INTERVIEW: Hunter Adams brings supernatural thriller ‘Dig Two Graves’ to theaters
Dig Two Graves, which premieres in theaters and video on demand Friday, March 24, tells the story of Sheriff Waterhouse (Silence of the Lambs’ Ted Levine) and his granddaughter Jake Mather (Captain Fantastic’s Samantha Isler). After Jake loses her brother in a drowning incident, certain mysteries in her small town begin to emerge. Three moonshiners show up with an impossible proposal, and the sheriff’s past is brought into question. By the end of Jake’s ordeal, nothing and nobody are the same.
Hunter Adams wrote and directed the 85-minute feature, which falls on that cinematic line between a thriller and genre horror. The film, shot in southern Illinois, delves into the topic of magic and mysticism. Other cast members include Danny Goldring, Ann Sonneville and Troy Ruptash.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Adams about the new movie. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Where did the idea for Dig Two Graves come from? What inspired you to tell this story?
Choice is the foundation of drama, the more difficult the choice, the greater the drama. I liked the idea of seeing an innocent child wrestle with an impossible proposition, and because much of the story is seen from the perspective of the child, I liked toying with the idea of a supernatural bargain. The three moonshiners, who were drawn in the tradition of the witches from Macbeth, have a similarly ambiguous connection to magic and mysticism. And while I was writing the script, my mom passed away from cancer, so the story became infused with my own attempts to wrestle with grief and regret.
How important was the casting for the success of the film?
Casting was ALL important. The movie was riding on the shoulders of 13-year-old newcomer Samantha Isler. If the audience didn’t take the journey with her emotionally, then the movie wouldn’t work. Her grandfather, Sheriff Waterhouse, played by veteran actor Ted Levine, had the potential to be a colorful character but needed someone of Ted’s stature to make that performance iconic and weighty. And Wyeth, the antagonist played by Troy Ruptash in a top hat and overcoat, could have easily slipped into parody, but Troy kept the performance grounded and real, and by the end, I think you actually empathize with him.
Did the script change a lot after you began filming?
The script didn’t change that much during the actual shoot because we were on a supremely tight schedule with little time to experiment, but the narrative was reshaped dramatically in the edit room, mostly by removing large chunk of storyline to focus on the emotional arc, the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter.
Have you been influenced by horror movies and thrillers your entire life?
Yes, I love genre movies because the good ones tend to be innovators of the medium, pushing the boundaries of narrative convention and utilizing the full vocabulary of cinematic language.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Dig Two Graves premieres in theaters and video on demand Friday, March 24. Click here for more information.
