I recently had the chance to interview writer/director Adam Ambrosio and writer/director Jamison LoCascio to talk about their new horror anthology film How Dark They Prey which presents a collection of scary stories. In this interview we discussClive Barker, the pros of anthology horror and a bug attack. I hope you enjoy.
Q: What was your inspiration for making this film?
Adam Ambrosio: The horror movies that I grew up on. Everything from Carpenter to Clive Barker. A Lot of 70’s and 80’s horror films.
Jamison LoCascio: We were watching some great anthology films and Adam had come up with “Blood Beach,” he had come up with the war story years prior. I developed my own concept called “Encounter Nightly” and then finally, my father came to me with the concept for “Nelly” and I sat down to write what you see now with that one.
Q: What was the message of this film, did each segment have its own message or did you aim for a unified one?
Adam: I think the overall message is the strength people have in their beliefs and what dark paths they will take in their own convictions.
Q: How do you view the state of modern horror?
Adam: It’s up and down. I think people get too comfortable with something that works but there have been a few recently that I think break the mold holding on to tradition yet still giving us new characters and stories.
Q: Why choose the anthology format? What strengths do you think it brought to the project?
Jamison: It was such a cool idea to be able to work on so so many different kinds of stories that we love. I am not kidding when I say that movie that deals with WWII, aliens, monster movies, black and white retro haunted house films, slashers, and the occult…that is a dream come true for me and Adam too, I believe.
Q: A hard one, what are your top 5 horror films of all time?
Adam: Prince of Darkness, Dunwich Horror, Hellraiser, The Thing, Event Horizon
Jamison: Evil Dead 2, The Fog, Psycho, Halloween, The Ninth Gate
Q: Any funny stories from the production of this project?
Adam: YEAH! We got Swarmed by a bunch of bugs while shooting “Harrowing.”
Jamison: Yes, every shoot we had a thunder storm come in to make us wrap everyday early. Luckily, it added heavily to the suspense…of both the film and the filming.
Q: Sequel or future plans?
Jamison: We are always working on the next projects. Right now we are developing a feature film screenplay, placing a number of our most well-received short films into a VOLUME ONE: FILM VALOR, and working simultaneously on some Film Valor content for direct release via youtube including the anticipated Part 2 in our popular Battle Royale series that is a mix of Battle Royale Style video games with Star Wars. You can check that all out, and more right here: https://www.youtube.com/c/FilmValor
Q: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring filmmakers?
Adam: It’s okay to go against the grain.
Jamison: There are no paths set in making films, only the ones you make yourself in your search for fun, adventure, and to create the films you love. There is always a way forward if the goal is really just to make films. It is truly great if you can do it with people you love who want to be doing the same things too.
If you would like to check out How Dark They Prey for yourself then head on over to Amazon or search for the film on Youtube
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