Tomorrow see the release of The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia on VOD, and it will begin playing at a number of limited theatrical engagements. I recently had the opportunity to interview director Tom Elkins, and we talked about this being his first feature film, his experiences on set, and the true events that inspired the movie:
Up to this point, you've been mainly involved in feature films as an editor. Why was The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia the movie you wanted to be your directorial debut?
Tom Elkins: I was the editor on The Haunting in Connecticut. The film was very successful and I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if I didn't tell Gold Circle that I'd like to direct a movie. When The Haunting in Georgia script came around, I was offered the opportunity to direct it, and I couldn't believe my good fortune. It's exactly the kind of movie I love, because it has a great story, it's based on true events, and has a cool combination of horror and heart. It's a paranormal thriller that's unashamed of its sentimentality as well. I loved the characters, story, and history... it was all there for me in the script, and I couldn't say no.
It's said that the movie is based on real events. David Coggeshall wrote the screenplay, but did you have a chance to do any research on the true events that were used as an inspiration?
Tom Elkins: There was a great foundation from writer David Coggeshall. He did tons of research and spent a lot of time with the Wyrick family. When I got the script, I did my own research as well about the family and the Underground Railroad. When you make a film based on fact, you aspire to be as true to the events as you can. At the end of the day, we hope to have a story that is factually based and that captures the spirit of the true events. That's what I hope to have achieved.
The Wyrick family came to set right when we started filming and I had a chance to know them better. They haven't seen the whole movie yet, but they told me that they were extremely happy with what they saw.
Can you tell me about your casting choices for the film? What made you decide on Emily Alyn Lind as young Heidi?
Tom Elkins: Casting Emily was a slamdunk. We saw a lot of talented kids, but there was only one Emily. There's a scene where she's in the lower chamber screaming, and I used it for the casting process. How she did it in the film was how she did it in the audition, and that's why I cast her. When I said cut, she'd go back to a happy little girl again, ready for the next thing and just happy to be there.
The rest of the cast saved my life every day by giving me great ideas or knocking their scenes out of the park. Nobody phoned their performance in. They were as invested in the story as I was, and I think it's reflected in their performance.
As a first-time director, what would you say was your biggest challenge while making the movie?
Tom Elkins: The most challenging thing was that we were out in the elements filming at night all the time. A well known director told me what Spielberg told him: "Just survive the shoot." Really, a lot of it is that. We shot the movie in twenty seven days, and it was only pulled off because of the awesome cast and crew we had. We had a lot to worry about, including the elements outside, labor and schooling laws for kids, animals that didn't always cooperate, and fog.
While this film uses computer generated effects, there are also quite a bit of practical creations. What are your feelings about using practical versus computer effects?
Tom Elkins: Some of the effects are planned and some you come across in post-production. A scene may not be working and sometimes visual effects may be needed. Determining the effect needed was based on necessity and resources. There were some things we would have loved to do, but didn't have the resources to do them. There are other things we had to do because we had no choice, such as fixing a scene. All of the ghosts were practical and that was deliberate because it also helped serve the story.
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Directed by Tom Elkins, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia stars Chad Michael Murray, Abigail Spencer, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Alyn Lind, and Cicely Tyson. We've included two behind-the-scenes photos with Tom Elkins below. You can learn more about the movie by visiting the following links:
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