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One of the big thrills of covering film festivals is meeting new talent and then watching them flourish over the years. Way back in 2013 I met someone for the first time at SXSW - Travis Stevens. I got to sit down with Stevens for a movie he produced called Cheap Thrills. At the time, he already had a number of producing credits on his resume and after that interview, he never slowed down, adding one daring horror film to the list after the next through his production company Snowfort Pictures. He's a prolific producer taking a chance on bold projects that I suspect might have a very tough time securing a green light without his support. But now it's his turn.

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Image via SXSW

Girl on the Third Floor marks Stevens' feature directorial debut. It stars Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) as Don Koch, a man who leaves his pregnant wife so he can spend some time sprucing up an old Victorian home for his growing family. Trouble is, their new home sweet home has a dark past, and it knows exactly how to lure Don towards that darkness.

With Girl on the Third Floor celebrating its premiere at SXSW, I got the chance to catch up with the whole group behind the film! Stevens, Brooks and co-stars  Elissa DowlingTrieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, and Travis Delgado all visited the Collider Studio to talk about their haunted shooting location, why Brooks opted to jump into his first leading role, filming a horror movie right next door to a church, and loads more. You can catch all of that and watch the group play a round of "Collider Random Questions" in the video interview at the top of this article. And, if you'd like, you can also find a handy breakdown of the conversation about the Queensbury Pictures production below.

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I’d also like to take a moment to give special thanks to our Collider Studio partner, A-List Communications. At the Supper Suite venue in Austin, libations were flowing courtesy of El Tesoro Tequila, Blue Moon Belgian White, and Hint Water. Without these fine folks, we wouldn’t be able to share conversations about movies like Girl on the Third Floor with all of you, so another big thank you to our partners for their support.

Travis Stevens, Elissa Dowling, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Phillip Jack Brooks, Sarah Brooks, Travis Delgado:

  • Stevens on amassing a prolific producing resume and then making the decision to finally direct a film himself.
  • Brooks on jumping into his first feature film; he's been offered movies before - what made this one different?
  • The ensemble shares the basics on their characters and what appealed to them about their roles.
  • The house they filmed in has a haunted history.
  • They shot a bloody horror movie and used the neighboring church for basecamp.
  • Dowling on the weight loss her role required.
  • Collider Random Questions begins! The group shares the show they'd most like to guest star on, the worst job they've ever had, and the movie they quote the most.
girl-on-the-third-floor-travis-stevens-elissa-dowling-trieste-kelly-dunn-cm-punk-sarah-brooks-travis-delgado-interview
Photo by // Photagonist.ca
 girl-on-the-third-floor-travis-stevens-elissa-dowling
Photo by // Photagonist.ca
girl-on-the-third-floor-travis-stevens-elissa-dowling-trieste-kelly-dunn-cm-punk-sarah-brooks-travis-delgado
Photo by // Photagonist.ca