Review

Rapp Sheet — 7-14-10: Local Filmmaker's Latest Family Drama Includes Cellar Creatures

Erin McGrane ( center) comforts her daughters played by Meg Saricks (right) and Emily Boresow (left) during a cellar-scene in "Nailbiter," Patrick Rea's latest project-in-progress. Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

"Someone make sure she's still wet and that she has the gun in her pants!"

And now for a bit of context:

I arrived at the suburban house a few minutes ago. Many cars line the street, and it looks like there's a party inside. And there is — of sorts — but the grip truck in the driveway gives away the true identity of this gathering: it's a film shoot, and a fairly noticeable one at that, something that is not a common sight in this quiet Leawood, Kansas, neighborhood, which might explain why more than one passing car has slowed, with curious passengers staring wide-eyed at the spectacle — whatever it is.  They can't see anything inside; they only know something is going on beyond those gelled windows. They might have even heard the bloodcurdling screams occasionally emanating from within.…. It's probably best that they can't see through the windows.

We are on the set of Patrick Rea's new horror feature film, Nailbiter. He has shot footage on Red cameras the entire weekend and is now on his third and hopefully final day. He's saved some of the best for last. The crew and any general lookie-loos have been cleared out, and now everyone is clustered in the kitchen, basement, and wherever else they are out of the way of the bustling human traffic. Things are done in a true indie fashion — the house belongs to friends of friends; the makeup area is a living room table. The props master readies his blood hose for another round. Everyone is one big, happy, albeit exhausted, family.

Patrick Rea directing on the set of "Nailbiter." Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

Rea watches from a monitor as the director of photography, Hanuman Brown-Eagle, sets up a worm's-eye angle framing actress Meg Saricks.

"Someone make sure she's still wet and that she has the gun in her pants," he calls out.

After a couple of obliging  giggles, Saricks confirms the realistic looking prop gun is tucked into her waistline. A make-up assistant comes in with a spritz bottle to keep her looking drenched in perspiration, and Rea asks for a rehearsal. The actress pounds desperately on the door, finally collapsing in anguish against it.

"What's happening behind that door?" I quietly ask Rea.

"Something horrible," he says.

He is suddenly back in the flow, readying to shoot again. Following an "action" call that lets everyone know what's happening, the take begins. Aaron Laue, the film's producer, stands nearby, watching over Rea's shoulder. His face mimics with empathy  every moment the actress is living on the small screen.  Rea coaches her through the emotion of the shot, telling her to push against the door with all her might, punctuating her words with the action. Saricks is nervous about her contact with an outcropping of trim. Rea steps in and demonstrates how to cheat the action for camera and a second take is called. All goes well. It looks great. Sound is perfect. Saricks sinks to the floor sobbing, then slowly notices the blood flowing out from under the crack, surrounding her body.

"Cut! I think we have it," says Rea. "But let's do another." The blood-tube is refilled, the area is readied for the next one, as Rea takes a moment to consult his shot list.

Someone idly asks, "Where's that buzz coming from?"

"It's my heart," jokes Rea. "I'm a cyborg."

Co-writer Kendal Sinn adjusts a light on the set of "Nailbiter." Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

He may well be. Nailbiter has all indications of looking like an exceptionally challenging film for its budget. It involves storms, servo-installed creatures, and even CGI: three out of a litany of elements one doesn't necessarily want to combine if one wants anything resembling smooth sailing on a film. But Rea navigates with a calm that lets everyone know he's got it all under control. He has storyboarded every shot meticulously. After the weekend, Rea plans to have 90 percent of the film in the can. They are on schedule — in fact, ahead of schedule. Between the time they get this last shot and when the sun goes down and begins their next cycle, they will have a few moments to catch their breath. Maybe even take in some of the silent golf match playing on a TV in the living room.

"Nail-biter" is an apropos term, both for the terrifying beasts that come in with a storm in the world of Rea's creation and as something of a declaration of personal feeling toward a film that has doggedly driven itself to the finish line. Having chocked up more short films than most people will make in their lifetime, Rea is excited and nervous about taking on a project wrought with potential challenges.

"When we (Rea and co-writer Kendal Sinn) started conceptualizing this script, it really started with that title, 'nail-biter.' We didn't really think it was necessarily a noun that meant the creature itself. But people sort of started associating that title with the creature itself, calling it a nail-biter, because they associated its nail-like teeth with its identity. It just kind of stuck, and it works. The film is intended to quite literally be a nail-biter, and it's safe to say the creatures are a representation of that name, too."

"It's not a werewolf," adds Sinn, "and it's not a vampire. Patrick and I set out to make a whole new monster with this movie, one like you have never seen before."

"Something wicked this way comes," in a scene from "Nailbiter." Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

A good portion of the film takes place in a storm cellar, as a traumatized family waits out a major tornado and encounters an even worse menace in the confines of the dank, small space.

