Interview with Adam Beal, filmmaker of the Horror/Comedy short THE LITTLE MISSUS

Adam Beal’s short film THE LITTLE MISSUS played at the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival in October 2015; part of the best of Horror/Thriller short films of the year event.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of THE LITTLE MISSUS:

I chatted with Adam Beal recently and talked about his very funny and very scary short film:

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Adam Beal: THE LITTLE MISSUS was made for a horror filmmaking contest; contestants were tasked to choose one word and make an under-3-minute short film based around. I went with Magnet,” and came up with a few variations on the concept that ends this short. The script I wrote for this version turned out the best, so that’s the one we went with.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It was late August when the idea struck me and the contest deadline was an appropriate October 31, so about two months. Plus a little bit of tweaking here and there after the contest deadline for the festival version.

How would you describe your short film in two words!?

Matronly vengeance.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

We had an elaborate rig that we’d built to shoot wide shots of the climax, with hot glue and springs and ripcords and more, to show the metal bits popping out of the husband’s body and hovering there under his shirt. But it just didn’t work on camera. So the editor and I went back a week later to do some extreme closeup pickups of the metal bits popping out using a far simpler method. A ton of time and effort and ingenuity tossed aside for something basic — that’s filmmaking for you.

What were your initial reactions when watching the Toronto audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

As with anything I make, I went into the feedback cringing, but as soon as people started talking, I became overjoyed. It was really positive and really appreciated! I’d have been way harder on it myself, but then I tend to be hypercritical of anything I make…

The film was called by the audience as a live-action Road Runner cartoon. Was that you intention when making the film?

100%. That’s another thing I really appreciated about the feedback — the specific things everyone said really nailed what I was going for (and was never quite sure if I pulled off). Hearing the Looney Tunes and Sam Raimi comparisons was very reassuring, as those were absolutely two of the biggest guides I looked to when putting THE LITTLE MISSUS together.

What film have you seen the most in your life?

Probably Ghostbusters. Of all the movies I watched on perpetual loop when I was a kid with my family’s first VCR, Ghostbusters is the one I still watch fairly regularly as an adult.

What is next for you? A new film?

Right now I’m focussing on writing. I’ve already written a dozen or so feature screenplays and I’m always working on the next one. Right now I’m balancing two of them, one about werewolves and the other a traditional slasher. Neither has quite the goofy, Looney Tunes tone of THE LITTLE MISSUS, but both are aiming for fun. Beyond that, I’m working with some of the LITTLE MISSUS team on a comedy webseries.