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iHorror had the opportunity to catch up with New Fears Eve creators P.J. Starks and Eric Huskisson! They spill their guts with us about giving birth to a new slasher, on set hijinks, working with Scream Queen Felissa Rose, and more!
iHorror: You wrote New Fears Eve, so it is very much your baby. I imagine having a co-director is a lot like having someone else parent your child with you. Was it hard to co-direct with Eric Huskisson?
P.J. Starks: I’m sure in some cases, if you don’t have a good working relationship with the person you’re collaborating with. Eric and I work well together, so co-directing wasn’t an issue. Usually, we’re of the same mindset, which makes it easier when it comes to creative notes or compromises. Eric also understands that I have a specific vision because I’m the writer and he doesn’t impose where he doesn’t feel like he needs to. That’s not to say he doesn’t have creative input, he does. Only Eric was the original director. I just wanted to write and produce, but he kept looking at me for guidance. Mainly because the bulk of creative direction lived only in my head at the time. I would jump in and start working with the actors, blocking the action, going over dialogue and giving them the rundown of a scene. Naturally this confused some of the actors. We decided after the second or third weekend of shooting that it was probably best if I hopped on as co-director to stifle anymore misunderstanding.
iHorror: How long did you have the idea for New Fears Eve in your head before you decided to finally make it?
PS: I randomly came up with the title while we were deep into production on 13 Slays Till X-Mas. That picture was already a stress headache due to filming during the pandemic, therefore the idea got shelved. Once it was decided NFE would be our next film, I started fleshing out the concept. It changed completely from the initial idea. Mostly due to Eric and I wanting to go in some different creative directions. What was intended to be another anthology was turned into a single narrative feature. It was also supposed to be a straightforward slasher with tons of atmosphere, but I have a knack for injecting humor into my scripts, therefore, it became a horror comedy. Which worked out well because Eric and I had discussed wanting to do a comedy someday.
iHorror: What was your favorite kill to write in the script? Does it differ from your favorite kill to shoot?
PS: Without giving too much away, my favorite death was the “Killdo” scene. It went through a couple of variations, but I was very happy with how it came out on paper and even more so how it looks onscreen. I told Eric after I wrote it that if this film was remembered for anything it would be that death. I reiterated this after we filmed it, and then again after I edited the scene together. Ironically, the death that’s talked about most is the toilet kill. Regardless, imagining fresh and inventive character deaths is something I pride myself on, and this one is easily the one I’m most proud and cock sure of.
iHorror: Was there anything in the original draft of the script that was too extreme for the final movie, or that had to be scaled back?
Eric Huskisson: There wasn’t anything too extreme that needed to be cut from the original script. There were tweaks with a few things, and maybe an added kill or joke, but nothing too extreme. In the end after everyone read the final script it was determined that it needed to be scaled back due to its length. Later scenes were chosen by committee to be cut due to their length of time and or the fact that they wouldn’t affect the plot if removed. It’s not what any writer or director wants to do, but it’s an unfortunate necessity in this business sometimes!
iHorror: The characters in this movie are so likable! I was rooting for the main three characters the whole time, and gasped every time the killer got close to them. Do you think making your audience have a connection with your characters is important in slasher movies?
PS: Thank you so much for the kind words. When I’m writing characters, my goal is to make them believable and endearing. As a viewer, if you can’t care about the main characters, the deaths and the movie as a whole have very little impact. I mean, how many times have you heard horror fans complain they could have cared less about the characters in a film. It happens all the time. Brian and Moses were largely based on me, while Leslie was inspired by my now-wife. The character is named after her, so that’s kind of a given I suppose. What I’ve come to learn is that all the people we know in life are characters. If I’m able to harness the humanity of people in my life and can infuse those common traits into the characters you’re watching on the screen, they become real, because we know those people.
iHorror: How did Felissa Rose get involved in this project? And how was her (hilarious) character developed?
