AGAINST THE NIGHT Impressions and Q&A with Writer/Director Brian Cavallaro

An abandoned prison is home to more than just haunted memories in Brian Cavallaro's Against the Night. With the new horror movie out now on digital platforms from Gravitas Ventures, Daily Dead caught up with writer/director Cavallaro to discuss the eerie atmosphere of his filming location, wearing multiple hats during production, and making a movie with a tight-knit local cast in Pennsylvania. 

Following a group of twenty-something friends who sneak into an abandoned prison to make a ghost-hunting video, Against the Night is a haunting look at how quickly an innocent night of mischief can turn into a bloody real-life nightmare. It's all fun and games when the gang first arrives in the cavernous confines of the creepy prison, but when people go missing and a gas mask-wearing figure is seen in the shadows, the fight to survive till dawn begins, and the cards are stacked against the intruders.

Taking us on a tour of a prison that's reminiscent of the Danvers State Hospital from Session 9 (the peeled walls especially evoke the eerie atmosphere of Brad Anderson's cult classic), Cavallaro uses immersive elements of the found footage subgenre (such as handheld cameras and security tape footage) to place viewers in the middle of his horror story, but he also incorporates more traditional third-person angles to soak in the vastness of his shooting location: Philadelphia's Holmesburg Prison, a gorgeously haunting character unto itself.

In the same vein as The Blair Witch Project, it's what you don't see in Against the Night that is the most unsettling, as Cavallaro utilizes shadows, dark corridors, and tight corners to evoke a claustrophobic sense of the unknown pressing down on his characters. At times you see glimpses of the killer in the background and hear spooky sounds reverberating through the stone structure, but it's the feeling of something ominous lurking nearby in the movie's quieter moments that may creep you out the most.

Against the Night is largely filmed in a real prison, and for that reason its creepy atmosphere feels largely authentic, even if its characters can feel a little too archetypal at times. Overall, Against the Night is an exercise in spirited guerilla filmmaking, and Cavallaro shows that with a camera, a game cast, and a memorable location, you can emerge from the shadows with a new horror story to tell.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, Brian, and congratulations on Against the Night. When and how did you come up with the idea for this film?

Brian Cavallaro: I took a tour of Eastern State Penitentiary and knew I wanted to make a movie there. Ironically, when it came time to film, we found that the nearby Holmesburg Prison was far more suitable. It has the same kind of gothic, spoke and wheel design, but without all the rules and regulations of a national landmark.

Against the Night takes place at an abandoned prison with a creepy atmosphere. Where did filming take place, and how long was your shooting schedule?

Brian Cavallaro: Holmesburg Prison is a working prison, however, the section we filmed in was not only abandoned, there was no working electricity. So there was no shortage of creepy atmosphere. We shot overnights there for a week with one day in a house in Manayunk, PA, and one day with Frank Whaley in Los Angeles.

The found footage filming style is a key element of this story. Are you a big fan of that subgenre of horror? Were you excited to experiment with that format in Against the Night?

Brian Cavallaro: I'm a fan of any technique that helps tell the story. We use the term "found footage" all too much. Using consumer cameras doesn't always mean the footage was discovered and later cobbled together to tell the story (which is definitely the device of many successful horror films). This movie uses not only Hank's point of view, but also security cameras and traditional setups to the tell the story the best way possible.

You have a really fun cast in this film, including Frank Whaley, who I’ve been a big fan of since watching him in When Trumpets Fade. What was it like working with this cast to bring your spooky story to life?

Brian Cavallaro: That's a great Frank Whaley reference! I was super lucky with the cast. Based on our budget constraints, we knew we had to cast local as much as possible, so I did Skype interviews from Los Angeles over several weeks to settle on a cast that is mostly from Philadelphia and New York. Having Frank Whaley in the movie is just the icing on the cake—an unbelievable actor and a complete professional.

When you look back at your time on set, is there a favorite or funny moment in particular that stands out to you?

Brian Cavallaro: My younger brother Andrew was the man in the gas mask, and he was also in charge of craft services (and basically every other thing I needed). It was fun to torment him again. He could barely see out of the mask and I would ask him to do the most ridiculous things. I tried not to laugh, but I think the rest of the cast knew I was having a good time with it.

What was the most challenging or rewarding scene to shoot?

Brian Cavallaro: This is tough to answer without giving too much away, but we had a day when we shot twenty pages and several kill scenes. I thought rushing it might hurt the final product, but the sense of urgency definitely comes through in the performances. The sun started coming up at the very end too, but we ended up being able to use a little day for night because of it, which is just what that scene needed. You can only plan so much, so the days when you come across more than one happy accident are always your favorites.

In addition to writing and directing Against the Night, you also were a producer and cinematographer for this project. Was it challenging or liberating (or both) to wear so many hats on this film?

Brian Cavallaro: It was very challenging, but I'm also sure we couldn't have gotten it done on schedule if I didn't have the camera in my hand. My producing partner, Arielle Brachfeld, was right by my side the whole time, and as many hats as I was wearing, she had on twice as many.

Were you inspired or influenced by any other horror movies while you were writing and directing Against the Night?

Brian Cavallaro: Yes. Creep was a big influence. It's inspiring to see what can be done with limited resources, a good story, and great performances. I'm also big fan of Scream and the subgenre of murder mystery horror.

With Against the Night out now on digital platforms, what other projects do you have coming up that you’re excited about? Are you looking to write and direct another horror movie in the near future?

Brian Cavallaro: I produced a movie with some really close friends that I'm proud of, called The Last Movie Star, which was written and directed by Adam Rifkin and stars Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter. That movie comes out on the exact same day, and will be in theaters March 30th as well.

Trailer via Bloody Disgusting: