Having joined my previously for a spotlight, I'm thrilled to welcome back Josephina Sykes to discuss her latest project "Hi-Fear" and other production duties.
Me: Hello and thank you for returning to this! Since last we spoke, you’ve seen the final installment in the anthology series, ‘Hi-Fear,’ released. What can you tell us about it?
Josephina Sykes: Hello to you, Don, and your readers! Thanks for having me again!
“Hi-Fear” is the 3rd and final installment of our horror trilogy. We did spend a few years working on it because of the pandemic and we hope to surprise everyone with different types of horror. We have longer segments, and we invited back cool cult horror directors like Todd Sheets, Tim Ritter, and Anthony Catanese. Brad Sykes, my partner, directed the 4th segment and the wraparound which we centered around a comic book theme, we even created a prop for the movie and got the help of Scott Fry, a talented artist to put our vision into the page. The theme this time around is “What are you Afraid of?” so everyone had to visualize their fears and bring them on the screen. As usual, we tried to create something fresh and original compared to our previous anthologies and other horror movies. That is always a good challenge for us, to bring unique stories and concepts to fans.
“Hi-Fear” took us years to finish since we were working on it during the pandemic, so finally we completed it in 2022 and started the festival circuit which is always fun. We also had our Los Angeles premiere in 2023 and it was released by Wild Eye Releasing, so you can grab a DVD copy, even a VHS tape or you stream it on Tubi, Amazon, etc. We finally launched it into the world which is scary, but also an accomplishment for everyone involved since we have a big team of cast and crew spread out in 4 states. In September we also had a DVD signing at Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank, alongside Brad’s “Neon Nightmares” book signing and we had a blast! It was great to be able to finally have public events, celebrate, and see again cast, crew, friends, and meet new ones!
Me: Was there ever any intention to turn this series into a trilogy when it first started? How did the idea finally get brought up and accepted?
JS: We never intended to create a trilogy. Our philosophy is one step at a time because in filmmaking there are so many obstacles and it’s hard to plan so much ahead. Just completing one movie is a major triumph, you deal with so many separate elements. Every movie in this series had its challenges like dealing with more filmmakers, cast, and crews, so we were just happy to complete and release them one at a time. But after we just launched “Hi-Death”, we had a friend from Germany, Markus visiting us and he mentioned the idea of a trilogy, encouraging us to continue this horror series. We were just exhausted, but after giving it some thought, it made sense. We thought it would be rewarding and a great way to contribute to the genre. We felt that we had more stories left to tell, and so did the directors we collaborated with, everyone was game and enthusiastic. It is a great way to finish a long, exciting journey by having a trilogy, it feels right.
Me: With the initial exploits of the series being shot-on-video directors coming together to share in a modern take on the style, what went through the current production to ensure it stayed true to that selling point? What did you want to accomplish with the film to carry on the legacy of the rest of the franchise?
JS: You can’t make the same movie over and over again, even if you try, the magic won’t happen again. Using older technology (as much as we like it) like we did for “Hi-8” nowadays presents its challenges. So, for “Hi-Death” we had to graduate to HD, but we also used the theme of Death, hence the title, which had fewer directors involved and longer segments. We always send the theme and the new set of rules to all filmmakers upon invitation so they know what they are in for, get their creative juices going, and give them the creative freedom that is the core of this trilogy. With “Hi-Fear” we changed things even more, before approaching a new theme to explore, we allowed everyone the use of Visual FX. Obviously, the wraparounds are always created around the segments and we always like to come up with a story that also connects all the pieces together, giving the movie a unifying visual motif. We put a lot of care and thought into each of them to preserve the general spirit, but also bring something new, surprising, and original each time around. I hope our legacy with this franchise is to represent the true indie horror of our times.
Me: How much involvement did you have in the individual segments? Do you prefer to be involved in a hands-on approach or trust in the talent to do their thing and step in when necessary?
JS: Once we set up a theme that we share with all the filmmakers involved, Brad and I have a hands-off approach. We just want to read the scripts to make sure no one has the same idea, but other than that we stay away. It is the nature of the project to give filmmakers creative freedom. We discuss things with directors and their producers, but they make the segments as they wish. We want people to watch the movie and say for example: ”Yes, that was such a Tim Ritter theme or style” or “I haven’t seen anything like this from Todd Sheets before”. It is up to the filmmakers to express their own take on the theme, create something new, that they never got the chance before, or explore more their vision, themes, and ideas in the way they always did. Everyone thinks that independent filmmakers always do what they want, but that hasn’t been always the case, that’s why we started “Hi-8” as a way to create and enable that and move away from the development hell that takes over the movie, the script, the director’s voice here in Hollywood, including the independent world.