PS: My friend Lance Wagner got us in touch with Felissa. She said she was interested in reading the script. Thankfully she said she loved the screenplay. She had a lot of great things to say about the script which made me feel even more excited about the prospect. Based on the strength of the script and after talking with Eric and I, she accepted the role. We originally offered her a different role. It was an HR rep that I ended up completely rewriting later on. When Felissa asked if we had anyone else in mind, I knew she was friends with Dave Sheridan and Hannah Fierman. She reached out to them, and both said they were interested. Once they read the script, they really liked it and connected with the characters we’d offered. Dave and Felissa have worked together a bunch of times, so they already had great chemistry. Dave’s character originally had a male assistant, but I ended up swapping roles with Felissa and Jeffrey. That way Dave and Felissa could share the screen. It was a good choice because they work so well together. Felissa is one of the sweetest and most enthusiastic industry actors we’ve had the pleasure of working with. She nailed the role and brought so much to both the character and the film.
iHorror: What was your favorite part to see come to life from the script?
EH: I have to say, The Doctor. Seeing him go from an idea to on screen was pretty damn cool. P.J. told me about his idea for the doctor and we got our friend BJ Emmick to do some illustrations for us to check out. After a bit of back and forth we had what our doctor would look like. We had Shawn Cowan make the masks and we pieced the outfit together and finished him off with a top hat. He looks awesome on screen, and I think he looks exactly like what P.J. envisioned.
iHorror: Were there any unexpected challenges or obstacles you had to overcome in the moment on set?
EH: Our biggest obstacle is always scheduling our shoots. We are weekend warriors so we have Friday evening until Sunday night to film as much as we can. Trying to manage what scenes we can get done in a weekend matched by if the cast, crew, and location needed for those scenes are all available is a nightmare sometimes. Our biggest scheduling obstacle was getting Felissa, Dave, and Jeffrey Reddick’s scenes all done in a weekend.
iHorror: What is it like watching New Fears Eve with audiences?
EH: I love it personally. I have learned from P.J. to sit in the very back and watch the audience. You get to see if people react to what they’re seeing and hearing. You wait to see if they jump, laugh at one of our jokes, or lean and comment to the person sitting next to them about what they just saw. It’s amazing how each audience is different from the others. The whole crowd will laugh at a joke at one screening, and you’ll get no laughs from the same joke at the next screening.
iHorror: While New Fears Eve is very unique and stands on its own, you can see your love for the genre throughout the script with small references here and there. Which movies inspired you growing up and helped shape the writer and director you are today?
PS: How much time do you have? [Laughs] I love most all genres, but I’ve always gravitated to horror. The movies that inspired a love that eventually became a creative need to tell stories visually would be Ghostbusters, Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Creeps, Halloween, the list goes on and on. The movie that pushed me to get more serious is Clerks. I’m a big Kevin Smith fan. You can absolutely hear his influence in my writing. Now I use Easter eggs and nuance in all my projects. Some have said it’s done to excess, but it’s my way of tipping a hat to those who’ve helped shape me as a filmmaker and saying, “thank you”.
iHorror: Were there any shenanigans while filming New Fears Eve behind the camera?
EH: Even though our weekends are run and gun, P.J. and I do our best to make sure everyone has a great time and fun on set. As per usual we are constantly picking on each other and bickering back and forth on set which makes people laugh. It’s so bad sometimes people have said we are like an old married couple. It’s definitely something everyone should experience. As for shenanigans, on this set one thing definitely comes to mind. We have a strict policy on set that props and weapons are not to be played with ever. On the NFE set we had trouble with several cast and crew playing around with and touching a certain prop. The prop was adult in nature and people wouldn’t leave it alone. We had to get on several adults that were being juveniles. It was funny but we only had two of these props and we couldn’t take a chance on something happening to one of them.
iHorror: Like many slashers, there is definitely room for a sequel. Have you given this any thought?
PS: Oh of course. What is a slasher film without a potential franchise? I put a lot of personal material in the script for NFE, but I still have more to say and touch on. There’s an idea to continue the story. I’ve already fleshed it out and have about eleven pages of the next script written. Ultimately, how well this one does will determine whether it sees the light of day.
Tell us how we can follow your movie making journey!
EH: You can keep up with us at www.bloodmoonpictures.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BloodMoonPics, and Instagram at bloodmoonpictures15.
Where and when can we watch New Fears Eve?
EH: Starting December 16th, you’ll be able to watch New Fears Eve on Prime Video and as an Exclusive on Screambox. Hopefully we’ll have more platforms and info soon! While you’re waiting don’t forget that 13 Slays Till X-Mas and our other titles are on platforms like Tubi, Plex and Amazon.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us at iHorror! And we wish you a very scary holiday season!
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