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Your new movie Beware
the Boogeyman - in a few words, what is it about?
Imagine your worst childhood fears of what lurks in the dark were real…
and just like when you were a child, no one believes you.
How did you get involved with the project in the first place? I’ve
been a long-standing member of the 7th Street Productions
core team since 2021 when we filmed A Haunting in Ravenwood.
Since then, I’ve been a part of every one of their films whether on
screen or behind the scenes. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing your segment of Beware
the Boogeyman? I give Calvin McCarthy [Calvin
Morie McCarthy interview - click here] full credit for the section’s concept and for
building the character Shawn. My job at that point was having the pure
pleasure of building all of the ridiculous farcical situations around the
character with the prompt: Boogeyman. I knew I wanted to play
heavily into the unreliable narrator aspect (a common film trope though I
relate the interest more to my days studying theatre): Little hints
if you’re looking for them, time on all the clocks for example. But in
all honesty, I wanted this piece to feel like a real life, horror-filled Tom
& Jerry-cartoon meets Tales from the Crypt. Do talk about your segment's
approach to horror!
I knew early on that my segment would be last which meant I knew I’d have
the disadvantage of the audience already having sat through almost an
entire movie’s worth of seeing the Boogeyman. That said, it, and
choosing to heavily lean into a comedic almost self-parody tone, gave me
lots of freedom to fully utilize the creature in this cat-and-mouse game.
Instead, I focused the tension on “What’s Shawn going to do now?”
and kept the ‘scares’ purely as part of the rollercoaster both you
and the character go on together. A few words about your overall
directorial approach to your story at hand? My
biggest focus was balance. Within trying to make this
fast-paced cartoon-like farce in a real-world environment, I wanted to
combat those limitations with fun and fast camera work in my shot list or
the ridiculous set dec in the drug den, etc., but at the same time ground
the piece with real life consequences and challenge my lead actor, Calvin,
to find the reality within the insanity. What can you
tell us about your segment's cast, and why exactly these people? Calvin
always had to play Shawn, I wouldn’t want it any other way nor do I
think I could trust any other actor to fully let go and commit to the
ridiculousness that is this segment. All the actors I had worked with
before on previous films and knew I, in my endeavor to take the reins for
the first time, could trust them to trust me. They’re all people I
knew I could rely on to be great at their craft, know their script, and
endure the late nights all while having fun in the collaboration.
with Calvin Morie McCarthy |
Do talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere! In
my time as an actor and crewmember, there is nothing I’ve seen like the
team at 7th Street Productions. We’re a well-oiled
machine full of multi-faceted people. As a crew we can almost read
each other’s minds, which makes filming together so incredible. But maybe most importantly we’re a family. We all have fun, bunk
together on set, and truly believe in what we are trying to do. The
blood and sweat we put into these films is always surrounded with a good
laugh and hard work. According to my information, Beware
the Boogeyman is your first movie as writer and director - so what
prompted your move behind the camera, and could you ever be persuaded to
direct another movie? I’ve
worked so closely with Calvin in previous films from the initial concept
all the way through post-production as an assistant director or producer
that making the switch into the director seat was pretty natural.
It’s a position I enjoy and plan on continuing in future endeavors. You also play the lead in Beware
the Boogeyman's first segment - so what did you draw
upon to bring your character to life, and how much Chynna Rae Shurts can
we find in Cathy? I’m
not sure if I should spoil anything so I’ll say this: I’d argue both
Cathy and I are great at turning our ‘personal monsters’ into
something productive. Do talk about your segment's director
Calvin Morie McCarthy, incidently also the lead in the segment you
directed, and what was your collaboration like?
All my favorite directors to work with are actors themselves. Especially
working with Calvin, who really lets me loose to craft a character.
Having worked together so much both on screen and director to actor we can
practically read each other’s minds at this point. There’s also
an incredible trust. I know no matter how strange, what he says will work.
And there is nothing more freeing than trusting your director and having a
director trust you.
I’m grateful to have had the great opportunity to direct him. He’s a
rare actor that you don’t need to push. He’s unafraid to go big
and make something so insane completely real to a character. Getting
to play with that and guide him in one direction or letting him riff and
improv with the also amazing Tim Coyle was a joy.
Any future projects you'd like to share? We
are about to jump onto filming our next film Conjuring The Cult (originally
titled Demonia Death Cult) which you can expect released before the year
is out by Breaking Glass
Pictures, with more on the horizon. But
otherwise, our long library of films are all available to watch on most
major VOD platforms! What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? Long
story short, I went to college to study Forensic Chemistry and left with a
BFA in Acting. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Beware
the Boogeyman? I’ve
been acting professionally for almost three years now, and you’ll very
quickly note horror films are my bread and butter, you’ll find my IMDb
is chock full of them, and I couldn’t be more pleased as a horror fan
myself. An upcoming Scream Queen in the making. How would you describe yourself
as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
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I could ramble on trying to explain the method to the madness, but to be
brief: I take my craft seriously. I rely on a lot of Meisner
techniques, building a character thoroughly in preparation and then
letting it all go, allowing what comes naturally and truthfully in the
moment. Making it true and real. Your favourite movies?
Howling Village (2019, Takashi Shimizu), Night
of The Comet (1984, Thom Eberhardt), Candyman
(1992, Bernard Rose), The
Thing (1982, John Carpenter), Day
of the Dead (1985, George Romero), Suspiria
(1977, Dario Argento). Also the TV series Ju-On: Origins (2020). Your website, social
media, whatever else? 7streetfilms.com
Instagram: @not.made.in.chynna
Thanks for the interview!
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