If you stopped by yesterday, you probably caught our interview with James Duval (Donnie Darko, Independence Day) ahead of the release of Chris W. Freeman and Spain Willingham’s horror satire ‘Beast Mode’, a film that underscores how so many stars often end up constituting a brand in and of themselves, and ultimately getting exploited as such.
Featuring a huge ensemble cast of familiar faces including C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher, E.T.), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China) and Ray Wise (Robocop, “Twin Peaks”), Beast Mode slips us into the shoes of Hollywood hot shot producer, Breen Nash (Howell) who accidentally kills his only client and meal ticket, ‘bad boy’ actor Huckle Saxton (Duval). Desperate to make ends meet, Nash turns to an ancient herbal extract in the hopes that it will resurrect both his client and his career, but soon learns that the elixir brings out the worst in those who imbibe, turning them into bloodthirsty, shape-shifting beasts.
With the film releasing on DVD and VoD today (December 1), we hopped onto a Zoom meeting with both Freeman and Willingham to chat about the movie, their ups-and-downs with the Hollywood machine that ultimately spurred the film’s satire and how the movie business is adapting to lockdown…
Words: Howard Gorman
