GREENLAND: A Talk with Director Ric Roman Waugh

 

Jeri Jacquin

Ric Roman Waugh has made a name for himself being as diverse as Hollywood itself. His resume reads from the ground up as a former stuntman, to writer, producer and film director. His first film IN THE SHADOWS (2001) was followed by FELON in 2008. Waugh wrote and directed ANGEL HAS FALLEN in 2019 and is not finished with the franchise.

Now, pairing back with Gerard Butler, Waugh has taken disaster one step further by bringing a story that branches out to how it not only affects the Garrity family but those around then. I had the opportunity to talk to Waugh about what drew him to the film and his belief in the military and those who serve.

Jeri: Hi Ric, how are you?

Ric: When I am doing anything with the military then I am good to go.

Jeri: That is so generous of you to say.

Ric: Thank you.

Jeri: First, what drew you to this film in particular?

Ric: I wanted to do something in the disaster/sci-fi/horror space, but I did not want to do it just about the event. I wanted to do it from the inside out, I wanted a more personal version. If you think about WAR OF THE WORLDS or A QUIET PLACE or CHILDREN OF MEN, we wanted to do more of it. When I read GREENLAND, it was like a dream come true because it was exactly that, that it was really about humanity. There is this great metaphor of husband and wife that are miles apart and very divided and lost their footing with one another. Trying to save their marriage they think they have all the time in the world until this all hits them in the face. They realize this is a matter of life and death and something like this tends to knock the rust away. This also gives them the realization of rekindling their love, remembering why they fell in love in the first place and wanting to hold onto that. It is a great metaphor for what is going on in the world today and hopefully knowing instead of focusing on our differences, we focus on how we do this together in a unifying way.

Jeri: I am a huge fan of disaster films coming from the era of POSIDEN ADVENTURE and EARTHQUAKE. So, you put a good disaster movie in front of me and I am all in.

Ric: I hope GREENLAND did not let you down.

Jeri: Not at all, in fact I found myself cheering quite a bit.

Ric: Oh, I love that. That is so great, thank you.

Jeri: I know you worked with Gerard Butler in ANGEL HAS FALLEN, was he in the first batch of actors you considered for the role of John Garrity?

Ric: There was nobody else! We wanted to work together again after ANGEL HAS FALLEN, we were lucky enough to have good chemistry and like each other as well. It is almost like we are brothers at this point. We were looking for something different. We did not want to do another big summer action movie right off the bat, so we waited for something different. When I read GREENLAND, I called Basil Iwanyk [producer] and told him I’m on and I know just the person to play John Garrity. I told him Gerry Butler and he did not take any convincing, we both called him together and Gerry read it that weekend and that was it. We did not think anyone else because it was always Gerry for me. The one we got really lucky with; because I love the sense that it wasn’t just about a man winning over the love of this woman, but it was very much about a husband and wife trying to win their love equally and having both husband and wife having equal footing in the movie. So, we really needed a tremendously strong Allison but also someone that had a lot of human qualities that and had the vulnerabilities to go through what Allison did so we just struck gold with Morena Baccarin. The way that her and Gerry, from the very, very first time they met when we had a chemistry read with the both of them, we knew right off the bat before they even read that here is our husband-and-wife team.

Jeri: The interesting part, and you did mention, and I noticed, is that in some films like this you do not have the strong female role where she is fighting just as hard as her male counterpart.

Ric: I totally agree with you. I attribute that to Basil that none of us wanted this to be about the cool wife who is just hanging off the storyline and just along for the ride. We wanted it to be an equal two-hander throughout and Gerry was very much about that at well. You do not see that with a lot of movie stars, man or woman. A lot just want that screen time to themselves to chew up the real estate. Gerry was very generous to the point that he really did want them to be on equal footing. I thought that was a beautiful way to have the movie from a dual point of view from a husband/father and wife/mother.

Jeri: Your film also shows, if you will, human being’s inhumanity to human beings.

Ric: The irony is that we made this movie pre-Covid. We have it made, tested, we were picture locked and in the throws of finishing the sound, color and visual effects -then Covid hit. You wonder how it is going to play and I remember watching the movie playback and I got really emotional because it reminded me of what I was living through in this pandemic. There is this sense of hope, that it is not a ‘woe is me’, it is really about a study in humanity. That we come together, and I love the message of it. Also, it is a sense of love, a love story, as I said from the beginning of this movie that when we strip all the garbage away, all we want to do is love somebody and to be loved back.

Jeri: And the military component?

