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Your upcoming movie The Jitterman - in a few words, what is it
about?
The Jitterman is
about how fear can control you. Set
in a suburban house over one night, a babysitter is tormented by the
titular character. I can’t
really say more than that but it’s a unrelenting series of shocks and
twists. That should be a real thrill to watch. What were your inspirations for writing
The Jitterman? It definitely fits in
with the slasher/home invasion genre of horror, but it was also inspired
by the great horror icons Michael
/ Freddy. I wanted to see if I could
make my own character that could get inside your head. Do
talk about the titular character, the Jitterman himself for a bit: What
kind of creature is he, how will he be achieved?
I’ve been
developing the Jitterman’s backstory for a while now. He’s a
malevolent spirit, hell-bent on destroying the lives of his victims, but
there’s a richer backstory of tragedy where it all stems from. The
Jitterman acts out of vengeance. He wants the world to know his name!
The Jitterman himself
is human in form but has a cool/grotesque disfigurement which will be
achieved with practical effects. It’s a symbol of the things he endured
in life and the reason for his fury. You
also promise quite some effects work for The Jitterman - care to
elaborate?
It was more
correcting the mistakes we made on The
Tour. I’ve always been a fan of
practical effects, and when we went into making The
Tour we planned on
keeping the FX 100% practical. We spent a load on the retractable knifes
and fake blood but no one on the team had the right experience to do it
all. When we were shooting Cassie’s death scene it was about 2am on the
last day of shooting in Wymering Manor and it was freezing. The blood was
too thick to squirt and we couldn’t get the gusher we both hoped for. So
we had to do it in post.
It has always
annoyed me so on this project, so I’ve invested in a proper make up and FX
specialist. The Jitterman will
have gushers for sure but also the character requires some delicious
prosthetic work, to make him hideously disfigured. So I’m hoping to have more toys to play with this time round. To
put it simply it wont be anything like a Herschell Gordon Lewis film [Herschell
Gordon Lewis bio - click here], but
it does have its moments. What can you tell us about your movie's
approach to horror (as in suspense vs sudden shocks, atmosphere vs all-out
gore and the like)?
The Jitterman is more of an atmospheric horror film than a gore
film. Whilst developing the script I was really impressed by Joel
Edgerton’s The Gift. It was brilliant at creating a chilling atmosphere
and framing negative space. It kept the audience on edge the whole time.
I really want it to have a sustained sense of impending doom.
In horror I love the tease
and the build up more than the act itself. The imagination is a powerful
thing. Your
movie's currently still in its fundraising stages - so what can you tell
us about your campaign?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jitterman-a-short-film-by-alex-mathieson#/ Once the budget's in place,
what's the schedule - and any idea yet when and where the film might be
released onto the general public (though I know it's probably waaay too
early to ask)? We’re shooting at the end of April and hoping to hit the
summer festivals. I work as a promo director where project led times are short
and turnaround is fast. In my opinion every project has an energy, a well
of enthusiasm it feeds off if you will. So for me I’m aiming to turn it
around as fast as I can.
Any future projects beyond The Jitterman?
I have a short I’m desperate to do called The Dying of the Light, about the
Devil.
Then we have Darkmoor,
then a feature version of The
Tour written, which I’m convinced would be an
incredible watch and really unexpected. Think Kill List on steroids!
I’m also working on a TV series, which is a horror comedy cross
between The Inbetweeners and the classic 80s film Monster
Squad.
“Wolfman’s Got Nards!” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu6L9pG_E6o
And even a script outline for the Jitterman feature if anyone likes
the short.
But it is all about making these short films to prove to people
I’m a gamble worth taking.
I don’t want these stories
to stay on the page but I’m realistic enough to know that they only way
that’s going to happen is if I show enough drive and God willing talent
for someone to take a chance on me. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, IndieGoGo, whatever else?
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Please check out
The
Jitterman’s IndieGoGo and Facebook page and help us raise the final £3000
to get this project made.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jitterman-a-short-film-by-alex-mathieson#/
https://www.facebook.com/JittermanMovie/
Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Since doing The
Tour the one thing that’s really blown me away is
the support of the horror community. It’s been so great to see the film
and shared it around the festivals, but the good will toward the genre never
diminishes.
I’m just proud to be a part of it.
Thanks
for the interview!
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