An upcoming director, actor, and writer with several solid releases to his name, Quinn Armstrong is set to move on in the genre with the ambitious 'Fresh Hell' trilogy which features three standalone genre efforts tied together in a loose series. Now, in honor of the series' releases on VOD, I talk with him about his early interest in filmmaking, getting the series set up, and upcoming plans.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Quinn Armstrong: The reason I work in horror isn’t so much because I love the genre (although I do) but because it’s more permissive than others and I like transgressive stories. If you, for example, have a kid kill and eat its parents in a rom-com, everybody gets all mad at you and they say things like “what is wrong with you”, and “I want my money back”. The horror community is, I find, much more chill about these things.
Me: When did you first discover a passion for filmmaking? Were you always interested in the creative arts growing up?
QA: I came up doing theater and was snooty about it. I was completely uninterested in film until someone I was dating wanted to be an editor, so I directed a couple shorts for them to cut. Then they applied to AFI so I figured I’d apply to USC and one thing followed another.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
QA: I avoid learning too much technical information about any department. I find it’s much more effective to go to a cinematographer and say “here’s what’s going on in this scene” and let them apply their artistry than it is to say “OK I wanna be on a 21mm lens, let’s stop down a little and bring out the rim, etc.” That being said, I absolutely adore post-production sound. I would spend days and days editing footsteps if I had the budget for it.
Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to feature-film projects?
QA: The most valuable thing I ever learned as a director: if a shot works, it’s someone else’s victory. If it fails, it’s your fault. Directors are massively over-praised anyway, so spread it around.
Me: When writing a new project, what's the one fall-back tactic that you're always able to draw inspiration from?
QA: Speed. I write the first draft of most things in two or three sittings and all I’m trying to do is capture the impulse that makes the idea exciting. Then once I’ve got the impulse down I can look at it and patch, expand, cut, etc (Let it be noted, my first drafts are universally terrible and often under 50 pages and absolutely no one will ever ever see them).
Me: That brings us to your latest project, the ‘Fresh Hell’ trilogy of films such as “The Exorcism of Saint Patrick,” “Wolves Against the World,” and “Dead Teenagers." What can you tell us about the films?
QA: None of these three movies are what they’re pretending to be. They were all shot at the same location with the same crew, but the real unifying thread is that they all take horror anthology-style premises and take them to (I hope) unexpected places.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the series come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
QA: I never set out to write something about my own experiences, but it always ends up happening anyway. Wolves is the most direct: when I was 18 I went to a lot of metal shows and neo-Nazis kept trying to recruit me (there’s at least one neo-Nazi walking around New Mexico with a broken nose because of me). Wolves is half-inspired by wondering what would’ve happened if I had fallen for their bullshit.
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in each of the films? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
QA: Casting is the director’s most important job and we were all blessed with so many wonderful performers. I often cast with actors who have theatrical experience because you can work technically without ruining their concentration. That said, I also try to cast people who aren’t what you’d expect from the role, someone who’s gonna give it an unusual color.
Me: How much prep-work went into setting up each film? Once it was established that it was going to be a trilogy, what went into separating each film so that they could stand on their own but also fit into the story being told?
QA: Any anthology has to decide how much it is going to emphasize the throughline vs. its individual segments. For Fresh Hell, we knew from the beginning that it was 90% about the individual movies. The connective tissue is definitely there but it’s often subtle and glancing. Fortunately for us, that means that there was little that had to be done to make them stand on their own. They are on their own.
Me: What were the sets like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
QA: We shot some 80% of these movies on a Christmas tree farm near Ashland, Ohio. It was kind of like our own little summer camp. We were all staying at the dorms of a nearby university, showing up for work, then taking weekends off and doing activities together. I expected strain but this crew was faultlessly professional down to the last PA.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
QA: One of our actors, Beau Roberts, played the Sheriff in Dead Teenagers and had the line “you tellin’ me there’s some kinda monstah?” For whatever reason, the entire crew got obsessed with that line, to the point where we put it on T-shirts and had Beau come back at the end of Exorcism so he could say “you tellin’ me there’s been some kinda murdah?” (Which, sadly, didn’t make it to the final cut). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of people more obsessed with a single phrase.
Me: Based on this experience compared to your previous work, how have you seen your skills as a filmmaker evolve over your career?
QA: It’s like acting onstage. When you first start acting, you’re thinking “what are my hands doing? Am I walking weird?” Then, as you learn your craft, you learn to automate the fundamentals so you can focus on connecting emotionally with the scene. It’s the same in film. I’m no longer freaking out about framing up a conventional conversation. I can relax and focus on what the actors are doing.
Me: What are you hoping to achieve with the trilogy’s impending release?
QA: First, I really hope it highlights the incredible film community in Ohio. We all went to a farm in deep rural Ohio, with 90% local actors, crew, and resources, and came out with three movies. The depth and breadth of talent is pretty remarkable. Second, I would like to make certain demographics very angry.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
QA: I’m currently in the early phases of a new project called Busty Teens from Space. People who don’t know me well laugh at the title. The person who knows me best said “oh, this is going to be really dark, isn’t it?” And yes, it is.
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