So many fantastic horror films came out in 2016, and one of those is The Barn. We talked with director Justin M. Seaman about his involvement in the horror genre, the inspiration for his film, and whether or not there may be a sequel in the works.
Horror Geek Life: What/who inspired you to work in the film industry?
Justin M. Seaman: I think a lot of it was a combination of watching movies and wanting to know more about how they were made and also wanting to watch my own ideas come to life.
My biggest inspiration is a tie between George Romero – because I’m from Pittsburgh, PA, and that was like the zombie capital of the world. And Wes Craven because he gave me those good ole’ Freddy nightmares.
Horror Geek Life: What led to making films?
Justin M. Seaman: My mom, for sure. She always supported me, no matter what it was. I was the kind of kid who was content with just a stack of paper and some markers so I could make my own storybooks and comics.
When I made my first film, I was 5 years old, and my mom was the camera person. We spent a whole day outside making a movie with toys about Godzilla smashing his way through Gotham City and attacking the Ghostbusters’ firehouse while the town people (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and various He-Man, Batman, and Ghostbusters figures) took on the giant lizard. From then on out, I caught the movie-making bug!
Horror Geek Life: What was the first film you were involved in?
Justin M. Seaman: Well, outside of Godzilla, the first Hollywood film I had the opportunity to work on was for the Hallmark Channel called A Kiss at Midnight. I did my internship with the Emmys in Los Angeles and became the assistant on-set dresser for that shoot. It was an awesome experience, and it gave a great insight into how filmmaking works on a bigger scale.
Horror Geek Life: Wow, that’s a great way to get your foot in the door and make connections. Your most recent film, The Barn, has been a big hit in the horror community. What inspired you to make that film?
Justin M. Seaman: It all goes back to being a kid and having that wondering imagination. I loved all things Halloween, and I would spend many summers at my grandparents’ house in the country. One day in the autumn, I happened to see an old barn up over the hillside I had never noticed before, and I began thinking, “I wonder what lives in there?”
Horror Geek Life: You also used a great marketing scheme to attract viewers with fantastic cover art and fun retro merchandise. What was the idea behind this?
Justin M. Seaman: I always wanted to make my own action figures and games. When it came down to “how will I make my film stand out amongst thousands of others?” I thought, why not completely embrace that my film was made in the ’80s and, oh, by the way, here’s an entire merchandise line to help prove it.
Gimmicky? Sure. But did it work, and was it done with passion and heart? You bet!
Horror Geek Life: Where’d you get the idea for the three main monsters?
Justin M. Seaman: Strangely enough, the monsters still look the same as they did back in 1993 when I first wrote the story. So it was a child’s imagination at work. These were the things I assumed would live in “that barn” or on “that farm property.”
I imagined a pumpkin man would oversee the pumpkin patch and all his pumpkins, a scarecrow would protect the cornfield, and some kind of creature dressed as a miner in a jumpsuit and mining hat that would be the one in charge of guarding the barn… thus Hallowed Jack, The Candycorn Scarecrow, and The Boogeyman came to life!
Horror Geek Life: I can’t imagine how satisfying it must feel to see your characters and project come to life. Based on the ending, there may be a chance for a sequel. Do you foresee this happening?
Justin M. Seaman: Absolutely, the treatment is already written for part 2. It just depends on how successful sales continue to be for The Barn. Shameless plugin…3…2…1…Get your 2 Disc Limited Edition of The Barn today at www.thebarnmerch.com!
Horror Geek Life: Do you have any other upcoming projects that you would like to talk about?
Justin M. Seaman: Yes, I am currently working on my segment for Rocky Gray’s Halloween horror anthology called 10/31/16, as well as being a director/producer with Zane Hershberger on a new creature feature film called Cryptids with some other great filmmakers on the indie scene right now. So keep a lookout for those for sure.
Horror Geek Life: I knew about 10/31/16, but I’m super excited about Cryptids. You’ve already worked with some amazing people in the film industry, including Linnea Quigley and Ari Lehman. Is there anyone else you would just love to work with?
Justin M. Seaman: Oh, so many. Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell, Barbara Crampton, Doug Bradley, Brad Dourif… the list goes on and on.
Horror Geek Life: Before we wrap, what is your favorite horror movie of all time?
Justin M. Seaman: Some may say this isn’t a “true” horror film, but it’s The Monster Squad. It’s the reason I fell in love with monsters, and I wanted to make my own monster movie.