In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds leading up to the Romford Horror Film Festival, I got the chance to ask director James Morris a few questions about his film He Never Left.

He Never Left will be playing at the Romford Horror Film Festival on Thursday 29th February at 8:08 pm

Film Name: He Never Left

Directors: James Morris

Writers: James Morris, Michael Ballif, Colin Cunningham

Starring: Colin Cunningham, Jessica Staples, James Morris

After hearing strange noises coming from an adjoining motel room, a federal fugitive and his girlfriend inadvertently become targets of the notorious “Pale Face” killer, whose legend has consumed and haunted the local community for decades.

Q. Your film He Never Left has been selected to play at the Romford Horror Film Festival. Can you
tell us what we can expect from the film?

A. He Never Left is a bit of a genre bender. The audience can expect the film to pay homage to classic slasher films, but also take them on much more of a character-driven ride than what they may have come to expect. The film is as much a thriller as a slasher, and that is very much by design. In the end, I hope this is a film that will stand out  as something unexpected and unique. 

Q. You co-wrote the film with Michael Ballif and Colin Cunningham. What was the process for you
writing together and what were some of your influences when writing the script for He Never
Left?

A. The very first rough draft a few years back  was called “Room 28“, which was essentially just a crime-thriller, and did not include any of the current slasher elements it has now. It became clear that in order for the film to fit into the brand that Witching Season Films had created, it needed something a bit more classic. Michael pitched me the idea of adding in a masked killer to the film, and I have to say, it worked perfectly. Colin then came onboard during later drafts after he was signed on to act, and helped shape his character (Gabriel) a bit more, and I really loved the additions and suggestions that he brought to the script. In the end, I was able to write a screenplay I was truly proud of, and the story elements that Mike and Colin brought just enhanced it across the board. 

Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?

A.  In terms of overall feel, I actually mentioned to Michael early on that No Country For Old Men was something I wanted to look at when we were shooting as a stylistic reference. I always loved the visual feel that it evoked, and that has always been one of my favorites. In the end, Michael took a lot of stylistic suggestions I proposed, and then combined it with his classic fall-colors and visual style to make something really pretty to look at. I know that he personally draws a lot of inspiration from horror/Halloween films from the 80’s, and I think that will be apparent to those viewing the film. 

Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?

A. We actually stuck pretty close to my final screenplay during filming, but the largest exception would be deviations in dialog. Colin got so into the character, that he would often ad-lib a lot of things that ended up making it into the final cut of the film. There are also a few scenes that also ended up having different flows to them in the final product, largely because we would get on set and realize there was a better way to go about it. But because all three of us were so involved in creating the story and world of the film, when it came time to shoot, we were usually on the same page. 

Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?

A. It is such a blur, and certainly didn’t feel fun at the time, but I think that week we all spent at the motel together was one of the coolest film shoots I have ever done. We rented out the entire motel, and all the cast and crew stayed on-site and just had a blast. We would all eat together, hang out in the front picnic area, work until all hours of the night, and get right back to it the next day. I am still blown away by how much we were able to shoot, but it really was a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity to make a movie like that, and now that it’s over, I look back on it very fondly. 

Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?

A. Fortunately, we really didn’t run into too many issues while we were filming. Occasionally we would have equipment malfunctions and the usual stuff, but everyone just brought their A-game and worked so hard that the shoots went as good as they possibly could have. I remember one night we were filming a scene really late at night, in which two of the characters are having a conversation through the door, and Colin had to yell really loud… and my God, the L-shape of the motel just projected that to a point I thought we might have police show up. We filmed in a very small town, so I was so worried that we were waking people up during that scene, but in the end, we got the footage we needed and no one complained. 

Q. What makes He Never Left stand out as something different in the horror genre?

A. As I alluded to in earlier answers, this film is very much a genre bender. I can’t promise everyone is going to like it, or that it will satisfy the specific desires of every viewer… but what I can promise is that people will be hard pressed to find a slasher/horror film out there as character-driven as this one. Every death in the film carries weight, every choice has consequences, and I tried really hard to make something really unique in the world of slasher/horror films. Colin’s performance is also going to stand out from what people are probably used to in these types of films. 

Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?

A. I really hope that people walk away feeling like they got more than they expected. I think these types of movies have certain molds and expectations that your average viewer comes to expect…. and I think we certainly broke that mold and mixed things up a bit. My headspace for all of this was “If classic masked killers existed in the real world, how would that play out?” and I did my very best to create something grounded, but that also pays homage to all the great works that have come before.  In the end, it is up to the audience to decide whether or not it worked for them, and film is so subjective…. but I love hearing all feedback, good and bad. 

Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?

A. Michael and I are currently working on a second season of The Witching Season anthology, which is a follow up to the first project (by the same name) we did together. I am also working on a couple other feature-film scripts, and would love to make another movie here in the coming years. We will see how things pan out! 

Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?

A. I get asked this a lot, and my answer always remains the same… there is no such thing as a singular “filmmaker.” In order to make movies, especially in the independent world, you have to find a team of people who love their individual artistic contributions as much as you do yours. I have been lucky to have a crew that I’ve worked with over and over again, and we simply all carry our weight and do whatever it takes to complete the film projects we start. So in my opinion, it comes down to finding people who are just as committed as you are. 

You can keep up to date with news about He Never Left on Instagram and Witching Season Films on Facebook

You can find out more about the Romford Film Festival and purchase tickets here

Philip Rogers

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!