Coming to DVD, Digital, Video On Demand, and Redbox Kiosks on June 15
Chad Ferrin‘s The Deep Ones will soon get a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning April 23rd and for fans of H.P. Lovecraft, the themes this film dives into are faithful to the ideas this seminal author conceived long ago. But there are a lot more works which have can be seen in this film.
He grew up watching the classics–namely The Twilight Zone, Hitchcock Presents and The Outer Limits. and some of that style is visible in this b-film. But in order be able to make any film, he had to work hard to get where he’s at. Not only did it mean moving to Los Angeles, but also knowing the right people. Mike Leahy of Phantoms and Pulse fame gave him his break, and when the call came, he was ready! He started work as a production assistant in Back to Back with Michael Rooker and as also a body double.
“I had to have a smile and be wide-eyed every day,” acknowledged Ferrin. His hands on experience in various departments would help him understand how a film comes together, and by the time he was ready to produce his own material and direct, he knew how to manage everything.
Eventually, he earned his cred with horror genre favourites like The Ghouls and Parasites, and it’s mostly due to him knowing Richard Band back when they did the music for Exorcism at 60,000 Feet. This relationship helped him get his foot in the door at Full Moon Pictures and although he never got to directly work with the founder Charles Band, he was glad for who he knows. The ongoing partnership with Richard helped him find a crew to make The Deep Ones. A few favours were asked, and it all fell together nicely.
Ferrin knows what’s he’s able to do with the limited budget that he’s got. His film production is known as Crappy World Films for a reason, and the irony cannot go unnoticed. It’s supposed to let fans of horror films know that not all small studios can afford to buy the stuff needed to sell those monster effects or the creatures themselves. They make do with what they got, and hope audiences are willing to suspend disbelief. And this film is no exception. It’s was made on the cheap.
The idea to make The Deep Ones came about after Ferrin sat down with a bunch of friends and realized they got use of a beach house to film at. Chad said, “Let’s crank out a cheap little slasher-type film and have fun with it. I saw photos of the ocean and the house being offered and Lovecraft was the first thing that came to mind. I had the idea of making a film of a cult that worships H.P. Lovecraft’s writings.”
Of course, a lot of thought is required before setting words and ideas to paper. I chatted with this movie maker and had to ask:
Was it difficult to adapt H.P. Lovecraft‘s works to cinema?
I hadn’t read a lot of his stuff since I was a kid, but rereading it now showed why he’s been around so long. You don’t want to mess the material up too much because he’s so revered. I was more afraid that someone might point out that Cthulhu or Dagon is supposed to be 300 feet tall when they’re not in my adaptation.
True that. I wasn’t sure if the creature coming out of the ocean was the god or a Deep One. Were there other challenges that go beyond costume design or filming? (i.e. not concerning spfx all the time)
One thing I’ve learned to embrace with low-budget filmmaking is to let those random things decide where you’re going to go with that movie production. Whether it be an actor dropping out or being a pain in the ass by saying you can’t get 15 pages in one day, you just go with the flow. We shot The Deep Ones in six days for about ten thousand dollars.
Was it difficult to not make your story like Shadows over Innsmouth?
It was important to pull elements out of the original because it’s such a great story. That’s more enjoyable not only to the filmmaker adapting the material but also the viewer to understand what’s happening. What they’re seeing is not a complete take. I told the director of photography and the crew this film is Shadow over Innsmouth meets Rosemary’s Baby. Replicate the latter [in camera] with two lenses to give it that claustrophobic symmetry throughout, and we’re good.
The medical doctor in this film was hilarious. Did you have the idea of making that character transgender in the beginning?
I’ve written it for a woman. Whether it’s a trans or a transvestite or an alien that’s trying to be human, that was the way I spun it. I’m a huge Bea Arthur fan and so that character was a cross between her and Hillary Clinton. Timothy Muskatell, who played this character, threw in a little Monty Python as well. We were worried if he was going a little too far, but I think it added it’s not a certain, not necessarily straight humour.
I got the sense that the masks and other deformities represent that transformation process that readers know from Shadows over Innsmouth–the blending of two species. Is that correct?
Yeah. The masks hide what’s going on underneath and also give that sense of something’s off and foreboding in a good way.
Which is scarier, the cults or the monsters, in the world of H.P. Lovecraft?