Ric: The military aspect is a very big component for me. I am a very big supporter of the military community, veterans and making sure I do whatever I can to hire them in front of and behind the camera as well as bringing them into my business. When I read the script and there was a big component with the U.S. Airforce, I was really blessed to meet Lt. Col. Nathan Broshear and he made my life easier. The audience will see the military humanized and show their sacrifices because this is not a war time effort, it is a humanitarian effort, how they go about it with a sense of duty and self-sacrifice. My favorite thing about the movie is we were able to shoot on the Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia and what was beautiful is that 90%, if not more, of the men and women in uniform in the movie are all active duty and had never been on camera before.

Jeri: That is amazing.

Ric: The guards at the gate and the civilians in those scenes and their family members along with civilian contractors that worked on the base are in the film. It was beautiful, I just loved it! They would ask ‘How am I supposed to be? How am I supposed to act?’ and told them ‘You be you, how would you deal with people? Don’t do the movie stuff, do it the way you would do it”. You see the beauty of our military men and women and the sacrifices they make. I love that, and I love that part of the movie.

Jeri: The scene where Allison is pleading with the soldier ‘please, what if this was your child’ and she basically says, “I volunteered to be here” and for a moment it takes your breath because that didn’t not even occur, that someone would volunteer to be in that situation instead of ordered.

Ric: I am proud to say I am the one that put that line into the movie.

Jeri: Excellent!

Ric: It was important to show the importance of our first responders and our military. We have first responders now who have actively put themselves in harm’s way to help us. I am so proud to be a part of that message to be conveyed in GREELAND. To have it come to real life and actually so quickly throughout it all, you are seeing it now with the vaccine and people complaining about when they are going to get it. Of course, you give it to the hospitals first, you give it to the first responders and people put in harm’s way and make sure that they are taken care of.

Jeri: Absolutely.

Ric: I like that message in GREELAND and that they were going to do their job to the end, to the final hour.

Jeri: My son in law is a prior Marine and now a firefighter and we have watched him do his job. You do not think about Covid and those things, you just go in and do your job. You put all that info in a bag and set it aside. You know it is there; you just do not open the bag but instead go out and do your job. You take care in the situation you are in.

Ric: It was one of my favorite part of GREELAND working with so many active military, we have stories to tell that are great entertainment but also have something to say as well.

Jeri: That is amazing. Like I said, I am a huge fan of disaster films and an even bigger fan when they are done exceptionally well. GREENLAND is done exceptionally well.

Ric: Thank you so much, I really appreciate that Jeri.

Jeri: You kept me going from start to finish and I have a short attention span.

Ric: <Laughing> I love it!

Jeri: I may be sixty, but I have the attention of a ten-year-old sometimes. I love the action and there is not anything about GREENLAND that I didn’t like. You did an amazing job keeping the story flowing and I always look at the ‘disaster element’ as a character in the film. It has to be a good character to fall into the story and it just was. And thank you for not leaving me hanging at the end.

Ric: We might come back to it you never know.

Jeri: I hate when the disaster happens and it’s like ‘okay, you’ve seen it, buh bye’. You show that the disaster is survivable. So basically, you got me Mister.

Ric: I appreciate you saying that thank you so much.

Jeri: Well, thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I cannot wait to see it again.

Ric: Get all your family around on December 18^th and it will be on your television somewhere.

Jeri: We have got the 75-inch flat screen and the sound bar ready.

Ric: I love it, let’s do it and happy holidays!

 

And that is how we left it, ready to spend more time on the way to GREENLAND with Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Scott Glen and brought together by director Ric Roman Waugh.

GREENLAND brings action, thrills and suspense to a genre that always keeps fans on the edge of their seat. This Friday – it is time to fight for survival!

THE BLACK STRING: Speaking with Director Brian Hanson

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to the GI Film Festival San Diego this Friday and being released soon on DVD from Lionsgate and director Brian Hanson is the psychological thriller THE BLACK STRING.

Jonathan (Frankie Muniz) is a lonely young man who works in a convenience store. He is avoiding his parents and often takes advice from friend Eric (Blake Webb) on how to get out into the world. One night at home he sees a commercial for companionship and is drawn to call. The next night he has a blind date with Dena (Chelsea Edmundson) who rushes Jonathan into spending the night.

The next morning Dena is gone but leaves behind a mysterious rash and Jonathan is instantly freaked out. If that isn't enough, he starts experiencing strange disturbances that turn into actions he knows are caused by whatever is eating at him. Looking for answers, Eric and his parents decide he is detached from reality and so the fight begins to prove what he knows is true with the forces that are pushing everyone away.

Turning to a woman named Melinda (Mary K. DeVault) for help, she tries to guide him before turning back is no longer an option. Explaining that she knows exactly what he is going through, the process is painful, terrorizing and one that begs the question of who is responsible and how can they be stopped!

