PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Captivated by films from a very young age, Chase Dudley stumbled into discovering his preferred role as a director while creating short films during his high school years. He has has since followed his passion, directing a few full features including Payton’s Burden and Marvelous Mandy. I recently had the pleasure speaking with Chase about his career in film. Continue reading to learn about how it began, his soon-to-be released psychological thriller called Payday and his next horror film called Beasts of the Field!
PopHorror: Hi, Chase! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. So, have you always been a horror fan?
Chase Dudley: Oh, yeah! Horror is my first love as far as films go, and the genre is by far my favorite. Growing up, I was the youngest of three siblings, and I think I was forced into it, in a way. We had one television growing up, and they always watched horror movies. (laughs) And they used to scare the crap out of me! The very first horror film I watched was Child’s Play, which scared me so bad that I threw away my My Buddy doll.
PopHorror: (laughs) I think that film had a similar impact on younger kids back in the day. So, when did you first decide that you wanted to pursue a filmmaking career?
Chase Dudley: I knew it was something I wanted to when I was little. I use to want to pursue acting since that is all you see on the screen and that was all I was familiar with growing up. But I have to say that it was Wes Craven’s original Scream from ’96 that truly inspired me to pursue filmmaking. Because I wasn’t your typical child. A lot of kids were outside playing and, although I did go outside to a degree, I was much more interested in watching films, learning how they are made and get as much information as possible on how to become involved in something like this.
I started as an actor. Of course, I did all the plays in high school and, as time went by, I began making short films on the camcorder my parents bought me. Since this was way before social media, I would just cast my friends in these films. Someone had to film them and tell them what to do. I didn’t quite realize it at the time, but I was basically fulfilling the role of a director. In time, I discovered directing was what I really wanted to do. (laughs) In a way, it was kind of accidental.
PopHorror: (laughs) Some of the best things that can happen to us are by accident! How and when did you get your start in film after your high school years?
Chase Dudley: I would say that happened around 2012 with the huge popularity of Facebook. That’s when and how I began to really find and connect with other individuals who wanted to pursue filmmaking, as well. I ended up directing my first official short film, which was about a librarian serial killer who killed you for overdue library books. (laughs) It was more of a horror comedy. I kind of would like to make it into a feature film because I think there is something more there, but we will see.
My first full feature film was an interracial drama called Payton’s Burden, which was based off of a high school experience of mine. This was an interracial love drama that was filmed in 2014, and it is currently available on the INC channel of Roku. It stars myself as Curtis and Kara Gray as Payton, and it centers around racial tension surrounding a growing relationship. Curtis’ friends don’t really believe in interracial dating and neither do Payton’s family. The tension becomes worse as these two grow closer because she comes from a family who is financially struggling and places the blame on black people and other cultures. So, it’s a story that explores racial issues from several different angles.
PopHorror: That sounds like a film that explores some important material. Not too much unlike the film Get Out, which was released not too long ago.
Chase Dudley: I loved Get Out! I was really happy for the director, Jordan Peele. But then I thought about it later… why the hell did I not think of that?!? (laughs) I just can’t believe I didn’t think about that because it’s the perfect concept for a horror film! (laughs) So, my hat is off to him, especially for it being his first film. I thought it was very well directed. The story plot was just phenomenal!
PopHorror: I know Jordan Peele is known as a comedian, so I didn’t know what to expect going in at all. But he did a great job! For your own films, where would you say you draw your inspiration from?
Chase Dudley: I would say that I get my inspiration from many different places. Whether it is from my filmmaker friends such as Todd Nunes and Tory Jones or some of my favorite Hollywood directors such as James Wan and Quentin Tarantino. There’s just so many people and things to get inspiration from in general. I just love seeing people who are passionate and put out art. When I see something very inspiring, it forces me to up my game. I would say, nowadays, it’s pretty impossible to come up with an idea that is 100 percent original. But I generally try to focus on things that haven’t been done very often. I try to take quite a few of my stories to a different level from what has previously been done, which is why you will probably never see me doing a zombie film, vampire film or something that has been done so many times that I wouldn’t be able to put my stamp on it. I like making films that are just different.
That brings me to my second feature film called Marvelous Mandy, which was, by far, one of the most original stories I have ever directed. It’s a story about a struggling single dad named Harvey who is trying to find a children’s book called Marvelous Mandy for his daughter. And, when he finds the book, he also finds Mandy, who is the author of his daughter’s beloved book. From there, the film begins to take a romantic comedy, but turns much darker when Harvey begins noticing that Mandy may not be the person who she appears to be. Hiring a private investigator, Harvey uncovers a very dark past. So, the film is kind of like Fatal Attraction meets Misery.
