Canadian filmmaker Mike McMurran, who cut his teeth as a director with 2016’s Secret Santa, returns with horror anthology The Final Ride.
When did this project come to be?
I had recently completed my first feature film: Secret Santa back in 2016 and knew I needed to put out another feature as fast as possible to not fall into obscurity. I had written the first segment; The Workout back in 2014 and thought it was a solid story and felt that writing an anthology would be the right direction because I could space out the filming. Once I wrote the second segment; The Tattoo, I realized I had no way of connecting the two stories together and out of sheer desperation and an idea from one of my cast members, I was able to write the last segment about the Uber Driver. I had it take place primarily in a car because we were simply out of budget at that point. It took a lot of favors from very talented friends to make this movie happen.
And the inspiration?
I loved anthology movies as a kid. Especially the Creepshow movies, Body Bags, one could argue Pulp Fiction is an anthology. I wanted to make something fun and be able to create 3 very different mini movies, to stretch my filmmaking muscles.
Is this a genre you normally gravitate towards?
Absolutely! I love horror. I have no intention of making a movie outside of the genre. I feel a lot of filmmakers use horror as a “stepping stone” to making films in other genres. I truly believe horror films are the hardest to make but the most rewarding as a filmmaker. You have to rely on your filmmaking skills to create tension and suspense, sometimes without any dialogue from the actors. It really is a director’s medium. We have to create something entertaining, usually with very little resources.
Would you say there’s a message in the movie?
I wouldn’t say there is a particular message in the movie. My goal with this film was to entertain the audience. Make a fun, scary movie that can make people forget about their problems for 80 minutes and just enjoy. I hope I have succeeded in doing so.
Did you pull a Hitchcock – or a Shyamalan – and cameo in the movie yourself?
Believe me, I tried! I filmed a cameo as a drunk Uber passenger and quickly realized I cannot act very well (at least as a drunk person) and the scene quickly made the cutting room floor.
Being an independent production, I’d think you probably ended up wearing more hats on it than credited. Was that the case?
Independent or in this case micro-budget filmmaking is all about helping out in every aspect of production. I was up on a ladder with duct tape and some pipe and drape, helping to black out a garage for the interior car shots for the Uber segments. I helped stir and pump fake blood from a canister, and at points was running audio myself. In order to make a film work on such a low budget, you have to be willing to do anything and everything.
If an awards ceremony was going to show a moment from the film, what moment would you ask them to play?
That’s a really good question! I have very proud moments from all 3 segments. If I had to choose, I would pick the scene where Steve Kasan’s character, Richard, is starting to scare Jean (Keegan Chambers) in the Uber Driver segment. From him feeling her hair to being pulled over by the Cop and then the big plot twist. I feel like that moment has a little bit of everything in it.
Considering the year, we’ve had, most of us are appreciate film and other forms of entertainment more than ever. How have you been distracting yourself from outside worries during the past year?
I think we can all agree that it has been a trying year. I actually was a stay-at-home Dad for the majority of the pandemic, so a lot of my viewing experience has been kids shows! But when I get the opportunity to sit down in the evening with my wife and watch a horror film, it really acts as a form of therapy. There have been some excellent films released this past year that have given me a boost of inspiration to keep creating.
I actually have written another screenplay that I think is super fun and am hoping to get off the ground soon!
I feel as a filmmaker, a writer, and a creator, it’s those challenging times that can make us think outside the box creatively. As hard as this past year has been, I’ve grown so much as a writer and am excited to bring my next project to fruition.
Do you think theaters are going to bounce back?
I 100% believe theaters will bounce back. As convenient as it is to sit on your couch and have thousands of options for viewing, it doesn’t beat watching a movie in a theater. I truly believe that movies are a communal experience. We enjoy them more with other people. Once you’re in your seat, the lights dim, you are completely enthralled. There are no distractions. At home you can pause a movie and check your phone, watch the rest later etc and that can very much affect your viewing experience. When you are at a theatre, you don’t have the option of pausing the film, if you go on your phone, you risk getting yelled at or popcorn tossed at the back of your head. You have to make an executive decision to hold your bladder or race to pee and get back before you miss anything. For those 2 hours, you forget your personal problems and are taken on a ride. I think now more than ever, people need that experience.