We Sat Down With Corin Nemec and Talked Horror, Comedy, and Chicken Head
- kristin0214
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Fear and Wine has covered a lot of territory since we started this show: creeping dread, wine-soaked debate, the films that keep us up at night. But this week, we did something a little different. We sat down with someone who has lived inside genre storytelling for over three decades, and the conversation was everything we hoped it would be.
Our special guest episode features actor, writer, producer, and director Corin Nemec, and we are so glad it finally exists in the world.
Who Is Corin Nemec?
If you grew up in the 90s, you know him. Corin Nemec earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Steven Stayner in the NBC miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven, a performance he delivered at just 14 years old.
He went on to play Harold Lauder in the beloved Stephen King miniseries The Stand and starred as the title character in the cult favorite sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
From Stargate SG-1 to Operation Dumbo Drop, his career has been one of consistent range, commitment, and genuine creative energy.
What you may not know is that Corin is also a graffiti artist, a novelist, and now a filmmaker putting down roots right here in the Tampa Bay area. He is a St. Pete neighbor, and that is not a small thing to us.
The Film: Chicken Head
Chicken Head is a horror-comedy mockumentary written by Corin Nemec and screenwriter Matt Florio. The two also star in the film as Skip and Todd, a pair of documentarians who stumble onto the legend of a half-man, half-chicken creature that has been terrorizing a small Florida town for years. The cast includes Keith Coogan, Jason London (Dazed and Confused), David Faustino (Married with Children), and Tara Reid (American Pie, The Big Lebowski).
Principal photography took place at Heritage Village in Largo, a living history museum spanning 21 acres of restored Old Florida buildings. Additional scenes are being filmed at the Pioneer Settlement at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg. Executive producer Robert Blackmon, a Pinellas County Historical Commission board member and former St. Petersburg City Council member, helped expand the scope of the story when Nemec brought him on board.
The film is produced through Corin's own production company, Bellair Studios.
What Corin Told Us About the Edit
One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation was hearing Corin talk about what it actually takes to edit a mockumentary. Because the film had to be shot like a real documentary, the editing process is nothing like a conventional narrative film. There is no standard scene structure to fall back on. Every shot, every take, every moment of improvised chemistry between the cast has to be sifted through and assembled into something that feels both found and funny.
He described it as a next-level editing challenge, and you could hear genuine excitement in how he talked about it. The footage is beautiful. The cast is well-balanced. The characters play off each other in ways that are working. He could not be happier with how it is coming together, and after talking with him, neither can we.
A St. Pete Premiere Is on the Table
We had to ask. When this thing is done, will he bring it home to St. Pete first?
The answer: yes, in some form. Corin told us he absolutely plans to do a screening premiere event and that he would make sure Fear and Wine gets invites. No date yet, but it is happening. We will keep you posted the moment we know more.
And if you happen to run into him around Bel Air Bluffs, tell him Fear and Wine sent you.
Corin talks about his career from childhood to the present, what it was like to play Harold Lauder, how Chicken Head came together from a single-cabin concept to a full Old Florida town production, and what it means to be making independent horror-comedy in Tampa Bay right now. It is warm, funny, candid, and genuinely one of our favorite conversations we have had on this show.
Why This Episode Matters to Us
Fear and Wine exists because we believe genre storytelling is worth taking seriously. Horror. Comedy. The weird hybrids that refuse to stay in one lane. Corin Nemec has spent his career moving between all of it, and Chicken Head is proof that the spirit of independent, scrappy, weird-Florida filmmaking is alive and very much clucking.
We are proud to spotlight work being made in our own backyard. Support independent horror. Follow the film. And raise a glass.
Cheers from Kelli, Alisan, Leah, and Kristin.
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