Frank Sabatella is a renowned horror filmmaker who got his start directing the video short A Little More before making his feature film debut with writing, directing, and producing the indie horror film Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet in 2009. After some work on short films, Sabatella returns with a vengeance to feature films with The Shed, coming to theaters, on Demand, and Digital on November 15 from RLJE Films.
World Film Geek had the chance to interview Sabatella about his latest film.
Thank you so much Frank for talking about The Shed. This was a great throwback to 80’s monster flicks and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you so much. I’m glad to hear that.
What inspired you to write and direct The Shed?
The story came from a friend from film school, named Jason Rice. He came up with the story of a vampire locked into a shed. So, I took the idea and decided to expand it. I wanted to give it a modern day film revolving around abuse and neglect with the idea of how these characters would react to their various situations and have this thing, the shed, be the focus of their responses. How they would handle their situations, basically.
The film feels like a throwback to 1980s monster/horror films. What are your favorite horror films?
I have a lot (Laughs), but my top films would be Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Near Dark, The Lost Boys. I mean the list goes on. (Laughs).
The film has an excellent young cast with Jay Jay Warren, Sofia Happonen, and Cody Kostro along with veterans Timothy Bottoms, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Frank Whaley. What was it like working with the cast?
They were all awesome. Great to work with. Jay Jay, Sofia, Cody, and the other young cast members were super enthusiastic about doing the film. They were more than excited and were really into it. Timothy, Siobhan, and Frank were also wonderful, and they bought a sense of stability into the film. They helped out the young cast because they’ve endured some crazy shoots, so they became a “solid backbone” to the production.
How long did shooting take and what obstacles did you face during production?
We had seventeen shooting days within a month. The biggest challenge was getting the film done in the time we had. This was a very ambitious project and when you have a lot of action, stunts, horror, and practical effects, and you don’t have a lot of time, it can become very grueling. We didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse the scenes. We wanted to make the film look good, make sure everyone felt good. We spent a lot of time on the stunts and practical effects, but we were able to get through it.
Well, I thought you did an excellent job altogether and I hope everyone gets to see it.
Thank you! I hope so too.
Finally, are there any new projects in the works that you can talk about?
I am hoping to take my short film, The House That Cried Blood, and expand it into a feature length film and I have a new story, which I don’t have a title yet. The story is about two girls who conjure up an evil entity for revenge but then the spirit turns on them.
That sounds intriguing. I would definitely watch that.
Well, I hope I can get it written and find a producer willing to make the film.
The Shed comes out November 15 and this is a wonderful throwback to the 80’s monster film with a great young cast. Thank you so much again Frank for talking about the film.
Thank you so much and I hope everyone gets to see the film.
A special Thank You goes to Katrina Wan PR and Frank Sabatella for making this interview possible.
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