How Mike Diva turned a mascot into a monster

What was the initial brief? What did you have to work with?

Gushers and Imagine Entertainment basically said they wanted a horror short based on the old Fruit Head commercials. I was like, “say less.” 

I came up with the idea, and writers Ian Reichenthal and Matt Sorrell helped me flesh it out. It was pretty batshit, so I assumed there was no way they’d actually let us make it. Then they were like, “yeah, let’s do that.” 

I was genuinely shocked they were so down to get weird.

Was it key to be involved from the scripting stage? What was the balance in working with the brand?

It was crucial for me to be involved from the start because the tone is everything here. I wanted it to ride that line between spooky and messed up, but still funny - like a self-serious horror short about a very dumb thing. 

I kept waiting for someone to shut it down, but nobody did.

Gushers was genuinely awesome to work with. Everyone was hyped to make something cool and surprising instead of playing it safe.

The spot pays bizarre tribute to the brand’s genuine advertising past. Was there any resistance to that? Did the spots freak you out as a youngster?

Those Fruit Head commercials are absolutely going to flash before my eyes when I die. That’s a guarantee. I took some liberties mixing those old ads into my short, and I kept waiting for someone to shut it down, but nobody did. It was almost eerie how supportive they were. 

I felt like any second another shoe would drop and someone would tell me to stop.

In terms of filmmaking, were there certain horror tropes you were keen to explore? What were your cinematic touchpoints?

I wanted to hit a slightly elevated horror tone - something with A24 energy, but for candy. Something that takes itself so seriously that it becomes funny. 

The joke is that this is a dramatic, kind of artsy horror short about Gushers. That contrast was the north star.

The film balances the comedic premise with genuine horror. How did you find the right level for each?

Finding that balance is always tricky. I wanted it to feel like one big absurd goof that everyone is taking way too seriously. That was the sweet spot. 

I wanted to hit a slightly elevated horror tone - something with A24 energy, but for candy.

I definitely obsessed over the horror side enough that the comedy could sneak in through the back door.

At what stage did Bradley Whitford get involved? What was the importance of getting an actor of his calibre?

Bradley came in and saved the day at the final hour. The funny thing is, I kind of manifested him. I was literally talking with a writer about how much I love his work - especially that moment in Cabin in the Woods where he yells, “Tequila is my lady.” It’s genuinely one of my favourite movie moments ever. Then the very next day, I heard he was interested in doing our silly horror short. I lost my mind. 

We needed a serious, recognisable actor to ground the tone, but I never thought we’d get someone that legendary and that game to have fun.

Creating a new horror icon is no mean feat – what was the process for getting the design and prosthetics right for the piece?

The look of the Fruit Heads and Jacob’s bag was huge for me. We had almost no time for exploration, and the artists at Empress FX had to build everything fast. I obsessed over references and ended up smashing together a bunch of Midjourney ideas in Photoshop until it finally clicked. 

Empress didn’t even have face casts for the actors, so they basically had to guess the proportions and hope they fit. They absolutely nailed it.

How was the shoot? Were there any unexpected issues?

The shoot was a sprint. We only had two days to pull off everything, which is pretty wild for a project with this much going on. I’m used to working fast, but this one definitely tested my cardio. Even with the pace, the vibe on set was great. 

What made this one a little more stressful is that the idea is mine. If it lands or if it flops, that’s on me.

The team was locked in, and everyone showed up ready to make something weird and fun.

The film feels like it could almost sit with the parodies you’ve created for SNL. Did it feel like shooting a sketch, or was the approach different because of brand involvement?

SNL is pretty fun and exhilarating, but I don’t have the same level of creative control that I had on this. In some ways, the process felt similar because you always have partners you need to keep happy, whether that’s the client or the writers. 

What made this one a little more stressful is that the idea is mine. If it lands or if it flops, that’s on me. That extra ownership definitely cranked the pressure, but it also made the whole thing more exciting to pull off.