Writer-director Jas Summers made his directorial debut in the new Hulu film Stay. It follows Kiara (Megalyn Echikunwoke), a PhD author, and Miles (Mo McRae), a former MMA fighter, as they face the end of their marriage. They encounter supernatural forces, shifting from fighting each other to fighting for their lives. To survive, they must conquer darkness with love.
Horror Geek Life spoke with Summers about navigating the supernatural thriller.
HGL: Where did the idea for Stay come from?
Jas Summers: The idea came from wanting to tell a really interesting love story and then putting it in a genre I never thought a love story would be in; I’d never seen one, so putting those two worlds together was kind of the start of the idea.
HGL: How did the rest of the film take shape beyond the premise? Was there a lot of planning, or did it come together as the film was unfolding?
Jas Summers: It took shape over many drafts, the first draft was that idea, and I wanted to add in the spirituality idea, the voodoo element, and building out that way. I figured it out as I was working on it in the writing; it became more of a personal story, with people that I know. My father is in there, my mother is in there, their experiences and influences on me, about struggles in life and love and misunderstandings. So it was during the script writing process, for sure.
HGL: There are some great visual moments from start to finish. When you were mapping out the film, did you have an idea how you wanted the film to look visually, or did that evolve during the filming process?
Jas Summers: I had a strong sense from the start about putting them frame within frames, trapping them in the house, but inside the doorways, the hallways, things like that. Once we got cinematographer John Rosario on board, we started talking about the emotion of the film, the characters, that time period in their life, and how it would look. I had a strong idea of what I wanted, but it evolved as more creatives came on board.
HGL: It goes without saying that everything you’re describing is not an easy process, time and money being the big issues. What were the biggest challenges for you in making this film?
Jas Summers: Time and money (laughs). Of course, all filmmakers go through it. I wish I had more days, more time in a day, and the schedule was tough. Some of the stuff in the film was tough; characters had to switch out of being in the same scene to being in a different scene with different hair, makeup, wardrobe, all that stuff made it very challenging to get all those particular scenes done on that day.
To me, I don’t know how everyone else feels who’s watching it, but it’s a little bit of an action film, fight scenes, horror, we had a lot of genres, and for a first-time filmmaker to attempt that was a lot. So yeah, time and money, but more so, time was the big one.
HGL: You have two actors, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Mo McRae, carrying the film. What was it like working with them, collaborating on this project?
Jas Summers: It was amazing. I had seen Mo’s work in American Skin; he had the right humanity but also the right presence and power to play Miles. We ended up having lunch, and I didn’t get a good feel. I didn’t think he liked me, and I thought I ruined things right there, but he ended up laughing and chatting. We talked about the movie, and he said he wanted to star in it but also produce it, which I said would be amazing.
He brought in his producing team, and they were very helpful, brought in a lot of ideas. He suggested Megalyn to me, and you’ve seen the film; she is just awe-inspiring and a force of nature. They were both collaborative; if I had an idea, they would say, “Okay, let’s try this, see if we can make it better, take it to another level.” As a director, that was great.
HGL: Looking back at the film now, what do you take away from this experience, both personally and professionally?
Jas Summers: Personally, I just take away the fact that I did it, I got it done. That I was able to achieve that meant so much to me in terms of my career, and where I was wondering if it was ever going to happen, and having the determination to figure out a way to never stop, always keep going, there’s always a way.
Then, professionally, I think I just take all the lessons I’ve learned from people who have already done it. More experience on set, communication, the lessons of professionalism, the lessons of being grateful, being thankful to everyone who was contributing to the project, from crafts to the AD, everyone who played a role in helping me get this film made, and appreciating that and not taking it for granted.
Stay is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
