Mother Of Flies Interview: “We Rely On Each Other’s Strengths.”

At Fantastic Fest Mother Of Flies writers, directors, and stars John Adams and Toby Poser discuss the personal inspirtaion and filming challenges.

Writer, director, and cast members John Adams and Toby Poser sat down to discuss their latest film, Mother of Flies with Mama’s Geeky during Fantastic Fest 2025. The movie explores themes of love, family, and death through the lens of a family dealing with cancer. The filmmaking duo shared the personal and creative inspirations behind their work.

The Personal Inspiration Behind Mother Of Flies

Mama’s Geeky: Can you talk about the inspiration behind this film?

Toby Poser: The inspiration is to celebrate the love of life, the love of family, but also to recognize the love of death, especially if you may not be religious. Accepting that death is as beautiful as life was. That’s a really important concept, so it’s set up in a family that’s struggling with cancer, so those issues can be talked about by the characters.

John Adams: Toby and I both have cancer. So, this movie is about us literally exercising demons, making them run in front of people so that we can open up a conversation with people like you who have their own thoughts, and we can all join this conversation. That whole conversation about suicide was a real conversation because I used the idea of suicide as a button of power that I could have over something I didn’t have any control over. It was a button that I needed to say, “If this is too crazy, I hit the button.” And then, because it’s such a dark subject, I made it entertaining for my brain.

The Fantastic Fest Experience

Mama’s Geeky: What would you guys say is about Fantastic Fest that makes this the perfect place to play Mother of Flies?

John Adams: The audience here is incredibly smart, and they’re incredibly fun. It’s like a seesaw, and they know how to ride each side of that seesaw of fun and wicked darkness.

Toby Poser: It’s different from any other fest we go to, and we go to a lot. It doesn’t judge because it’s just very all-encompassing. It just loves movies. Just stepping in here, you can’t help but feel like you’re in a place that respects and loves film.

The Challenges Of Making A Film With A Small Crew

Mama’s Geeky: You both direct, write, and star in Mother Of Flies. I feel like I would be being pulled in a million different directions, and you guys obviously seem to have it down. What are the biggest challenges of doing that?

Toby Poser: I actually find it a convenience. When you’re wearing every hat, you know it’s going to get done. We just rely on each other’s strengths. Nature does a lot of the heavy lifting because we live in the woods. We shoot with natural light; we just use what we’ve got. I think we enjoy all the hats.

John Adams: It’s just really fun. Now we have our modus operandi, and we just kind of walk together. It’s really a joy.

Toby Poser: Our biggest challenge is the sun. We like flat light, so we have this motto: “We’re just waiting on a cloud.”

Mama’s Geeky: Is there one scene in particular in Mother Of Flies that you were like, “ooh, I can’t wait until we film that scene?”

Toby Poser: For me, “Death’s Vagina” was fun. We had to film it a lot because it was really hard. It was worth it. The snake scene coming into my mouth, I was terrified of because I’m not one of those people who’s like, “I’m just going to pick up this snake.” I have a healthy kind of fear of them, but I was like, when it comes to making art, you just do it.

John Adams: Toby had big stones that day. Our snake wrangler, who is my cousin, told me, “Don’t move your tongue. He’ll think it’s a mouse.”

The Appeal of the Horror Genre

Mama’s Geeky: What do you think it is about the horror genre that people just really love and can relate to?

Toby Poser: I think it’s that we all realize that we can talk about things and disguise it in metaphors. A drama has to be about the subject, so immediately it becomes divisive or polarizing. But in horror, everything is disguised in blood and thrills. It’s a very open-hearted, open-minded community that likes having these conversations.

John Adams: I think people who love horror have a really healthy appreciation of the mysteries a lot of people are afraid to confront, especially death. I think horror people are like, “Let’s talk about it, but let’s squish it through this lens of supernatural and wickedness.” My favorite horror is actually not supernatural. It’s actually the really human stuff that we’ve just got to deal with. For me, that’s the scariest because it’s so authentic and true.

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