"The nailbiters are something that come into existence with the arrival of this major storm," adds Rea. "Imagine having a part of your body that's affected by the weather. That's sort of the idea that is going on here, except on a larger scale. I don't want to say too much, or it would give away the twists and turns. Let's just say the nail-biters are very scary and very unexpected."

That being said, Rea hopes the creatures themselves won't be seen as the main focus of the film.

"This is actually a family drama," Rea explains. "There is a major story going on among the family members and a need to find resolve on certain issues. But then comes this major storm and suddenly creatures are on the scene killing whoever they can catch. I wanted to make a horror film that had a strong underlying current of familial relationships also at work."

Patrick Rea (left) and Hanuman Brown-Eagle (center) check the set-up on "Nailbiter." Image: courtesy of the director

"To me, it was never a monster movie," adds Sinn. "It was a family drama about a mother — a recovering alcoholic — trying to re-connect with her daughters. This other stuff just gets in the way."

"We're trying to do everything bigger and better," says Brown-Eagle, "so it's more expensive and time-consuming. We're dealing with weather, thunderstorms, lightning, pouring rain. There's never a simple interior shot. If there is, we're setting up a rain gag outside and lighting it with HMIs. It's definitely more complex than most things I've worked on, with Patrick or otherwise."

"We went around for a very long time trying to get this movie made," says Sinn. "We got to a point where we were going to sell the script, but I didn't want anyone else to direct this movie but Patrick, and I knew if we sold it to Hollywood he wouldn't get to direct. Everything in the script was written for his sensibilities. Luckily the right people got involved and finally got the movie made."

Rea has been shooting the film, piece-meal fashion, since 2009, working with producer Aaron Laue.

"Aaron got involved and that put a whole new energy under the whole process. Aaron had just finished up Last Breath and was anxious to keep his personal momentum going. It seemed the right time for him to come on board. He is a driven, meticulous guy who has really been instrumental in seeing things through."

Producer Aaron Laue working on the set of "Nailbiter." Image: Ryan S. Jones photo, courtesy of the director

Laue, who had participated in many of Rea's short films as an actor, has equally good reviews for Rea: "Patrick is a real talent," he says — "a force to be reckoned with. Most of these people are working for very little because they believe in Patrick. He is a total pro and very specific. People appreciate how dedicated he is and will come out to support him."

Sinn says that he and Patrick are both very similar but very different at the same time.

"Our negatives cancel each other out," says Sinn. "We have been really good friends for about seven or eight years now, and someone else could tell you our differences better than I can. We help each other in any way we can with advice on a script, a short, a feature, women, car trouble, or taxes — you never know. We're just two friends who happen to both make horror movies."

Brown-Eagle, who has shot many films in Kansas City, including the high-profile Fight Night, has worked extensively with Rea on 16 short films, since meeting on the set of that film.

Patrick Rea with his extensive storyboards. Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

"What I really appreciate about Patrick is how organized he is," Brown-Eagle says. "He comes with storyboards and a plan way in advance. He drew hundreds of  individual panels, which I got probably two years before we started principle photography. It allows me to take those and develop a vision about how to bring those storyboards to life, instead of showing up on set and scrambling to put something together. He knows exactly what he wants, yet allows me to do my best work. I think even if there was a language barrier, we could still work together because he can communicate so well visually his ideas."

Rea has certainly developed a solid track record as a filmmaker over the years. Since graduating from KU, he has made dozens of short-form films, mostly of the horror and suspense genre.

"People think I'm attracted to the horror genre because I had some kind of traumatic childhood or something," he jokes. "If anything, I gravitated toward these kinds of films because they were always being kept away from me, so I had a natural inclination to want to see this kind of stuff. Also, I really like the community surrounding the horror film genre. There tends to be better opportunities to get your stuff seen because there are so many festivals that specifically cater to the horror genre. You don't see that so much with, say, romantic comedies."

Actress Erin McGrane plays a mother struggling with alcoholism — and worried about much more — in "Nailbiter." Image: Matt Jacobson photo, courtesy of the director

"Horror still does have a lot of opportunities in terms of marketing, even though it's getting saturated," adds Sinn. "And bad horror can be really bad. "But have you ever tried to sit through a bad documentary? It's murder. I never ever treated Nailbiter as a horror film; I treated it as a drama. I'll still be the first to call it a horror film, but I will never think of it that way."

Hopes are high on this most tenacious project and there is something of a nail-biting process underway with the many who have been watching the progress.

Says Laue, "I especially hope this all pays off, because if it doesn't, no one will know how great all these people are. These people give up their lives to make movies. They are all brought together because of our friendships and professional associations. I guess we all think the stress and the experience of losing sleep is worth it."

To follow the ongoing progress of Nailbiter and see more images from the filming stage, check out www.nailbitermovie.com.

A collection of Patrick Rea's short films will play in the KC Fringe Festival July 27, 28 and 31 (at the Screenland Crown Center) in the Senoreality Shorts Program.

-re-

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