30 Days of October: Jamie Nash, "Exists"

To celebrate the chill of October, for each of the next 30 days, Film Yap writer Joshua Hull will take a look at the best in upcoming horror films and discuss them with the people who make and watch them. From big-studio horror all the way down to micro-micro-budget films, Joshua will crawl into the crypt with sinister scaremeisters and haunted horror fans to find out what makes them and their films tick.

#3: EXISTS – Screenwriter Jamie Nash

Synopsis: A group of friends who venture into the remote Texas woods for a party weekend find themselves stalked by Bigfoot.

"Exists" opens October 24 on VOD and select theaters. Follow Jamie on Twitter @Jamie_Nash.

How did "Exists" come about?

Eduardo Sanchez (co-director of "The Blair Witch Project") has been trying to make a Bigfoot movie for awhile. He actually had a Civil War-era script making the rounds years ago with another writer that came close to getting set up. And of course, "Blair Witch" was a bit of a Bigfoot surrogate inspired by '70s shows like "In Search Of."

We actually heard a pretty big producer was looking for a Bigfoot script, so we came up with a script that was basically a team of Bigfoot hunters in Siberia searching for a Yeren or Russian Bigfoot. The script came very close to being set up but at the last minute fell apart. It was heartbreaking because everyone (including the producer) was very excited about the script. The script was so strong it floated around for awhile...and we had a second chance at making it. But the budget was large — the story had Siberia and multiple Bigfoots — and it was going to take some time to raise it. But the script got enough interest in us doing a Bigfoot movie that the decision was made to move forward on an "affordable" Bigfoot script. That's how "Exists" came about.

What was it like to bring your own version of Bigfoot to life?

For me, there is no definitive Bigfoot horror movie. Unless you count Patterson-Gimlin. Or "Harry and the Hendersons." For most, it's "The Legend of Boggy Creek." And while that movie freaked a lot of people out, it's not as widely seen as the best UFO abduction movie or the definitive haunted house movie or the ultimate possession film. I thought there was an opportunity to deliver a go-to movie for Bigfoot. Since we started this project, there's been a huge upswing in Sasquatch. Sightings, Jack Link's commercials, reality shows, SyFy channel movies, etc. As far as the horror films go, the tricky thing about Bigfoot is much like werewolves: It's hard to pull off a monster on a low-budget. So you're either stuck with trying to make a CGI monster or you need to go the "Blair Witch" route and never show the monster. Since "Blair," many found-footage films have gone the "never show the creature" route. It's smart. We've seen "Jaws" and know why it works. But to be honest, I love horror and found footage and for me...I'm bored with the "hide the monster" approach. Not to say it's not effective. But given the budget of most of these films, that's the direction you have to go. It's a bigger surprise when you do show the beast and even a bigger surprise when that thing delivers. So, in "Exists," we made a conscious decision to show it, which meant we had to enlist the practical monster superstars at Spectral Motion.

What was the shoot like?

I was only there for a small portion of it, but it was fun. It was shot around Austin, Texas, at Spiderwood Studios, which essentially meant we had a big patch of woods to ourselves. Austin kinda rocks. It's got lots of experience and talent and just a real fun filmmaking vibe. A very "indie" feel to it. A great "get it done" attitude all around. Eduardo Sanchez is a fun leader. Everybody loves working with him. He comes prepared, he has a passion for it and he always has a feel of a "bunch of friends having fun" on his sets. I've worked with the same crew for several years now, starting with "Altered," and they all keep coming back for more so something must be working.

You've touched on the “style” a few times now. How do you keep your approach to found footage fresh?

I know there's a lot of found-footage fatigue, but I'm a huge fan of watching found-footage movies. I watch them all. There's a certain subliminal message sent from seeing first-person films that draws me in. I think the days of faking people out are long gone (though the Discovery Channel has successfully pulled it off recently!). Found footage has evolved. Films are scored, films use many different cameras — security, Skype, cell phones. I think found footage is just a "vocabulary" now. There's a certain unconscious feeling this delivers. And every passing day delivers some new amazing footage — horrific, exciting, etc, on social media and the news. Security cameras capture everything. Terrorists on YouTube. Football players caught doing horrible things. Every day, we see more and more of this stuff. It's only natural to use it to tell stories. I think you need to take that as far as it can without being distracting. A lot of credit goes to our DP, John Rutland. He kept in the confines of found footage but delivered a cinematic punch. But really, in this case, being with the guys who practically invented the sub-genre, they had a lot of experience / expertise / opinions of how to keep it fresh and not just repeat themselves.

There is heavy use of GoPros in "Exists." Did you write for those specifically? Do you think GoPros will give found footage new life?

Yeah, the GoPros were specifically written in. We did a "VHS2" short with a GoPro that I wrote and had a blast with. I think whatever new technology or device comes out, you just have to grab it and run with it before it's overused.

Do you know what's next for you?

Actually, found footage...for Nickelodeon!! More GoPros. More shaky cam! A movie called "Santa Hunters" coming up this November on Nick. It's essentially "Blair Witch" with Santa Claus. I'm a huge "Goonies," "Monster Squad," "Lost Boys" fan and love writing action movies with kids as the heroes. And the coolest thing is it was directed by Savage Steve Holland. Enough to make an '80s kid swoon in a man-crush way. Ed, Gregg Hale ("Exists" producer) and I are working on three different horror projects that might get shot in 2015. Too early to talk about them, but hopefully at least one will survive!

What do you think the future of indie horror/genre filmmaking looks like?

Man, I gotta tell you, I love what I'm seeing. Between cheap technology and the gap between indie and studio horror is the place to learn the craft. Every genre has been hit hard in recent years but horror thrives in the low-budget space. It needs the freedom to take risks and offend and find niche markets. It's the only way to really hit a home run for an indie film. How many movies can be made for less than a million and make 20 or 50 or 100 million? Or spawn a franchise? It's the experimentation I love most. The "V/H/S" anthologies were super fun. I love Wingard/Barrett's stuff. Ti West has made some cool stuff. I love (Jason) Eisener's "Treevenge" and have been waiting for an "Evil Dead" from that guy. Mike Flanagan, from my home town of Maryland, is killing it right now; can't wait to see his follow-up to "Oculus." We have a guy around here named Chris Lamartina who is making these very personal/fun horror comedies. Seek out the WNUF Halloween Special. I'm seeing really cool things out on the festival circuit. And there's some great stuff coming out of foreign countries.

I think we're starting to see that experimentation at the lower budgets payoff, too. You have guys getting to develop their voices without having to compromise to a studio development process. And now, when it's their time to do it at bigger budgets or with studios...they're confident and have a certain integrity already. So even if we get a remake or property, it's going to have a strong/cultivated voice behind it.

I hope we see more horror-comedy. It's really the reason I got into horror in the first place, but they don't come out enough. And they're hard to get off the ground; I say that having three great horror-comedies on the shelf.

What horror/genre films are you looking forward to seeing most over the next year?

Just about everything: "The Guest," "Horns," and "Tusk." Gotta see the new "V/H/S" ... and some new JJ Abrams movie I've heard a little about.