Kevin Smith Filming Horror Anthology Movie Killroy Was Here

A few years ago, Kevin Smith said he was working on a Christmas-themed horror anthology movie called Comes the Krampus. But after another director got to the subject matter first, Smith shifted gears and turned the project into Killroy Was Here.

Variety reports that Smith has started shooting the movie in partnership with the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Starring Azita Ghanizada (Alphas) and Ryan O'Nan (Fargo), it'll be the first installment of a new horror anthology.

The phrase "Kilroy Was Here" originated as graffiti during World War II. It traditionally featured a bald-headed man with a large nose peeking over a wall. 

"This is a monster movie in the sense of a classic morality tale," Smith said. "No one wants to see you spill the blood of innocents, but when someone crosses the line and goes bad, you get to make them pay in horrible ways, and the audience cheers. We wanted to make an anthology film in the vein of Creepshow. Killroy is like the Golem, the Boogeyman and the Grim Reaper combined."

Executive producer David Shapiro said the movie will feature both practical and digital effects on a very tight budget, and it will employ students from Ringling. "Our goal is to help Ringling students and local residents gain the right kind of experience to become a top tier entertainment workforce with which to attract bigger and more complex productions to Sarasota," he said.

Although Smith rose to fame with comedies like Clerk, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy, he's recently turned his attention to darker movies like 2011's Red State and 2014's Tusk. 

There's no release date yet, but we'll let you know. In the meantime, Smith said he's also working on Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.