An Intervewi with Simon Harrisson, Director of The Galactic Ghoul

by Mike Haberfelner

August 2026

Simon Harrisson on (re)Seearch my Trash

Your new film The Galactic Ghoul - in a few words, what's it about?

A retro space opera in the style of an old Flash Gordon serial, blended with everything at hand from blockbuster to European arthouse cinema. I think the movie got that Canadian weirdness touch.

With The Galactic Ghoul being a space opera, is that a genre at all dear to you, and some of your genre favourites?

I still love falling asleep in front of cheesy space movies, or not-so-cheesy ones, from any era prior to 2010, like Space Cowboys, Starcrash, any kind of Star Wars rip-off, the 1980s Flash Gordon, Planet of the Vampires, etc. But I’m not that much of a fanboy. My real thing is Federico Fellini. I hate everything Disney Star Wars.

(Other) sources of inspiration when writing The Galactic Ghoul?

It was all sci-fi to begin with, but I grew tired fast of the sci-fi references, and with the snobbish, aristocratic character of Bravo, it becomes more and more inspired by older sources, like Vincent Price movies, 18th-century picaresque-style novels and writers like Voltaire, and real-life 18th-century adventurers like Giacomo Casanova, and of course the Casanova movie by Federico Fellini with Donald Sutherland. You can add a layer of John Waters, erotic suspense, and hints of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, and it starts to look like something.

You've written The Galactic Ghoul together with your lead Vincent Hoss-Desmarais - so do talk about him, and what was the writing process like?

I wrote a few drafts, and he was coming up with other ideas that I incorporated. He also did a lot of dialogue improv on set, wrote some important lines, did some script doctoring, and created some voice-over in post. I was the main writer, but he was present throughout the whole process.

A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?

Whatever works. I didn't have the budget to be difficult and too picky. Almost half of the movie was done in one take with no rehearsal! Like Ed Wood [Ed Wood bio - click here]! I had to be lucky to save all of this in the edit! This way of working dictated the fast pacing and the general frenzy of the overall movie, not too different from how Orson Welles assembled his Othello, paraphrasing: “If you shoot someone from behind, it's a double!” (or, in our case, a digital double).

You also were responsible for the visual effects of The Galactic Ghoul - so what can you tell us about that aspect of your movie?

Blender (the free, open-source 3D software) is the best friend of the poor filmmaker!

 Do talk about The Galactic Ghoul's cast, and why exaclly these people?

We are very lucky to have in Montreal a roster of familiar faces, character actors from Hollywood movies, like Vincent, who has done a bunch of high-profile productions alongside Hollywood A-listers; Russell Yuen, who has worked on Star Trek series and Star Wars and Avatar video games, all made in Montreal, if I'm not mistaken. He was also in the legendary so-bad-it's-good Battlefield Earth. And Christian Paul, who made, among other titles, Death Race alongside Tyrese Gibson and Jason Statham.

For some indie star power, we put Katharine Isabelle [Katherine Isabelle interview - click here] on an airplane and wrapped her scenes in two days. She is a wonderful human being.

The $64-question of course, where can The Galactic Ghoul be seen?

We are in talks for distribution, but it is too soon to tell. We are continuing the festival route in the meantime.

Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of The Galactic Ghoul yet?

It was overwhelmingly positive. My main expectation was just to survive the screening. It was at least one laugh a minute, if not more. Not so bad for an erotic thriller!!!

Any future projects you'd like to share?

A few screenplays are in the works, but it will be mostly practical reasons that determine which one will go forward first. No sci-fi in the works for the moment. It's going to be a very different genre, probably more character-driven, since everything I'm writing these days is pretty much character-driven. I don't feel tied to blockbusters for now, even indie blockbusters!

What got you into directing in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?

I got into directing because I was to lazy to draw or play guitar. Then I studied film in college and I got a kind of 2 days internship with stage director Robert Lepage (who was also a film director at the time). I learned almost half of everything I know during these 2 days.

What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to The Galactic Ghoul?

I’ve made a bunch of DIY short films, including one with cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné (Severance). I also did VFX on three films by Quebec director Robert Morin, worked in indie film distribution and art galleries, and did some corporate work too.

How would you describe yourself as an director?

Not the best at anything, but surely the best at being myself. My only real card is having a strong voice/vision and liking to be surprised on set and in the edit. Otherwise, I'm pretty mediocre at everything. But having a personality and not being a carbon copy of the “average director” changes everything… I'm also pretty straightforward and efficient on set or at least I like to think so.

Your favourite movies?

Almost anything Fellini during his studio “fake years”. Satyricon, Amarcord, Casanova, E la Nave Va, Ginger e Fred, and of course the Star Wars prequels!

... and of course, films you really deplore?

It's not my job to publicly deplore the work of my colleagues. I have my opinions, but almost every movie can find its niche, and it's okay that way. Making a movie is not an easy endeavor, and unfortunately or not, even movies I hate still deserve some level of praise, even if it's just for finishing the movie.

Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find Simon Harrisson at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find Simon Harrisson here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?

Long live the Ghoul, and thanks for the interview!

Thanks for the interview!

© by Mike Haberfelner

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