Your new movie The
Harvard Psychologist - in a few words, what is it about?
It’s
basically about a Harvard psychologist who wanted excitement in his life
— and found it after seeing a women get mugged in an alleyway. His
ex-wife looked like Elizabeth Carter so he decided to target her among
others next, but by doing so he finds clever ways to frame people and
becomes Edward Atkins. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing The
Harvard Psychologist? I’ve
always wanted to do a horror flic,k but everyone does something such as
someone is in the woods and terrorizing people. I wanted a story with a
twist. The French movie Haute Tension
(High Tension in
the US) inspired me
to be clever in my writing. Might be a weird question,
but to what extent could you actually identify with your movie's title
character - or any of the other characters for that matter? I believe everyone has skeletons in
their closet or another side to them - not saying I’m a serial killer,
but next time your neighbor is happy he very well could be a serial
killer. A
few words about The
Harvard Psychologist's approach to horror?
As mentioned before I didn’t want to do the traditional slasher horror. I
like to give twists and texture to my story, so it was important for me to
make it memorable.
At
least to me, The
Harvard Psychologist was also morbidly funny - would you at all
agree, and if so do talk about your movie's brand of humour for a bit? I do. I did put some Easter eggs in it
— perhaps people see it. When Henry Millard becomes Edward Atkins and is
at the door of Corey the famous actor's house, Edward’s hat says,
“Eating meat is strange” - it’s funny because he is a serial
killer and a cannibal. What
can you tell us about your overall directorial approach to your story at
hand? When I initially wrote the story in my
head I was ear marking it for a 20/30 min short. But I added some more story
that brought it to the 40 min mark. When I was scouting for Edward's kill
house, I wanted either a nasty abandoned house or something different. I
stumbled upon a train car in Connecticut and that became Edward's kill
house. Do talk about The
Harvard Psychologist's key cast, and why exactly these people?
Casting is important to me — I did some casting calls and
I needed someone who sounded very intelligent but also someone who could
change voices and character. Tommy Fury nailed the audition and was cast. I also sought out a female to invoke emotions for Elizabeth Carter
and found Liberty Glez. When I was looking for cast members Mauricio
Viteri who played Corey originally asked me how he would do to play a cop
role. I told him no, you could play Corey better with your experience, and
had him read some sides, and it connected well and he was cast.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? We filmed this
all in Connecticut, and we love to have fun on set. We initially had more
cannibalism shown in the original cut instead of implied (intestines in
fridge), where Tommy Fury was eating intestines and eating off dead bodies,
but that was cut back. We had a good chemistry between the cast and crew. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of The
Harvard Psychologist? What I like about the film is the ending is left
open for interpretation - did Tommy Fury get away with it, and did he sell
out Corey for being mental? Who else does he go after? Any future projects you'd
like to share? Yes, Tony Martone filming now, will be out early 2022,
it’s a mafia film. And When the Sun Dies, filming in 2022, which is
a sci-fi
end of the world film. What got you into filmmaking in the first
place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I’m an
accidental filmmaker, I used to read Dracula books a lot as a kid, and I
could create pictures in my head of the castle, what I am reading. As I
got older I become more of a visual person. In 2017, I turned books into
films and never stopped since. Filmmaking to me is like an unfinished art
project, it’s defined to a degree but always a work in progress. In
order to obtain one's attention, lines need to be drawn by using abstract
colors. No formal training on filming. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to The
Harvard Psychologist? Yes, I filmed Reflections:
Project Chameleon, a TV series on Amazon Prime, and For Bobby, a
psychological thriller also on Prime. How would you describe
yourself as a director? For me when I see the words come to life — that’s the best
experience, to direct actors to tune into your vision. Filmmakers who inspire you?
Many. I would say David Croenberg, David Lynch, Guillermo del
Toro, Tony Scott , Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma. Your
favourite movies?
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Back to the Future-movies,
Lost Highway, Pan's
Labyrbith, The Last
Boy Scout. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? Musicals. Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else? www.mcgeeproductions.us
Thanks for the
interview!
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