​‘Touch Me:’ sticky, splattery enjoyable

Cinema | March twenty fifth, 2026

By Sabrina Hornung

JD Provorse is a horror film fanatic and Fargo-based podcast host. Both he and cohost Michelle Roller have a comedy background and began the wildly entertaining podcast “We Watch Shudder” in 2022 as an outlet to debate new unique and unique releases from Shudder. If you’re not accustomed to Shudder, it’s primarily the Netflix of the horror style.

In 2024 their ardour for slashin’ jumped off the podcast waves and into the Fargo Theatre. This ultimately led to final summer time’s Darkest Day of Horror movie pageant, fascinating indie horror followers of all genres.

On Saturday, March 28, they’re heading again to the Fargo Theatre and partnering with Yellow Veil Pictures for a one night time screening of the erotic sci-fi horror comedy movie “Touch Me.” We had the chance to speak with JD concerning the movie, the indie horror neighborhood, cringe millennial anxiousness and…tentacles?

HPR: I think about the indie horror film neighborhood is a fairly tight knit group?

JD: Yeah, particularly proper now. Obviously the web makes every little thing smaller, nevertheless it’s a spot, proper now, the place a variety of the filmmakers are very accessible. To me, it feels virtually like an extension of the conference tradition, simply right into a extra far reaching kind of state of affairs. Folks are very open to listening to from followers and interacting with followers. There are a number of small unbiased filmmakers that I simply chat with frequently — like, we’re buds now. And it is fairly superior.

In a variety of methods, it is like indie rock and roll in the concept it hits you and it looks like such a giant factor. For me, at the least, these individuals are simply as large as, like, some some big celeb, proper? Because what’s essential to me is what they’ve made and the way it impacted me,

To be capable to get to fulfill them — and never simply meet them, however to have the ability to ultimately develop relationships the place I really feel snug calling them associates — it is fairly unimaginable and overwhelming at occasions. But for them, it is only a reminder that the work that they are doing issues; and never simply issues, however there’s an viewers for it, and other people like it and so they need folks to need them to maintain doing what they do. Right?

But these are additionally individuals who have mentioned it is extra essential to us that we make the artwork that we wish to make than it’s to be an enormous, celebrated success. And I feel there is a center floor yow will discover there, the place you already know you may have very vital success, to the purpose the place that is all it’s worthwhile to do to outlive, is that you simply get to make your artwork. So it is sort of a mutual respect. And once more, the web makes every little thing so accessible,

HPR: In studying the outline for ‘Touch Me,’ the primary characters have been described as ‘cringe millennials,’ and in watching the movie trailer, it appeared like one of many movie’s largest underlying themes was anxiousness. Do you suppose anxiousness is a giant issue within the millennial expertise?

JD: I might say for positive. There is an entire new world that is opened up due to an consciousness and extra deal with psychological wellness. At 46 years outdated, I used to be simply identified with ADHD. I’m sufficiently old to recollect a time within the 80s, the place you began listening to about younger youngsters getting these diagnoses and adults nonetheless simply not taking any of it critically — “Oh, they’re just kids. They’re rambunctious. They just need discipline.”

There’s a totally totally different mindset round that now. For artists, what that has now opened up is an entire new wave of themes and concepts which you could carry into horror motion pictures that operate now as a result of your viewers has extra of an consciousness of it. So that’s clearly higher for everyone.

As all of us ought to know at this level, to not repress these issues, to channel them indirectly or one other…and a few people are ready to do this in a artistic style and make issues that symbolize this. For people who aren’t essentially of that artistic mindset, it at the least provides us some place that we will gravitate to and say, “Yes, this is my experience. This is what it’s like for me.” And it is simply…it’s extremely unifying.

But additionally, once more, for horror stuff, it simply opens up new avenues to have the ability to scare folks. It makes you conscious of choices and new ways in which you are able to do issues. And it has been fairly nice.

HPR: I suppose a part of what attracts us to horror motion pictures is they permit us to arrange a mirror to society that performs off our fears and performs on our anxieties.

JD: Definitely, it has that ingredient. Some of us have had traumatic experiences or simply have a sure relationship with concern. For a variety of us, it is about confronting that, proper? It’s about discovering a approach to have the ability to to consider and tackle these issues in a approach that it, weirdly sufficient, feels secure — though psychologically, it could possibly be rattling.

But, you already know, I’m not gonna lie, for horror followers —for many of us — there’s additionally a certain quantity of simply morbid curiosity, proper? There is a certain quantity of, “Yeah, I like when my horror has themes and ideas and resumes, but there’s a part of me that just likes watching somebody’s head explode, and I don’t know how else to explain that.” I perceive that it isn’t all people; however sure, it’s that too. But like I mentioned, when you’ll be able to layer that different emotional and thought upsetting stuff on prime of it, then you may have the very best of each worlds, proper?

HPR: So in studying up on ‘Touch Me,’ it’s described as a stay motion hentai. For clarification, hentai is a racy Japanese style of anime/manga.

JD: I’m positive, as you’ll be able to inform from the poster — I do know it reveals up within the trailers — there are tentacles. That’s the touchstone phrase for me on this film — tentacles.

It’s been a smash on the pageant circuit. It premiered at Sundance final 12 months. The web site referred to as “The Daily Dead” referred to it because the “horniest movie at Sundance.” They’re not flawed. It’s an erotic science fiction horror comedy. It’s very sexual. We’re not letting anybody underneath 18 come to see the film. It’s not pornographic by any means, nevertheless it’s up there. It’s sticky and it is splattery, and there is tentacles and it is an actual good time.

Michelle and I discuss with it on the present as a “purple movie.” And there’s a variety of context with motion pictures like this. You may even see from the poster…for no matter motive, motion pictures in horror proper now, over the past a number of years, in the event that they’re actually sort of, “tentacle-y” or if there’s just a little little bit of a sexual theme happening, there’s all the time this theme of purple of their paintings and of their lighting and every little thing. So we referred to as them “purple movies.”

HPR: What else ought to we learn about ‘Touch Me?’ Or fairly what do you discover most fascinating about it?

JD: It premieres in New York the night time earlier than we present it right here. I suppose what I’m actually pleased about is; that is the sort of film that can play considerably. It performed Sundance, it performed SXSW, Brooklyn International. It performed Fantasia, which is without doubt one of the greatest worldwide style movie festivals on this planet. So it is hitting all of those large pageant stops, and it is getting all this buzz, however frankly, it is the sort of factor that in all probability would by no means make it this manner if it wasn’t for our relationship with Yellow Veil.

I do consider there’s nonetheless worth in with the ability to see a film theatrically. And in order that, to me, is the largest factor about what we’re doing and what we’re making an attempt to get rolling right here is simply with the ability to make Fargo a spot the place from time to time one thing like this will occur right here. We can carry it right here and probably have extra of a presence and be generally known as a spot the place unbiased movies can come and get some discover.

HPR: Definitely. There is a extremely nice movie neighborhood in Fargo.

JD: There is, very a lot. So we’re screening only a couple weeks after the Fargo Film Festival, which is all the time a giant deal. We did our personal in the future factor, the Darkest Day Film Festival final summer time. That was an actual success. We’re not doing it in the summertime this 12 months, we’ll carry that again in October. More info on that’s arising.

IF YOU GO:

WWS Presents: “Touch Me”

Saturday, March 28, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Fargo Theatre, 314 N. Broadway, Fargo