One of the best indie horror films headed your way is Frank Sabatella‘s The Shed, on digital and On Demand November 15th.
I sat down with Frank who filled me in on how the film came to be, bullying, and more. Sabatella is an actor, writer, director and producer, known for his film Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet and multiple short films. He appeared in 2018’s indie horror hit The Ranger. In other words, he’s a busy man. A jack of all trades I guess you’d say.
The Shed centers on Stan, played by Jay Jay Warren, a kid whose life went from the American dream to a nightmare after the death of his parents. Stan is mercilessly bullied by everyone in his life, but things are about to get worse. There’s something deadly in his shed.
Horror Fuel: “How did the idea come about for the story?”
Frank Sabatella: “The story about a vampire trapped inside a shed was a short story written by film school buddy Jason Wright and I loved the concept and the possibilities of that concept. When I was coming through I wanted to use that as an aspect of the story about a neglected kid and how somebody could be bullied and whatnot, and how they would respond to something like that.”
Horror Fuel: “The film has a very strong message about bullying. Have you had experiences like that?”
Frank Sabatella: “Yeah, actually. I think probably that everybody does one way or another. I don’t think I was bullied to the point of where Stanley and Dommer find themselves in. I don’t think I ever fit in in high school, but I think that’s common for a lot of people. I know what it feels like on the outside, you know what I mean, to feel like an outsider and to have that thrown in your face constantly by someone.”
Horror Fuel: “I get it. I had a bully that made my lie a nightmare until I decided to fight back. I love that Stanely never gets down to his bullies’ level when he has a chance at revenge.”
Frank Sabatella: “Yeah.”
Horror Fuel: “What was the most difficult aspect of filming The Shed?”
Frank Sabatella: “The most difficult aspect of filming was getting everything done in an effective way in a very short amount of time. We only had seventeen days to shoot the film. It was a very challenging schedule for a film like this. The short amount of time was our biggest challenge.”
Horror Fuel: “The effects look to be mostly practical.”
Frank Sabatella: “Just about all of them.”
Horror Fuel: “That’s great. I’m a big fan of practical effects.”
Frank Sabatella: “Me too.”
Horror Fuel: “Casting for a film is very important. What was that made you choose these specific actors you did for the lead roles? They did a great job, especially Jay Jay.”
Frank Sabatella: “We went through the usual casting process and I was specific about wanting actual teenagers to play my teenagers. Jay Jay, Sophia, they all, almost immediately, struck me as very genuine, very on point for the characters, they have the right look, and for one reason or another, they connected to their characters. They were all my first choices actually.”
Horror Fuel: “The film’s ending kind of leaves it open for a sequel. Do you think that we will get one?”
Frank Sabatella: “It’s certainly possible. If there is enough interest in a sequel, I would totally pursue doing that. I think the question is will the audience want a sequel and how much more can we do with the characters without making a crappy sequel. I don’t want to make crappy sequels.”
Horror Fuel: “I’m glad to hear that. I will say this, either way, the ending is great. If we don’t get a sequel, the ending still comes across nicely.”
Frank Sabatella: “You’d still be happy with part one even if there is no part two?”
Horror Fuel: “I would.
I have to ask, who did your special effects? The effects look great.”
Frank Sabatella: “Jeremy Selenfriend of Monster in My Closet in My Closet designed all of the effects in the film.”
Horror Fuel: “I was impressed. The vampires, which are easy to overdo, look great in The Shed. The blood and gore are also done well.”
Frank Sabatella: “Thank you.”
Horror Fuel: “You’re very welcome. What do you hope viewers take away from The Shed?”
Frank Sabatella: “I hope that audiences will take away that it is a cool, scary horror movie and in addition to that there is something behind it, that it’s not just mindless kill film. That they might look at some of the aspects of bullying and maybe think twice about how we treat one another in real life and online. And that actions have consequences.”
Horror Fuel: “Bullying needs to stop. People have no clue how much it affects someone’s life.
What will we see from you next?”
Frank Sabatella: “I’m working on developing two projects. I have a short film called The House That Cried Blood. And I have an original concept about two girls that are experimenting with witchcraft to conjure up an entity for the purposes of revenge, but the entity turns on them. Those are the two stories I’m working one right now, we’ll see where they lead.”
Horror Fuel: “They both sound interesting. I look forward to seeing where they go.”
Be sure to check out The Shed, which took home a five-star review from Horror Fuel. Stay up to date about Frank Sabatella and his projects by following him on Facebook..
