Bill Moseley and Sean Gunn Star in 'Cotton Eye Joe', an Action-Horror Slasher Heading to TIFF Sales
An action-horror film titled Cotton Eye Joe has started shooting in Illinois, with SC Films launching worldwide sales at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival market, according to Deadline.
The film stars Bill Moseley — a fixture of the horror genre whose credits include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and House of 1000 Corpses — and Sean Gunn, known for his roles in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films and the Gilmore Girls television series. They are joined by Cassidy Terracian, Brian Dole, Eloise Lola Gordan and Moses Jones Deadline.
Nick Merola wrote and directs, with Brandon Weavil co-writing. Weavil's most recent feature, Dolly, was recently acquired by the distributor IFC Deadline.
The plot follows four friends whose car breaks down on a deserted country road. They seek refuge on desolate farmland and awaken the brutal legend of Cotton Eye Joe, plunging them into a desperate game of cat and mouse with a relentless serial killer. The film reinvents American folklore popularised by the Rednex Euro-hit song of the same name — the 1995 dance track that topped charts across Europe — and is described as a fun-slasher with a violent, modern edge Deadline.
SC Films CEO Simon Crowe negotiated the deal with producers Casey McEnry and Colin Olsen. Crowe also serves as an executive producer alongside Fin Crowe Deadline.
The TIFF market — where distributors and sales agents trade rights to finished and in-progress films, often months before they reach cinemas — runs alongside the Toronto International Film Festival each September. SC Films had been offering Cotton Eye Joe to buyers since at least May, when its product page listed the project in pre-production, and its Cannes 2026 sales brochure described the film as based on the Rednex Swedish hit song SC Films International.
The broader SC Films live-action slate includes Fujiko and Breeder (both completed), Finding Mojo and Melati (both in post-production), Grow (currently on release), and The Ritual Room SC Films International.
For fans of the horror genre, the pairing of Moseley — whose career has been built on playing screen villains — with a concept that turns a kitsch Nineties dance anthem into a slasher premise gives the project an immediately distinctive hook. The title alone carries recognition far beyond the horror audience, which is the kind of asset sales agents highlight when pitching international buyers on a genre film's commercial reach.
Production is now under way in Illinois, with no release date yet announced.