THE BLACK STRING has nominations for Frankie Muniz for Best Actor and is showing as its San Diego Premier. In attendance is the director Brian Hanson. Director Hanson, currently in Los Angeles, has a connection to San Diego and now the GI Film Festival. The writer/director Brian Hanson served in the US Army with the 75th Ranger Regiment deployed several times to Afghanistan. He volunteers with Veterans in Media & Entertainment (VME) and grew up in Escondido studying film at Palomar College and SDSU.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Brian Hanson about how the film story came to be and what it took to get the right locations, cinematography and cast to bring THE BLACK STRING to fruition.

Jeri Jacquin: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today Brian.

Brian Hanson: Of course, thank you as well.

JJ: I'm excited to see you at the film festival.

BH: I know, it's going to be great.

JJ: I talked to Frankie and he had nothing but high praise for you.

BH: Thank you Frankie.

JJ: I will ask you what I asked him with how did you get involved with the project? This is a very unusual project.

BH: I got involved because about 10 years ago I was a film school grad bartending. I am originally from San Diego and came up to Cal State Northridge. Film is my thing and my buddy Andy (Warrener) was also a bartender. We conceived of this idea of a guy, we know we wanted it to be a horror movie and we love psychological thrillers first of all. We wanted it to be like a JACOBS LADDER (1990) where you never know if it's in the guy's head and we wanted to set it up in a San Diego suburb, a southern California suburb where this guy just never left town. This guy is full of potential but he was never able to leave. That's the drama side of it. On the occult side of it we wanted this mysterious neighbor, going on a blind date and the woman disappears and he goes on a search for this girl. So half of it mental illness and is it all in his head or is the cult responsible. Andy and I wrote a forty page thing but we weren't able to actually make it. He started a family in Florida and I joined the Army. Cut to four years later when I got out and I used the GI Bill to go to Mount Saint Mary and that program where I met Rich Handley (co-writer of THE BLACK STRING). I told him the story and he said instead of making a short graduate thesis, why don't we make a feature film and I loved the idea of THE BLACK STRING. One other person jumping in on a project made me realize we might have something here. It started with Rich Handley writing with me and from there we were fully committed to starting an LLC and added forty more pages to the script and it just grew from there. It all happened pretty quickly from there believe it or not.

JJ: We were also talking about how making these films there is a budget and you have to make due with the funding you have. Frankie was saying, and I agree with him after seeing the film, it doesn't look like a struggling budget.

BH: We were proud with what we were able to pull off. I worked at a production company while I was in school called Vega Baby and they did a small horror film and I got to see how they spent their money. I saw how a micro-budget produced something like GURU so I really understood that when making a film on a lower budget you really have to use what is around you. An example is locations that you can't pay for and it's amazing because things like that are donated, friends' houses, our university, Mount Saint Mary's, played host to the mental institution scenes. There were a few locations where we got a student discount as part of our thesis project. The actors are all great actors that have that face, that presence on camera and then of course the cinematography - if we had to pay market value for everything, including Frankie and Oded Fehr (THE MUMMY and RESIDENT EVIL), it would never have happened. Everyone involved came in for a day rate or just contributed their gear or location, it was amazing. We had 10 to 20 years of favors and karma on this one, we cashed it all in.

JJ: You mentioned Frankie and Oded, first of all it freaked me out to see him on the screen. Getting Frankie is so fantastic, how did you make that happen?

BH: That is a great question because we never in a million years have dreamed when Andy and I were writing this as bartenders and Rich in film school would have thought Frankie Muniz would be part of this project. We went through a casting director, usually we do it ourselves but this time we knew we needed help. Jeremy Gordon, a casting director, gave us a lot of great people for all rolls. After two weeks of auditions we were about to cast the lead role of Jonathan and that day Jeremy called and said stop the presses and hear me out. He said he got a name that just came through and was interested in the script. Then he said the name Frankie Muniz and we had the same reaction you just did. We thought, 'What? Where has that guy been?'. I mean I knew he had been racing cars and such.

JJ: I know, he's been so busy with his music and the business with his partner as well.

BH: Yes, exactly. I mean way out of left field. We had really been searching for an actor to play Jonathan. We slammed on the brakes and brought Frankie in from Arizona to read and he auditioned and seeing him after only having the script for one day we had to see him again. He came in the second time and knocked it out of the park even more. We had to shift our thinking and Frankie brought a unique dynamic. I mean everyone grew up with him from Malcom in the Middle and what a difference. He is taken this really bizarre against type and it added so much to who Frankie is. This is like if Malcom didn't go off to college and stayed in town and his dad became a meth dealer - it's like Frankie's Breaking Bad.