PopHorror: That sounds very interesting! It seems like you take more of the psychological approach for your films.
Chase Dudley: Yeah, I would say that life itself is a big mindfuck, in a sense, because sometimes people are not who you think they are, and something isn’t exactly what you think. At times, truth is stranger than fiction, and I try to draw on elements from that sense.
PopHorror: So far, you have a few films under your belt as a director. Which one would you say has been your favorite to work on and why?
Chase Dudley: I would have to say Payday, which was my last feature film. Looking back at the script, it seemed almost impossible to do on the budget we had available. I was surprised by the production value we were able to pull off. I also got to work with very talented people like Bishop Stevens and Scream Queen Tiffani Fest. I was able to get Tiffani to do something a bit out of her comfort zone. Rather than be in a horror film, which she is mostly known for, she portrayed a hostage negotiator named Detective Riley in a heist film.
As a whole, Payday is a action adventure psychological thriller all in one. I love playing around with genre and merging them into one film. I don’t think any experience is just one thing. One experience can be comprised of many different elements found in so many different genres. I think Tarantino, one of my favorite directors, mastered blending genres into one. But Payday was challenging because we had 10 days to shoot the film. We had a lot of unexpected rain showers and a couple of severe storms. I was convinced I wasn’t going to be able to finish the film. I thought I was going to have to put it on hold, come back a year later and pick up some shots. But miraculously, our cast and crew worked hard together, and we put together a film that managed to get global distribution. So, I am very excited about that project, and it will be released this fall on iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and through all the major retailers.
PopHorror: It sounds like you beat the odds on that one! So, you’re about to go into production of Beasts of the Field starring names such as Amber Dawn Fox, Gregory Blair and Ashley Mary Nunes. How did you come across these individuals for their prospective roles?
Chase Dudley: I first met Gregory and Ashley at the RIP Film Festival in LA back in 2015, and we have been trying to work together since. And I have been working on Beasts of the Field for the past two years. What took so long was that I wanted to shoot a film entirely outdoors while controlling what I wanted in it. At first, I thought about shooting the film in a studio where I can pretty much control everything. But I felt like I wanted a grittiness that could only be captured from filming outdoors. So, we found ways to make it work and decided to go through with filming outdoors.
But going back to casting for this project, Ashley is so down to earth and full of life, and the role of Kyra is a very heroic type of character. It’s difficult to see Ashley as a villain because she does attend so many comic cons and photo shoots dressed as superheroes like Wonder Woman. So, I had to cast her as the heroine of the story. And, as far as Gregory Blair goes, who wouldn’t want to work with an award winning actor, writer and director? This makes him intimidating because of his accomplishments, and I’m a newer, up-and-coming director. So, I have nowhere near the experience as the guy. But we’ve spoken, and I’ve told him my concerns about the film. He definitely knows how to put down the director’s hat and focus on the acting. He’s such a professional. It’s amazing!
I’ve been in touch with Amber for quite awhile now, and one thing I admire about her is that she is always promoting the projects she becomes involved with. That’s one thing that always catches a director’s eye. I’ve also seen a couple of demo reels, and I’ve been wanting to work with her for quite awhile. Our schedules kept missing one another, but they finally coincided at the right time for the right role. I sent her the script. She loved it and she was very persistent in playing the role of Clarissa. So, when you see a talented actor who really wants to work with you, how can you say no?
PopHorror: It sounds like things are coming together nicely for this project! As far as the film itself goes, what can you tell me about Beasts of the Field?
Chase Dudley: Beasts of the Field is about a group of amateur filmmakers who are going on an expedition in search of a legendary beast known as the Thunderbird. Hired by two of the main characters, Lester and Clarissa, this group is under the impression that they will make a bunch of money and be featured on television shows. No one really questions anything, and this expedition turns out to be a bad experience in the independent world of entertainment, lead by complete amateurs who have no idea what they are doing. As the story unfolds, people start losing their cool, shit hits the fan, and they’re stranded in the middle of the woods. It quickly becomes a survival story against the wilderness. It has the grittiness of Lost, in a way. I think that some people in the independent film industry will be able to relate to this film, in a way. (laughs) Minus the blood and guts, of course!
PopHorror: That sounds like an exciting one to keep an eye out for! So, do you have anything else lined up next?
Chase Dudley: I do have some ideas that are in development. One in particular is something I’m excited about, but it’s too early to announce anything just yet.
Upon conducting this interview, Beasts of the Field was gearing up for production, which has since wrapped. As Chase begins diving into post production, we are sure to see a trailer for the project soon. And I cannot wait to keep you updated on this creature feature horror of wilderness right here on PopHorror!
