Horror Favourites – Adam William Cahill

Wild Stag Productions’ Irish dark comedy feature Follow the Dead has just passed the year mark on the festival circuit and as of today has accumulated 13 wins and 4 nominations internationally, including Best Feature Film at Kerry International Film Festival.

The film opens when disturbing news spreads to the remote town of Ferbane via online viral videos that Dublin has been hit by an undead threat, and danger is on its way. Unable to discern fake news from real, the midlands heads toward civil war, and the local police are at odds as to what to do about it.

Having been a product of a generation that is used to having all manner of creature comforts and black mirror one-touch solutions, Robbie Whelan is an idealist to a fault, and lives in a world where he has it all, but nothing is ever good enough. His sister, Liv, is an unsuccessful internet celebrity wannabe, and their cousins, Jay and Chi, are stoner layabouts living off the government’s teat.

When the police are targeted by fringe groups taking the chaos as a sign of revolution, they turn to the public for assistance. However, the Millennial curse of apathy and entitlement leaves the law-enforcement powerless, and the townsfolk wide open to invasion… and not from whom they were expecting. Will self-seeking Robbie step out of his comfort zone when one of the distressed officers turns out to be his estranged wife?

Talking about his movie director Adam William Cahill said “Follow the Dead began as a short film idea dreamt up by the film’s lead actor, Luke Corcoran, which he asked me to helm. The short never materialised as numerous obstacles arose. However, I was so enthralled by the potential of the film’s themes that I went away and wrote a hundred page script, and fully fleshed out my own ideas regarding the narrative, which were thus:

What happens to a civilisation robbed of the hardships that once sharpened and forged us? Have we lost out on necessary elements of human growth as a result of higher standards of living and technological advancements? And consequently, have once mild annoyances and inconveniences become this day’s bemoaned sufferings? In a generation where everything is super convenient, and where minuscule issues are the terrors of our age, how would we fare if trauma incarnate came wandering through our streets? Though this film offers pessimistic answers to such questions, it also shares a message of hope by taking responsibility, and accepting that struggle is not only an unavoidable part of life, but an essential one.

The first major change from the short script to the feature was in moving the protagonists’ location from Dublin to rural Ireland. I felt that it would be best to place them out of harms way at first, as not only would this allow for a slow build of suspense, but would also facilitate us watching these entitled individuals waiting for someone else to deal with the problem instead of taking action theselves.

Being a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs”, I took inspiration from it for much of FTD’s tone and pacing. In both stories we’re left in a secluded part of the world with a bickering family, wondering how much of what we’re being told is real, while the information is delivered in such a manner as to keep the audience guessing just long enough for the fun and games to begin. Conversely, this film is a dark comedy, and thus takes a more comedic lean, such as another fans favourite zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, or our native Irish creature feature Grabbers.”

“Our most recent accolades come from The Dublin International Comedy FF (in association with RTE Supporting The Arts), and Central Florida FF” Cahill continued quite rightly proud of his films achievements “The former announced their award winners on the 22nd of Jan, and we’re pleased to announce that we took home three awards on the night, including the Best Supporting Actor award which was won by Tadhg Devery who was in competition with Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones). And in Florida we were elated to have competed against a William Baldwin film to take home the Best Comedic Feature award. We’ve also won awards at Seattle FF, Fright Night FF in Kentucky, Austria FF, and more.”

Below Follow the Dead director Adam William Cahill talks about his favorite horror film:

“I have to confess up front that I’m not exactly a connoisseur of horror films, but I do love horror elements anywhere that they’re placed in film. It’s important that art, like dreams, allow us to experience terrifying moments passively, to allow us to reflect on the problems and solutions therein, without having to actually endure them. But as far as out-and-out horrors are concerned, my favourite film in terms of the most joy I’ve experienced from its watching would have to be Dog Soldiers.

The film has terrific performances by veteran actors like Sean Pertwee and Liam Cunningham, and a stand-out performance from TV actor Darren Morfitt as Spoon. It has exceptional practical effects, including the werewolves themselves, which are all the more terrifying for not being a CGI construction. The film’s narrative is your basic “monster in the house” trope, but done in a high-octane fashion with a quick set-up, followed by a series of problem-reaction-solution situations, as the protagonists try and survive until the sun rises.

I love it because it’s characters are fully fleshed out and you really want to get behind every one of the “good guys”. The distinctiveness of the team really stands out for me, and the fact that they throw a delicious portion of wit into every scene just makes every second of watching a pleasurable experience. I liken this film to a low-budget, British version of The Predator, except the soldiers seem more human and relatable, and the jokes are a hundred times funnier. Oh.. and I have to mention the score, which is tonally perfect and very affecting (Check out “Sarge’s Theme” on Youtube).

The tension achieved by such an unassuming indie feature is absolutely applaudable, and I dare anyone not to have a great time watching it.”