Film Name: All the Fear of the Fair (Director’s Cut)
Director: Chris Jupp
Writer: Chris Jupp
Starring Leigh Cunningham, Jon Jupp, Hayley Tutton, Mark White
After a roller-coaster accident kills a large party of school children the fair closes down. The owner vows to make amends by building a non-profit youth club filled with all the memorabilia he’s had to remove from the now deserted fairground. An unscrupulous property developer Mark Shepherd promises to finish the club for the old man as old age and illness has halted progress on the club. But once it’s signed over to Shepherd he goes back on his word and proposes to change it into a lap-dancing club. All is going well, until a council planning officer arrives to inspect the building work and claims to be able to see the ghosts of the dead kids. The petrified developer refuses to believe her until one of the builders finds all the fairground paraphernalia behind a false wall, including a laughing clown. Then all hell breaks loose.
In another interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival I got a chance to ask, ‘All the Fear of the Fair (Director’s Cut)’ writer/director Chris Juppa a few questions about what we can expect from the film which will be playing at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 23rd January at 20:00hrs
Q. Your latest horror film All the Fear of the Fair has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. In spite of its gore effects and killer clown, All the fear of the fair is more of a thriller than a horror. It’ll keep you guessing, hopefully until the end
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for All the Fear of the Fair?
A. I’ve always loved Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected (1979-1988), and more recently Martin McDonagh and his black comedies such as In Bruges (2008) and Seven Psychopaths (2012) and there’s definitely a nod to James Wong’s Final Destination (2000)
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I was gifted the film set as it was located opposite the Barbers, I was working in. It was a rundown nightclub The Regal Palace, which with its loudly coloured, eccentrically decorated rooms and neon lighting gave the film a great Dario Argento Suspiria (1977) feel
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. The owner Dave Sheppard one of my hair clients came in one day to say he was tearing down his night club, but I could use it as a set if I was quick. Consequently, I was writing and re-writing the script daily. Dave who was in the movie by his request. One of the filming conditions. Tried to delay the builders demolishing each room until I’d finished filming in it, but we’d literally arrive to less set every day and the script had to be changed accordingly
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. large part of the cast was made up of family and good mates I’d roped in to make up the numbers so there was plenty of banter on set to relieve the tension of forever racing against the clock. In retrospect I would never use mates in any major or even minor parts. Maybe just extras. The better the actors, the better the film. Always!
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A We badly needed a tunnel for the story. I’d written one in thinking there’d be something suitable in the building as it was huge and had pretty much everything else. Unfortunately, there was nothing that even remotely fitted the bill. Also, the star of the movie an old fairground laughing clown had stopped working and a static silent laughing clown that wasn’t moving or laughing would’ve pretty much put the anchors on the whole project. Fortunately, the day before we were due to start filming the builders who were digging a lift shaft, uncovered some kind of access tunnel which stretched 50 feet under the building and was absolutely perfect. Also one of the Bulgarian builders decided to take the laughing clown apart, which on reassembly worked perfectly
Q. What makes All the Fear of the Fair stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I’m a big fan of storytelling more than shock tactics and although there is plenty of blood gore ghostly children and killer clowns. Hopefully a great story is what is going to shine through and keep the viewers on the edge of their seats
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I’d like to think that all the fair of the fair has a fairly uplifting message to deliver. It’s not that I particularly always want the good guy to win and the bad guy to get his comeuppance, but I do believe that a certain amount of karma should prevail where appropriate
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. At the moment I have a couple full length scripts that I’m working on, both of which are virtually finished. Plus, a short film which takes a slightly different view of the secret agent genre. I’ve semi-retired from barbering now in an attempt to prioritise my filmmaking endeavours, so hopefully I’ll be able to spend more time drumming up interest and investment in my future projects
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. It may sound silly but initially I began shooting films using action men and Barbie dolls. I would make sets and write storylines and even do the voices although sometimes I would make the films silent and use subtitles. The actors, although made of plastic were seldom as wooden as using you non actor mates. I was also able to experiment with lighting, camera angles and different workflow and editing techniques. Plus, they never argued with the director, worked for free long into the night and the catering costs were minimal. All joking aside, any wannabe director should initially be looking to shoot something very short and very simple. A bricklayer wouldn’t start his first project by building a large house, instead he’d begin with a low wall or small pond. Something realistic. Make sure what your shoot is small enough to make it as perfect as possible before moving on bigger and better things as your experience and skill set develop, you’ll have more confidence tackling bigger projects and have more credibility with the actors.
You can find out more about the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on the website https://www.horror-on-sea.com/
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!
