2026 Marrow

• Directed by: Mitch McLeod
• Written by: Preston Fassel, Mitch McLeod, Jessica Dawn Willis
• Stars: Jessica Dawn Willis, Danielle Harris, Michael Ironside
• Run Time: 1 Hour, 35 Minutes
• Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyVo3n-4DSQ

Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone

A vodcaster specializing in true crime, cryptids, and other strangeness looks for a way to regain her popularity enough to make a career of it. She sort of gets her wish when a mysterious caller starts feeding her information and stalking her. It’s said to be a fictionalized take on a real stalking event.

The production values are good with a strong performance from Jessica Dawn Willis, and it has some creepy moments and interesting visuals. The soundtrack is subtle and ominous. But we both thought the story was a bit thin and stretched out with not enough substance. So mixed feelings from both of us, with Kevin being more favorable toward it than Brian.

Spoilery Synopsis

Several people on a podcast think they’ve gone insane. Whatever they saw, it was… upsetting. Credits roll.

We cut to the “Embracing the Paradox” podcast, hosted by Distal Marrow. She tells the story of several missing people back in the 70s, and the locals of the place suggested it was some kind of inhuman monster that took the people. A listener calls in and says her show sucks now; she used to do true crime, and now it’s “Bigfoot shit” according to the listener. She’s not happy with the overall listener response.

Distal’s sorta-mother, Camilla, stops over for a chat. They talk about the True Crime niche and how Distal’s podcast isn’t cutting it. She’s not happy about the Bigfoot episode either. Camellia says get it right or she’s going to stop supporting the show (and Distal, whose real name is Jamie). It’s somewhere between a threat and a pep talk.

Later, she gets a text message from someone who wants to talk. It’s an unknown caller, but for some reason, she answers anyway. It’s not a telemarketer, but some guy with a voice-changer who knows her real name. He sends her a link to an article about missing influencers.

“Distal” puts on her wig and tries to explain herself to her audience. She tells them that now they’re going to look into a real case that’s still being investigated right now; that mysterious caller tipped her off to the case. There have been four podcasters who recently went missing. The stranger, JJ, calls her show and says he’s going to improve on the work of a famous serial killer. He claims to have been there as the four women died.

The next morning, two detectives come to the door to talk about last night’s show. Jamie explains that she was briefly in the FBI, so she knows serial killers. They want her to help catch the guy, but she’s not as cooperative as she could be.

Camilla calls; the ratings are through the roof and she’s pleased. JJ calls back, and he knows she lied to the police yesterday. He implies that she’s the one who has secrets, and she needs to come clean about that. “She watches you, even now.” Someone bangs on her door, and Jamie actually gets out a gun to check on the noise. She sees a “ghost” and shoots at it.

A guy calls her and wants to come over to her house to help with the case. He’s Dr. Myers with his driver, James. Myers says that “JJ” has contacted him, and he’s seen “it” as well. He’s here to warn her to stop feeding it, stop giving it what it wants. He ended up blinding himself because of his encounters.

Jamie gets a live feed of JJ tormenting Kimberly, one of the kidnapped girls. He knows Jamie won’t call the police at this point. JJ then sends Kimberly’s hand to Jamie in a box.

JJ knows about a book that Jamie has in her possession, it contains evidence of her own crimes. She goes outside and runs into James, Dr. Myers’s driver, and he shows her the doctor, dead in the backseat. Then he shoots himself.

The detective bursts in; he’s been staking out her house, and his partner is dead. She sees the ghost standing behind the cop, but then he sees it as well. It kills him and then drags her around the house.

JJ says he killed all these people for her; it’s to release her potential. He knows that she wants to be a killer too. “Woud you like to join me?” “Yes.”

Jamie calls 911 and reports the murders; she also says she killed all those people. Camilla comes over, and Jamie confronts her about her past. This goes badly for Camilla, and the police arrive to arrest Jamie.

Brian’s Commentary

Between this and “Undertone” (2026), I guess podcast horror is going to be another new subgenre of horror.

I commented that the entire first fifteen minutes could have been condensed down to ten seconds of Jamie looking at a chart showing her falling ratings and rising bills. It was a dull scene.

Actually, much of the film suffers from the same problem. Even after the climax of the story, there’s ten more minutes of talking. It all feels prolonged and overly talky with very little actual action.

Kevin’s Commentary

This felt like a story on the weak side stretched out into movie length. The acting and production values were all very good, and there are some nice interesting visual shots. The lead is excellent and Michael Ironside makes an effective little cameo. But I didn’t think there was enough to the script.

So I wouldn’t say I disliked it, but it didn’t quite connect with me. It’s worth checking out. A seven and a half out of ten overall.