The Hard Way – a new horror short focused on mental health

Sponsored Feature: Petrichor Motion Pictures

The Hard Way is a gripping new horror/thriller short written and directed by Sean Furey. The film tells the haunting story of a self-loathing vampire whose desire to kill has waned, and who must now stay one step ahead of his pursuers in a desperate bid to end his life on his own terms.

A Q&A with Writer/Director Sean Furey

Welcome, Sean! Thanks for joining us to discuss your new horror short The Hard Way! Can you walk us through the inspiration behind the film, and how your personal experiences influenced the narrative?

Thank you for having me! For several years now, I’ve suffered from Major Depressive Disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. I struggled to make sense of everything I was feeling, so I wrote about it instead, eventually landing on what would be The Hard Way film. It’s an exploration and a visual representation of my panic attacks through a horror/thriller lens.

It’s an exploration and a visual representation of my panic attacks through a horror/thriller lens.

By subverting traditional vampire lore with a protagonist who no longer desires to kill, what themes and emotions do you aim to explore, and how does this character’s self-loathing inform their journey?

The decision to make the lead character a vampire stems mostly from my fear of emotional vampirism. I was (and still am) afraid that my constant depression and anxiety would be such a monumental drain on my wife’s own emotions. She has a beautiful and bubbly personality and I had visions of draining all of that from her with my own burdens. So, a vampire who doesn’t want to kill anymore seemed like a very organic decision pretty early on in the process. Lee did such an amazing job in the role too that I think those themes will have a powerful impact on audiences.

What did you aim to achieve with the film’s visuals and atmosphere?

We chose a very stylistic approach to the film. The contrast between color and black and white was an important aspect that we knew we wanted very early on. When my depression is at its worst, it seems like the world loses a good deal of color, and I wanted to explore this in the film. I think it also adds to the feeling of being inside James’ head, seeing the world as he sees it.

Can you walk us through the casting process for The Hard Way, and what specific qualities or chemistry you looked for in actors to bring James (Lee Peña) and Charlotte (Darcy Doyle) to life?

Darcy’s character was written first, and it was written specifically for Darcy. So, if she’d turned the part down, I guess it would have been back to the drawing board. So thanks, Darcy! The chemistry between James and Charlotte is obviously so important, so we read several incredible actors for the role of James, ultimately landing on Lee. Lee and Darcy had met before, so it wasn’t exactly starting from scratch as far as building their chemistry. On top of that, they’re both so professional and so easy to get along with, I feel like we hardly had to do anything to get them to play nice. I trust them both implicitly, and they ended up doing a phenomenal job of bringing their characters to life, both individually and as a pair.

Casting for Claire was tricky. Going into auditions, there was still something I was looking for that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Then we got to Ray-Nita Powell’s audition and she illuminated exactly what I was looking for: menace. She read her lines like a cat playing with its prey and we all knew it had to be her. 

What was the biggest challenge you overcame during production? 

I remember lighting and sound being an issue. There was construction going on outside the building in which we were shooting, and it was insanely windy as well so keeping the windows covered was tricky. Thankfully, we had great sound in Zach Kearl and Cameron Hazelwood, and our gaffer, Paden Smith, and his team kept everything together for us outside. Other than that, we were blessed with a pretty smooth shoot.

How do you think The Hard Way contributes to the broader conversation around mental health in horror cinema, and what do you hope audiences take away from the film?

By making The Hard Way, I’m reminding people that they aren’t alone and that it’s okay to talk about mental health. Right now there’s a giant stigma around it, but I’d like to think that’s getting a little better. Horror movies are so cool in that they give creators and audiences a safe space to explore things like mental health, and I think that is so invaluable to not only the healing process, but to understanding that world as a whole. What I hope audiences will take away from The Hard Way is this: whatever demons you’re fighting, they can be beaten, and you aren’t alone in your struggle. 

Follow The Hard Way on IMDb and Instagram.

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