Continuing our bumper coverage for brand new indie Halloween horror anthology 10/31 Part III, we caught up with co-director Zane Hershberger to talk all about his segment Hack In A Box.
You had worked on the previous two instalments of 10/31, so was it a no-brainer to return for Part III?
Yes, returning was a no brainer because I love working on the Halloween-themed shorts and the bonus was being involved in a project with Michael Ballif – I’m a huge fan of his work.
How different was the experience this time around?
So, this time around was a lot more challenging because we filmed our segment very fast and had a lot of special fx to contend with in a smaller space (my kitchen) than what we’re usually used to dealing with. We had a great cast of young ladies though who gave really fun performances and were up to the task of the tighter shooting schedule.
Was this a case of going away to work on your segment then checking in with Rocky Gray to ensure the tone fit the anthology?
I let Rocky read the script before we started and he loved it and backed it 100%. Since I’ve worked with him on the first film and provided a faux trailer for the second installment, he always likes what I come up with and he usually leaves me to my devices….but, I usually send him stills and concept drawings just to make sure he’s not blind sided by anything that’s created.
What can you tell us about your segment Hack In a Box?
Hack-In-The-Box is a lean, little scary concept about a group of ladies on Halloween night who decide to end an evil entity that resides in a cursed Jack-In-The-Box. Even though they are armed and dangerous, what they are up against is way more cunning than they thought.
How important is it to balance your story with the iconography of a Halloween-themed story?
I usually like to make it feel like Halloween and a lot of the times, when we film our projects, we want to visually celebrate the season the best we can. This time though, I didn’t have the ladies dress in any costumes because in a realistic sense, they are there to stop evil and not to party.
Were there any stories or films you took inspiration from when crafting the story?
I took a lot of inspiration this time from Empire/Full Moon Pictures, especially from movies like Demonic Toys and Dolls. I also pulled a little from Sam Raimi as well.
You worked on The Barn Part II, which had its premiere recently, what can we expect from this film?
You can expect a lot of messy kills and a really fun time from The Barn Part 2. Everything was pretty much doubled from the first movie. If you’re a fan of midnight movies with blood, monsters, and nudity, then you’ve come to the right place with The Barn’s sequel.
What can you tell us about the short film Bed Bugs?
Bedbugs is a short film I shot for Jonathan Patrick Hughes and it’s about a little boy that gets a surprise visit from some nasty little buggers on the night of his birthday. I believe this is going to be a proof of concept for Jonathan so he can hopefully secure funding for a feature version a little further down the road.
10/31 Part III is available now on Blu Ray.
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