Exclusive: Directors Chris W. Freeman and Spain Willingham Talk BEAST MODE & Upcoming BEAST MODE TOO
Out now from Devilworks Distribution, Beast Mode (4-star review HERE) is an old school horror throwback about a has-been Hollywood producer, who after accidentally killing his lead star, turns to an ancient herbal elixir, in the hope that it will save his career. He makes a dark deal that unleashes a band of bloodthirsty, shape-shifting, ferocious beasts on LA. The film features a superlative cast including James Duval, C. Thomas Howell, and Ray Wise.
Synopsis:
The 80s throwback horror tells the story of a has-been Hollywood producer, who after accidentally killing his lead star, turns to an ancient herbal elixir, in the hope that it will save his career. He makes a dark deal that unleashes a band of bloodthirsty, shape-shifting, ferocious beasts on LA.
Dread Central was lucky enough to score a sit-down with Beast Mode directors Chris W. Freeman and Spain Willingham who both co-produced with Aaron Scotti (The Peanut Butter Falcon) and wrote the script, alongside Drew Fortune. Check out our conversation below.
Dread Central: When was the last time you guys went into “Beast Mode”? Ha!
Chris W. Freeman: This lockdown has tempered the Beast… for now. But I would say I was in full “Beast Mode” last fall during our festival run for the film. Late nights, early mornings, and lots of “Beasting”!
Spain Willingham: I just used “The Cream” so no “Beast Mode” today, but if I hadn’t…well… I’ll just say that!
DC: How’d the film come about, gents?
SW: I wrote a Hollywood satire with the basic themes then had my friend Drew Fortune help me craft the story. Then we linked with Chris and he helped form it into a shootable screenplay, so it was a total Colab! We had a blast writing it because we all come from different aspects of the industry.
CWF: When I came onto the project the script was insane. Very creative but upside down and no true protagonist. The guys had a cool premise but we were missing the lynchpin and that is how the flower (from which the cream is created) came into play. Once we nailed that, we really started exploring the idea of turning people into he monsters they truly are inside their hearts and the phrase “what is inside, will be outside, what is underneath will be revealed” became our mantra throughout the shoot and within in the film.
DC: Is it difficult to co-direct a movie? I imagine it takes a lot of compromising and working out where everyone’s individual strengths are.
SW: Exactly! Chris is better with making sure the lighting, camera and “look” while I’m more of an “Actors’ Director” and I also can help more with practical gore on site. Together we are one badass two-headed monster, which again, if we didn’t use “The Cream” before this interview, who knows how it would have gone. No joke!
CWF: Spain and I worked really well together. I have a fairly broad skill set from toiling away so long in the studio system (from brewing coffee to editing PR clips to adding last second VO ) and do my best to have a big picture mindset, so that helped. Spain and I were able to join forces and staff each other’s weaknesses in regards to music, looks and performance. We generally love the same films and had a shared vision that was only stifled by budget restraints. We also both loathe cookie cutter projects, so we hit the ground running on this bizarre film and never looked back.
DC: So who all wrote the movie?
SW: Well, it’s all our brainchild. I wrote it (the basic idea was from me) then invited Drew to help me craft the story. Drew and I finished it together but it was not shootable, yet. Then Chris Freeman came in and he helped make it something we could film; we all helped equally. I don’t wanna say, “It’s my idea” because it’s from all three of us, but the original idea was something I came up with. As you can see, not the most easy to answer because it was done in many sections..
DC: How did the script change over the course of the film’s development?
CWF: The script was full of quirky, funny scenes and colorful characters when I came on to the project, but it was also schizophrenic and wasn’t sure what kind of film it was going to be. We immediately dug in and isolated Breen as the lead and reached out to C. Thomas Howell to play the role. He was of course, always gracious, and gave us some great notes and wonderful suggestions for additional casting. In essence, it was a very strange process and we didn’t stop working on the script until we started screening the film. Huge plot devices like the ancient flower, the cream and the jar, Huckle not actually dying, the wrap party and the studio executive scenes were all implemented once we decided that Breen was our lead. It was insane… Was it worth it? Sure.
DC: What would you say your inspirations for the story were?
CWF: As a working indie filmmaker and screenwriter I’ve dealt with the dark side of the industry on many occasions and have seen “The Beast” in people socially and professionally. I’ve been below the line and above the line. I’ve shoveled dirt and feces for a shoot and asked people to do the same on my films. These encounters certainly shaped the way I view others and myself and offer great insight into the frontlines and backrooms of Hollywood. I think there is a little bit of Breen in all of us. The shared goal and desire to make a good movie takes over our humanity at times and we stop thinking of actors and assistants and everyone as people. That’s why the central theme of the film is stated so clearly at the turn of the third act. “You either help people in this world, or you harm them. Make your choice.”
DC: The film plays somewhat like a love letter to all the early Dimension stuff, too. How much were those films – Scream, The Faculty, and so on – an influence, especially where it comes to that mix of comedy and horror?
CWF: All the early Wes Craven stuff was highly influential and the tongue in cheek lines from Freddy Kreuger gave me great joy in my childhood and teen years. We certainly wanted to capture that element and honor those who came before us. I’ve always said this film is American Werewolf in London meets The Player.
SW: While we love the Dimension films, we were actually going for a love letter to Frank Henenlotter’s movies because who in the ’80s did horror-comedy better than Frank? From Brain Damage to Frankenhooker to the Basket Case Trilogy, Frank is kinda the inspiration as we really wanted an ’80s vibe, not much ’90s vibe (just not a big ’90s horror guy) – If you’ve never seen Basket Case Part 3, screw yourself and find a copy, in that order!
DC: Is it hard not to go too over-the-top with a film like this?
SW: Impossible. I can’t do subtle, so yeah this was meant to be over the top from the start. Great, now I’ve got Over the Top on my mind. Now THAT movie was robbed of Best Picture. Still Pissed!
DC: And did you instruct your performers to do the same?
CWF: We actively had people trying to dial us back. We refused, kicking and screaming.
SW: Definitely. Especially Robert Costanzo and James Duval. They both had really out there loud characters but it was free reign for anyone basically
DC: How hard was that lead role to cast?
SW: C. Thomas Howell was our first pick, and had he passed on the role we had some fun ideas of who we would ask. But getting [James] Duval and Howell was first and most important! When “Soul Man” said yes, we got REALLY excited!
DC: Practical or CGI? Preference?
SW: CGI has its moments but being a fan of ’80s gore films I’m all practical. We had a blend of both but I really hope next time we can hire someone like Steve Johnson, get Brian Wade to come back (he did our Monster Mold!) who knows maybe we could get Savini to come out of retirement to help too.
DC: Happy with the finished result? Excited for the world to see the film?
SW: We are! It’s been a LONG ROAD to get here with a lot of touring festivals, trying to find the best Distribution (much easier said than done), and now the PR campaign. It’s been epic!
DC: Whats’ next for y’all?
SW: Beast Mode Too! We feel the “Too” hasn’t been used in way too long, so we are gonna bring it back. Teen Wolf Too wore it best but I feel like there a new “Too” in town now. So back up Teen Wolf Too, it’s OUR TURN now! Beast Mode Too will tackle DC, and that’s all I’m allowed to say.
Have you seen Beast Mode? What do you think of our exclusive interview with Chris W. Freeman and Spain Willingham? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
Categorized:Interviews News
