Back in 1994, a 17-year-old Kristoffer Polaha sat in a darkened theater at Cinema 1 and 2 in Sparks watching Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
Always drawn to show business, Polaha, who later went on to graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, quietly made himself a promise: Someday, he’d make movies here in Reno—movies actually set here. Now, more than 30 years later, he can say he’s kept that promise with Mimics, a supernatural thriller about a down-on-his-luck comedian, a ventriloquist’s dummy and the steep price of stardom, which celebrated its premiere at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 11 before opening in 400 theaters nationwide on Friday the 13th.
In fact, this is a thoroughly Reno film. It began as an idea from Marc Oakley, Polaha’s friend since first-grade at Anderson Elementary.
“Back in 2020, he messaged me on Facebook, and he was like, ‘Hey, bro, I want to write a screenplay,’” Polaha said. “And he pitched me this idea of this little creepy doll. I was intrigued, because the doll movies work. They’re a trope.”
He pointed to the Chucky and Annabelle films, as well as the Anthony Hopkins film Magic, as examples. “They’re a Hollywood trope, and they haven’t been done in a long time. We haven’t had a new doll movie in probably 30 years. But whenever there is a doll movie, they work.”
Polaha suggested Oakley write a speculative (read: unpaid) script so he could determine whether it was a project worth pursuing. Oakley spent the next several months—made easier by the forced pandemic downtime—crafting a script that Polaha thought was great, albeit too long.
Thus began a back-and-forth exchange in which they refined and tightened the script, getting it to the point where Polaha not only wanted to produce the film, but he also wanted to direct it and play the lead role, Sam. Next came a nearly four-year process of securing investments, during which time the 2023 writers’ strike looked like a sign that this was not meant to be. Nonetheless, an initial investment of $50,000 led to more, with roughly half of the funding coming from Reno.
By April 2024, it was fully funded, and by June 10, cameras were rolling.
The resulting film is, as Polaha puts it, “a love letter to Reno.” Not only did he and Oakley draw heavily on the local population for its cast and crew—including Arianne Zucker, a Lake Tahoe resident with credits that include Days of Our Lives—creating jobs and contributing heavily to the local economy, but it is set entirely in Reno, with numerous locations that should be recognizable for locals. Shim’s Surplus Speakeasy, the Pioneer Center, Mountain View Cemetery, the Riverwalk, Saint Mary’s hospital, the downtown Reno skyline, the shore of Lake Tahoe and numerous other recognizable spots play major roles in the film.
Renoites will also appreciate the caliber of bona fide talent involved in the project—including actors Chris Parnell (known for his work on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock) and Stephen Tobolowsky (best known as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, with roles in numerous TV shows and films, including Memento), with Los Angeles-based recording artist Moriah in a lead role. Polaha’s son, Micah, seems to be following in his father’s footsteps; he makes a cameo in one of the funniest scenes of the film.
Horror-adjacent
Mimics tells the story of Sam Reinhold (Polaha), a lonely, aspiring comedian who takes the mic nightly for a disinterested crowd at Shim’s, doing subpar impressions with the help of his “sidekick,” a threadbare hand puppet. Other aspects of his life aren’t great, either; he lives in an apartment with his ailing grandpa (Tobolowsky) and works days stocking shelves at a local grocery store, Super Duper (a role played by a local Raley’s). His grandpa, the emcee at Shim’s (Austin Basis) and his co-worker Virginia (Moriah) are Sam’s only friends, and they know how much he wants to make his comedy career a success. When a mysterious invitation arrives presenting Sam with the opportunity of a lifetime, they’re all ecstatic that his dream will finally come true.
With the opportunity comes Fergus, a creepy ventriloquist’s dummy that at first seems to be a huge hit with audiences. But before long, it’s unclear who’s actually the puppet and who’s pulling the strings. Soon, Sam’s life is spiraling out of control, and he’ll have to decide whether he’d rather have the adoration of audiences or the love of those closest to him.
Fans of Polaha—and there are many, with some attendees at the premiere hailing from all over the country—may know of his roles in Mad Men, Jurassic World: Dominion and Wonder Woman 1984. But it’s just as likely they became fans by catching the handsome actor’s many appearances on the Hallmark Channel, where he has played lead romantic roles in some of the network’s most highly rated films and starred opposite the likes of Meghan Markle, or through his roles on TV shows such as North Shore and Life Unexpected. He’s exceedingly generous with fans, remarkably likable, down-to-earth and humble about his success. The actor has intentionally cultivated a reputation that is family-friendly, values-driven and inspired by his faith as a Christian.
As such, a horror-adjacent film such as Mimics is a departure he hesitated to take at first. “I want to tell stories for everybody,” he said. “I never really wanted to make a horror movie, and I’ve been very vocal about it in the press. There are certain things you’ll never see me do, and one of them is a horror film.”
As he explains, what sets Mimics apart from the average horror film (aside from its comedy and romantic storyline) is its philosophical and spiritual undertones. Through his encounter with the occult, Sam is forced to confront inner demons and decide what he ultimately wants to stand for.
Fans may also see a new side to Polaha in Sam’s impressions.
“I’m a weirdo,” he joked, explaining how they wound up in the script. “Marc, back in the day, in like third-grade, would be like, how do make the sound of breaking glass? How do you make a gun sound? He was always fascinated by it.” In fact, Mimics features his impressive Jack Nicholson and Christopher Walken impressions. (Perhaps that talent could make its way into a Hallmark movie?)
Driving much of the story are some of Polaha’s own experiences with what he felt were supernatural forces. For one, he actually received a mysterious and somewhat sinister invitation, like Sam, and the character of Virginia shares a story about an experience drawn directly from Polaha’s own life.
“It really is a love letter to the city,” he says. “Every single human being in Reno needs to go buy a ticket. Go online and buy a ticket to the movie while it’s in theaters—because that means everything. It’s not every day you get to support a hometown kid in a theatrical movie.”