The psychological thriller and Indie Horror film Rebound (2014), follows a young woman who becomes emotionally tormented after finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. Claire (Ashley James) decides to leave Los Angeles and move home to Chicago. She packs up her life and drives the long journey across the country hoping to escape her reality. Along the way, she finds another reality that is far worse. Instead of finding the solitude and solace she was looking for, the reality she comes along to is far more desolate, disturbed, upsetting, and intense ever to be imagined.

I was very impressed with Rebound’s sense of production. I was drawn in immediately by the character Claire. She was experiencing the of worst luck, a situation that most people can identify with . The film did a superb job in regards to character development. I felt highly sympathetic which is paramount for any film viewer. Being drawn into the story line so much to make the audience care and feel attached to the plot is a sought after quality in film. This film was rapturous and exceptionally entertaining, especially for an independent film. This film had direction, and there was a strong sense of value for the production. The score was incredible, projecting that 80’s childhood familiarity that I dearly miss and cherish. This film will keep its viewers guessing, and it was a relief to move away from the “found footage” trend that we have all come to love and hate. With much relief the ending of the film was not terrible at all, I believe it was very fitting for this film, and I praise writer Megan Freels for giving the audience that. Often enough, film (not just independent) have treacherous fly-by-night conclusions, that make audiences want to vomit and ask for a refund.

Screenwriter, director, and producer Megan Freels is no stranger to micro-budget films, and the challenges that come along with these films. However, along with these challenges does come fun fulfilling rewards. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Freels about her film, Rebound. Freels had a wonderful experience stepping into the director’s seat and creating this movie from beginning to end. Freels has a love and passion for Neo-Noir films and Psychological Thrillers. It thrills her that so many people are enjoying her film. Freels offered some fantastic insight on her experiences in a recent interview I had the pleasure of holding with her.

 

iHorror: How long was filming? Where did filming take place?

Megan Freels: We shot for 12 days just outside of Los Angeles

iH: How long was the post production process?

MF: The post production process was long. We ran out of money as this was a micro budget film so we had to raise some funds through indiegogo. Once we had some money in place we were able to put the finishing touches on the film. We got a great sound team on board and a great composer and music supervisor. Our editor was also fantastic. The people involved in post really helped me to finish the film. Post was an area I was not nearly as familiar with.

iH: How was the film financed?

MF: As a producer in Hollywood for a long time and being continuously frustrated with how difficult it is to raise financing for films (even with actors attached), I decided to make a feature film on a shoestring budget. I was sick of relying on someone else to decide whether or not I could go make a film. I figured with the amount of money that people raise to make short films, you could surely make a feature for that. I scrounged some money together and when I knew what kind of micro budget I could assemble, I then started writing the script. If you write the script knowing you don’t have a lot of money then you can try to make things easy on yourself. Few locations, few complications.

iH: What were your greatest challenges during the production of this film?

MF: I would say that finishing the film was harder than the production itself. Shooting the film went pretty smooth. Our crew was fantastic, the actors, everyone worked so hard. Post production was a whole other animal. Once you have finished a film, a lot of hurdles get thrown your way that you don’t expect and if you are an indie filmmaker and not a studio you have to fight through those challenges yourself. So I think maintaining that level of perseverance was my biggest challenge.

iH:  Any memorable experiences or stories during production?

MF: We had all night shoots in January of 2013. Believe it or not, even though it was LA it was freezing! It was 27 degrees on the night we shot the car breakdown scene. I was walking around covered in blankets. We were shooting on a deserted road with a generator and one big light. The crew totally handled it like pros. Poor Ashley James, was freezing in a tank top, but you can’t even see her shiver. We also lost our original bar location at the last minute and found a place just days before shooting that ended up working out so much better than what we planned. The entire experience of making Rebound was beyond memorable.

iH: What were your inspirations for creating this film?

MF: The films I love the most are Psychological Thrillers and Neo-Noir films from the late 60s through the 80s. I love atmosphere and mood. Some people find that boring but to me, what is the most interesting is what is not said, it’s what goes on between the action and lines of dialog.

iH: Do you have any projects you are currently working on? Any future projects?

MF: I have a lot of projects in development. A lot of them are horror films. I try not to talk about projects until we are literally on set and ready to shoot because so many projects go into turn around or they stall for whatever reason, but I can say that I have some great projects as a producer, a lot of which I wrote, with acclaimed directors attached. I haven’t decided yet which will be my next project as a director. But I can tell you, I look forward to having a real budget next time.

Rebound was not the original title for the film, a very intriguing fact Megan shared with me. The working title was actually PTSD, which she described as it could be interpreted a few different ways. The term is so heavily used in association with war veterans it made it difficult for her to keep that as the title. I agree, you made the right decision, Rebound definitely works!

Megan Freels did a marvelous write-up for Cultural Weekly about the production journey of a micro-budget film. Freels expresses in depth the process, challenges, and rewards from start to finish of her film, Rebound. Be sure to check it out!

Check out the trailer for Rebound below.

[vimeo id=”63933184″]

 

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