I would say the Cultists. Anyone that thinks with one mind–whether it’s politics, religion or whatever–is frightening because that individual is not able to think for themselves. [For example,] if you’re a hardcore Democrat or Republican–or a Christian arguing with someone else–you’re not able to fully see the other sides of someone’s beliefs like a Buddhist could.
A cult seems like they’re all of “one hive mind” and have to do it that way–whether you agree or disagree with them. I would be more afraid of the cult–crew and cast included [laughs].
For your film, how much input did your team offer towards the final product?
They have total freedom. We’ll run through the script for the camera and bang the shot off as it’s written and then give another run where they can improv. The same rule applies with the crew–whatever their suggestions or ideas might be–to improve this work. I’m totally open to a collaborative effort, and you need all the partners to make it work.
I always make everyone feel like we’re part of a team–which they are–and at the end of the day if everyone leaves with a smile then you’ve done something, right?
What do you think the payoff is with making Lovecraft-style films because typically the hero dies or goes insane?
In this day and age, you got to show something big like tentacles or the glowing eyes of Dagon. I enjoy seeing those. The Colour Out of Space is an outstanding example. It had an energy. Richard Stanley‘s direction was amazing.
Stuart Gordon made amazing Lovecraft stuff, and, and that’s one of the first times I responded–this is something that shows everything, a great combination of not only the gore but also the quirky humour he’s known for. You wouldn’t necessarily associate humor with Lovecraft, but the Gordon films brought that element in and it definitely inspired me to throw in a little into my film as well.
What would you say to the detractors of your works?
The Deep Ones played at many festivals and have gotten great reviews, which I greatly appreciate. You’ll see really distasteful reviews too. I take nothing away from either as I enjoy reading both as long as they’re well written.
I’ve had praise from Variety for The Ghouls that led to Miramax calling me up wanting to remake it, and we were working on a deal before it fell through. That proved the power of the critic back then and now I think it’s tough with critics now is its everyone–be an Irish IMDb reviewer or whatever–being nasty when they call it the worst film ever made. They should look at Al Adamson or Ed Woods‘ work; there’s great stuff in those films.
Whether it’s people sh*tting on it or praising it, I can at least know they’re talking about it.
That reminds me about the mixed reviews of Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity when they came out.
I think they’re great films. I still vividly remember the lines around the block; I saw it at the Nuart Movie Theatre. Marketing put the right amount of spin and made a box office killing. The movie really was innovative for its time. The found footage formula is still being imitated. Paranormal Activity took the Blair Witch model and ran with it. Whether you think they’re a good or bad movie–you can at least admire the effort the distributors put behind it.
It’s the same with The Deep Ones. You hope the distributor you sign a deal with knows what they’re doing. We had higher offers, but we went with Brady Bowen of 123 GO because he was enthusiastic. I’ll take that gamble to see if that same marketing magic on the films we discussed can be pulled off instead of just dumping it out on Amazon Prime or Netflix.
How would you respond to those scandals which got some directors kicked out their next great idea? I heard about Dunwich Horror not going forward.
Richard Stanley. Spectrum distributed his films and now they cut him loose because of some scandal 10 years ago. Vindicated or not, it’s amazing nowadays that just the slightest whiff of someone doing something wrong is frightening. He’s an exceptional talent. I’d love to see his take on The Dunwich Horror, and that’s now in limbo.
No matter how awful whatever the person is, a racist or whatever, you still have to look and weigh in on his or her accomplishments.
What are you making next?
I hope people will really enjoy The Deep Ones when it hits theaters April 23rd. If it does well, it’ll lead to the sequel, which is ready to go [into production]. It’s called H.P. Lovecraft’s The Old Ones, which is sort of Lovecraft’s The Beyond meets Phantasm II. We go from the ocean to the desert, to alternate dimensions. It was a blast to write.
In the meantime, I’m shooting a film called Night Caller with Steve Railsback, Susan Priver, Bai Ling, Robert Miano, Lew Temple, Kelli Maroney and Silvia Spross. We hope to have it done by June this year for film festivals.
For closing remarks. What would you like to say?
Hopefully it’s been informative and sparks some interest in The Deep Ones. And if your readers would like to see it on the big screen, please send a request with the name of their favourite theatre to info@123gofilms.com and they’ll book it.