Canadian sketch comedy icons Bruce McCulloch and Aurora Browne are among the ensemble cast of the cosmic horror comedy Turn It Up! from writer-director Sam Scott.

The film – billed as “Scott Pilgrim meets Phantasm” – goes into production in London, Ont. on May 21 and wraps on June 16, according to a news release.

Turn It Up! is produced by Jesse Thomas Cook and Liv Collins of Collingwood Film Company and Mike Gillespie of Toronto’s Last Frame Pictures, which is co-founded by Gillespie and Scott. The film follows an indie rock band that steals a melody that can distort the universe.

Joining McCulloch and Browne in the cast are Justine Nelson (Mind Fudge), Gwenlyn Cumyn (Slo Pitch), Xavier Lopez (We Forgot to Break Up), Jonathan Craig (The Hyperborean), Julian Richings (Beau is Afraid), Ry Barrett (In a Violent Nature), Kris Siddiqi (I Woke up a Vampire), Noah Lamanna (Dream Scenario), Bo Martynowska (The Umbrella Academy) and Collins (Cult Hero).

The script won the $60,000 feature film pitch prize at the 2023 Ontario Screen Conference at the Forest City Film Festival, which offers cash and in-kind support for films to be at least 50% shot in London, Ont. with a minimum budget of $150,000. The rest of the budget was financed independently by Collingwood Film Company.

Original songs for the film were written by Toronto-based gothic dream rock band Ace of Wands, with Canadian musician and music producer Ian Blurton providing sound engineering. Adrian Ellis is the film’s composer.

“When Last Frame pitched us this project we were swept away by its irreverent humour, inter-dimensional insanity, and protoplasmic guck, all wrapped up in the timeless quest of a struggling garage band,” said Cook in a statement.

McCulloch is represented by Carolyn Sterling of Grand Wave Entertainment; Browne is repped by Amanda Rosenthal of Amanda Rosenthal Talent Agency; Nelson is repped by Ryan Goldhar of The Characters Talent Agency, Cumyn is repped by MaryJane MacCallum of The ARC; and Lopez is repped by Maggie Dunlop of Oldfield Management.

Pictured (L-R): (Top) Justine Nelson, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Xavier Lopez, Jonathan Craig, Liv Collins, Julian Richings; (Bottom) Kris Siddiqi, Ry Barrett, Bruce McCulloch, Aurora Browne, Noah Lamanna and Bo Martynowska