Sean McEwen Talks About The Actors

CHRIS JERICHO (Levi) – www.chrisjericho.com

I was fortunate to meet Chris at a local news station in Tampa Florida. It happened to be about a week prior to Halloween and Chris and I began to talk about horror films – a mutual love of both of ours. I mentioned that I was putting together the pieces for a feature film, and Chris was kind enough to take a look at the script. He called immediately to express his interest in playing a part and it all “snow-balled” from there.

Chris was a dream to work with from the beginning. He had fantastic ideas on how to mold his character in such a way that added to the story and enhanced the entire dynamic of this integral part.

It was amazing to see how Chris “lost himself” in his character. While constantly keeping a professional demeanor throughout the shoot – Chris also managed to scare the hell out of us as soon as his makeup transformation took place. He truly “became” Levi and his commitment to his character set an indispensable tone for the entire shoot. I am constantly amazed how certain actors are so talented that they can give life to a persona and character that is truly not their own – and Chris was no exception to this. His god-given gift for the craft was awe-inspiring.

RICHARD CHRISTY (Caleb) – www.richardchristy.com

As a long time listener to the Sirius Satellite radio program, The Howard Stern Show, I was quite aware of Richard Christy and his affinity for the horror genre. However, while immersed in our pre-production, I was listening to the show one day and was shocked to find out that Richard had a direct connection with Springfield Missouri (where the actual legend is from). On a whim, I decided to take a chance and contacted Richard directly at the radio station. As luck would have it, we were able to connect. Our first conversation lasted literally 2 hours where we ran the gambit talking about all things horror films – from the genius of John Carpenter to the mastery of George Romero. Next thing you know, I convinced my new “comrade in macabre arms” to fly out to the hills of Missouri to join us in all the “horrific” fun.

Richard did a fantastic job portraying the part of Caleb. He had to endure many hours of prosthetic work which, when complete, transformed him in to the eerie prosthelytizing “bridge” between the town and frightening secrets of the farm.

TAMMIN SURSOK (Stacey)

One of the most important dynamics to our casting process was finding the perfect “Stacey”. She was constructed as the spine of the story – the character the audience would take its journey with. Stacey was written to be beautiful, likeable, funny and when pushed to her limits, heroic. We needed an actress whose core persona could embody all of those components.

From the moment Tammin walked in to the room for her first audition, she encapsulated all of those qualities – and more. She naturally possessed that “spark” that would make an audience member want to discover the horrible secrets of the “Albino Farm” with her.

Tammin was a joy to work with. She committed whole-heartedly to the extreme circumstances we, the filmmakers, thrust her in to – and she brought it every time. To say we lucked out in finding Tammin, is an understatement.

SUNKRISH BALA (Sanjay)

We were fortunate to find Sunkrish through a standard audition process. The moment he was introduced to me, co-director Joe Anderson and the other producers, were extremely impressed. At the time, Sunkrish was on a successful network sitcom and it was obvious he possessed the talent, affability and comic timing needed for the character of Sanjay. Sanjay was constructed within the script to give levity at crucial points when the story needed a little “tension release” – but would then swing to the other end of the spectrum when forced by the circumstances to become one of the stories true heroes.

Sunkrish was a pure joy to work with. In the thick of production – as things sometimes tend to drag on – Sunkrish was always there to lighten the mood with a well timed and delivered joke or anecdote (and let me tell you, with Sunkrish, his comic timing was always perfect). This definitely came in to play when the entire cast and crew were entrenched deep below the surface of Missouri’s Ozark Mountains as we shot multiple scenes in the caves and caverns necessary for the story. He was always a trooper and brought a quality to the characterization of Sanjay that was beyond what could have ever hoped for.

ALICIA LAGANO (Melody)

When we envisioned the character of Melody – a rock chick with pure spitfire and verve who ends up revealing her true insecure nature when her friend’s circumstances spin frighteningly out of control – we knew we needed a powerhouse actress. And with Alicia, that’s just what we got. Alicia was beyond moving in her portrayal. Her character essentially loses her mind and has what can only be called a pure emotional meltdown. Alicia delivered and brought a reality and empathy to the character that was crucial to the film and very much raised the bar for the entire production.

NICK RICHEY (Brian)

I knew we had something special with the casting of Nick Richey as Brian, when Nick showed up to the first rehearsal with a diary filled with notes of his character’s entire back-story. Fortunately, we were introduced to Nick via one of our producing partner’s and we were lucky to have him as part of the cast. Nick gave the perfect balance of levity and amusement the character needed while still driving the story. Nick is one of those “dream actors” who is constantly inventing bits even right there on the set – he always knew how to constantly keep his characterization fresh and relative to the action. Take special note of the scene where he tries to talk his friends in to grabbing some beers to scope out the “hicks” at the revival tent. Somehow, his character’s pants come off in the scene – and it totally worked! That is quintessential Nick!

KEVIN SPIRTAS (Preacher) – www.kevinspirtas.com

Ironically, I attended the same high school as Kevin but was not formally introduced to him until we met at an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the “Friday the 13th” movie franchise (of which Kevin has been a part of since playing the lead character in part 7 – considered by some to be the best in the series). Kevin has quite a following in the horror genre (due also to his portrayal as one of the lead characters in Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes 2”) and his dynamic persona seemed a natural fit for the core character of the story, The Preacher.

While shooting the denouement of the story – a revival tent scene shot late at night with the tent full of a hundred extras – Kevin came out in full prosthetics and literally “became” the character right before our eyes. He literally led the congregation as we shot some of the most intense scenes in the entire film. His presence and delivery at the culmination of the story brought the original ending we had intended to a whole new level.

DUANE WHITTAKER (Jeremiah) – www.duanewhitaker.com

We were blessed to have Duane as part of the cast. The first day of shooting is always the most challenging and definitely sets the tone for the days to come. Having a professional like Duane to kick-start the shoot was fantastic. Being a veteran of many classic Hollywood films – including some genre favorites – his presence added much and got us off to great start. He’s definitely one of those guys that can slip right in to a character and through look, dialect and intention, interpret something from page to screen that really knocks it out of the park.

BIANCA BARNETT (Pig Bitch) – www.biancabarnett.com

When we first envisioned the character of the Pig-Bitch, we knew it had to be a prosthetic centric character – which is always challenging. Not only does an actor have to “act” like a creature – mannerisms, body language, grunts and all – but they have to be comfortable wearing the heavy-duty makeup. Bianca truly was a trooper in conquering all of those elements. She took what at the start was an artistic concept and breathed life into it (literally) right before our eyes. The head piece of the mask almost completely obstructed her view – so much so that for practical purposes, she could only see through the snout of the Pig-Bitch mask. But as you’ll see through the fight scenes, the prosthetics truly became like a second skin to the actress – making the creature that much more believable and frighteningly real.