Last Updated on August 5, 2021
Hey guys and dolls! As some of you may already know, I’m slated to direct my first horror feature film THE SHELTER early next year (get all the info here), with an impending crowd-funding campaign kicking in this coming Monday (!!). Here’s a little personal insight into the journey behind the film…
Ever since I can remember, all I ever wanted to do was direct feature films (horror or action, preferably). And all I’ve ever done in life is everything but direct a freakin’ feature film! I’ve written six produced feature lenght screenplays, acted in movies, produced, created an Award-winning short film, coordinated movie stunts, operated this website for the past 13 years and written over 1,200 horror reviews and yet…I have still not directed a full-length feature!
The day I sat down to finish the script after I cracked it. Yup, I already had a stogie parked there, ready to celebrate!
Now even though I had written plenty of scripts before, THE SHELTER was a different animal and actually took me three f*ckin’ years to finish. I always had my first and last acts, but the sumbitch 2nd act was the one that took me forever to crack. Now in the past, I would eventually give up and move on to other projects, but in the case of THE SHELTER, it just kept calling me back. At times, I’d be out drinking with my buds, and an idea to potentially crack act 2 would spring to mind and I’d text it to myself before I forgot, then I’d get home, try it out, to find out that wasn’t it. I went through that cycle a hundred times! I’m not sure what it was, but for some reason, I just couldn’t let THE SHELTER go. It became kind of an obsession actually.
And then the day arrived. Almost 3 years after starting the process of the screenplay I was finally able to crack the thing and let me tell you, I was happier than a John at a whorehouse! I went out with friends (you bet JoBlo was there), drank a few drinks, downed a few more (thanks again for the countless shots JoBlo) and just enjoyed the moment before the “real journey” of the film would begin. The good news is that according to everyone who has read the screenplay so far, the result of that crazy obsession was the “best script” I’ve ever written! Not to tout my own horn, but I have to agree. Unlike my previous scripts, this one was very and I mean VERY personal in terms of the themes brought up in the story. And I also rounded up everything I’d picked up in the horror industry over the past 20 years or so and combined those with my creative juices. Result? I like to think that I’ve hit all the right notes with this one.
A screengrab from a test shot that I did for the film. Yup some of the story takes place in the snow! Should be visually striking!
Is it scary? You bet your ass! Character driven and depth filled? Yup! Is it mysterious, trippy and entertaining? Yes, yes and yes! Visually driven? Yes’sir! In fact, anyone who has read my reviews in the past knows that I’m a style whore and proud of it so expect plenty of eye-catching visuals to surface throughout the film! So yeah, I’m excited and confident in bringing this bad boy to life and here I am, asking for your help to make my life-long dream come true. I’m ready to rock this baby out to the world!
So next Monday is D-Day. We’re going to have a crowd-funding campaign for the film on IndieGoGo. Why? Well unlike Zach Braff or Spike Lee, I’m not even close to being a millionaire (I still pay rent, people) and THE SHELTER is an out of the mold project that isn’t likely to get financed through the usual channels. There’s a reason why David Lynch is longer directing feature films and that’s because rare are the folks that want to finance risky projects anymore. Basically THE SHELTER is not cookie cutter fluff. It’s a 70’s-esque mind trip, frightening as f*ck and not afraid to explore those very dark places.
I was elated when veteran actor Michael Pare responded to the script and agreed to do the film! The best man for the job!
So there ya have it. I’d like to thank everybody who has supported me over the years and I hope that come Monday, you can find it in your horror hearts to back me up and let me unleash my mindf*ck your way. Until then, Arrow out! Peace, blood, guts and love to all! – John Fallon aka The Arrow
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