Horror Favourites – Gregory Segal

Written and directed by Gregory Segal, THE EXPAT is a Philippines-Based Military-Themed Thriller dealing with love, death and more. We managed to talk to the filmmaker about what movies heloves the best.

THE EXPAT was produced by Charlotte Dianco, Cody Simon, and Yuson Charles. THE EXPAT cast features Lev Gorn (‘Nick’), Mon Confiado (‘Cruz’), Leo J. Martinez, and Lovely Abella (‘Delilah’).

THE EXPAT tells the story of a former American Marine stricken with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while on vacation in the Philippines. While he is enjoying his visit, He soon encounters romance and then the dark side of his new home, as someone begins to stalk and kill women with whom he has had romantic encounters.

As his romantic partners are found dead and scattered around Manila, things turn out to be not as they may seem. When this former American Marine becomes the prime suspect in this series of murders, will we learn the whole truth?

“Though I am quite familiar with life in the country, making a film in the Philippines as a first-time feature writer/director was my privilege,” said filmmaker Gregory Segal. “I had the opportunity to work with the some of the best actors a first-time director could hope for, from both the United States and the Philippines.”

“We tried to tell an even-handed story” Gregory continued “seeing the world and its problems not just through an American lens, but acknowledging that viewpoint is just one way to experience the mysteries that people encounter in life. Having been able to wrap up this philosophy in a storyline that is hopefully engaging and suspenseful to people everywhere, I can only feel fortunate for having such a great international team, from my cinematographer all the way down.”

Below Gregory Segal talks movies and more:

“I am a bit of a classics guy, even when it comes to horror/thrillers. The Expat itself also pays homage to a number of classic films/directors, foremost amongst them would be Brian DePalma. And Brian DePalma was a director who often paid homage to classic horror (particularly to Hitchcock) and other classic films (Bertolucci/Starraro collaborations) so I am aspiring, by reference, to be in good company.

Favorites in the horror genre

Psycho – just a lesson in building suspense and then having it pay off.
The Exorcist – Good acting and plot-building make for the best horror films.
Halloween (the original one of course) – what can be said, lean, mean, efficient, and one of the most influential films of all time.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Toby Hooper’s) – just unique. Massively influential documentary style And just weird – Rob Zombie owes this film his career.

Some other greats – Poltergeist, Manhunter (arguably better than its admitted wonderful remake, Silence of the Lambs, which also belongs on this list), Jaws (I think of this as a horror), Alien/aliens.

More recently, standouts have included, for me, The Witch, A Quiet Place, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring, Last Train to Busan.”

THE EXPAT is Now Available on all VOD Platforms