Hank Boyd is Dead
Hank Boyd Is Dead is pitch black comedy of terrors that that follows, in real time, a hapless caterer held hostage by a bickering family of sociopaths who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
Interview with Writer/Director Sean Melia
Watch Hank Boyd is Dead on Tubi, Vudu and Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I'm a lifelong fan of all things horror with a taste for smart, quirky films from writer/directors like the Cohen brothers, Wes Anderson and Tarantino. I wanted to make something that was within the genre but also poked fun a bit at classic tropes like the psycho family, last girl standing, monster in the attic, that sort of thing. I fell in love the idea of a bickering clan of sociopaths with the same dysfunctions as a typical American family and how that could play against the horror of what was happening, sort of an Arrested Development meets the Sawyers from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Thankfully my cast got the joke and was able to successfully stride the line between farce and terror.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you like dark humor and don’t mind a little blood, you’ll love Boyd. It’s as much satire as it is horror with some outstanding performances, moves quickly and we think is a lot of fun.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I’m a very empathetic person that tries hard to live by the adage do unto others as they would do to you, which is why I think I’m attracted to creating characters that are the exact opposite of that notion and finding entertaining ways for them to get their comeuppance.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
There wasn’t a lot of changes to the plot. The idea for the doc styles clips and, to a certain extent, the home movie footage came during the edit, but the basic story was written fairly quickly and stuck to the original framework.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The audiences we’ve screened it for have had a good time watching it and we’ve received about a dozen fantastic reviews from blogs like Horrortalk, Ain’t It Cool News and weareindiehorror.com, however there does seem to be some that expect a straight comedy and are taken back by the violence or are looking for straight horror and aren’t enamored with the satiric edge of the characters.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
As mentioned above, I think the surprise has been how tough it is to market a “tweener” film that combines genres. It’s something I think an audience has to find themselves and embrace the tone regardless of the horror or comedy tags. We had a modest run on the horror fest circuit and may have had more success with traditional slasher or dark procedural whodunit, but then it wouldn’t have been Boyd, it would have been something else, and I’m glad we did it this way.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Really just looking to find as big an audience as possible so that our cast and myself can continue to work on projects together. It’s a lot of fun making a film, but it’s also quite expensive, even for a micro budget. We’re hoping Boyd will demonstrate what we can do as a collective and give us an opportunity to make a slightly “bigger” movie (e.g. more than one location!).
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Definitely open to any festivals that would like to screen it. Would love some representation to help with PR on Boyd and get involved in producing the next project. And any investors that would like to read a script, please let me know!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
At the very least, we hope this serves as a calling card to help future projects get made. You’ll see in the opening credits that the film is called a “Kenosha Collaboration”. This is a reference to of all things a Yahoo group I’ve been a member of for 15+ years that started as a way to organize poker games and evolved into an online club filled with my very good friends that are all also talented writers, actors and comedians in their own right. For a decade I wanted to make a movie with these guys, would love nothing more than to do it again.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do you feel about movies that involve serial murder and incest but are, you know, funny?
Would you like to add anything else?
No, except to thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about my good friend Hank Boyd.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Sean Melia is busy promoting Boyd while polishing up some old scripts and hoping for the best. Stefanie Frame, David Christopher Wells, Liv Rooth, Carole Monferdini and Michael Hogan are all working actors periodically appearing on television and in Broadway and off-Broadway productions.
Interview: August 2016
_______________________________________________________________________________
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
_______________________________________________________________________________
Hank Boyd is Dead
Hank Boyd Is Dead is pitch black comedy of terrors that that follows, in real time, a hapless caterer held hostage by a bickering family of sociopaths who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
Length:
73 mins
Director:
Sean Melia
Producer:
Michael Hogan and Sean Melia
Writer:
Sean Melia
About the writer, director and producer:
Sean Melia is a self-taught writer/director living with his young family in Brooklyn.
Michael Hogan is a veteran stage and screen actor and producer based in NYC.
Key cast:
Stefanie Frame as Sarah Walsh
David Christopher Wells as David Boyd
Liv Rooth as Aubrey Boyd
Carole Monferdini as Beverly Boyd
Michael Hogan as Ray Moon
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
All of the above.
Funders:
Self funded.
Release date:
August 10, 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month?
Rent on Amazon, stream on Amazon Prime.