Halloween season has officially begun. What comes during this time besides costumes, cooler weather and candy? Horror movies. This year is no different with titles such as Magnet Releasing’s 12 Hour Shift, Lionsgate’s Antebellum, Vertical Entertainment’s No Escape and Netflix’s The Babysitter: Killer Queen being released. Another film worth paying attention to, Gravitas Ventures’ Cruiser starring Tony winner Shuler Hensley. Shuler plays a mysterious, hulking figure dressed in a cop uniform, who begins a night of carnage and terror as he pulls over innocent victims in a small Georgia town. The film, directed by Randy Ser, is now available on all VOD sites. To get an inside look of how the film was made, we spoke with Ser below. He pulls back the curtain on everything from the preparation involved, Shuler’s performance and much more.
What sort of preparation did you do before you started filming Cruiser?
In order to prepare to bring the horror, both physical and cerebral to the screen that was captured within the potent script that Sam Hensley, Jr., my producing partner had written, I took a multi faceted approach. Early on I re-acquainted myself with some films that I felt would resonate with elements of where I wanted to go in telling this particular story. I turned to Psycho, Dressed To Kill, and Halloween. I also screened two films, which always seem to take me to an unequaled place, Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist. One might ask why I chose not to view any found footage titles. My decision was based upon my desire to develop a realistic yet more cinematic approach to the genre. I then moved on to explore past serial killers whose actions might give me some insight into the mind of a being capable of Cruiser’s abhorrent acts of violence. I reviewed articles related to David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam, John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown, Jeffrey Dahmer, the Milwaukee Cannibal, and Ted Bundy. As pre-production approached, I found myself seeking out actual footage from interior/exterior police cruiser cameras, interior/exterior convenience stores, parking lots, and snippets of people capturing moments of their lives on cell phones. The numerous visual and audio possibilities discovered within these videos and the inspiration they triggered would act as my muse in developing the play in light and shadow, color and black and white, and sound and silence that would become the disturbing world of Cruiser.
As the director of Cruiser, what was the most important thing you wanted to convey to audiences through this film?
I wanted to convey the seemingly random nature of evil, that bad things can happen to good people, anytime, anywhere. I actually believe this is an unstated theme in most horror movies; the victims in these movies are almost always innocent, regular human beings, typically young people with their whole lives ahead of them, who wind up in terrifying situations through no fault of their own. But Cruiser deals with this theme explicitly. It raises the question of why the forces in the universe sometimes seem utterly indifferent to our suffering, all while taking the audience on a relentless thrill ride.
What sort of direction did you give the film’s lead, Shuler Hensley, about playing this crazed character?
The role of Cruiser was written for Shuler who is Sam Hensley, Jr.’s brother. This made the director’s most crucial job of casting the right actor quite easy. This still left in place a director’s second most crucial job to trust the actor and get out of their way. I received an MFA in Directing from The Florida State University School of Theatre where I was trained to work with and to respect an actor’s process. With that in mind, I determined how best to set up the reality of the world Cruiser would need to inhabit. Done properly, this would permit the actors to just be, not act, and in the end, result make Cruiser a very disquieting and terrifying ride for the audience.
Shuler and I met during pre-production. We discussed the many layers of Cruiser as well as the known and unknown of this being. We tossed about our thoughts as to where he may have come from and what brought him to this moment in time. We explored Cruiser’s reasoning behind “bearing witness to the truth” as it related to the heinous acts of violence he would commit. We mulled over what Cruiser would sing during each kill and why. We determined what might be finite in Shuler’s understanding of Cruiser. We also left undetermined elements of his character that might best be left for interpretation. This process was where I “directed” Shuler in establishing the mindset to bring the character to a horrifying reality.
In order to make every moment in Cruiser a stark reality I determined that Lori Beth Sikes, who plays Tara, and Shuler would never meet or speak to one another until filming was completed. I did not allow them to have any contact outside of their scenes together.
Shuler and I would speak on the phone in the afternoon to set the tone for the night’s work. He is very gregarious and would be joking and having a wonderful time while in make-up. Once he arrived on set, he and I would get together privately and devise what Cruiser would say or do to Tara just prior to his beginning his dialogue. He would then get behind the wheel where Shuler would be no more and Cruiser would arise.
During most of the shooting Shuler would drive rather than having the picture car towed. I made this decision so as to add to the reality of the interaction between the characters. I would lie on the front passenger floor of the vehicle watching the action on a very small monitor, while feeling the energy of the moment as it happened. When necessary, I’d speak briefly and quietly to Cruiser or Tara. In experiencing the verisimilitude with the actors and in giving direction this way, the reality of the situation remained unbroken.
You have an extensive background in production design. Did that affect how you approached Cruiser at all?
I have always approached my work first and foremost as a storyteller. A filmmaker is a visual storyteller, which completely encompasses the worlds of both production design and directing.
You were the production designer on Sam Raimi’s Darkman 30 years ago. Do you remember picking up any tips from him on directing, that you now applied to Cruiser?
In working with Sam, I learned that as a director I would need to be faithful to the vision in my mind’s eye. I have held onto that and applied it to all my work.
Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that filmmaking was something you really wanted to pursue for a living?
I was drawn to the Universal horror films of the 30s. They just sucked me in as a kid. So, I was preordained at that point to want to get involved with filmmaking.
As a director, what films have been the most inspiring or influential for you and why?
In no particular order they would be Psycho, Taxi Driver, The Exorcist, Being There, The Professional, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dog Day Afternoon, Awakenings, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Chinatown, Carrie, Midnight Cowboy, Dressed to Kill, Schindler’s List, The French Connection, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Shining, Papillon (1973), Deliverance, Dr. Strangelove, In The Heat of The Night, Once Upon A Time In America, Midnight Express, 1917, The Deer Hunter, American Beauty, and Rosemary’s Baby. They all were inspiring and influential in different ways, but all had the same effect on me as a filmmaker and audience member. Each one of the films entertained me, struck a chord with me on an emotional level, gave me cause to think, and stayed with me long after the film ended.
What do you think audiences will walk away from Cruiser saying?
I want audience members to walk away whispering to their spouse or their date or their friend, “I wonder if we’re next.” We actually had audience members at test screenings telling us they were afraid to drive home after seeing Cruiser. To me, that is the scariest kind of horror movie, when you can see yourself in the predicament of the characters.