Red-Band Trailer For The Blood-Soaked Horror Romance Film STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING and Interview with Director Craig Ouellette — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

6 hours ago

Here's the trailer for a great indie surival horror thriller titled Straight on Till Morning . This is 'a romantic horror feature with lesbian leads about the beautiful and terrible things people do in the name of love.'
The director of the film, Craig Ouellette, explained: 'Every character in the movie is motivated by love. But of course what some people love might not be what other people love, and there is the conflict.'
I watched this movie at the FilmQuest Film Festival and it delivers a unique blend of horror and romance, following two women, Dani and Kaitlin, who meet by chance in a roadside diner and impulsively decide to road-trip together to Los Angeles.
Both women are at turning points in their lives with Dani, trying to escape the ghosts of her past, and Kaitlin, chasing a hopeful future. But soon, their path takes a sinister detour, plunging them into a nightmare that will test the limits of their love and resilience.
The movie evolves into a 'house of horrors' scenario when Dani and Kaitlin cross paths with a seemingly pious couple who harbor far darker intentions. Kidnapped and locked away in the family's eerie home, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against their unhinged captors.
I really liked the movie! As I said in my review, 'This film doesn't shy away from showing the harrowing lengths people will go to survive, nor does it compromise on its message: the fight for love and identity is worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears. Straight On to Morning is a thrill ride of romance and terror.'
I also included an interview with the filmmaker below:
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?
'Neal McLaughlin, the co-writer, had the idea to do a romantic horror movie, ala True Romance meets Hostel. That's where it began and it's been a long journey to create and balance the tones of romance and horror into something that audiences at festivals seem to really enjoy.'
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?
'I've been a storyteller since 1st grade when I wrote my first story 'The Adventures of Legoland'. It's brilliant! As for movies, it was in High School in Dallas, TX that I realized the magic of editing and the moment when two shots get put together that create an entirely new world. From that point on I was hooked!'
What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?
'I love suspense. And I love that horror (and sci-fi, fantasy etc) allow us to dive into stories head on. We don't have to sugarcoat things and we can use our imaginations to tell outlandish stories that are grounded in real world issues and challenges. If you do a straight forward drama you often have to dance around what you are really trying to say, And in Horror you can put it front in center in all it's ugliness and beauty.'
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
'Oh man! So many parts I love. Writing, Editing, Working with the actors and crew to create a world that otherwise does not exist.'
What are you most proud of with this film?
'The audience reactions at packed festival screenings have been AMAZING. To hear an audience gasp, cheer, scream, cringe and be on the ride that we set out to make really means so much. I'm proud we were able to create something that is really connecting to people on an emotional and visceral level.'
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you'd like to share?
'So many people gave of their time and effort to create this. I'm forever grateful to all of them.'
What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
'The whole things was hard as hell. Making independent movies is one of the most difficult things to do it seems. I knew it would be harder than my many short films, but it was SO MUCH HARDER. Gathering money, resources, making things look good with little.'
If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you'll approach future projects as a result?
'From the original concept to now, the biggest change is that it became a Queer film. A few years into the 15 1/2 year journey to make it, Neal and I realized how much stronger the film would be if it were a Queer story. It just opened up so many layers of subtext and became something more interesting on a lot of levels. It also makes a much stronger statement too. And then there are the hundreds of ways things change because of time, blocking, actor intentions, limitations, creativity and more. But that's all part of the creative journey of filmmaking that I love.'
Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?
'Bonnie Jean Tyer, who plays Kaitlin Sanbourne, one of the two leads and is a producer, wardrobe and more on the film is an amazing woman with so much passion and so many skills I'm constantly impressed. We met at a team building day job, and over the years began to work together on her western series, and then this. The is a powerful queer filmmaker and amazing actress who is going to go far.
'Kelsey Christian, who plays Dani Dupree, the other lead, is a fabulous actress and singer from Nashville. We met via audition and she was so purely the character AND she's a great singer (which is important for the film). I'm grateful she stuck through all the ups and downs of the project and has always been a supporter of the film.
'She brought her heart and soul to the project. In truth, all the actors, Bill Hengstenberg, Michael Gmur, Maria Olsen and Travis Lincoln Cox, as well as all the supporting actors were incredible. I love working with actors and am awesome in awe of the amazing ways they can create emotion and connection.
'Behind the lens we had an amazing set of producers and crew members who really gave so much for this film. As I mentioned before I'm grateful to all of them.'
What is the best advice you've ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
'Take business classes. It's something I wish I did, but I didn't so now I have to figure out all this business stuff along the way. Each movie you make (if it's for profit) is a small business (or a big one) and having that basic understanding is helpful. Make movies (and live life) with passion, without being precious. Being precious is a limiting agreement. Nothing will EVER be perfect. It is impossible. But we can strive for greatness and connection. Exercise regularly and eat well because making movies is so hard.'
What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?
'I'm ready to be making movies, both smaller indie films and large studio pictures. I love the idea of jumping back and forth between scales of projects because each of them has their plusses and minuses and provide ways to creatively tell stories.'
What is your next project and when can we expect to see it?
'I have two feature scripts ready to go that we are in the fundraising stage for. So one of those two, or if someone had a script and a plan I'd be interested in exploring other opportunities as well.'
Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel? Social media handles?
'My website is www.Craigofilm.com. Craigofilm is also my youtube channel, instagram and facebook too. The movie's website is www.LoveIsScary.com and @straightontillmorningmovie on the IG.'
Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?
'I love love so many movies. But if I have to choose one it is ALIENS'