PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I was delighted to finally have a chance to chat with Max Strand, the director of the thrilling and psychological thriller, Goodbye Honey (read our review – HERE). With as phenomenal as this film is, it’s crazy to think that Goodbye Honey is Max’s first big feature debut, but he delivered on all aspects. Learn about how he got involved in filmmaking, the inspiration behind Goodbye Honey, behind the scene details, and more.
PopHorror – Hi Max. How is 2021 treating you so far?
Max Strand – Good thanks! It’s been great getting back to normalcy and seeing friends again. Excited to be able to get back on set!
PopHorror – I bet! How did you get involved in the filmmaking business?
Max Strand – I knew in high school I wanted to be in bizz. I went to film school where I met Todd freshmen year. We’ve been making movies together ever since.
PopHorror – That’s awesome. You’ve dabbled in a variety of things within the filmmaking business, but Goodbye Honey is your first big feature film, how does that feel?
Max Strand – It feels amazing. It was a surreal feeling seeing the movie on my TV. It just came out this past week, and that made me reflect on all the years of hard work that we all put into it. Made feel very proud and appreciative. Really a dream come true.
PopHorror – This film is a horror/thriller, do you enjoy this genre? If so what is your favorite film?
Max Strand – Yes! There is nothing better than watching a movie and being at the edge of your seat from a thriller or covering your eyes and watching through your fingers while watching a horror. Choosing a favorite is so hard. I’ll say everything, Jordan Peele, Jeremy Saulnier, and Safdie brothers.
PopHorror – Good choices! I first watched this film for the 2020 Nightmares Film Festival (read our review – HERE) and it blew me away. What was the inspiration behind this film?
Max Strand – Thank you so much! Todd and I went to go see Goodtime by the Safdie brothers and we both left the theatre in love with that movie. Right then we set our sight on making a thriller that was constantly pushing forward and kept you at the edge of your seat the whole time. From there, we knew that we wanted to write a script that we knew we could make with limited resources and it snowballed from there.
PopHorror – The casting was perfect. How did it go about?
Max Strand – We cast this movie over the course of a long time, auditioning people while still in the writing process. New York is such a great filmmaking city cause there are so many talented actors here. Though we auditioned lots of people and so many were so talented, we knew right away each actor for each role. Everyone involved really made their characters their own and elevated each role to heights we didn’t know was possible.
PopHorror – Couldn’t agree more. Any favorite scenes or scenes that were harder to film than others?
Max Strand – A lot of the exterior parking lot scenes were a challenge to film because it was so cold! One time we woke up to the entire parking lot covered in snow, so our producer Josh Michaels had to run out and grab bags of dirt. We then did our best to cover the bright white snow.
PopHorror – Oh man. That’s cool, though. I definitely couldn’t tell. This film has a lot of twists and turns and the viewer is never really sure who to believe. Was that your intention?
Max Strand – Yes. We knew we wanted the audience to be inside Dawn’s mind. So we didn’t want to give away too much info to the audience that Pam didn’t know.
PopHorror – What would you like viewers to take away from this film?
Max Strand – To the casual viewer, I hope they fall in love with two badass women who risk their own wellbeing to help a stranger. And to the indie filmmakers who watch, I hope it inspires them to make a movie. Just keep it limited cast and limited locations!
PopHorror – Great advice! Any other upcoming projects? Do you plan to do more films within this genre?
Max Strand – Nothing to officially announce yet, but I’ll always be trying to make movies. And yes! Would love to build on everything I learned making Goodbye Honey.
PopHorror – Thanks again for chatting with me. To all those reading this interview, I can’t recommend Goodbye Honey enough… so go watch it now! Goodbye Honey is now available on a number of digital and cable platforms from Freestyle Digital Media.