JJ: My daughter Jenise knew I was speaking to Frankie and she was so thrilled because she loved him in Malcom in the Middle, after seeing THE BLACK STRING she can't believe how different this is for him. Of course I agree, it is disturbingly awesome.

BH: That's so awesome.

JJ: I don't know who else you could have chosen for Jonathan.

BH: Yes, it's his movie now. I make this sports analogy that if you are a coach and you have this athlete, you have to let them shine with what they are good at. We thought Jonathan would be more quiet but Frankie has this charisma and energy and we had to let that shine. He made Jonathan a much more dynamic character than we expected. Let's not forget the raw talent as an actor.

JJ: Another character that just held my attention was Homeless Mike.

BH: Yes

JJ: The whole time I was watching, the first time I saw his face in the window. Frankie and Homeless Mike could be related. That expression of terror for Homeless Mike and as Frankie's character develops gets that same look.

BH: I'm so glad you caught that. We really worked hard to match that and glad you noticed it.

JJ: It is an interesting arc because first of all who you cast as Homeless Mike was perfect. It wasn't about anything he said but his reaction to things. As the film went on I saw Jonathan's character mirror that. By the way, watching THE BLACK STRING in the dark? Yea. Where did the character of Homeless Mike come from?

BH: Again that the addiction and mental illness aspect of the film. There is this real sinister and evil occult force and Homeless Mike is a harbinger and a shadow of like Christmas Carol. This is where you might go and where you end up if you stay on the path. Jonathan is trying to be a better guy because he has these issues but Homeless Mike - is he really there or is he a figment of Jonathan's mind.

JJ: He isn't front and center and in your face, more subtle.

BH: In editing, we tried to cut out Homeless Mike but in the end we wanted to do what we wanted and went for it. It's a simple movie but we wanted to fill it with things to really think about. Maybe in future movies we might not be able to do that. Sievers is Homeless Mike and he had two or three scenes but he could have been on a poster. He encapsulates much of the movie with his face in the window.

JJ: Who's mind came up with the black string? Its horrifying!

BH: It's the body horror element, we wondered what could be worse. It's like 'should I go to the hospital'? It's like a nightmare and things we have experienced watching other films but it's really disgusting, insidious and revolting when something like that is in your body.

JJ: Yes, you guys didn't just stop at pulling it out - you went further and it freaked me out!

BH: I think there is something about being pierced that is very, very horrifying. When you brush up against a cactus you get those things stuck on your skin digging into you and its strange. If it was a cut its okay but something very sinister when things are sticking out of your body. We decided to take it to the max.

JJ: And you did because you get a sliver in your finger all you want to do is get it out. This makes a sliver look like nothing.

BH: Exactly, and with Jonathan there is addiction and mental illness and also this thing called Morgellons Syndrome. It's about people that believe they have parasites in their skin and the doctors tell them it's not there. People believe they have something implanted in them and they have to dig it out. It's a condition that goes a lot with addicts or mental illness with the idea there is something in you and you have to get it out.

JJ: I watched the string scene and its one of the big fears is knowing that one minute it's there and one minute it's not but even worse feeling like something bigger is coming and what could be bigger than what Jonathan is doing pulling the string.

BH: Right.

JJ: The ending is so shocking as well. He is trying to tell everyone through the whole film what is happening. Even his parents treat him like a kid and want to send him to his room. He keeps fighting and fighting and then have the ending happen.

BH: Again, that's a great observation and something we worked hard on. I won't reveal any spoilers but it’s the H.P. Lovecraftian kind of horror. It is a simple man or woman trying to fight forces that are so super naturally beyond them so how can they possibly fight against something like that.

JJ: Especially when you already have labels attached like Jonathan of being dissociative or mental problems. When he's arguing with his parent I just yelled at the screen, 'shut up and listen to what he is telling you!'

BH: Right. That was kind of a hint of what is happening to him. Using the words occult, curse, entity - the fact that you are even saying those words, no one in their right mind is going to believe you. That's the situation we wanted to explore like with the psychic, there is nobody that Jonathan can go to because it sounds so implausible that no one is going to believe anything he says. It's very frightening because there are people who experience things like that. There is a lot of homelessness on the streets and they often are shouting and screaming at the sky. It makes you wonder what is going on in their minds. In the case of our movie you have to wonder what if something is actually happening?

JJ: I was telling Frankie that in the movie ALWAYS there is a scene where Richard Dreyfus who is a 'ghost' is trying to tell a young pilot something. There is this homeless guy in the desert who repeats what he says and the pilot is freaked out. Dreyfus says something to the effect of who knows about these guys, maybe they have an antenna to something the rest of us don't hear or understand. I felt like that's how it was for Jonathan.

