With the upcoming global release of Alien Addiction, Horror Geek Life had the chance to talk with Shae Sterling, the writer and director of the film. Alien Addiction has been extremely well-received at several different film festivals, including winning Best Picture at the 2020 Florence Film Awards.
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Horror Geek Life: Alien Addiction is your first full-length film after working on several music videos and short video documentaries. What made you decide to take the plunge into feature film?
Shae Sterling: I’ve been jumping around from music videos to music producing, managing, live events, film, anything creative really, I love art of entertainment. I have a natural appeal for films. It’s been a huge part of my upbringing; I would get home from school and watch movies over and over again. I decided I wanted to be a director when I was 15. I knew this would be my main career.
HGL: Where horror-comedy films have become more popular over the last decade, sci-fi-comedy is something that hasn’t seemed to catch on as much. It seems like it’s the more difficult road to take. Was that a challenge when writing and directing Alien Addiction? Where did this story come from?
SS: Yeah, that’s an interesting point. Sci-fi and comedy doesn’t usually mix together. Ridley Scott’s film The Martian was an occasion that worked. I didn’t really think about the genre too much. I simply made something that I wanted to see and something unique, and it just so happens I’m into sci-fi and comedy at the same time. My initial script was a bit more serious and darker, but after getting into filming and casting, I found a lot of humor in there, so I adapted it.
HGL: The Martian is a perfect example of that. Were there any other sci-fi comedy films that inspired you to make this?
SS: Not anything recently. Thinking back, I can recall some movies I watched as a child that may have had some impact on my creativity. An old film called Morons from Outer Space may have inspired me as a child. The Gods Must Be Crazy was another. I don’t think I’ve seen a sci-fi comedy with this kind of tone though. This is simply what came out when I smashed the two genres together.
HGL: There is some great, unforced, and sometimes seemingly accidental slapstick comedy in this. Is that something that came naturally from the actors, or was it practiced and perfected?
SS: There are lots of planned beats of comedy in the script, and big long scenes that lead up to a key moment for a guaranteed laugh. But in terms of the dialogue, there were quite a bit of improvised moments. I would be constantly re-writing scenes and dialogue to adopt new ideas that came on the fly, also letting the actors suggest things.
HGL: Speaking of the actors, Jimi Jackson played Riko, the lead role. He was hysterical. How did you choose him to play the lead for your first film?
SS: Jimi came to me via YouTube when he was starting out as an online comedian. He had done some really funny videos of him pranking people and small quick-witted gags, very much “bro humor.” A friend of mine was working with them on a comedy tour and he helped me get a hold of Jimi, sit down, and talk about this idea I had. The original title was Aliens Stealing Shit. Jimi was keen!
HGL: Do you plan on working together again?
SS: Most probably! I’ve got a whole bunch of ideas for follow up movies, and some of them could potentially involve Jimi. He’s such an impeccable talent, and so natural on the camera. It’s very hard to find someone of that caliber.
HGL: The alien makeup and costumes are simple, but extremely fun and effective. I love the way they shuffle around. Did you design them?
SS: Yeah, it’s a low-budget feature so we had to think of something creative and simple. Turns out the audience really took to the aliens, which is awesome. Me and my partner Melanie Price, who plays Gurgus (one of the aliens) were trying to figure out how they would walk. She was pregnant at the time, so we incorporated the belly into the aliens! I would constantly yell out to her and Steven (Jeff – the other alien) “pigeon lizards, pigeon lizards!”. This would help them with their snappy movements.
HGL: Hilarious! People really enjoy it! The film has won multiple festival awards, including Best Picture at the Florence Film Awards this year. The film releases on VOD, DVD, and Blu-Ray on September 29th, 2020. How excited are you for the rest of the world to see it?
SS: Bruva, I’m so excited. It’s not every day I have a film coming out and this one being my first, it’s just insane and to see it being well received overseas. It’s just more than I could have ever imagined. They understand the sarcastic dry humor that we have down here in New Zealand. I’m over the moon. I was just thinking today, the movie release is happening and there’s nothing I can do to stop it now. It’s a snowball rolling, and it’s going to be seen by millions. What a buzz!
HGL: What are you most proud of when it comes to this film?
SS: I think just the sheer accomplishment of making a feature film. It’s pretty overwhelming, and there were times halfway through when I was thinking, why am I doing this? But you just keep going. It was so hard being self-funded. I’m still broke! I’m really proud of the cast and crew. There were some really close friends that spent a lot of hours on Alien Addiction. They all gave it their best and were willing to share their talent.
HGL: Do you have anything in the works for the future? Any insight on your next film?
SS: Well, I’ve got one pure science fiction film that’s amazing. I’ve been writing it for 25 years now, but that’s such a big film that I might need to do another in between. I have two other ideas that I might pursue shortly, one is a musical romance set in New Zealand and the other is a thriller sci-fi like Ex Machina. If any producers are interested, please contact me! Thank you.
Horror Geek Life would like to thank Shae Sterling for his time. Check out Alien Addiction, available On Demand, Blu-Ray, and DVD on September 29th, 2020. Find Shae Sterling on Twitter @thesagittarian or at shaesterling.com.
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