Chilling found footage thriller filmed in creepy Ontario locations

Ontario residents may recognize a Durham community and cottage country in a new thriller premiering this month in Oakville.

The Ontario film, Chimera, directed and co-written by Uxbridge resident Jacob Phair and co-written and edited by Mississauga resident Vrishub Merai, premieres at the Oakville Film Festival on June 22.

The film is described as “a genre-bending thriller that reimagines the found footage format with a fresh and unpredictable approach.”

The story follows Teddy (Michael Joseph Delaney), a private investigator who accepts a case that bears a chilling resemblance to the unsolved disappearance of his own sister when they were kids. As he gets closer to the truth, Teddy is thrown into a nightmarish game of cat and mouse that he may never escape.

The found footage genre, made famous by movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, is a cinematic technique in which part of the work is presented as if it were film or video recordings.

But, in this case, found footage is a plot driver of the film.

The main character, Teddy, has a compulsion to film his everyday life, Phair told INsauga.com. He is a loner, traumatized by his sister’s abduction. He uses the camera to interact with the outside world, as a kind of therapy.

“The found footage element was integral to the main character arc—it wasn’t just found footage…it was deeply connected to the character,” said Merai.

Phair said they wanted to bring something new to the found footage genre.

“Our goal was to create an unflinching thriller that delivers the terror audiences crave, while keeping the emotional core of its characters front and centre,” he said. “At a time when studio films often dominate the landscape, we’re proud that Chimera reflects the raw energy and creativity of independent cinema.”

The film was made on a tight budget — around $100,000, Phair said.

The duo seized an opportunity to complete their first feature length film and wrote the script for locations in Ontario. Phair’s family cottage in Bobcaygeon, for example, is an eerie backdrop, and other scenes were shot in Uxbridge.

Phair and Merai met in film school, Humber College (now Polytechnic), and worked together on a short film called Lure. That film caught the attention of producers who expressed interest in the pair. The producers wanted to make a found footage thriller, and they had a script in mind, said Phair.

Phair told the producers he wanted to do the thriller, but he had his own script and asked for three months to polish it.

“I didn’t have a script ready, I bluffed, but what I did have was an idea and the greatest writing partner (Merai) in the history of the world,” Phair said.

They wrote frantically with the idea of making it an easy yes from the producers. The specific settings were spots where they knew they could film for free.

Merai wrote a scene in a convenience store, which meant trying to find a location before they went back to the producers.

“Every day for three weeks, I would walk to the local convenience store (in Uxbridge) and just talk to them—I didn’t even want to buy anything,” Phair said.

Eventually, he asked them if they could film there, and they said yes.

“Almost every location, we were like, ‘Do we have this?'” Merai said.

Vrishub Merai, left, actor Michael Joseph Delaney and Jacob Phair pose on the set of Chimera.

In the end, the producers were impressed that they had a feasibility list of locations ready to go.

They filmed over 10 days in November 2024, and the post-production was done mainly in Mississauga over the course of a year in 2025.

They both have worked in the industry for a while and had help from professionals in the business, which helped elevate the film.

“Using those connections, we were able to squeeze more out of our budget,” Merai said.

Filming for Chimera in Bobcaygeon.

The film’s title comes from Greek mythological creature composed of different animal parts.

“In Greek mythology it represents a creature, opponent or challenge that you can never overcome,” said Merai.

In the film, the Chimera represents Teddy’s antagonist, the one thing he can never defeat, added Phair.

Merai said they made this movie despite the odds—it is true micro-budget, grassroots budget film-making.

“This movie shouldn’t exist,” he said. “With the resources we had and time we had…but somehow, through sheer determination and heart from the cast and crew, we somehow made it happen.”

Phair said the film proves you don’t need a huge budget to make a feature-length film. All you need is a really good idea and a vision to execute it.

“This is a true Canadian independent film, and we really did it with nothing,” Phair said.

Director Jacob Phair with actors Michael Dyson, left, and Michael Joseph Delaney.

Chimera premieres at the Oakville Film Festival on Monday, June 22 at 8 p.m. and will include a Q&A with the filmmakers and cast following the screening.

For tickets and more information, see the website here.

Photos: Nameless Films & Phair Films