BH: Exactly!

JJ: We could go on for hours so I'm going to ask you the final question. What do you hope people take away from seeing THE BLACK STRING?

BH: Number one, talking about it, debating it with friends and family after they see the movie. Two people can see the film and have a very different opinion about the outcome. We wanted to stir conversation. We pitted hard science and medicine if you were doctors this supernatural world and this inter-dimensional occult forces. We wanted to slam those two opposing worlds together. The movie starts inspired by sleep paralysis which is horrifying experience. It makes you think other things in this world are out there but then science explains it. We really just wanted a character that was stuck right in the middle of that. Maybe a couple will chat about it and talk about other possibilities. Science can explain a lot but are there other explanations. Whether there are or there aren't it's fun to talk about, especially late at night. When I was in the Army I really learned that my Ranger buddies in Afghanistan were entertained by 90 minutes of a film. It was escapism and I hope that people have 90 minutes of going to a place that is thought provoking and enjoy it.

JJ: As a Mom of servicemen I want to thank you for your service. I was reading your bio and you have set the standard high in a lot of ways and I appreciate that about you. I appreciate all the service members involved in bringing this movie together. I hope you get a chance at the GI Film Festival to talk with the audience one on one to hear your perspective. I want to thank you for that.

 

It is always a joy to talk to the director of a film and it is even more of a joy to speak with a military Veteran who has served his country and then followed his dream. Making a film is a difficult and sometimes a lengthy process but Brian and everyone involved in THE BLACK STRING should be very proud of what they accomplished.

THE BLACK STRING is a psychological thriller filled with twists and turns. It is also a film that constantly causes us to join the ride with the character of Jonathan in the quest to discover what is real and what is something - else!

This Friday at MOPA in Balboa Park is the GI Film Festival San Diego's screening of THE BLACK STRING. Director Brian Hanson will be attending to answer all the questions that maybe I didn't get to ask because, and trust me on this one, there are so many more to be asked.

Director Donovan Marsh Gives Us the Inside of HUNTER KILLER

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Donovan Marsh and Summit Entertainment is the intense military thriller HUNTER KILLER.

Gerard Butler is first-time-out submarine Captain Joe Glass and this isn’t a run of the mill outing he is about to go on. There is something happening in Russia that has sunk two submarines and Washington wants answers.

There are four parts to the film that come together as Captain Glass looks for the subs, Navy Seals put boots on the ground, the Russians are playing their own game and Washington looks at the political ramifications if one more thing pushes everyone over the brink.

That’s were good directing comes in and Donovan Marsh was given that task being part of the film industry since 1992. Marsh has put himself on the map with his award winning film SPUD which won at the South African Film and Television Awards. That was followed by the sequel SPUD 2: The Madness Continues. He is also in pre-production for the film VALHALLA and I can’t wait to see it. Writing, editing and producing, along with directing, means Marsh is someone who doesn’t shy away from good film and television making.

I had the chance to speak with Donovan Marsh about HUNTER KILLER. He speaks of keeping the film authentic while enjoying a ride aboard the USS Houston for a bit of research.

Jeri Jacquin: Hello Donovan, thanks for speaking with me today.

Donovan Marsh: Oh no worries at all.

JJ: Congratulations on the film. I’m going to jump right in and ask what was it like to direct four different stories in one film?

DM: Oh you are correct about that and its very difficult to not get distracted with different points of view. It’s a matter of taking these four points of view and finding out if there is a way to cut them while ratcheting up the action. That was a real job during the editing. It was a matter of choosing and knowing where I wanted the audience to be looking without distracting them too much. I think the editor did a fantastic job of that.

JJ: Was it difficult for you to do each of those things? I mean one minute your dealing with the Russians, then off to the politics of Washing etc.?

DM: We divided it into subsections and were very methodical about it. I was able to focus on each of them exclusively for a couple of weeks at a time. We did two weeks in the submarine and a week in “Russia” which actually was Bulgaria and it is carefully scripted. If you have a plan and know what you are doing it becomes all about where do you want the audiences attention to go and who’s point of view has the most tension at the time you are watching.

JJ: You made it look seamless.

DM: Thank you!

JJ: You have such a stellar cast in each section of the story you are telling. Gary Oldman and Common together, what an interesting choice.

DM: Yes, you couldn’t get two more different actors. Gary is an Oscar Winning actor for THE DARKEST HOUR and Common is a musician who brings a warmth, energy and naturalism to his performance. It is interesting to watch their contrast in the war room scenes. It was quite a magical thing and I am happy with the outcome.

JJ: Your Seal team, what a group of amazing guys.