Me: How much involvement did you have with the rest of the production team bringing it to life? What was the early life of the film like?
JS: Brad and I always start these anthologies by creating a concept, a theme, and discussing formats, and technical aspects. Once we settle on everything, we approach the other directors, invite them to the new project, and give them all the details. Then, we start working on our segment, from script to filming, post, and all the phases. And this time around we wrote the screenplay for “Day Out of Days” together, which was a nice, creative process. I produced this segment (as I do with the wraparound) and Brad directed it. So, we shot it and posted it and I organized every phase of production. Once all the segments are finished and delivered, we come up with a concept for the wraparound, develop it, shoot it, and post it. This time around it was more complex, because of COVID-19, Anthony Catanese’s segment wasn’t shot, but we read his script and we knew his great team was ready to go film it whenever there were fewer cases in New Jersey, so we worked around it. We also changed the wraparound concept a bit and switched locations because we ended up shooting it during the pandemic, but sometimes challenges and limitations work for the best, and as indie filmmakers, we are prepared for it. We also worked with Sara Casey to create VFX for the wraparound (we chose this route because of Covid instead of practical FX), it worked well for the story and helped create some nice transitions in the spirit of our comic book concept.
Another step we enjoy is working with Terry Huud, our composer, he contributed a lot, and besides creating the soundtrack for our segment, he scored the wraparound and re-orchestrated our general ‘Hi’ music theme, giving it a rock vibe this time around. All the post-production is supervised by Brad and me alongside Chris Lorusso who’s our supervising editor, he’s been with us through everything and helped on all of our anthologies. So, it’s a bit of a step-by-step process and Covid slowed us down, but you learn to be patient. At the same time, we always made some progress through it all. But it’s fun to work on credits with Anthony Catanese because he is creative and gets our ideas, he contributes with great experience and enthusiasm and you also know that the end is near…
Me: With Brad’s segment ‘Day Out of Days’ specifically, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
JS: Casting is a huge part of our process because you need to find the right people to bring your vision to life. I spend weeks preparing for the auditions, but somehow when an actor enters the casting space you almost know you found Laura or Taylor (our main characters) before they even read with you. This is what happened when casting for “Day our of Days.” We were looking for an experienced actress to play Alexis, the make-up girl, to look like people we worked with before, somebody who’s been on sets a lot and knows the filmmaking world. So, Julie Anne Prescott was perfect for it. Her reading was wonderful, her wardrobe for the audition was great, she was prepared and got the character, understood it well. And she drove all the way from Vegas to audition, she knew about our previous anthologies and wanted to work with us. For Taylor, we were looking for a serious, talented actor, who can play drama well, but also have humor, convey playfulness, and be a flirt, so P.J. Brescia was the one! Lastly (we had 3 roles only), for Laura we needed an actress who has an ethereal quality, who seems out of this world, artistic, and capable of conveying a certain evil strangeness. Ingrid Hansen was it, she even came in the wrong day than she was scheduled, which we thought worked great for her character! For the wraparound, we always had Kristen Lorenz in mind (she auditioned for “Hi-Death”), she is a very talented actress, has been in many horror movies, and always wanted to work with her, so we created the role with her in our mind. Charlie Parker who plays the nurse auditioned for Laura, gave it a great read and we liked chatting with her, so we kept her in mind and called her. A small lesson for actors, if you show up, give a good audition, take your time to talk with the director, or producer at the audition, you never know, they might keep you in mind for something else. We do!
