PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I just watched the most amazing short film. Probably one of the best ones I have ever seen. The Fourth Wall, a pulse-pounding, non-stop ride,written and directed by Kelsey Bollig, just won the near impossible Best Horror Short at Academy-Award Qualifying Hollyshorts AND Best Screenplay at Molin Film Festival, not to mention Best Horror Short at Nightmares Film Festival, and Best Director at Ethereal Horror. Yes, it’s really THAT good. I was lucky enough to speak with Kelsey, and we discussed what inspired the film, surviving an accident that almost killed her, and of course, horror movies.
PopHorror: What inspired The Fourth Wall? I loved everything about it, by the way. The music was especially spectacular!
Kelsey Bollig: Thank you so much for the compliment! The Fourth Wall really came from the excitement and momentum of another short I had written/directed earlier in 2019. We had shown our film, Asking For A Friend, at a screening in Paris, and at the screening, several people approached my EP, Victoria Lacoste, to inquire as to whether she and I would be interested in bringing the horror genre back to France with another short that Victoria would produce and that I would write and direct. Victoria ran it by me, and I, of course, jumped at it. But the catch was that it had to be in French, and we had to shoot it in a specific theatre.
The theatre setting was an interesting challenge for me as I didn’t have anything locked and loaded in my brain for that location. So, I adapted an overall topic that I wanted to tackle and transferred it into this story of an on-the-outs actress working on the stages of Paris. I really wanted to talk about how we, as a culture, have become desensitized to violence, and let that be the backdrop to a more character-driven story that dissects the different personalities we all face, including our own inner monologues, on the way to success. It was kind of a complicated idea, but it ended up being an incredibly easy script to construct as I had so many personal stories to pull from… No, I haven’t killed anyone. (laughs)
PopHorror: Prior to the production of The Fourth Wall, you experienced a horrendous accident that left you fighting for your life. Can you tell us a bit about that and what your recovery has been like?
Kelsey Bollig: Yes, it was quite the wild ride. Four days before I was set to fly out to Paris, I was run over by an SUV as I was legally crossing at a crosswalk. The car hit me and ran over me—yes the tires went over my body—and then dragged me for 30 feet while I was still under the car. I shattered 30 bones including all of my ribs, my spine, clavicle, and pelvis. Both of my lungs had collapsed and were punctured due to my rib breaks, and my spleen and liver were lacerated. It was atrocious. And for the first few days, the doctors couldn’t even legally tell me that I would for sure live.
Miraculously enough, however, I had shielded my head with my arms well enough that, from the neck up, I managed to come out with only a mild concussion and a chipped tooth and fractured vertebrae in my neck. But needless to say, I couldn’t fly to Paris.
I spent the next month in the hospital completely deflated—no pun intended—in a hospital bed fighting pain and depression. At one point, I called Victoria and told her to go on with the film without me. She wouldn’t have it and refused to take me off the project. From there, the idea of filming The Fourth Wall actually became my motivation to keep going and to recover the best I could. From June to October, I went through surgery, intense physical therapy, daily crying sessions, and a massive come-down from opioids. I graduated from wheelchair to walker to walking with a cane. I used that cane to get my stubborn ass on a plane to Paris on October 25th. By the time we started filming in November, I was able to use my cane sparingly. It’s crazy to think about it all because it has now been a little over a year after the accident, and I practically have no pain and am even able to run again. The human body is an incredible thing. It’s amazing what it can do.
PopHorror: You are a strong, fierce woman and a survivor. What has making this film after such an accident helped you learn about yourself?
Kelsey Bollig: That I am made of steel, but I am not an island. Both things were crucial for me to figure out. Yes, I am incredibly strong and can handle the speed bumps life throws at me… but it’s okay not to do it alone. I would not be here and doing as well as I am without my friends, family, and therapy.
I take these life lessons into directing as well. I have no interest in being a dictator on set, and I think a lot of young directors get stuck in that way of thinking because they’re unsure of themselves. How could they not be? Filmmaking is extremely vulnerable, and you want to protect yourself. My accident kind of beat this mental trap right out of me before it could ever really be a problem, because it gave me a crash course in understanding that confidence and leadership are even more present in collaboration than in a one-person quest to chase a vision. I want a film to be the result of artists coming together and putting their stamp on something with a unified vision. No islands here. However, I’m made of steel, and that’s for damn sure.
PopHorror: The Fourth Wall is fucking ah-mazing. Any plans to expand on it or to make it into a feature film?
Kelsey Bollig: At the moment, no. I’m basically using this film to showcase my directorial style and propel it into another feature I wrote this year that is an entirely different concept but will be filmed similarly. However, we’ve been approached enough times about a feature that I wouldn’t be opposed to expanding the story. I know exactly what that would look like, and it would be an incredible project to dive into further.
PopHorror: How does it feel for The Fourth Wall to have such a positive reception and to be nominated for so many awards?
Kelsey Bollig: I’ve always been confident in this film and in the people with whom I created it, so I knew at the very least it would have a decent festival run. However, I was unsure about its overall reception, because what we accomplished is quite different than most horror films being made right now. It’s not a jump scare film; it’s not a slow, atmospheric film with shocking imagery; it’s not particularly emotional. It’s pure adrenaline. I don’t think any of us really knew how different audiences would react to it, so it was quite validating to see how positively people have been responding. It let me know my voice and style have a place in this world. (laughs)
PopHorror: If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Kelsey Bollig: Oooof, tough. I would be absolutely thrilled to collaborate with Gaspar Noé, Edgar Wright, Sam Levinson, or Coralie Fargeat. All four of these directors capture movement and flow in such an exciting and unique way. They’re all pioneers at what they do, and I would drool over the chance to work with them at some point in the future. Somebody get me a tissue.
PopHorror: I know that Covid has stalled a lot of projects—even canceling some—but is there anything you’re currently working on?
Kelsey Bollig: Yes, I’m pitching two features and a show at the moment, and I am actually set to film another feature in spring of next year! I was lucky enough to spend the entire time of Covid in development on three projects which have definitely saved my sanity.
PopHorror: What is your favorite scary movie?
Kelsey Bollig: Tough question. It 100% depends on the day. So today, it’s Gaspar Noe’s Climax, but yesterday it was Julia Ducournau’s Raw. I’m definitely in the mood for a dance party and some blood.
Thank you so much, Kelsey, for taking the time to speak to us! Be sure to catch The Fourth Wall, currently killing it on the festival circuit.