DM: Oh thank you, yes, well we put the four of them through hell. Every day it was running, diving, crashing and jumping. I wanted it to feel like the real deal so we put them through a lot of training and go them really fit. They got the culture of the Special Forces and we wanted to make sure to get that right. I’ve had Special Forces guys look at the film and they’ve said ‘that’s exactly how we are with each other’ with the joking and the time to be focused and serious. I was happy to get that accurate.

JJ: The Russian part of the film, I mean its not that hard to believe it could happen.

DM: Look, what would it take to set off a war between America and Russia? What’s it going to mean to both countries? It’s not going to take much. It could be a submarine under the ice. You look at the press of late and how the Russians are posturing with MIG’s or destroyers, you are not sure what could happen next. So playing the what-if game is the delicious part of the film. I mean what if these kinds of events occurred and what would be the outcome is what makes this film.

JJ: The actors are so good.

DM: I wanted to use Russian actors, except for Michael Nyqvist of course who is Swedish, I wanted them to speak Russian. There is an authenticity to them being Russia and knowing the Russian life that I thought important enough to cast them for the film.

JJ: In the submarine, when I heard Gerard Butler was the commander I thought it was an interesting choice.

DM: I know people are use to him kicking ass on land and this is a totally different environment.

JJ: I heard that you and Gerard spent some time on the USS Houston?

DM: That’s right, we went on board from Pearl Harbor and we actually ran through all the scenes of the film. I asked the captain what actually would happen with this or with that. Show me exactly how you would react if this were to really happen. The Captain was game and the crew was game and it was amazing to see it really play out on a US submarine. It was the most expensive prop I think I will ever use again but it was great to see it play out. We wanted to make sure that we depicted it as accurately as possible.

JJ: What did Gerard think of it?

DM: It was amazing, he dressed up as the captain and the crew referred to him as Command Glass which is the name of his character for the film. They treated him like a real captain and he got to do some commanding. It was great for him to feel like he was in character in some respects for the film.

JJ: When you finally starting filming the submarine scenes, you are in pretty tight quarters and there are a lot of people in those quarters. How did you manage that?

DM: Yes, it is encapsulated definitely. I wanted the set that way, I wanted the actors to feel what it was like so there were four walls, floor and ceiling. I built the set on a hydraulic set called a gimbal and was able to tilt it 15 degrees at any given moment. The set was tilting as it would in a real submarine and it felt like you were in it. I never wanted to film the same scene in the same way twice so I took out sections of the wall, brought a crane in and always tried to find other ways of filming it for drama. That was a real challenge but I’m so glad I did it that way because it gives the true feeling of being in a submarine.

JJ: There is a scene where the sub is diving and the crew leans to keep themselves upright.

DM: Yes, that really happened when I was underway on the Houston. If you don’t lean you’ll fall out. I wanted to depict it in the film and it adds so much to that scene.

JJ: What initially drew you to the project?

DM: I get scripts and I’ve seen scripts in this genre and I find it difficult to get a good script in this genre. There have been submarine dramas and such and I wasn’t sure there would be a plot to tell. I read the script and I thought it was fantastic with the twists and turns and not knowing what was going to happen next. I was drawn to the realism of it and thought it was a really good script. I also couldn’t predict the end! There are a lot of action films were half way through you know how its going to end and this one did something different.

JJ: What do you want audiences to take away from seeing HUNTER KILLER?

DM: That’s an interesting question because I think there are many layers to the film. I think you could walk into a theatre and think it a popcorn film and just enjoy it for the thrills and spills. Also, there is a deeper geo-political commentary about war and how collaboration with the enemy is way more important than fighting the enemy. It’s another part of the reason I took the film was the collaboration between America and Russia. I feel it’s important for geo-politics. Movies talk about collaboration and ‘we are all in this together’ and I hope that comes through in the film. I hope that some people will take that away and not just see it as a thrill ride. I also hope people come away with a greater appreciation for the unsung hero’s of the US Navy submariners. We don’t know a lot about them, it’s not the most glamorous job in the world. I wanted to show what they go through and what it’s like to go to war in this encapsulated steel cylinder where you can’t see what’s happening. Instead, all you have is trusting your instrumentation. I want everyone to appreciate the men and women serving. We played this movie on a Naval Base for 1,300 people and they went bananas for it. After the film was the question and answer portion and wives would say ‘thank you for shedding light on what my husband does’ and a child got up to say ‘thank you for showing me what my mother does because I now have a bigger appreciation for what she does’. That was really moving.

Indeed it is, when a film comes along that gives us all an insight into what it takes to do a job then it becomes even more successful. HUNTER KILLER not only does just that but puts us all in the intensity and action in a what-if scenario. The twist and turns bring another layer of the film into focus making us think that in the midst of crisis – anything is possible.

