Sometimes it takes a while — that’s a life lesson applicable to just about anything, especially to art. A pair of extremely original, lo-fi horror movies by filmmakers Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton are a fine example of this. Their first film, 2010’s YellowBrickRoad, finally got a good, digitally restored home media release two years ago. Their second film together, We Go On, had its premiere at the Cinequest FIlm Festival in 2016 before winning Audience Awards at Dances with Films and the Dead by Dawn Horror Film Festival, as well as the Silver Raven at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. The following year, it had a small release in a variety of countries and quietly went to DVD.

Now it, too, has gotten the restoration and rerelease treatment, dubbed We Go On: Remastered, and it’s a wonderful improvement. The critical reevaluation of these unique, existential horror films may be a consequence of Andy Mitton’s success with the 2022 movie, The Harbinger, or just a gift from Lightyear Entertainment. Either way, we’re happy about it. We Go On follows an extremely anxious, dreadfully thanataphobic video editor (played by Clark Freeman) who posts a classified ad in the paper guaranteeing $30 thousand to anyone who can provide evidence of the afterlife — ghosts, visions of heaven or hell, some kind of communication with the other side, anything he can’t deny.

Check out the teaser for the remastered edition of the film below:

His mother, played by the great Annette O’Toole (48 Hrs., Smallville, Cat People), is obviously concerned about him in her own friendly way. They have a loose, funny relationship, and she tags along as her son meets with people who promise to show him proof of life after death, no matter how terrifying it might be. O’Toole is busy filming the latest season of Virgin River on Netflix, but she took time to speak with MovieWeb about We Go On for its remastered release, and explains why this tiny indie is such a special film.

A Very Unique, Character-Driven Ghost Story
We Go On (2016) 4.5/5 We Go On follows Miles Grissom, a man plagued by a paralyzing fear of death who offers a reward to anyone who can prove the existence of the afterlife. Directed by Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton, this 2016 psychological thriller delves into themes of mortality and the supernatural, starring Clark Freeman, Annette O’Toole, and John Glover as they navigate a series of chilling encounters in their quest for answers.Release Date March 5, 2016 Director Andy Mitton , Jesse Holland Runtime 1h 29m Writers Andy Mitton , Jesse Holland Distributor(s) Lightyear Entertainment

We Go On is technically a horror movie, but it’s so different from most of what comes out of the genre. It’s genuinely thoughtful and searching about its subject, taking it seriously and respecting the eternally asked question — is death the end, or do we go on? And while the pursuit of that query leads to some genuine scars, the film is ultimately grounded by the characters’ emotional reality. That’s what O’Toole really loves about We Go On.

“There are some big, scary moments,” said O’Toole, “but it’s really what you say, it’s much more character driven. What I love about it, too — I go to the movies now, and I see so many very long movies that don’t need to be that long. You know, the story can be told more succinctly than that. And I think Andy and Jesse certainly do that with this movie. It’s, I think, 89 minutes, and man, you’re plugged right down in the action right away. You know what’s going on, and you’re just on this little roller-coaster ride.” She added:

And it really holds your interest, it keeps opening up in ways that are very interesting. It’s not like any other, it’s very unique, this movie, and even if you’re a horror fan and it doesn’t quite hit all the horror buttons, it’ll [still] make you think, and it’s very beautifully done.

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The film is, however, decidedly low-budget (though that rarely gets in the way of anything). It’s slightly surprising, then, that a major talent like Annette O’Toole plays such a big role. From acting opposite Christopher Reeves in Superman III the same year she starred with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs., to starring in the landmark Stephen King miniseries It and the beloved superhero series, Smallville, you wouldn’t expect O’Toole to star in a very lo-fi horror film. But her casting in We Go On is a testament to how strong the script is — and how much she likes everyone involved.

