| I made “In the Blood” to explore the fears and
anxieties of coming out within the framework of a genre movie. In my
experience, exploring sexuality and searching for an identity can be a
terrifying journey. The inspiration came when I asked myself how I
could portray this terror and capture the emotional intensity onscreen.
The answer – create a genre movie where a person is forced to confront
their hidden sexual desires. Many of my own experiences are embodied in
Cassidy, a closeted college jock whose brimming sexuality feeds his
psychic ability. As a fan of thrillers and
horror films, I especially admire those that allude to actual real world
fears: the adolescent hell of “Carrie”, the pregnancy paranoia of
“Rosemary’s Baby”, or the trials of single motherhood shown in “The
Exorcist.” Along those lines, “In the Blood” is meant to highlight the
tense emotions and psychological turmoil of a young man attempting to
come to terms with his sexuality.
In terms of direction, my goal was to evoke the
stylistic camera work of early 70s psychic thrillers while maintaining a
sense of intimacy within the story. I’ve always responded to the
psychic drama of classics such as “Don’t Look Now,” “Carrie,” and “The
Fury.” Brian DePalma is a master at innovative camera work which he
uses to explore the depth of human emotion, and his early films were a
big inspiration. I knew we would be working with a very small budget
and could not be as visually ambitious as I would have liked, but I
strove to keep “In the Blood” aesthetically interesting while
maintaining a strong narrative pace.
Although “In the Blood” can be considered a niche
genre film – thriller, gay, queer fear – I hope the themes of identity
and discovery are universal enough to resonate with a broader audience.
For me, the best result of this movie would be for it to move past any
narrow genre definition allowing for a connection with a diverse
audience. Hopefully, moviegoers like me can not only be entertained,
but also relate to the themes in a meaningful way. |
