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Your new movie Bittertooth
- in a few words, what's it about?
Bittertooth
is about two young women who run an online true-crime podcast. One of the
ladies was herself a survivor of a serial killer attack, a man who has
yet to be caught by the police. He is known colloquially as the
Bittertooth Killer. Then, the two ladies think they've tracked down the
Bittertooth Killer themselves. Well, vigilante chaos ensues.
With Bittertooth
revolving around a true crime podcast - have you done any research on the
subject, and your personal thoughts on these shows? I'm a
pretty avid true-crime nut, I will admit. I've found the subject of cults
and serial killers fascinating, ever since I was a teenager. On the other
hand, the rise of popular, and in some cases lucrative podcasts on the
subject carries a certain ethical dubiousness. Is it right to use other's
trauma as your own personal therapy? That's what these podcasters are
doing. There is a blurring or manipulation of facts in some cases, based
on the podcaster's own biases. What then is the truth? What is motivated
by profit? It's a morally gray area that needs to be explored. (Other)
sources of inspiration when writing Bittertooth? There were two movies that
influenced the script. The first was John Hough's 1987 chiller American
Gothic, in particular it's third act. The biggest influence was Takashi
Miike's Audition from 1999. Beyond that, I also drew from Agatha
Christie's writing, in particular the novel The ABC Murders. You've
conceived the story for Bittertooth
together with Cooper Holmes and Neal Tyler [Neal
Tyler interview - click here] - so what can you tell us about
them, and what was your collaboration like?
Cooper Holmes and Neal Tyler are both consummate,
award-winning writers in their own right. I've known Cooper since high
school. He went to Chapman University for writing, so I always pick his
brain whenever I find myself stuck on how plot point Y should transition
to plot point X, etc. Neal is my producing partner, as well as my
director of photography. He's lensed all of my features, and we basically
share a brain at this point. His instincts very much feel like my
instincts, so he's always the guy I go to for polishing my scenes, my
structure.
Do talk about your movies approach to horror! My biggest idol
is Stuart Gordon. That man had such a range in his horror films, from
Re-Animator to King of the Ants. He started in underground political
theater, a theatrical background not too dissimilar from mine. So, for
me, I think what he nailed perfectly is the psychological dimension to
terror. The characters. That's the most important aspect to me within the
horror genre. It's who the horror is happening to, and why. What was
their motivation? Who did they love? What did they lose? For me, horror
is about tragedy without pity. The rawness of the human animal on
display. People are attracted to the truth of that. The truth, without all the bullshit.
A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?
Bittertooth
had a very fast shooting schedule, so we felt the best approach to the story was multi-camera work. We shot with
at least three cameras for any given scene, sometimes as many as five,
not two iPhones and a drone. It wasn't just for time and budget. I also
knew that kind of mixed-media approach would serve the surreal, social
media aspect of the narrative very well. Our modern world is so
fragmented in terms of "what is truth" and who might be lying
to you, that I knew a certain mixing of the subjective and objective would represent that.
What can you tell us about Bittertooth's
cast, and why exactly these people? I was fortunate to have a fantastic cast on this film.
Some I'd worked with for years. Justin Michael Terry, for instance, I've
worked with for about twenty years now, ever since our acting school
days. I've never seen him blow a take, ever. Just incredible. Some I
worked with for the first time, such as the lead Autumn Ivy. She became a
fast friend. I was utterly captivated by her charisma, commitment, and
range. You've seen the film, you know the journey she has to take, what
she was physically asked to do in a lot of those scenes. It was just
marvelous watching her create the character. Same with Joe Altieri and
Helene Udy [Helene Udy
interview - click here], both consummate performers who have been in the biz for a
bit. They would give me takes on the day that were just revelations.
Character work I hadn't even considered, which is the true sign of a
great actor.
You of course also have to talk about your movie's main location, that run-down farm, for a
bit, and what was it like filming there?
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A lot of dogs, and a few snakes. Hah. The farm is actually owned by one of the
actors in the film. He was keen on having something filmed up there,
because it is so cinematic. It's actually a beautiful, picturesque place.
Which is why a lot of it we actually didn't film, because it wouldn't
have sold the creepy vibe we needed. The weather gods were kind to us,
also. We hadn't intended on the fog for some of those exterior scenes,
but it definitely drove home the macabre atmosphere even more. Do talk about
the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere! We were such a
family. It was two weeks of work, half in Los Angeles, and half at the
farm. Everyone slept and ate up at the farmhouse during that leg of the
shoot. Everyone was just so committed to making the best film possible.
And when you have such a talented collective, you listen to their ideas.
My assistant directors would constantly recommend little things that
would immediately elevate a scene or a moment. We had a camera operator
who caught some of the best B-roll I've ever seen. Just dozens of hours of exquisite material.
The $64-question of course, where can Bittertooth be seen?
Bittertooth was made as part of a three-picture deal between our
producers, V Channels Media, and a fantastic new free streamer called
Mometu. Mometu is a hand-curated, on-demand live streaming platform,
available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Play, Web, Android
and iOS devices. Bittertooth
will be released on April 5th, 2024. Thanks for the interview!
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