Fletcher, a reporter from The New York Times, is captured by members of a South American dictatorship and brought into a "deathroom" for interrogation. Based on the short story by Stephen King.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Nicole Jones-Dion

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I was first introduced to Stephen King’s work when I was in high school in Wilmington, NC. At the time, Wilmington was becoming a film production mecca - David Lynch shot Blue Velvet in our neighborhood, and there were a bunch of Stephen King movies made during that time - like Firestarter, Silver Bullet, and Maximum Overdrive.

When I first heard about Mr. King’s “Dollar Baby” program for up-and-coming filmmakers, I didn’t believe it. It was like one of those urban legends that sounded too good to be true. Why would an author of his status option stories for only a dollar? But the program is absolutely real, so I jumped at the chance to make a Stephen King film myself. Turns out, there’s a whole community of Dollar Baby filmmakers out there who are incredibly supportive. I feel very fortunate to be included among them.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you’re into Stephen King, definitely check it out. But for non-horror fans, In The Deathroom isn’t your “typical” Stephen King story. It’s very much grounded in reality — there are no ghosts or demons, nothing supernatural. The monsters in this film are the people. Like in his stories Misery and The Green Mile, the horror comes from the atrocities that everyday people are capable of doing to each other. And like any good Stephen King tale, there are rich, layered characters and unexpected twists and turns along the way.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I think when done well, good sci-fi and horror are metaphors for the ills that plague our society. It’s easier to hide a moral message in a genre film without it coming across as too preachy or pretentious. Even though Stephen King never mentions the country by name, In The Deathroom was originally written in the 1990s when the civil war in El Salvador was making front-page news. We’d like to think of those events as ancient history but we are still dealing with the fallout today. During his interrogation, Escobar asks Fletcher, “How would you like it if someone did this to your country?” Unfortunately, with the rise of fake news and Russian bots, we’re starting to see the answer to that question firsthand.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The original Stephen King version is a story about Fletcher, a reporter from the NY Times who is captured by a Central American dictatorship and brought into a “deathroom” for interrogation. I took the script a step further because I wanted to delve into Fletcher’s reason for coming to Central America in the first place and tie the various storylines together a bit more. It’s always been a revenge story… but I turned into a long con. It’s no accident that Fletcher is in that room.

We ended up cutting out all the flashbacks with Tomas’s wife and child because they didn’t test well with preview audiences. That really made me sad because we used the actor Ron Sequeira’s actual 6-year old son (who was adorable) and one of my favorite actresses, Crystal Mantecon, played his wife. But sometimes you have to kill your darlings. :(

What type of feedback have you received so far?

So far the response has been tremendous. We’ve only just started our festival run and we’ve already won “Best Horror Short” at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. We’re up for six awards at Idyllwild, including Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Score (from Harry Manfredini, the genius behind the iconic Friday the 13th soundtrack), and Best Actor for Mario Rocha who does an amazing job as “Escobar.”

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I’m just grateful that people are responding positively to the film, especially to Mario’s performance. He’s usually relegated to just being “the stunt guy,” so it’s nice to see him getting recognition for his acting chops. Even though Fletcher is technically the hero of the story, it’s Escobar’s movie. We knew that the film’s success would depend on who we cast in that part. Luckily for us, Mario nailed it.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

One of the restrictions of the Dollar Baby program is that the films can never be released outside of festivals. They are ephemeral things with a short lifespan. We’re hoping that people will come out and see In The Deathroom during its festival run.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We’re hoping to talk to more journalists to get some buzz around the piece. We have a female writer, director, producer, and cinematographer working in the horror genre where women are under-represented (even more so than in mainstream Hollywood). February is Women in Horror Month so it seems appropriate to talk about it now.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I want to stretch the boundaries of what constitutes horror. In The Deathroom is a film with horrorific elements but it’s also a thriller with tension and action and meaty, dramatic roles for the actors. We’re seeing a renaissance in the indie horror space right now. Horror isn’t just about dead teenagers in the woods - there are also elevated, sophisticated stories.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

While I’m grateful that Hollywood has finally recognized the gender disparity in this industry, it feels that the response to the problem is a bit lopsided. As female filmmakers, we’re encouraged to tell “female” stories. I don’t want to make movies that appeal to just women, I want to make films that everyone can enjoy. As Kathryn Bigelow has proven, women are perfectly capable of making horror films… and action films… and war films. Why limit ourselves?

Would you like to add anything else?

Just a word of advice for anyone else who is trying to get into this industry… Don’t wait for your big break, create your own opportunities. No one else will care about your career as much as you do, so it’s up to you to take control of your own destiny. And don’t give up. Everyone’s path to success is different. Keep trying until you find yours.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

On the writing side, I’ve got several feature and TV scripts in various stages of development, including a terrifying true-life poltergeist story. I’m collaborating on a new crime thriller with one of the actors from In The Deathroom, Michael Anthony Perez (who audiences might recognize from his recurring role on Mayans MC). I’m also trying to raise money for a horror feature to direct hopefully later this year.

Interview: February 2020

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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

In The Deathroom

Fletcher, a reporter from The New York Times, is captured by members of a South American dictatorship and brought into a "deathroom" for interrogation. Based on the short story by Stephen King.

Length: 18:47

Director: Nicole Jones-Dion

Producer: Nicole Jones-Dion

Writer: Nicole Jones-Dion

About the writer, director and producer:

An Army brat, NICOLE JONES-DION was born in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia and grew up traveling the globe, living in places as diverse as Hawaii and Germany before her family finally settled down in Wilmington, NC. In school, Nicole excelled at creative writing and won the North Carolina Writer's Award for a full scholarship to Duke University, where she continued to study writing, along with History and Theology. After graduation, she did her own brief stint in the Army before relocating to Los Angeles.  Her passion for storytelling first led her to video games, then comic books, and eventually films. Since 2012, she has written, directed and/or produced projects for the SyFy Channel, Lionsgate, Sony, and more.  As a writer, she currently has feature projects in development with Randy Greenberg (The Meg), Alice Neuhauser (Limitless), and Sean Cunningham (creator of Friday the 13th). As a director, she’s directed one feature (Stasis) and numerous shorts which have won multiple awards at film festivals.

Key cast: Scott Bailey (Fletcher), Mario Rocha (Escobar), Andrew Bering (Heinz), Lenox Knight (Agent Olsen), Michael Anthony Perez (Ramon), Ron Sequeira (Tomas)

Looking for: journalists

Facebook: In The Deathroom

Twitter: @novaris

Instagram: @inthedeathroomfilm

Hashtags used: #inthedeathroom #inthedeathroomfilm

Other: IMDb

Funders: Indiegogo

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema/Idyllwild, CA - Mar. 11; Shore to Shore Film Festival/Glendale, CA - Mar. 14; Oregon Scream Week Horror Film Festival/Portland, OR - Mar. 14; Paracinema Film Festival/Derbyshire, UK - May 7.