The teaser trailer for ‘We’re So Dead,’ a horror comedy created for and by restaurant workers, is now available for viewing. The film is a love letter to the service industry, crafting familiar situations and characters in the style of a slasher film while leaning on slapstick as much as gore.
“My goal was to make a film that every server thinks of when they go to work because it’s relatable and firmly set in their world,” says writer/director Ken MacLaughlin. “If you look around, anything in a restaurant can be a murder weapon, so we wanted to get creative, have some fun, and make a memorable experience for anyone who’s worked in a restaurant.”
The filmmaker worked fifteen years as a server while making viral content about restaurant life with his collaborator, Darron Carodosa (widely known as The Bitchy Waiter). Both MacLaughlin and Cardosa produced the film alongside Michael Sokol. ‘We’re So Dead’ follows a restaurant staff forced to work a shift on Christmas Eve after a huge party cancels. The restaurant is “dead” in more ways than one when a lone patron tries to 86 the entire staff.
‘We’re So Dead’ features a dynamic mix of emerging talent and well-known creators from the service industry community. Jenna Kanell, known for her breakout role in the ‘Terrifier’ franchise, stars as Ashley, alongside a talented cast of social media personalities and comedians including The Bitchy Waiter, Ethan Trace, Aaron “Goldyboy” (‘Mean Gays’), and the film debut of Instagram Chef Olivia Tiedemann.
The film was financed through a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) campaign on WeFunder, raising most of its seed money from actual restaurant workers, who were longtime fans of The Bitchy Waiter and MacLaughlin. “If our fans—people who work on tips—were giving us money to make the movie, we wanted them to share in any profits. Restaurant people always take care of restaurant people.”
‘We’re So Dead’ is set for a fall 2025 release, with the full trailer and screening details coming soon.
