Patrick Rea Talks The Witching and More!
Patrick Rea is one of our favorite indie filmmakers – not only does he give us consistently smart, fun and thought-provoking shorts and features, he’s just an all-around great guy. Whenever we have a chance to catch up with him to see what’s coming next, we do. Right now, you can see two of Patrick’s shorts on Amazon Prime in the brand-new horror anthology film, The Witching (NOW on Amazon Prime). We sat down with him to ask about all that, and more.
Dread Central: You are a busy guy this year! Not only do you have the fantastic feature Enclosure making its festival run, but you have two short films in the new anthology The Witching which just debuted on Amazon Prime. I guess it’s first world problems, but how do you juggle all of this and still get the creative juices flowing for your next movie?
PR: It’s been a very good year, and I’m very thankful for it. I don’t tend to stop and smell the roses that often, which might be something I need to work on as filmmaker. It’s definitely a tricky balance. I had several new projects come up this year, one of which was a family feature that I was juggling while making sure Enclosure was ready to go for the festivals. I directed a couple new short films as well. I’m also a busy family man, so it really comes down to time management. I have a four-year old daughter who I usually have with me during the day while I write and edit, which can be very challenging but always enjoyable.
DC: I saw Next Caller at Shriekfest in L.A. quite some time ago and it always stuck with me. Not only is the lead actor absolutely fantastic in the role, but it’s got a “Twilight Zone” vibe without feeling like that was intended. It’s just organic. So tell me, has Next Caller been made available to the public before now, and what’s the backstory on the that?
PR: Next Caller was actually shot back in 2008 and had a nice run on the festival circuit. As you know, sometimes there is nowhere for a short film to go but the web after its initial release. Thankfully Ruthless approached me about releasing some of my older work to a bigger audience, so that’s how it landed a spot in The Witching anthology. As for the genesis of the story, I have always been a fan of the Oliver Stone film Talk Radio and wanted to take the concept of a radio host with a powerful personality and mix it with the supernatural. Allan Kayser was a perfect fit, since he carried a real energy and is a terrific performer. He also had long hair at the time, so it came together perfectly. I was lucky to have had access to a radio station in Lawrence, Kansas, and we filmed the entire film over two nights.
DC: Hourglass Figure is another cool short you have in the anthology. It was my first time seeing it, and I really enjoyed the premise – I love those be-careful-what-you-wish-for type stories… so, what was the inspiration behind that one?
PR: The inspiration really came from working with Michelle Davidson, who co-wrote my latest feature Enclosure. She is not only a great writer, but also a wonderful actress and stars in the short film. Michelle hosts a television show every morning in Kansas City, and has two kids so like anyone focused on a busy career and being a good parent, we all could use more time in our day. The premise of having the chance to get an extra hour in your day was intriguing to me. Granted it had to have a twist that pushes it ever so slightly into dark supernatural territory. The irony is that I didn’t have a kid at the time of making the film, but now that I do, its themes have become a bit more relevant.
DC: Talk about the difference between making and short and making a feature. We know the obvious, like time and budget, but what about the creative side? What is it that you like best, and least, about each form?
PR: That’s a good question. Really I love making short films because certain stories shouldn’t exist outside their abbreviated runtime. I made a short film for Fun Size Horror: Volume Two last year titled Pillow Fright. It’s a five-minute short film about a sorority pillow fight that goes wrong and the pillows come to life and take their revenge. I honestly believe that this idea is perfect for a short, but couldn’t sustain itself as a feature. While other stories need time breathe and deserve to be given the feature length treatment. Obviously what I love about making short films is that you can put a three-act story together in a truncated amount of time and it doesn’t cost as much to produce. I will probably always make short films so I can keep my story-telling skills sharp since features can take several years to complete.
What I love about making feature films is that you can take your time pacing out the story and enriching the characters. You usually have a larger canvas to play with, which is also exciting and enormously freeing. But again, features require bigger budgets, risk and time, so you have to remind yourself that it’s a marathon not a sprint.
DC: Enclosure is really getting out there. Fiona Dourif is a marvel. Tell us how she came on board, and explain a bit about the plot and what people at festivals are responding to in particular.
PR: Enclosure was shot between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we had a very small window to get the film prepped and in the can. We reached out to Fiona and she responded to the script and came on board. She really inhabited the character of Dana and took it to the next level. I think some of the festival reactions to Enclosure have been that the film takes the ‘camping horror genre’ in a fresh and unexpected direction. Whether it is the stellar performances by Fiona, Kevin Ryan and Jake Busey or the unique approach we took with the creature aspects of the story, people seem to be a bit surprised in a positive way by the choices we made.
DC: When will Enclosure be widely available? I’m sure lots of people who don’t frequent film fests will really dig it. And… the inevitable question: What’s next for you?!
PR: I’m not 100% when the release date is in the US, but there will be an announcement very soon. Worldwide, the film will be playing at more festivals into 2017. As for what’s next for me, I’m currently working on a supernatural feature that is a unique take on the imaginary friend story that I hope to get off the ground for 2017. I’m also writing a sequel to my 2013 film Nailbiter. And there will be another anthology coming out from Ruthless Pictures sometime next year that I directed the wraparound for and have several of my shorts included.
Ian Carlsen, Ellen Elizabeth White, and Joanna Clarke star. Corey Norman directs along with George Bessudo, Sean Lee, Patrick Rea, Calvin Weaver, and April Wright.
Synopsis:
With Halloween only hours away, the members of a popular podcast, The Witching Hour, gather to swap scary stories in the dark. But they bargain for more than just ratings when they venture to the site where the Woodland Valley Witch was brutally murdered.
Categorized:News
