Listen Carefully Coming to Streaming in December

Ryan Barton-Grimley’s Psychological Horror Listen Carefully Festival Favorite Launches on Streaming Coming to Worldwide Digital HD December 16th

When troubled assistant bank manager Andy McNeary’s baby daughter goes missing. He must follow the instructions of a mysterious voice on the other end of a baby monitor to save her before she disappears and his life is ruined forever. 

Haida Street Films and RBG Films are excited to announce the worldwide VOD debut of Listen Carefully. The latest feature from filmmaker Ryan Barton-Grimley. Barton-Grimley returns to the screen following the 2020 premiere of his previous feature Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers. Listen Carefully made its world premiere at Fantaspoa, the International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre. And its North American premiere at Dances With Films. 

The psychological thriller went on to screen at Macabro Mexico City, Fangofest Amposta and Scarefest Weekend.Where Barton-Grimley was nominated for Best Actor. Listen Carefully debuts worldwide on Digital VOD December 16, 2024, including Apple TV, Tubi, and Prime Video.

Ryan Barton-Grimley (Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers, The Truth) stars as Andy McNeary alongside co-star / producer Simone Barton-Grimley (Elijah’s Ashes) as Abby McNeary and co-star / producer, Ari Schneider (Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers, Elijah’s Ashes) who plays The Voice in Listen Carefully. They are joined by frequent collaborators Audrey Haworth (production designer), David Rickabaugh (art director) and Sean Ayers (cinematographer).

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

LISTEN CAREFULLY is a psychological horror feature film about corrupt assistant bank manager Andy McNeary, who has his baby daughter Abby stolen from him one night when his wife goes out with friends. The story is based on a nightmare I had in 2018. For context, my family and I were staying the weekend with my parents in a small beach town in Central California that is very, very quiet. We had a nice family meal at a local Mexican Restaurant, indulging in lots of spicy food and a few too many margaritas. It should be noted, I am not
much of a drinker and mostly partake in the odd glass of natural red wine, so tequila… really messes with my system.

During dinner, conversation turned to the subject of my younger brother and what a great, hands-on parent he was.

The conversation then quickly turned into a “post-mortem” on my parenting skills and how I was deathly afraid to hold my oldest daughter when she was born. Of course I was defensive about this as I love my daughter and I also suffer some pretty heavy anxiety. To be fair, she was born while I was making my first feature film, The Truth, and my stress level was through the roof.

Not just about the film, but also being able to provide for my family and be present for my daughter and my wife. It was challenging to say the least. After dinner, everyone crashed except me. I’m the guy who goes to sleep after everyone else and wakes up before everyone else. I don’t sleep much. I spent the first 10 years of my life in Zimbabwe. The bugs at night there are so loud you can barely hear yourself think. It was creepy and scary as a kid. To get my mind off my imaginary impending doom, I’d distract myself, coming up with scenarios and acting them out with imaginary friends until I fell asleep.

I’d often do the same thing if I woke up too early as well.

On this particular night, satiated with spicy food and tequila, still ruminating on the public shaming I received for worrying about dropping my child a bit too much, I lay awake in this quiet beach town, waves crashing in the distance, the odd fog horn, thinking… Why had I felt such extreme anxiety around being a new parent, why had it bothered me so much? Why does it does it continue to bother me now? I fell asleep and quickly dropped into the nightmare that became Listen Carefully. All my anxiety about connecting with my first daughter, providing financially for my family, about the relationship with my wife and how the birth changed that, dredging that all back up years later…

It unravelled in my subconscious, reflecting back through a neo-noir psychological horror lens that kept repeating, over and over again. My heart raced, I woke up multiple times, only to go right back to sleep, right back to the terror. It was so intense. Finally, I grabbed a notebook, resolving to write down everything, all the painful nightmarish stuff, every bit of it.

Finally, the anxiety subsided and my notebook was full. I went back to sleep. A few weeks later, a screenplay emerged that would become my most challenging film project to date, Listen Carefully. In retrospect, I think I had a major anxiety attack. Tequila and spicy food probably didn’t help. I deal with my anxiety now. It’s always a struggle, but making this film helped me process it and connect me to others who suffer as well. Turns out, we are not alone. And for the record… I am able to hug both of my daughters now.

Pre-Order On Apple TV

“A Lo-fi ‘Lovechild’ of David Fincher & David Lynch” –Jared Jekyll, Fear Forever

“A true hidden gem of a film, thrilling, unnerving, and at times utterly deranged.” – Timothy Glaraton, 25yearslater

“Highly creative, blending intense action, psychological horror, and dark humor.” – Stephanie Malone, Morbidly Beautiful

“A darkly humorous, blood-soaked, nightmare-fueled, brain-jarring blast!” -Joseph Perry, Horror Fuel

Related