Dear David director John McPhail discusses how he adapted the terrifying Twitter thread, as well as why sleep paralysis is so fascinating to him.
Summary Dear David, a tech-savvy horror movie co-produced by Lionsgate and BuzzFeed studios, has had a unique journey from inception to execution. Based on a spooky Twitter thread by Adam Ellis, the movie was adapted for the screen by Evan Turner and Mike Van Waestars and directed by John McPhail . Adam's tale was also turned into the BuzzFeed article “My Apartment Is Being Haunted By The Ghost Of A Dead Child And I’m Not Sure What To Do,” a process that is covered in the movie as well.
Obviously, we've taken a little bit of license with it. We've changed it up in certain places, so we could shoot them through the kitchen, but there were certain things I really wanted to do for them. And he'd sent us loads of these comics so that we could use some of them. He came onto set for a couple of days, and he's in the film; he's in the background of a scene. We got to hang out. We got to meet and do a couple of things like that.
I picked up on some Poltergeist vibes when I was watching the film. Can you talk about some of your cinematic influences for Dear David? There was a lot of stuff in there that's Justin, like the little joke between them where they're in the office, and Adam's like, "No, this is really happening to me." And he's like, "Oh, it is happening. I like how you brought that back. It's rad, too." I was just trying to hold that kind of stuff together while we were shooting it, it was ridiculous.
I love your films so much – not just Dear David, but also Anna and the Apocalypse. Your cinematic influences are exactly the stuff that I'm into, so I completely get it now. Can you talk about the changes you had to make in order for that adaptation to work on the big screen? Augustus Prew is fantastic in this film as Adam. I really think this is a breakout performance for him. What did he bring to the role that wasn't on the page?
John McPhail: It was trying to find that idea of slipping between dreaming and sleeping. With the room, we had flyaway windows on the set, so we could pull in these obscured angles and warp it a little bit so that it still felt normal. It still felt like the room, but there was just a little odd difference to it. Trying to be as tight in with Adam, and be as claustrophobic as possible, was the main thing. Trying to find that sound design as well; to evoke it. That was my approach to it.
What's something that you took away from your experience on Dear David that you'd like to apply in future films that you work on? John McPhail: I love practical effects. We'll get a blood rig on the knife, so when the knife goes across, it's cutting across, and the blood's appearing. Things like that. Even the bottles smashing and pouring on them, and all those things, or setting the actual kitchen on fire. I believe having in-camera practical effects makes everything feel just that little bit more real. It's more visceral, and I feel like as a horror audience, we engage with it.
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