Rob London

Published Oct 12, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he’s an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, ’70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, ’90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they’re good, and maybe even more when they’re bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed “Canuxploitation.”

An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account.

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Monster movies seem to be all about rules these days. In Bird Box, you can’t look at the monsters. In A Quiet Place, you can’t make a sound. In The Last House, you can’t go outside. Now, there’s a new short horror film featuring a creepy creature who’s going to do unspeakable things to you unless you…remain calm. Collider is proud to exclusively present the new bite-size Halloween treat Remain Calm, starring Nick Swardson, Pauly Shore, and Doug Jones.

In our exclusive first look at the short, Shore (Encino Man) and Swardson (Just Go With It) play Matt and Erwin, a pair of gas station clerks on the night shift who’ve gotten on each other’s last nerves. In walks Jones, the long-limbed thespian behind movie monsters like the Pale Man from ***Pan’s Labyrinth ***and Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus. Despite his eerily chipper manner and horror-heavy IMDb page, he’s not the threat they have to worry about; he’s a government agent here to warn them about a monstrous creature who’ll devour anyone who shows the slightest hint of stress, fear, or anxiety. So just remain calm, and you’ll be fine: easy, right? Well, it’s not so easy when you’re face-to-face with Mr. Frett (Kevin Keppy, Smile), a twisted abomination (created with practical effects from Gorgazma) who’s freakier than Jessica Chastain in that Other Mommy trailer.

Remain Calm is written and directed by Jake Lewis. He’s written and directed a number of short biographical films, including Robin, about Robin Williams, and The Cowboy and The Samurai, about a meeting between Jack Nicholson and John Belushi. He previously directed Shore in The Court Jester, a short film in which the 1990s comedy legend portrayed late exercise guru Richard Simmons. Remain Calm is a departure for him, but he found the concept irresistible, telling Collider:

“The idea of having to react to truly horrifying situations with aggressive positivity was really funny to me. Right now, it feels like we’re all trying our hardest to be positive, posting selfies and ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos to ignore the fact that the world is on fire. Remain Calm is just a metaphor for our society at large.”

Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

Shore had a fantastic time working on Remain Calm, and if it should get expanded into a feature, he’s ready to sign up. “I was excited to work with writer & director Jake Lewis again. We had so much fun together on The Court Jester where I played Richard Simmons, and I was equally excited to work alongside Nick Swardson, one of my favorite comedy brothers,” said Shore. “The chemistry between Nick and me was awesome, and I’d love to work with him again if there’s ever a feature version of Remain Calm. Doug Jones and Kevin Keppy were also amazing. I hope everyone enjoys this awesome 13-minute short film.” Count Swardson in, as well, saying, “I was impressed with Jake’s work and have always been a horror fan, so it made sense. Pauly is an old friend, so I wanted to do something challenging for us as actors.”

Remain Calm is available to watch above. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.