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
JS: We shot “Day out of Days” on location, in Frazier Park an hour and a half away from LA, in a place where Brad and I produced a drama years ago but thought it’d make a good setting for a horror movie. We rented a vacation home for a few days (that had a cabin look) and all the cast and crew lived together in this place where we also shot the movie. Bit of a challenge. Due to budgetary constraints, we had a small crew, and we couldn’t bring so many people. Everyone shared a room and Brad and I slept on a sleeper sofa in the living room. We warned everyone about these conditions and hoped we could all get along since we never worked together before. But it worked well for the story, it made things smoother, get the filming done faster, and in an efficient way. Everyone enjoyed the script, and the location, and contributed with ideas, we were lucky with a great group of people, couldn’t have made it without them. Our DP understood the movie and was prepared to shoot it from the interview stage, we were surprised how much work he put into it already and got Brad’s vision in terms of lighting, which is critical for the story.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
JS: I remember when we first got to the location and we were ready to start shooting we could find Ingrid, the actress playing Laura. She walked away on the trail that she walked at the end of the segment and was meditating on a bench, at the end of it. Brad and I smiled at each other knowing she was the right choice for Laura, if you watch the movie, you’ll get it.
Nothing crazy happened on set (luckily), but the only thing we had to contend with was the chainsaw noise we could hear for most days we shot (except a Sunday). It was coming from further away so I couldn’t go physically and try to stop anyone. It was ironic because we went away to a small mountain town for peace and quiet, and so did our characters and here we were dealing with this situation, this incredible noise in a cabin facing a mountain. So, there were some scenes where our actors had to contend with that loud noise in the background and pretend it was not there. We tried to manage the situation while on location as best as possible, had a good sound recordist, and fixed some issues while working on sound in post with Rich Hyland. But it was ridiculous.
We had a small group of people and at night we shared a meal together and bonded over film discussions. I was terrified to deal with the dinner situation because no restaurants stay open even for a pizza delivery after 5-6 pm in the area. The first night I made pasta (and one of my phobias is cooking for a lot of people, not my cup of tea). Luckily, we had a grill and Patrick who plays Taylor enjoys cooking and offered to make us nice meals this way. He would even come up to me to change the schedule so we could wrap him sooner and he can go and start that grill going!
Me: Now that it’s released to the public, has the reception been what you expected from your franchise fans?
JS: Your movie’s reception is a tad hard to perceive. It creates discussion and different opinions about segments and that’s what we intended with these horror anthologies. But we’ll see, time will tell!
Me: As well, you’ve also overseen Brad getting collector edition versions of some of his past films released, starting with “Scream Queen.” How much involvement do you have with these releases?
JS: Besides my usual support for Brad (and joy since some of his early movies never got a decent release) I try to help if there’s a need for it. For “Scream Queen” I produced and directed a longer documentary called “Once Upon a Time in Horrorwood” about making the movie, all the behind-the-scenes stories that were never told till nowadays. It was a long, but fun undertaking and it is part of the diverse special features package on the new Blu-Ray that Visual Vengeance put together!
Me: What are some upcoming plans you have for some of his upcoming releases?
JS: We have various upcoming re-releases of Brad’s first movies and also of our first Nightfall Pictures movies we made together. So, we are hard at work recording commentaries, shooting, and editing new behind-the-scenes documentaries with some of the cast and crew. It is fun to revisit these movies, we’ll reveal more when we have set release dates. I hope that horror fans will re-discover or discover these movies and enjoy all the surprises we have in store for them!
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
JS: It’s been hard to be a woman working behind the camera as a Producer, it is not as glamorous as one might imagine. How many times was I the only woman in the room for meetings or how many times was I asked on my sets if I was the makeup girl? I do have my share of stories, more like horror stories. But what kept me going through good or bad is my love for movies and filmmaking as a process in general and my need to create. So that would be the advice I would give anyone. Do it because you love films since filmmaking is hard, you won’t get rich (maybe you will be lucky) and the work never ends. This isn’t a 9-5 job, sometimes creative work has limitless hours, shooting days are long and you might need to work on weekends. And if you are a Producer some people might not like you, might not agree with your decisions, no matter how fair and nice you try to be, you can’t please everyone all the time, so you have to make peace with that idea, get a tougher skin and do what is the best for the movie. Also, people could be flaky in the field so learn to be very self-reliant and ready to problem solve. Horror is a genre that still has a stigma in the industry unfortunately, some peers might disregard you here and there. ‘Nuff obstacles? Completing a movie is a great feeling, sharing it with an audience is the best! So, passion, love for what you do and never taking “No” as an answer are the keys to creating your career in movies! Thanks for having me here and for supporting women in horror!
This interview ran as part of our 2024 Women in Horror Movement celebrations! Click the banner below to check out our complete coverage:
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