“Breeder,” a horror film starring Dot-Marie Jones as a dog breeder with plans for a broke college student, opened in limited U.S. theaters Oct. 28. IFC and Shudder are releasing it, Dread Central reported. The date was pushed from Oct. 16.
Jones plays Patti, who lives on a remote ranch with several young women who obey her. She finds Russell, played by Daniel Doheny, on social media and offers to pay for his bee-breeding research. The catch is that he has to father a child with Ainsley, played by Maddie Phillips, RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico wrote. Russell has a girlfriend.
Alex Goyette wrote and directed it. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June.
Dot-Marie Jones on Playing Patti in ‘Breeder’
Jones got an Emmy nomination for playing Coach Beiste on “Glee.” Goyette told SFGATE that her comedy chops were part of the draw. “I loved that she had this comedic background, which I thought would be really important for the character,” he said.
He wrote the script in 2018. Getting it funded took seven years, SFGATE reported.
The “Misery” comparisons have already started. Jones told PHANTASMAG the comparison is “ridiculous, but it’s such an honour to be compared to Kathy.” She described Patti at one dinner scene as “a black widow waiting to jump.”
Daniel Doheny Explains the Male Nudity
The film includes male nudity, and Doheny told PHANTASMAG it’s there for a reason.
“I think it’s important to show that Russell is in a position of no control and total vulnerability,” he said. “I like to act and make art, so I’m comfortable with my body.”
He’s noticed the reaction. “People seem to be surprised by it.”
What Critics Are Saying About ‘Breeder’
The film sat at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes from 28 reviews as of Oct. 29.
Tallerico called it “confidently weird enough to be riveting” and singled out Jones’s “truly committed performance.” He compared Patti to Annie Wilkes, Bates’ character in “Misery.” He was less sold on the last act.
“Dot-Marie Jones is a revelation as Patti,” Daniel Kurland wrote for Bloody Disgusting out of Tribeca. James D. Williams of InSession Film said her performance “is more than enough reason to sit down and give this movie your full attention.”
Goyette was born in San Francisco, and Jones was a grand marshal of the city’s Pride in 2012, SFGATE noted. “The love in the LGBT community in San Francisco has always been so much fun to be a part of,” she said.
Her hope for the film, per PHANTASMAG: “I hope it has the legs of a marathon runner.”
