Horror Highlights: ABBEY GRACE, THE MUMMY #1, RAZORS, Q&A with STRAY Director Nena Eskridge, TABLOID VIVANT

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Stray Q&A with director Nena Eskridge: "A killer decides to settle down in a small town and start a family. But first, she has to find the right guy to help make it happen, whether he wants to or not. Stray, boasting an award-winning screenplay from writer-director Nena Eskridge, premieres On Demand on Amazon Prime this month from Indie Rights. We spoke to Eskridge about her microbudget thriller.

Speaking as an audience member, a big part of the appeal of Stray was that it was a much smarter movie than your typical thriller. What was the appeal for you?

What  a great question. I wanted to tell an interesting story and at the same time deliver a message. That's a real challenge. People are obsessed with serial killers, I am as well, but I'm interested in why not how. My father was a psychiatrist so I grew up around some pretty colorful characters. Again, my question was, and still is, what makes these characters do what they do. Jennifer, the lead character, was originally based on a real person. But this person was male and after exhaustive research and one rough draft of the screenplay, I never could figure the guy out. When I'm writing and hit a road block, my first approach is to flip the situation. Take the scene, the dialogue, or even the character, switch it around and send it in the opposite direction. And so, using this tactic, I changed the character from male to female. After that, everything fell into place.

One might say it’s even a throwback to the type of films we don’t see much anymore. How did you initially pitch the film to your investors? 

How perceptive! I love older films. Grew up watching them. My talented cinematographer, David Landau, and I agreed on the tone of the film from the get go. We've worked together for many years, so he knows how I think. What I like and don't like, visually speaking. We had lots of discussions before photography began, so once it started I just let him do his thing.

Pitching was easy. As soon as they hear female serial killer, eyes light up, so getting producers to read the script was a breeze.  But they wanted changes I wasn't willing to make. It sounds like you've actually watched Stray, so you can imagine what sort of changes the mostly male producers wanted to make. Jennifer uses sex as her weapon. It would so easy to make Stray one huge bloody, boob fest. The exact opposite of what I wanted.

Was it a difficult film to get up, financially?

Very difficult. I tried everything. Known actors, unknown actors. Reputable directors, new directors. What I wasn't willing to do was hand the project over to just anyone. One of my demands was that I be attached as the principle producer and had veto power. You can imagine how well that went over. A few times, though, I almost pulled it off. But every five steps forward were followed by ten steps back. I was just about to give up when Kickstarter appeared. And as thrilled as I was with our successful campaign, I had no idea how I could possibly finish a feature with the tiny bit of money we'd raised. But we did. I'm still trying to figure out how.

How was Gabrielle Stone to work with?

Gabrielle saved the production. I had another actress attached, but at the last minute, she had to leave, which isn't that unusual in this business, especially with our minuscule budget. Gabrielle slipped right into the role without missing a beat. She grew up in the industry, her mom is actress Dee Wallace, so she knew what was in store for her and came prepared. She's in every scene except two, I think. But she was a true professional and so dedicated.

Was this one of her first leads?

Gabrielle works non-stop but I think Stray was her first lead in a feature. She recently directed a short called It Happened Again Last Night, she has the lead in that. And  just finished a feature called Rock Paper Dead with Tatum O'Neal.

Is the script inspired by anything personal?

Yes, at least it started out that way. As I mentioned, the original story was based on a real person. A murder took place in the small town I grew up in, which didn't happen too often.  A young girl killed by, what turned out to be, a male schoolmate. Twenty years later, I'm living in New York City, and I began to wonder what ever happened to this guy. I think he was fourteen at the time. I started doing research and found that he'd spent a few years in a psychiatric facility and then released. Chilled me to the bone. And so Stray was born. It started as a story about a killer traveling from city to city, searching for a place to start a new life.

Do you have a favorite thriller or horror movie?

Actually, I don't like horror. I'm old school and prefer blood, sex, and violence off the page and off the screen, all the elements of a good a thriller. The original The Stepfather and The Hitcher  were so much fun to watch. The Collector is one of my all time favorites. All dated now, but they scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. And of course, The Babadook.

What kind of directors do you admire? Anyone in particular?

Female directors mostly: Kimberly Pierce, Jamie Babbit, Ida Lupino. But Terrence Malick is my favorite director. Badlands and Days of Heaven being two of my favorite films."

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Tabloid Vivant On Demand Release and Poster:: Press Release: "Writer-director Kyle Broom’s “avant-garde extravaganza” (Bloody Disgusting) Tabloid Vivant premieres On Demand October 20.

A “jarring, unpredictable, immensely fun”* (The Independent Critic) horror-thriller starring Jesse Woodrow (TV’s Charmed) and Tamzin Brown (The Adderall Diaries), Tabloid Vivant has received largely exceedingly positive reviews since it hit the festival circuit.

Max is an artist seduced by the allure of fame. Sara is an art critic whose obsessions exceed even his. When she lands a writing gig at a major art magazine, the pair retreats to a cabin in the woods, where Max reveals his strange new painting method. Convinced of its potential, she agrees to collaborate on a piece sure to revolutionize the art world. While both original and mesmerizing, the project reveals something dark and disturbing about their relationship. Like two digital-age Frankensteins, they manage to make a painting come alive - though the unsettling consequences of their success may be more fit for the pages of a blood-soaked tabloid than the chronicles of art history.

Tabloid Vivant will be available on VOD from 10/20."