Whether you love the Wolfenstein video games or you're looking forward to the upcoming Overlord, you may find plenty to enjoy in the new military horror movie Trench 11. Set in the underground tunnels in the tumultuous days of World War 1, Trench 11 is out today on digital and DVD platforms from RLJE Films, and for our latest Q&A feature, we caught up with filmmaker Leo Scherman to talk about the challenges and rewards of making a horror movie against the backdrop of World War I.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Leo! How did you and co-writer Matt Booi come up with the story for Trench 11?
Leo Scherman: I really wanted to do a WW1 horror film—something surreal and tweaked out—but didn’t really know how to tell the story. Matt Booi had worked on a series of WW1 documentaries, including one about the underground war fought beneath the trenches in tunnel systems. He even visited some of the existing tunnels still standing in Europe today. So, when I pitched him the idea of WW1 horror, it was his idea to set it underground, which I thought was absolutely perfect.
Where did filming take place for Trench 11, and what did that environment add to the atmosphere of the movie?
Leo Scherman: We shot in Winnipeg, Canada. The first week was outdoors in the cold and the snow. I think that had a really positive impact on the film from both an aesthetic point of view, but also because it bonded the cast and crew—we all had to dig deep and work in less than perfect conditions.
Were there any particular challenges in recreating the time period of World War I?
Leo Scherman: Yes, mostly financial. We didn’t have enough money to access all of the props and costumes we wanted, so we had to be creative and limit what we saw. Europe still has tons of WW1 stuff around—both real and recreated for film and TV—but North America doesn’t have much of it, so it was a real challenge.
What was the most challenging or rewarding scene to shoot?
Leo Scherman: Probably the scene between Reiner and Dr. Priest in Reiner’s office. The conversation they have is basically the theme of the film and gets out all the things that Matt Booi and I wanted to say about the war. I was worried that it might run a little long and slow given that it’s just two people talking at a desk in the middle of an otherwise movement-driven film. But I think the actors, Robert Stadlober and Charlie Carrick, really delivered. And I think the dialogue that Matt wrote is great.
Looking back at your time on set, is there a favorite or funny moment that stands out?
Leo Scherman: Because we were shooting in Winnipeg and I live in Toronto, I was separated from my family. My wife and two daughters came for a set visit right when we were doing the autopsy scene with all the parasitic worms. To watch my eight-year-old and ten-year-old daughters stand next to the FX artist François Dagenais as he and his team created all these horrifically grotesque scenes was really amazing. My daughters absolutely loved every minute of it and have a new and deeper understanding of movies now.
Do you have any favorite movies, video games, or books that influenced or inspired you while making Trench 11?
Leo Scherman: The most influential films for us were The Thing and Alien. I would also say that Friedkin’s Sorcerer was always on my mind. And of course David Cronenberg.
Is this a cinematic world you would return to in a potential sequel?
Leo Scherman: You never know… maybe there’s a new outbreak at the onset of WWII? Or what about a prequel set years earlier?
What do you hope viewers take away from your latest film?
Leo Scherman: Above all, I hope audiences are seriously entertained. I want people to have a tense and terrifying experience. I also hope that as people walk away from the film, they gain a little more awareness of WW1 and the ongoing influence it has on our world today.
With Trench 11 out now on DVD and digital platforms from RLJE Films, do you have any other projects coming up that you can discuss? Also, where can our readers keep up with your work online?
Leo Scherman: I have another historical horror that I am developing with Matt Booi and my producer Tyler Levine. Nothing concrete to announce yet, but it has major potential. In terms of keeping up, I’m on Twitter and Instagram.
Trailer via Bloody Disgusting:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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