Film Name: The Classmate
Director: Alejandro Maclean, Eduardo Maclean
Writers: Eduardo Maclean
Starring: Estrella Alonso, Leire Baglietto, Zamira Chevrestt, Rocío Herrero
At her best friend’s burial, a young woman bumps into an old classmate she used to bully, unaware that she’s changed radically over the last ten years.
In a new Exclusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Writer/Co-Director Eduardo Maclean, and Co-Director Alejandro Maclean a few questions about their film ‘The Classmate‘
The Classmate will play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 10th January at 5:30pm
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect?
EM: Without giving too much away, it’s a modern take on a type of horror story that we haven’t seen in a long time. We wanted to go back to what horror was like when we were kids.
AM: You can expect a short story that was made with great love for the genre and that, hopefully, leaves you wanting more!
Q. Eduardo, when writing the script for The Classmate., what were some of your influences?
EM: I discovered the classic Tales from the Crypt comics a few years ago and became a huge fan immediately. After that I went on to read Creepy, Eerie, everything I could get my hands on. They handle the horror short story so well, I wanted to recreate that.
Q. You both co-directed the film, what was the process for you working together?
AM: I think we complement each other really well. While I work with the actors on set, Eduardo works behind the camera with the technical crew. We have a different approach to directing and we figured out how to use it for the benefit of the film.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
EM: Going back to Tales from the Crypt, we were thinking a lot about anthology series. It had to feel like it could be a short episode, so the objective was to capture the essence of those shows.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
AM: Like any low budget production, we had to adapt. But we were able to take advantage of our limitations and make the short much better than it was on the page.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
AM: Getting to experiment with practical effects is something that we wanted to do for a long time, I don’t want to spoil anything but there is one specific effect that became the most memorable moment for everybody during filming.
EM: It’s the most memorable moment of The Classmate, period! The audience will know when they see it.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
EM: The short was hard to achieve in general, we had 2 days and a very low budget. We ran into many issues but we always pushed forward.
AM: We were lucky to count with a very talented crew that knew how to work around every issue we experienced.
Q. What makes it stand out as something different in the horror genre?
EM: We haven’t seen a lot of slasher/splatter films coming out of Spain in a very long time, we want to bring them back.
AM: I think Andrea’s character will stand out, she’s not your typical slasher movie killer. There is a likeable quality about her and I think the audience will come to sympathise with her by the end of the short.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
EM: I think the themes will resonate with the audience. We’re dealing with a fantasy of power that many people create to cope with bullying. Wether that fantasy is evil or not is for them to decide.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
AM: We have a feature length project that we’re really excited about.
EM: We can’t say much, but I think it’s a movie that horror fans will go crazy for.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
AM: If you have a story to tell, don’t second guess yourself and just do it!
EM: It’s also important to surround yourself with filmmakers that share your level of passion and that you can rely on to get something started.
The Classmate will play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 10th January at 5:30pm
You can follow Alejandro Maclean on Instagram & Eduardo Maclean on Instagram
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
