Panic Fest 2024: Jill “Sixx” Gevargizian on the sounds (and soundtrack) of her new film Ghost Game

Ghost Game.

This is part of our coverage of local horror/sci-fi’s biggest event of the year, Panic Fest 2024. For more from the fest, click here.

On Saturday, April 6, as part of the long-running and award-winning genre festival Panic Fest at Screenland Armour, filmmaker Jill Gevargizian—aka Jill Sixx—will debut her latest feature, Ghost Game.

“Participating in an internet challenge that requires breaking into homes and living undetected alongside the residents, a thrill-seeking couple target an infamous haunted house and endure a series of chilling incidents as they witness a family descending into madness,” she says.

Gevargizian’s film—from a script by novelist and screenwriter Adam Cesare (Clown in a Cornfield)—is claustrophobic—both physically and emotionally—and its descent into madness will have you unable to look away for even a single second.

Ghost Game is a gritty turn from the neon imagery of Gevargizian’s last movie—2020’s The Stylist—but all the hallmarks of the director’s work, such as nuanced examinations of personal relationships and a spiral downward, are here in full effect.

While the screening is sold out, we were struck by the fact that the film’s opening credits sequence features an audio montage of bands familiar to local music fans, as well as a late in the film sequence set to Season to Risk’s “The Shattering.” We reached out to director Gevargizian to get the inside scoop on how all these bands came to be part of Ghost Game and her relationship to music.

The Pitch: Where did you find the artists for the montage?

Gevargizian: It was a mix! Some of the artists are personal friends, like Mac Lethal, PyroMoth, and Bad Ash is our director of photography—Justin Brooks’ old band. The others came from me posting on social media that I was looking for music: Black Light Animals, The Creepy Jingles, Home is Midnight, and Chris Alexander.

The challenge was finding a good mix of genres that also felt like the characters would like. I wanted it to feel like the characters’ playlist as they go on a long drive on the way to a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere.

Are you the kind of director who uses playlists to set mood or tone on set?

I’m not. But I do create my old “director hype playlist” of songs that make me feel confident and ready to kick ass, which is mostly a lot of hip hop. Some of my favorites are “High Top Versace” by 2 Chainz, “Realer” by Megan Thee Stallion, and “Worst Behavior” by Drake.

Did Adam Cesare’s script offer up any hints as to where Ghost Game would go musically?

Yes! My first interpretation of the script was that it felt like a home-invasion thriller and a classic haunted house film colliding into each other. We approached the score—which was composed by Rafał Gościmiński—and we tried to directly reflect that feeling in the music.

How does music in your films affect how they come together visually?

It’s huge! It plays such a huge part, especially in horror. You’ve probably seen those trending reels on social media where they replace the music in a scene with something tonally totally different and see how much it changes how the scene feels.

What made you use “The Shattering” by Season to Risk in that one scene, other than the fact that whole album is intense and crazy and awesome?

I’ve known Steve Tulipana—one of the founding members of Season to Risk—for years. I’ve always admired him and all he’s accomplished. When I made my first film—The Stylist—he was incredibly supportive and allowed us to shoot a huge scene at his music venue recordBar. So, to be able to make him part of my second feature film means a lot to me on a very personal level. And I like to do everything I can to make my work as personally meaningful as possible.