Q&A: Director Ian Kessner on LOST AFTER DARK, WAXWORK Remake and More

Now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment is Lost After Dark, a 1980s-set horror film that pays homage to that decade's slasher heyday while also instilling its own scares onscreen. For our latest Q&A feature, we caught up with Lost After Dark director/co-writer Ian Kessner, who discussed ’80s influences, a funny Robert Patrick anecdote, and his in-the-works remake of 1988's Waxwork.

Thanks for taking the time to converse with us today, Ian. Lost After Dark is a blood-splattered homage to ’80s horror films. What movies, TV shows, or other pop culture memories from that decade influenced your approach to Lost After Dark?

Ian Kessner: My pleasure, big fan of Daily Dead. The film that influenced my approach the most was the original Friday the 13th, but Halloween, Happy Birthday to Me and a bunch of others all found their way in there. I also spent time watching a lot of John Hughes' work, and other coming-of-age films from the ’80s like Valley Girl and The Last American Virgin.

How did the idea for Lost After Dark originate?

Ian Kessner: The idea originated with my very talented writing partner, Bo Ransdell. After Scream came out it was followed by a lot of crappy imitators. Bo just wrote the film he wanted to see—a slasher that paid loving homage to the films we both grew up on. Then I jumped onboard and brought my own experiences into the script and helped flesh it out.

When you look back at your time on set, is there a particularly funny or memorable moment that stands out?

Ian Kessner: There are many. There was the time Eve Harlow brought fireworks to set and blew them off. And the time Sarah Fisher ran into a beehive. Oh, and let's not forget Robert Patrick walking into a restaurant late one night after we were shooting. A patron yelled out, "Hey, you look like the Terminator," and he responded, "I am the Terminator!" and the whole place freaked out.

Did you set out to use more practical effects than CGI?

Ian Kessner: It was always my goal to use only practical effects in the film. We actually had a zero line budget for VFX. Then I ran into a couple of hiccups and had to resort to CGI in a couple of the scenes, but the film is still 90% in-camera SPFX at the very least. So I'm proud of that.

Is this a world you would be willing to return to in a potential sequel?

Ian Kessner: Absolutely. There's actually a first draft for LAD2 that's just been completed. It's set in the ’90s rather than the ’80s, so it will be grounded in more grunge than bright colors. And like all sequels, it's bigger and badder. More than that I can't say without spoiling it. Let's hope enough fans buy or rent Lost After Dark so the powers that be believe a sequel is warranted.

With Lost After Dark now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, what do you have on deck that you can tease for our readers, and where can they find you on social media?

Ian Kessner: We have a script for a remake of the ’80s classic Waxwork I'm excited about, and the blessing of the original writer/director Anthony Hickox. That's a really fun film for those that haven't seen it. And if people want to follow Lost After Dark on social media they can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Most importantly, if they like the film they should post about it and tell their friends, because small indies like ours need all the exposure we can get!