Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The 16th Episode’s Jérôme Cohen-Olivar

Jérôme Cohen-Olivar is an up-and-coming director and storyteller who is putting his stamp on the horror genre. Inspired by films like The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Wicker Man, Jérôme is ready to bring the drama. His new film, The 16th Episode, follows three struggling YouTubers who are willing to risk it all—including their lives—for views.

PC: You wrote, produced, and directed the film. How early on in the process did you know you wanted to have all those different roles? Is one more challenging than the other?
Jérôme: I didn’t really have a choice; I didn’t have a studio behind me. I didn’t have a production company, except my own. At some point, you need to be able to be that person who does everything. I’ve produced in the past, but it’s tricky producing your own screenplay. You definitely have to be prepared mentally.

PC: The dangers of social media is one of the key themes in the film. How early on did you know you wanted that to be a focal point?
Jérôme: In the beginning, it actually wasn’t. My producing partner, Yasmina [Hadimi], suggested it. She’s much younger than me. [laughs] She said, “You have these three characters who are doing a vlog. Why don’t you unpack that more?” I thought it was a great idea. It was very organic. So, we pushed that a little more to fit into the landscape we created. It was an interesting concept to me because I’m not that versed in social media. There’s a lot of noise there, and not necessarily good noise. It’s a scary place.

When we decided to incorporate social media more into the film, I dove into YouTube and looked at all these YouTubers who were taking dangerous risks. They’re risking their lives for views. It was interesting to delve into, but it’s hard to empathize with the YouTubers who are taking these risks. We wanted to make sure that throughout the film you are rooting for these characters. I had to find that balance.

PC: What horror films did you grow up watching? Did they influence The 16th Episode?
Jérôme: Horror films like The Omen, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now, and The Wicker Man had a huge impact on me. They’re films that were released before the 1980s and are the great films of this genre. They have a different feel. They had an element that’s been lost from the ’80s to now: there is a lot of drama behind these films. For instance, The Exorcist was a beautiful drama disguised as a horror film. The storylines and relationships are so compelling and gripping. Movies like The Exorcist and Don’t Look Now were nonlinear. Don’t Look Now was mind-blowing—I’ve seen it like ten times to learn how the director deconstructed that story. Everything fell into place perfectly. That’s intuition and instinct. Nowadays, we don’t have that anymore. Everything is formatted and classified. It’s tough. I hope with films like The Witch, and hopefully The 16th Episode, there’s interest to bring these elements back.

PC: You answered our next question. What is your take on the horror genre today? How does The 16th Episode differentiate itself?
Jérôme: The horror landscape right now is 70% Blumhouse; the rest of us just have to survive. It’s neither a bad thing nor a good thing. Blumhouse has really defined the landscape. It’s a little dangerous, though: if you make a film that’s a little more alternative/personal, there’s the possibility that studios and production companies won’t even consider it because it’s not commercial. I hope more companies and filmmakers can stand their ground. Don’t get me wrong, Blumhouse makes great films. This is merely an observation of the market today. Their films are widely successful—they’ve become sequels and trilogies—but we need more than that. We need films and stories like The Exorcist back.

The 16th Episode is out now in theaters and on VOD.