New Jersey Stage 2016: Issue 1 | Page 45

see the genius within the films. “John Carpenter and Wes Craven were some of the first indie filmmakers,” said Spaltro. “For me, as an independent filmmaker, it was about seeing how those guys worked with limited budgets. How can we raise money and still tell the story we want to tell? I wouldn’t tell the producer that the story is about a family with sexual abuse, but it is, and it’s also about a demon. It’s like, how do you use the metaphor to tell the story?” The best horror films have always told much bigger stories than they do at face level. Two recent films that served as inspiration to Spaltro for this project were It Follows by David Robert Mitchell and The Babadook by Jennifer Kent. Both films deal NewJerseyStage.com with the supernatural and evil elements, and both are very dramatic, artistic, horror films. They each gave him the confidence that he could create the type of film he could be proud of — even in a genre he never expected to explore. “Horror is a great way to interpret real fears and how we deal with what’s going on in the world,” explained Spaltro. “These fears are projected onto monsters, demons, and spirits.” Spaltro’s demon utilizes one of 2016 - ISSUE 1 Table of Contents 45