“Drudge” is the slasher you didn’t know you were waiting for! This short film has mad style and also an award from winning the “Best Super Short Film” award at 2014 Shriekfest. Stephanie Shamblin Gray caught up with Kheireddine El-Helou, creator of “Drudge,” to ask him a few questions.
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: First, congratulations on winning the “Best Super Short Film” award from Shriekfest! There were some amazing shorts there so that is no small victory! Can you tell us a little about the film?
Kheireddine El-Helou: The Drudge short film was our teaser introduction to a new slasher character I created. The goal was to get people excited and see if they’d want more. Luckily, we’ve had a great response and it’s been a great experience.
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: “Drudge” is a fantastic character that harkens back to some of the classic slashers that we love to root for, but with an entire bag of tricks. Can you tell us about your inspiration for this character?
Kheireddine El-Helou: “Drudge” is my personal Frankenstein. It’s me stitching some of my favorite elements of classic villains and slasher characters, then adding a modern twist with incorporating technology. The goal was to create a bad ass slasher that’s almost impossible to stop.
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: Can you tell us about the filming process (Casting, time spent filming, any interesting stories while making it)?
Kheireddine El-Helou: Casting is one of my favorite parts of filmmaking. Luckily, we found our male actors fairly easy (Cheetah Platt & Cameron Simmons). But our lead actress (Jessica Mann) took us a while to find. We went out looking for an actress that could really sell the fear in a very collected natural way. We shot the house in three days, and a half day for the opening sequence and title font. A lot of people don’t know this or can’t tell, but the ‘DRUDGE’ title font at the end of the short is a six-foot-wide metal model I built and shot practically.
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: What are your future plans for “Drudge?”
Kheireddine El-Helou: A feature! Recently sent out the first draft of the script to some interested hands and look forward to getting the responses. It’s an action packed thrill ride, so hopefully something I get to share with you guys very soon.
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: Finally, where can the HorrorNewsNetwork readers get more information about “Drudge?”
Kheireddine El-Helou: Website: http://drudgemovie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drudgemovie
Twitter: @DrudgeTheMovie
Stephanie Shamblin Gray: Thank you, and good luck with “Drudge”!