Marsh has taken this genre of film and given it something for us all to think about. From the storytelling to the intricate set design, it all lends itself to bringing us all in on the ride.

HUNTER KILLER opens in theatres this Friday so prepare to dive!

THE BYE BYE MAN Creeps onto Bluray: Talking with Director Stacy Title

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and director Stacy Title is a thriller that will keep you from putting your toes outside the covers with THE BYE BYE MAN.

Three college students find an old house off of campus and move in not knowing they have a tenant of another kind. An entity called The Bye Bye Man is just waiting to come out and the students, without knowing, open the supernatural door for him.

I am a fan of well done horror films and director Stacy Title has given us just that. With creepiness oozing from every frame, I was thrilled at the opportunity to speak with her about where the idea came from and her vision for bringing the frights to all of us.

Jeri Jacquin: Hi Stacy, I’m so excited to talk with you today and thank you for talking the time to talk about THE BYE BYE MAN that’s on Bluray this week. I’m excited to talk to you for several reasons but the main one is that it is rare to find a female director in the horror genre.

Stacy Title: Yes, you are right, it is a rare thing.

JJ: How did you become involved in the film and I know your husband Jonathan Penner worked on the screenplay as well.

ST: I tell you that it was luck and friendship as Trevor Macy is a dear friend of mine and fan always had wanted to do something together. The script for THE BYE BYE MAN came and it really wasn’t in the shape that I wanted it to be in but there was something in it that intrigued me. My husband Jonathan and I started breaking it down and split the roles very clearly. He did most of the writing and I wanted the definition of me as the director fully realized. I’ve had people ask me if I’ve co-directed with my husband and tell them I’ve never done it before. We got the script the way we wanted and my friend Jeffrey Soros from LAMF partnering with Simon Horsman and they financed the movie. It’s really a lucky thing of having a fan and a good friend putting those pieces together. Without all of these things coming together I would never have gotten a shot at this.

JJ: What was it about the story initially that intrigued you?

ST: I loved that the Bye Bye Man can hurt you without touching you; that he can turn you on yourself by playing on your weaknesses. I thought that was really unique and original. Further, I am really interested in the idea of fear and paranoia today is a large part of our lives and that intrigued me too. You can hurt yourself by being to afraid, by being too paranoid about life. There are going to be links to the mythology that will be made available to people as well. It will explain the DNA of the movie a little more about the coins and the trains. I think people will understand even more fully what I intended.

JJ: I understand that it was based on the piece The Bridge to Body Island; did you dig further into that?

ST: That story is incredible and that’s in a book called The Presidents Vampire I believe and it has a lot of really interesting stuff. I can’t verify there were three grad students that this happened to but there was a great amount of material that was useful. One of the things is how the Bye Bye Man was murdered, that he was left on a train, his eyes burned out with coins and all the things they did to him. The book had some wonderful detail and we turned that into a movie because it wasn’t a natural movie with the work.

JJ: Is this a genre you enjoy?

ST: I love it I have to say. I’m a real horror geek. I love science fiction and fantasy as well, oh I just love all movies and genres but I do genuinely love horror. I love that feeling of being afraid and I find that interesting. I also enjoy scaring people too.

JJ: Do you think it is that rush we get knowing we will walk out of the theatre in one piece after watching a horror film?

ST: It’s so true! It’s a wish fulfillment like can I be on the edge of a cliff, fall and survive it. It’s very satisfying and makes you appreciate the world you live in. The expressions ‘enjoy each day as if it’s your last’ but a horror movie can make you believe that more.

JJ: There is nothing like that roller coaster of emotions and walking out of the film with a nervous laugh saying ‘ha! I survived!’ but inside your heart is still pounding a bit.

ST: In my bedroom in the middle of the night there was something hanging on my door and it looked like the Bye Bye Man! You see shapes and dark things that test all of those scary feelings. I also think what is fun is the community of going to see the film in a theatre.

JJ: I was so thrilled to learn that Doug Jones was playing the character of the Bye Bye Man. He does such amazing work.

ST: Yes, he is amazing and I was so thrilled that he was on our project. Have you ever met him?

JJ: Yes, I spoke to him as well for another project he did.

ST: He is the sweetest most genuine person you have ever met, such a delightful, lovely and a thoughtful person. It is so interesting that he can convert that. He completely channels the darkness for this character and how he can use his body with the smallest movement. He gets so much out of so little. He is funny, scary and brilliantly dramatic actor and I am very lucky to have gotten him.

JJ: He is just amazing.

ST: I love him.

