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[Interview] Christopher Lawrence Chapman Talks ‘Inoperable’
Could you imagine living a nightmare consisting of a “Groundhog Day” type time loop taking place in a hospital, and carrying out orders of harming versus healing patients? Better yet, how about directing a film that is just that? We talk to Director, Writer, and Producer Christopher Lawrence Chapman about his new film Inoperable starring Danielle Harris.
Inoperable will release on DVD February 6th!
Interview With Director, Writer, Producer:
Christopher Lawrence Chapman
Ryan T. Cusick: Thank You for chatting with us today. I absolutely enjoyed this film.
Christopher Lawrence Chapman: Wonderful! I love hearing when people really like it.
RTC: Tell us about the first movie that you worked on.
CLC: I think that it was probably a western I did called “Morgan Pickett’s Charge.” It was a blast because we were using a big drone with a RED and I think a 300mm lens chasing riders on horses shooting blanks back and forth. We had a festival run where we won a few awards, which is always nice. Westerns are hard to shoot, because of all the moving parts.
RTC: What were your inspirations when writing Inoperable? This is definitely a film that one could watch more than once and find something new, was that your initial intention?
CLC: Thanks! That was in the design and my desire in writing was a film where people would want to watch it at least a second time. There are these little-hidden subtleties that you might not catch on the first viewing, and maybe not even on the second!
As for inspiration, I think it was that Jeff and I got to talking about a project and wanted to make something a little different but still around the horror genre. I drew on an experience I had many years ago where I was in the emergency room of a hospital while a hurricane was spinning to the south and threatening the area where the hospital was located. I thought of how eerie it might be to be trapped inside of a hospital while it was being evacuated due to an approaching storm with some sort of killer on the loose inside.
RTC: Do you enjoy working within the horror genre? Have you always been a fan of horror?
CLC: The horror genre wasn’t always my favorite, but after working on Clowntown and Inoperable, I became much more of a fan, so much so, that I just finished on another horror film project a few days ago. I think that for a lower budget, a filmmaker can produce a horror film and have some success in that horror fans like to see all sorts of films, not just the big Hollywood films with giant budgets. I think with horror, the fans like a good story too, and not necessarily a big budget production.
RTC: You wrote, directed, and produced the film. What was your biggest challenge when making Inoperable? Do you prefer one job over another?
CLC: I like the writing a lot. It is where you can invent something, that no one has seen before, and take the time to be creative. Producing is a whole lot of work, and I think that often times the production title is used a little too loosely. Producing is where the rubber meets the road, and it’s the way one builds all of the surrounding elements of what enables a film to be shot. I think directing is probably what most people think of when they want to feel who is really responsible for a movie’s success or look. That is true in some respects, but the way I direct I really let the DP (Giorgio Daveed) have a go with the camera work, and they often have a style which is unique to them, so you really want to let them go with it. I don’t micromanage the team, and encourage them to display their art/craft in the shooting. We do spend a lot of time way before production hashing out the details so by the time we are filming, we are all basically on the same page.
Overall the shoot went very well. We had all of our shots we needed during principal photography, so that was nice. I think that with Inoperable, the biggest challenge may have been keeping the timelines straight, but we had a good handle on that, and also shot in chronological order, so that helped.
My favorite out of the three is the writing, so I guess I prefer that the most.
RTC: Inoperable is a unique film, scenes replaying – over and over. However, each having a different ending before the main character Amy would reset. Did filming ever get a little confusing? Or in the editing room?
CLC: We knew it was going to be a confusing film to shoot from the beginning, so we made the decision to shoot in chronological order, which helped everyone involved. It did cause more of a workload on production design (headed by Bobby Marinelli) in that they had to do a lot of hustling to keep ahead of the camera department because we couldn’t keep the same setup and shoot a later scene immediately afterward. Wardrobe and hair/makeup had to be spot on too, and with the AD (Ashley Eberbach) and Script Supervisor (Laura Coconato), we were able to keep everything in its proper order. We had very professional and skilled crew members as department heads who knew the script inside and out, and we had already worked out most (if not all) of the confusing timelines and the potential pitfalls.
The editing wasn’t that bad. We had amazing notes from the Script Supervisor which really helped, but also, I was part of the process. Our DP was also a huge part of the editing, and since he shot it, he knew the film very well and knew what we needed. The score was really fun, and Jonathan Price killed it with the score/music. We really wanted to make the film look and sound right and with high quality. We shot in 6K and cut in 4K and mixed the sound in 5.1. Hopefully, some of your viewers will get to watch it in true 4K with 5.1 sound as this will really immerse them in the creepy hospital experience.
RTC: Casting Danielle Harris was perfect for this film. How did casting her in the main role come about? Did you write the film with Danielle in mind?
CLC: She was amazing! But no, we didn’t write the film with her in mind. We knew we wanted a strong female lead, and some other names had been talked about. Jeff Miller reached out to her agent, and we started the dialogue which ultimately resulted in her being part of the project. I’m very happy with her performance, and she was a dream to work with!
RTC: Gotta ask this one. What’s your favorite scary movie, Chris?
CLC: Oh boy, I think the first Alien would be at the top. I guess, for its time, and when I saw it for the first time, I would also say The Blair Witch Project was pretty freaky. But overall, I would say Alien.
RTC: What’s next for you? Anymore horror or psychological thrillers in the works?
CLC: We just wrapped on principal photography on another horror film. It’s sort of a movie within a movie. I wasn’t the director, but I was on the production side/executive production roll.
RTC: Thanks again for the interview Chris and congratulations on your film!
CLC: Thank you! I’m really happy you liked it. That’s why we do it so that people really like the films!
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Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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