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Your new movie
Super Happy Fun Clown - in a few words, what's it about?
I would best describe it as a story of someone who never
met her potential. Someone who had high aspirations, but was met with
crushing defeat. This leads to her taking things in a horrifying
direction, all in an effort to gain some sort of notoriety.
How did the project come into being in the first place, what
drew you to it? The screenwriter, Eric Winkler [Eric
Winkler interview - click here], approached
me with a script for the short film version of Super Happy Fun Clown in
early 2023. The script had no dialogue, which appealed to me, because I
wanted to tell a story with only visuals. So we shot the short in early
2023 and began screening it at festivals such as Nightmares Film Festival
and Panic Fest. Eric decided to expand his short script into a feature and
we were able to secure a small budget to begin filming in late fall of
2023. I was really drawn by the fact that it takes the clown/horror film
in a fresh direction, with a female protagonist and a story of dreams that
were never fulfilled and her eventual mental breakdown. You've worked with Patrick Rea before - so
what can you tell us about your previous collaborations?
Eric approached me years ago with a script for a werewolf revenge
film that eventually became I Am Lisa. We shot the film in the summer of 2019
and premiered it at FrightFest during Covid in 2020. The film was released
exclusively to Redbox in 2021 and was available for several years on
Peacock. The film is currently available on Pluto TV,
Screambox, Tubi and
more. Back to
Super Happy Fun Clown: Fear of clowns is not exactly an uncommon
thing - so what can you tell us about your personal relationship to
clowns, and how has this influenced your movie?
I personally have never had a fear of clowns. I was
11 years old when the original Stephen King's It mini-series came out,
so I've always loved horror films involving clowns. I also loved
showing the original
Killer Klowns from Outer Space film to my younger
sister and freaking her out. So, naturally I was thrilled to be
making a film about a murderous clown. But I definitely felt like a
new approach to the subgenre was needed for it to be effective.
What can you tell us about your film's approach to horror?
The approach is definitely psychological
horror, but with a mix of very dark comedy. If you are nervous to
laugh, then that is what we wanted. Also we wanted to make Jen-O's
character come off just a touch likeable despite the fact that what
she is doing is horrible. So there is some sincerity there in the
performance that keeps us oddly emotionally invested in her.
A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?
I definitely saw this film as a very dark comedy, so I wanted to really
approach it with that in mind. There are many moments in the film that
make me laugh, or feel a tad guilty for laughing. We really wanted to
infuse that twisted humor in everything from the way the film was shot to
the production design. Do talk about
Super Happy Fun
Clown's cast, and why exactly these people? Over the years, I've worked with a lot of
local talent in Kansas City, and this film was cast with many of the
actors I've had great experiences with. Jennifer Seward, who does an
amazing job as the lead, was also the star of the short film. I had
also worked with Nichole Hall who plays Detective Marshall on several
other projects as well. My oldest daughter Violet Rea plays the
younger version of Jen in the film and I couldn't be more proud of
her. I did get to work for the first time with Matt Leisy who played
Detective Barnes, and Tim Shelburne who plays Ryan. Both were
fantastic to work with. Deborah Madick also steals the show as Jen's
mother. What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set
atmosphere? Because we had a limited number of days to
shoot and budget restrictions, we had to move very quickly to get the
film shot. Despite the intense pace, we keep the tone of the set fun
and light-hearted. The crew is very much a family, since a lot of us
have worked together for years in Kansas City.
The $64-question of course, where can
Super Happy Fun
Clown be seen? The film is currently exclusive on the new
horror platform Bloodstream -
https://bloodstreamtv.com/show-details/super-happy-fun-clown-extras
- and available to buy on Amazon Prime
Video. However, it will be expanding to new platforms sometime in
April. Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of
Super Happy Fun
Clown?
So far the majority of reviews have been
positive. You are always going to have a handful of bad reviews come
your way, and that is just part of the process. You have to have a
thick skin. Currently we sit at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. I think the
film is made for a specific niche of the horror genre that will love
it. That's what I love about the horror genre. There are all these
subgenres that appeal to different audiences. If you want to see a
killer clown movie that has a very different approach, then you will
hopefully love this one. Any future projects you'd like to
share? I am currently working on another feature film
with Eric Winkler that is a horror comedy. We hope to film in May of this
year. I also have produced several features that are currently in post
production. I also have a new short film I directed titled Capture that is also in post-production.
What got you into filmmaking in the first
place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I have always been interested in filmmaking since I was a child growing up in the 80s. I really
caught the filmmaking bug when I was in high school in the 90s, and
it's never left. I attended the University of Kansas and majored in
Film Studies. After graduation, I kept making films independently,
and have never stopped. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to
Super Happy Fun
Clown?
I currently have other features I've
directed available on various streaming platforms such as Tubi,
Prime Video, Screambox, Fandango at Home and more. My features include
Nailbiter, Arbor Demon with
Fiona Dourif and Jake Busey, I Am
Lisa, They Wait In The Dark and a found
footage vampire film titled The Night Is Young. I
also have several of my short films available on the Screambox show
Bloody Bites. How would you describe yourself as
a director? I like to think of myself as very
energetic. I enjoy keeping the creative energy high on set. I'm also
highly organized so that if there is a curveball thrown at us on the
day of, it doesn't derail the production. My approach is also
flexible, if someone has a suggestion and it's a better idea, we
usually go that route. I strongly believe in collaboration on set.
My biggest policy is "no assholes" on set.
Filmmakers who inspire you?
I have always been inspired by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes
Craven and Sam Raimi. Lately, I've been very inspired by directors like
Zach Cregger and Oz Perkins. Your favourite movies? Here are a
few of my favorites: Jaws,
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
RoboCop,
Jurassic Park, Star Wars,
Halloween,
A Nightmare on Elm
Street, Friday the 13th,
Big Trouble in Little China. There are more, but these
are the ones that immediately come to mind. ... and of
course, films you really deplore?
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Man that's tough. I have a hard time hating on any films because I know how hard they are to make.
I would say that I'm not a fan of The Adventures of Sharkboy and
Lava Girl. This is probably because my kids watched it so much
when they were little. Your/your movie's
website, social media, whatever else? I'm currently on
Instagram and Facebook. So look me up there. I'm constantly posting about
the films that are in various stages of production and where they are
available when they are released.
Thanks for the interview!
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