JJ: You have a wonderful cast that comes together strong for the film. When it all came together did you think ‘yep, this is it!’?

ST: Totally, I’ve have a lot of luck in my life with casting and I’ve had great experiences with actors. I don’t know if it’s because my husband is an actor who has done television and film as well as Survivor. When I did my Oscar nominate short I had Jason Alexander and Edward Asner, with THE LAST SUPPER I had Bill Paxton and Cameron Diaz so I am very ambitious to get the best person for each part. So for THE BYE BYE MAN I was completely happy and agree with you about the cast.

JJ: When it came to doing the effects for the film, how was that for you knowing that you see one thing in your head and have to create that on the screen?

ST: I think we were overly ambitious with the amount of financing we had. There are some shots that didn’t work or didn’t look good. If anything it made me realize is that I need to hold out to expand the budget in the effects area to get those things absolutely perfect. I’m very happy with a lot of what we did. There are things that are beautiful and I wouldn’t change them.

JJ: I’m glad to hear you understood what to use and what to leave out. It seems a lot of the horror films just throw everything but the kitchen sink at a film and it sort of ruins it for me. It’s a way of saying that we have to watch and accept it. I don’t think audiences are buying that anymore.

ST: I agree so much. I think there is a judiciousness that you have to have when things aren’t really perfect and accept that it has to be cut. I believe you are right that things are just shoved into films and people are expected to just let it fly and it doesn’t.

JJ: I have found in the last couple of years is that the blood and gore just don’t tell a story for me which is why I stopped watching my favorite genre for a while. You have gone back to scary and tension. You can have a little gore but give me suspense, creaks, rustling bushes!

ST: Really the feeling of something awful is about to happen and I so think that is important. The jumps are great to release a little of the tension but it’s the tension, the dread and that identifying with the characters, I think that works much better and is more important.

JJ: It’s like when Willy Wonka is watching something bad happen to one of the kids and he says, “The suspense is terrible! I hope it will last!”

ST: You are hilarious <laughing> what a great metaphor.

JJ: I love the tension! <laughing> I don’t need a lot of the other stuff, just give me the feeling of body aches when I leave the theatre because I’m exhausted from the tension.

ST: When we were early humans and living day-to-day and moment-to-moment we had to listen as if our lives depended on it in the forest because something could get us. That’s that tension you are talking about, I love it.

JJ: Yes, that primal fear that knows that at a drop of the hat something could happen and we’d have no control over it. You give us that safety of not having control, it’s hard to describe.

ST: Absolutely, taking you on that ride and to the edge. We knew the last hallucination of the film was extremely important. You had to think what was happening to Sasha was happening and the dread with the running down the hall. If I hadn’t set everything up at the beginning no one would want to take that ride.

JJ: Exactly, okay, I love you

<At this point we are both laughing>

ST: I love you too! You get it; you really understand how to put that together because it’s not easy to do. I like that you understand why you like it – you’re like a shrink!

JJ: Actually I have four adult children and we all love horror films. We love that feeling of terror but feeling safe. I’m not going to lie though; my feet do not dangle over the bed at night.

ST: When you are alone at night and you sort of see something rustling around, I admit to having a little bit of fright outside the movies. I do like the movie thing because you are right, I’m safer sometimes more than real life.

JJ: I think it helps us with those little creepy moments like going from our car to the front door which is a ten-second walk but we hear things and see shadows and fumble with our keys to get in the door.

ST: That funny sound when you slam the door and then there is a funny sound coming from upstairs and now that creepy is in the house. I live in an old house that makes noise which doesn’t help.

JJ: I have a cat who thinks it’s funny to scare the daylights out of me.

ST: Does he jump out?

JJ: I have a staircase with space between the stairs and he just rubs on my ankle as I walk up. It is the creepiest feeling in the world!

ST: Oh my gawd, that is so funny!

JJ: When people see the film on Bluray which is amazing, what do you want them to take away with them?

ST: I want them to see that fear and paranoia bring you down and that it can take over your life. You have to make a choice not to let that happen. I think the concept behind THE BYE BYE MAN is that you really get lost in your fear and by living in that fear it can hurt you – especially today.

JJ: You are so right Stacy; I had an amazing time talking to you about THE BYE BYE MAN.

It was amazing having such a fantastic conversation with Stacy and I am still thrilled to have been able to chat about horror films and what makes us love it so. THE BYE BYE MAN is a fright fest that now on Bluray gives us a reason to turn off the lights, cuddle up on the sofa with your favorite hero/heroine and enjoy the ride.

Coming to Bluray from the stellar director Stacy Title and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is dark and focused THE BYE BYE MAN.

In the end – the evil behind the most unspeakable acts has a name!