PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It’s safe to assume that the last year or so has been a nightmare for countless individuals across the globe. For me, movies have always provided a welcomed escape to seal with things like this. Filmmaker Dave Reda agrees, and with his latest, As Good As Dead (2021), he and his crew try to bring some happiness to horror fans everywhere. We were lucky to have the chance to pick his mind about the film.
PopHorror: Your short, As Good As Dead, is a truly enjoyable viewing experience, hitting some key notes, the film has impressive lighting, sound, and make-up. How long did it take to prepare to shoot?
Dave Reda: Thank you so much for saying that. We all truly appreciate your words, and truly hope everyone has fun with the film. It took us about 3 months of pre-production, but we were very blessed to have an incredible cast and crew on this one. We were so lucky to work with Birns & Sawyer and BoneyardFx, too. Larry Bones and his crew did amazing zombie work for us, and we were so lucky to have them all on board. It was a crazy idea. I’m so glad they went with me on this, and we got to make it happen.
PopHorror: I noticed that in the ending credits, you noted that this was made for horror fans. Would you like to share with our readers what making this short meant to you and your crew?
Dave Reda: Yes! We shot this in December of 2020 when Covid was spiking, and things were pretty rough here in LA. Because of the quarantine, I knew a lot of people were going to be stuck at home and probably focus their film subject, on the pandemic, or the election, or all of them. I knew if we somehow could safely shoot at that time, and if I timed it right, we would finish the movie and release it right when the world was opening back up. It would be then, we believed, when the world would need us to just maybe laugh a little and be entertained. We wanted to take everyone away for a moment and remind everyone that it’s okay to scream, laugh, and have fun. I really hope the film does this as we begin our festival run.
PopHorror: With As Good As Dead and future productions, what do you hope to personally bring to the genre?
Dave Reda: I am known for showing the other side, the monster’s perspective. Sometimes, monsters are misunderstood and just need some love, too. I like to show the world that there can still be a lot of beauty in horror. What can I say, horribly sweet to the end (laughs)?
PopHorror: When does As Good as Dead premiere? How can folks watch it?
Dave Reda: We are just beginning our festival run now, and we are so excited and honored to world premiere our film at the Dances With Films Festival, and then at the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival a week later. We show at the the Dances With Films Festival at the TCL Chinese Theater on August 27th at 11:50 pm. A midnight screening of horror at the Chinese Theater, gotta love that! Then on September 4th, we are at Horrible Imaginings at The Frida Cinema in Orange County. We show in the 10:30am – 12:30pm block.
More information can be found on the Dances With Films Festival or Horrible Imaginings Film Festival websites. You can find the latest info by visiting our pages on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: Ashley Mary Nunes, Dani Sciacca, Jeffrey Damnit, or myself at Dave Reda on Facebook and Twitter and Elftwin Films on Instagram and YouTube. Thanks again for all your support, and we are so glad you had fun with the film!
