Interview: Justin M. Seaman – Director of The Barn
Set in 1989, The Barn follows two young friends who awaken an ancient evil on the night before their high school graduation. It also pays homage to all the classic horrors of the 1980s. You can contribute to the film here, and also check out our interview with director Justin M. Seaman below:
Dread Central: So it says in the Indiegogo campaign that you’ve been dreaming about making a horror film for decades?
Justin M. Seaman: This is true, for as long as I can remember this has been my passion. People don’t believe me but my first movie viewing memory was from ‘Treat or Treat’ (the part when Sammi Curr grabs Ozzy out of the television set) when I was three years old. I was hooked at a very early age because of my father, I can remembering my friends spending the night so they could secretly watch VHS duplicated copies of ‘Last House on the Left’ or ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ when we were in 4th grade. My house was the place to be at if you wanted to see some horror flicks! Many of these films my mother had no idea I had even watched until many years later.
DC: And it also says that you wrote The Barn when you were only eight years old?
JS: Yep, I was eight years old when the idea came to me. I spent most of my summers at my grandparents’ house in the country. There wasn’t much to do other than watch TV or play outside. So needless to say I found myself struggling to keep entertained. One day I noticed an old barn far off in the distance, and thought to myself “I wonder what’s in there…maybe monsters?” That’s when the story came to life. I wrote a small book soon after that became the backbone to the screenplay 20 years later.
DC: Is this a dream project for you?
JS: More than a dream at this point, a goal. For 22 years I’ve been constantly thinking about making this film before someone else beat me to it. Luckily it seems like I succeeded.
DC: And it’s set during the ’80s as a throwback to all the great horror movies of that decade, right?
JS: Yes, the whole film is set in 1989. We built custom sets, designed custom outfits and tried to replicate lighting and camera techniques used back then. We didn’t take the obnoxious over-the-top 80s approach that many people might think. It’s little subtle things like locations, dialogue, clothing and music.
DC: Can you talk about the soundtrack?
JS: Rocky Gray, the former drummer from the Grammy Award-winning rock band ‘Evanescence’, got involved and we have been working on the score since last October. He knew the exact sound I was looking for with this film and has absolutely nailed it. In June we signed a record deal with Lunaris Records (the same company responsible for breathing life into the ‘Night of the Demons’ soundtrack) to release the score on vinyl and cassette in the near future. We currently have a Limited Edition vinyl that is only available for our Indiegogo campaign…I don’t even own one! Once these limited editions are sold, they’re gone!
DC: Will The Barn be particularly nasty?
JS: Parts of the film will be, certainly. It’s not going to break new ground with kills nor did we want it to. You will see a lot of references that harken back to some great visual gags that came out in classic ’80s horror, but the kills aren’t in your face with reference so much that it’s distracting. Also, there are over 30 kills in the film.
DC: And can you describe the villains of the film?
JS: I was always attracted to groups of baddies in films, Pinhead and the Cenobites, the Neon Maniacs, The Ghoulies, Nightbreed and of course The Monster Squad. I liked the thought of a tight-knit group of evil instead of just one villain. So in the case of my monsters, we have ‘Hallowed Jack’, the watcher of the pumpkin patch who has magical powers with his pumpkins unlike the others. Next we have ‘The Candycorn Scarecrow’, the protector of the cornfield; he would be considered the deranged hillbilly of the group, the one who likes to play with his food before he eats it. Last we have ‘The Boogeyman’, the guardian of the barn, the head honcho, the devil’s right-hand man. He’s the most brutal, no playing around, just kill ’em kind of guy.
DC: How is production going so far?
JS: It started off a little bumpy, slowly got a little better, than got a little worse. Then we made some changes, found the right crew members that meshed really well together, and suddenly the production went smooth sailing over the past year. Team players and true believers are the key to success for any film. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by these great individuals who have made this film what it is today.
DC: Do you plan to make more horror films?
JS: Absolutely, if we can make a distribution deal (because we are still seeking one), we are aiming for a sequel to The Barn. Otherwise, we have had talks about starting a horror anthology in the future. But as soon as The Barn is wrapped, I intend on finally getting some sleep!!!
Categorized:News
