Short Film: FACE MASK Shows The New Normal Of Being Neighborly
Just in time for All-Hallows Eve, a new, truly unsettling horror short is now out from the warped minds over at Midnight Video. Directed by Dan Allen and Adam Huber, Face Mask stars Bill Parmentier and Zachary Allen Farmer as two supposed neighbors who clash over the social distancing guidelines we’ve all come to know and follow. It’s a darkly comical reminder to always be aware of your surroundings and to never, ever, be in public without your mask.
Check out the film below and read on to learn a little more about Face Mask from writers Todd Spence and Zak White.
Dread Central: From start to finish, how quickly did you all come up with and shoot Face Mask?
Todd Spence: The concept came when I would go on walks in the evening and realized the darker it got the creepier people looked in masks. Hiding your identity has become the normal, so we wanted to dive into that paranoia a little bit. Dan Allen and Adam Huber who brilliantly directed the short planned for a week or so and shot it in one night. Luckily since it was a small cast and tight location, production was fast.
Zak White: We knew we wanted to do something with Adam and Dan. Once we were happy with the script, we sent it to them and they were super enthusiastic, and took the reins from there.
DC: If Midnight Video had a manifesto what would it be?
ZW: I’ve thought about this many times and you’d think after so many years I’d have a more canned and rehearsed answer, but I think deep down, Midnight Video aims to recreate that feeling of sitting in a crowded theater late at night. Those midnight screenings, that feeling of danger, fun, never knowing what to expect. Horror is fun, we want to share that adrenaline rush.
TS: Horror movies for horror fans. We want to make things that excite us as horror fans first, ideas and concepts that feel fresh and new that hopefully keep other people hungry for more.
DC: Based on what happens in Face Mask, is it better to be single or married with a kid during all of this?
TS: Mental health is a fine line, especially when literally none of us have gone through anything like this before. I mean it’s just day to day anxiety, especially in the beginning. So really it depends on the person and how well they can manage with this kind of situation especially if they lost their job because of it or had any other tragedy. We’re all just human in the end.
ZW: It’s funny, we’re sorta both halves of this. I have a kid, Todd has a few cats. Both have their advantages/disadvantages. I’ve had about 15 minutes of spare time since March, which I’m sure is frustrating for Todd (I’ll get to that rewrite, I swear), but my kid also kinda grounds me when things start to spiral. Makes me present when I spend too much time doom-scrolling.
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE
What did you think of Face Mask? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also let me know on Twitter at @DrewSTinnin
Categorized:Interviews News Reviews
