After years of writing and producing live theatrical plays, writer/director DAN BLAKEMAN has ventured into the film world, completing his first feature that has a decidedly ghostly theme – GHOST LIGHT. Maybe his theatre background inspired this story – a “ghost light” is the single bulb left burning brightly on stage when the audience and cast have left the building….it gives the ghosts of previous actors plenty of illumination in case they want to tread the paranormal boards again.
But the ghosts in this film’s theatre are not just spooky…they’re deadly! And the young actors breaking back into the place after dark to party will be met with some scary challenges that they may not all survive. Oooo….aaaaah. Saucy Minx recently spoke with Dan (pictured below) asking about the inspiration, the casting and the filming experience….
Congratulations on completion of your first feature film, Ghost Light. You not only directed the film, you also wrote the script – what was your inspiration? It’s based on a play I wrote that was produced a few times in Los Angeles, which was just a goofy attempt at an environmental horror play about college kids breaking into a haunted theatre. It wound up getting interest from the film industry multiple times, which resulted in over half a dozen different screenplay drafts of the material over several years, but unfortunately never made it to production. When my partner Drew and I decided we wanted to make a feature film, it was the obvious choice.
In your director’s statement in the media kit, you say that Ghost Light is like “the fever dream of a 14-year-old who binged on the local video store’s entire horror section one weekend.” What were you favourite horror films growing up and were your parents worried about you with such scary influences? I kinda am that kid! Before Blockbuster completely took over VHS rentals, there were lots of little video rental places everywhere that had all kinds of bizarre and offbeat horror films, I’d often rent 3 a day to watch with friends or alone. I have too many faves to get into, especially since they switch up all the time, but fans like me should see all kinds of references and homages in Ghost Light.
My mom always loved a good ghost story, and used to watch the old Universal Horror classics with me when I was 5, so I don’t think that particular fixation gave her much concern. Though she wasn’t too keen on how much I loved Rocky Horror as a teen, LOL!
I always like asking filmmakers what was most difficult about the whole process? The writing process, the location hunt, casting, editing…or the post-production admin stuff? All those aspects had their challenges. Post-production was a lot slower than we wanted or anticipated due to a bunch of different issues, so that was probably the most frustrating overall.
I previously had the pleasure of working with you and your producer partner, Drew, when you presented a number of theatre productions in Toronto, again with somewhat strange themes and bizarre story lines. Did you find the shift from live theatre to film a challenge? And how is it different from a creative perspective? Even though the bulk of my experience is in live theatre, I have a BFA in Film & TV. I interned with a production company which included several commercial gigs, and we produced an award-winning short film of my one-act play Bugbaby (featuring cult movie icon Mink Stole – pictured below) some years ago. So while it’s definitely a different experience in how everything is put together, I think I’m well versed enough with both mediums to slip between them without a lot of difficulty. It’s just switching gears.
Casting your film must have been interesting…your actors are young, good looking and talented, some even have several years of film experience. Did you cast within the horror genre community or did you do an open casting session? Whether theatre or film, I always open casting as widely as I can. Since we were on a limited pre-production schedule due to the availability of our location, we cast as quickly as we could. Alec, Mason and Sarah were cast from our first round, but finding our “final girl” who fit with them was challenging. That search took us up to the line – Ariel Myren, who got the part, auditioned on a Wednesday and started shooting that Friday.
And you brought in a much-loved horror movie queen, Linnea Quigley, as a “guest star” – how did you meet her and secure her for a special role? Honestly, we just called her agent. None of us had a connection, I just gave our casting folks a list of four names and said any would be great. We actually secured another name first because someone knew that person, but she fell through due to scheduling. Which actually turned out for the better, because our next inquiry was to Linnea who was interested – and in hindsight a better fit for this particular project. She and her manager Judy are both just wonderful to work with. Not only is Linnea (pictured below) a legendary scream queen, she’s an absolute sweetheart, a trouper and a total pro.
And renowned Harry Manfredini as your music director? He’s scored over 100 films in the horror genre incl. Friday the 13th – how did you meet him and sign him for your film? That one WAS a connection from a guy we’ve been working with on seeking distribution. But hearing that Harry (pictured below) actually *wanted* to score it after watching it was quite thrilling for me! Working with him was a great experience as well – he’s as accommodating and fast as he is talented, and I hope we can sign him for something with a larger budget in the future.
Do you intend to continue writing & directing feature films or might you return to live theatre…or do both? Right now, I’m concentrating on film for the time being. I love theatre and would love to return to it – but creating it at a pro or semi-pro level these days in LA is expensive, and audiences for smaller, edgier theatre are lacking. Film currently feels like a lot more practical way to get my stuff in front of more fans of the kind of weirdness I like – unlike theatre, you’re not necessarily limited by location or time to watch a film.
Thanks, Dan, Saucy Minx was thrilled to talk with you and share news of your new film with all the horror/paranormal genre fans out there. And fans can follow the movie and watch for screening news via the Ghost Light Facebook page. Here are a few behind-the-scenes pics of the cast and the amazing special F/X make-up used…
Director Dan Blakeman (L), star Linnea Quigley (C) and producer Drew Blakeman (R)