“I am a huge fan of Laura Heisler’s, the actress who is in We Go On towards the end, who has a very prominent role. I won’t say too much about it because I don’t want to give it away,” explained O’Toole. “But she’s an amazing actress and her husband is Andy [Mitton], who is one of the directors. So through her, I got a request from him to see if he could send me a script that I might enjoy, that he was getting ready to do. And so I said, ‘Of course,’ and I just loved it.” She elaborated:

I thought it was, like you just said, it was an amazing kind of new take on something we’ve seen a lot, which is the mother-son relationship, which kind of fuels the whole thing. It’s driven by that. It’s sort of a buddy film, but with a mom and son.

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Mother and Son Horror

It’s that mother-son relationship (one of the best in the horror genre) that really grounds We Go On and lets O’Toole shine. Playing Clark Freeman’s mother, Charlotte, Annette O’Toole creates a semi-sarcastic, chummy, but nonetheless protective character, and she gels wonderfully with Freeman. “[Clark’s] a wonderful guy. I just hit it off with him immediately. And he and Jesse, the other director, and Andy came to my house, and we did a read-through and kind of talked about the whole thing. And I didn’t want to rehearse it too much, but we just wanted to get to know one another.” She explained:

“And I immediately felt close to him. He’s just such an open guy. And you know, his sister is Cassidy Freeman, she’s in the film, but I’ve worked with her also in
Smallville
, and John had worked very closely with her, so there were all these kinds of relationships with different shows. So, in the film, Cassidy plays me as a young person.”

“It was very easy,” added O’Toole. “It’s a very low-budget independent film. So we were spending a lot of time together just kind of sitting, waiting for the thing to start, waiting to go shoot, and we talked to one another, and it just spilled over into this relationship on screen. And Clark was just so easy to be with.”​​​

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John Glover Fills in for Michael McKean in We Go On

“So I loved the script and said yes, I would do it,” continued O’Toole. “And they had asked if my husband, Michael McKean, would be interested in playing the part that John [Glover] plays and Michael said yes. And then something happened. In fact, this morning we were trying to figure out what it was that took him away from shooting it. Something came up that the timing was funny, he had already been committed to this other thing.”

O’Toole loves working with her husband (who wouldn’t love working with Michael McKean, though); the two write music together that has been featured (and Oscar-nominated) in A Mighty Wind and on songs from Spinal Tap (McKean’s iconic fake band from This Is Spinal Tap). But with McKean unable to play the role of a man who responds to the afterlife ad, O’Toole recommended another of her favorite actors, John Glover (Scrooged, Shazam!, Fear the Walking Dead). She explained:

“Suddenly that role was available, and I immediately thought of John, because I always think of John for anything, because I love him. I think he is one of the most wonderful actors, ever, and we had such a good time on
Smallville
. So he graciously accepted. I think he’s so wonderful in the movie and such a big part of it, and it wouldn’t be the same without him.”

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Considering the subject of We Go On and how interestingly it’s explored, we wondered if O’Toole had any thoughts on life after death or any kind of continuation of ‘the soul’ or consciousness. “I think we all do [have thoughts] as we get older, and I have so many friends who are passing away,” explained O’Toole. “Just today, Michael told me that that beautiful girl [Susan Backlinie] in Jaws, she was the first victim we see in Jaws, she just passed away. My gosh, it’s with us all the time.” She went on:

“I mentioned my mother’s 98, you know, and you just start thinking about this stuff. I’m hopeful. And I liked this movie because it does give you hope. You do feel like, ‘Well, there’s something, there is a consciousness or there’s something,’ and I really don’t know. Of course none of us do. But I would like to think that, whatever it is, it’s sweet, and it’s loving. And I don’t know if you get to see your loved ones again, but somehow maybe it’s a consciousness, that you feel like you’re with them, and it’s a good feeling. I think we should not be afraid.”

We Go On: Remastered has been digitally restored and includes enhanced visual effects and a crystal clear picture, and the Blu-ray has three separate commentary tracks (including one with Annette O’Toole and Clark Freeman). It will be available on all digital platforms May 21, along with its special Blu-ray release, which you can purchase below:

Buy We Go On