Run! Movie

Sponsored feature: UEMP Ultra Entertainment Media Productions

Run! is an upcoming creature feature written and directed by Allan Sconza.

Gail runs away from her abusive boyfriend in the middle of the night only to find herself being hunted by a werewolf. Whoever she runs to for help she puts in danger. There is nowhere to hide. She can’t stop running or else…

A Q&A with director Allan Sconza

The trailer for Run! looks really intriguing! How did you come up with the concept for the film?

A producer friend of mine asked if I would make a short film for a DVD compilation with some other filmmakers. At the time I kept having a recurring nightmare that I was relentlessly being chased by a werewolf, so I figured, why not turn that into a film? Unfortunately, the DVD compilation never came to fruition, but on the other hand, I was able to complete Run! It’s considered a short film although it’s 45 mins long.

Did you draw inspiration from other werewolf horror films when creating Run!?

Yes, The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller was so much of an inspiration that I also made a 2-hour-long documentary, The Making of Run!, which is available on the DVD and it’s free on YouTube. The Howling was another huge inspiration. I used to watch both of them over and over when I was young (probably too young; about 5 years old). It’s difficult to say they were the only inspirations for Run! because there are other werewolf films I hold close to my heart like Dog Soldiers, Silver Bullet, and An American Werewolf in London to name a few, but I think when I was making this film, the first two were on my mind the most.

How does Run! stand out from other creature features?

There are a few things that stand out. Firstly, my intent with the story was to explore how not standing up to a habitual abuser could cause a lot of toxicity to seep into the dark corners of your psyche, and the more it’s repressed, the bigger explosion it will eventually have. So the creature comes second in importance compared to the main character’s devolving mental state. Or perhaps evolving? I suppose it depends on your perspective. Secondly, I aimed to balance to make it both plot-driven and character-driven. The protagonist and the plot both take turns at the wheel. Which I don’t always see in “creature features”. And thirdly, people should know, this is a film made by just a group of friends and a couple hundred dollars. We literally just grabbed the camera and ran around the neighborhood filming guerrilla style. Growing up when I’d have sleepovers with my friends on the weekends, we would goof around and make movies with the family camcorder. This movie is a result of what happens if you just stick with having that kind of fun. It’s all explained in the “making of” documentary on my YouTube channel.

“My intent with the story was to explore how not standing up to a habitual abuser could cause a lot of toxicity to seep into the dark corners of your psyche, and the more it’s repressed, the bigger explosion it will eventually have.”

What was your biggest challenge during the filmmaking process?

Right before filming, I had a severe diverticulitis flair up which required major surgery in about a month. So we had a literal ticking clock intimidating us, either we finish it or it was all for nothing. This created many problems including that we had to film it all without sound with the plan of doing all the ADR afterward. After production, I had the surgery, and before I recovered is when COVID hit. Which prevented the reshoots we needed and all of the voiceovers, which made it impossible to finish until I figured out an unconventional way to fix it. Again, it’s all explained in greater detail in the documentary.

When will the film be released and where can horror fans watch it?

It’s available on Amazon Prime if you’d like to stream it, and DVDs are available on my website AllanSconza.com. Blu-Rays are expected in the future. And check out The Making of Run! on my YouTube channel!

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