or the inevitable… or something entirely more sinister.

Dead Inside sees Teo re-team with with Chad Michael Ward on a film which is reportedly a mix of western and eastern horror, blending elements of American teen horror such as Scream and Final Destination with Asian fright films along the lines of The Ring and Ju-On. The film comes from Dmn Films, Compound(B) and TeoWard Productions.

For more information on Dead Inside check out the films Facebook page.