BLOOD & GUTS

description

The lines between real life and reel life blur in this intimate portrait of the Adams family – an unconventional clan of independent horror filmmakers.

Meet the Adams family! Toby, Zelda, Lulu, and John are a family of indie filmmakers. They puke blood on each other, drop f-bombs like confetti, and have no boundaries, proving that the family that slays together, stays together. As they race to complete their final family film before their youngest daughter, Zelda, leaves for college, parents Toby Poser and John Adams must confront the inevitable shift that comes with letting go – redefining not only how they see themselves in the world, but who they are as artists when the kids leave the frame. Blending vérité documentary footage, personal archives, and scenes from their own films, BLOOD & GUTS paints a raw and tender picture of creative collaboration, free-range parenting, and the chaos of family life lived on and off camera. This is a messy, magical portrait of a family making indie horror films while facing something far scarier: change.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Cucalorus Film Festival 2025
Chattanooga Film Festival 2026

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Carlye Rubin and Katie Green are the directing team behind Smoke & Apple Films. Their directorial debut, "The (Dead Mothers) Club" was acquired by HBO in 2014 and Executive Produced by Rosie O'Donnell and Sheila Nevins and featured Jane Fonda and Molly Shannon. Their second feature, "The Family I Had" told the story of intra-family violence and juvenile incarceration through a mother's unwavering love for her son who killed her daughter. It was acquired by FilmRise and broadcast on Discovery I.D. after premiering at Tribeca Film Festival in April 2017, won the Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary at Raindance International Film Festival and The Gracie Award for Best Documentary in 2018. "1275 Days" was an official selection at DOCNYC2019 and a Vera Institute Best of Prison Reform 2019 selection. The film broadcast on Sundance TV in August 2021. The team has made short films for Intel, the BBC, Innocence Project, and Amazon Originals. Their work has been supported by Tribeca Film Institute, Camden Film Institute, Dogwoof and The Jerome Foundation.

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Tina Grapenthin makes her co-directing debut with Blood & Guts, alongside long-time collaborators Carlye Rubin and Katie Green. An accomplished documentary editor and producer, her work has screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on HBO, PBS, and Discovery ID. Her credits include The (Dead Mothers) Club, The Family I Had, The Supreme Price, When God Sleeps, 1275 Days, and Raoul Wallenberg: Missing (In)action.