There is something about the chilly fall days with its wind and rain that make it ideal for horror films even after Halloween. If you are a fan of horror movies and all things gory, the Dutch film Meet Jimmy is something for you!

Photo taken by Josh Tremper found on Flickr.com with license CC BY-ND 2.0

The story

Meet Jimmy took its inspiration from the high demand crime podcasts have nowadays.  Tim Koomen, a Dutch screenwriter based in Amsterdam, is a fervent luisteraar (fervent listener) of true crime podcasts and one day while walking through Vondelpark, the idea came to his head! He quickly called his friend David-Jan Bronsgeest and they began to work on the short film.

Meet Jimmy is the story of Jenifer, an avid true crime podcast listener. She is at the wasserette (laundromat) listening to the story about a seriemordenaar (serial killer) named Jimmy Two Fingers. The podcast begins with a warning that listening might lead you to meet Jimmy, but Jenifer listens anyways. As the podcast goes on, Jenifer starts suspecting that Jimmy is nearby. Could it be that she will meet Jimmy this night?

Film Festivals and Paramount

The short film Meet Jimmy was presented at the Dutch Imagine Film Festival in Amsterdam and was received very well. Shortly after, filmaatschappijen (film studios) in the US and Canada began calling Tim and David. Regisseurs (directors) such as Sam Raimi and Michael Bay called as well as Netflix and Paramount, among others. After hiring a lawyer in Canada and the U.S. and talking to their friend Nico van den Brink who had a similar experience a year before with his short film Sweet Tooth, Tim and David chose Paramount’s offer to take Meet Jimmy to the big screen. This will mean they can both write the movie script and direct the movie, een grote kans (a great opportunity) for Tim and David.

The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant interviewed Tim and David right after the deal with Paramount was signed. You can read and listen to the interview via this link. You can also watch a snippet of an interview with Tim and David for the show RTL Late Night below.

The industry

The horror film industry is quite successful. Since its big explosion in the 1970s with “The Exorcist”, film studios are out looking for the next big film. While big budgets are not necessary to make a great hit (like the “Blair Witch Project”), horror films with a good plot and the right amount of gory are a good return of investment.

Since the deal was signed, it seems that Paramount has made sure the short film disappeared from the internet. This is understandable. In order to make the movie a suspenseful horror film, people need to not know how it ends. There is a lot at stake for everyone.

It is a shame we cannot see it, but I have a feeling next year right around Halloween time, we will meet Jimmy Two Finger!

Are you a fan of horror movies?