David Fear
Contact David Fear on X View all posts by David Fear March 20, 2026
Travis Bacon, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, and Sosie Bacon at the Rolling Stone Studio at SXSW. Pooneh Ghana for Rolling Stone There are family get-togethers — and then there’s gathering your entire brood together to make a low-budget horror movie about [checks notes] a family who gets together to make a low-budget horror movie. That’s exactly what co-directors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick did with their kids, actor Sosie Bacon (Smile) and musician-composer Travis Bacon, last year. And the result, titled — what else? — Family Movie, was one of the more anticipated and raucous premieres at this year’s SXSW.
As the former star of Footloose explained when the whole clan stopped by the Rolling Stone Studio at the Austin fest, Family Movie revolves around a filmmaker best known for making fast, cheap, and out-of-control horror movies — think Roger Corman with a serious micro-budget. His wife, played by Sedgwick, is his long-time star; Sosie and Travis play the fictional filmmaker’s kids, both of whom are working on his latest shoot in rural Texas. “This guy loves movies, and he loves his family,” Kevin said of his character, “and it’s his last chance to do one with the kids. A body shows up on set — and that’s when things go south.”
The idea was hatched during the pandemic, when Kevin and Kyra were holed up together and going stir crazy. It then morphed into: Well, what if we could only make movies at home, with what was around us? The couple then passed that concept to screenwriter Dan Beers to flesh out, decided they’d direct it together, and ended up roping in their kids to participate. So exactly how meta did things get?
“It was real,” Sosie said. “It was HAM. There’s a moment where my character gets an offer to do a TV show in the middle of the family’s shoot, wondering whether to do it or not — and then midway through our shoot, I got an offer to do a movie that would have required me to leave early. I was like, ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ I didn’t do it, but it was definitely life imitating art from day one.”
As for maintaining some boundaries on set? “I’m gonna say what it is,” Kevin said. “I tend to be a little… I just can’t help being a little bossy…”
“Oh, I’m so proud of you!” Sedgwick exclaimed. “I get bossy, and I mansplain…” her husband continued.
“There it is!” Travis said, as Sosie nodded.
“I’m owning it, you know?” Bacon admitted. “And it always starts with three words: ‘Here’s the thing…'”
