Horror Short Film THE MOLOK Centers on an Ancient Creature Who Feeds on Human Memories
This week’s FilmQuest horror short film is The Molok, which centers on a ten year old boy, who unwittingly falls into the grasp of The Molok, an ancient creature who feeds on human memories, as it struggles to cope with the death of his father.
The film was directed by Samuel Wilson, and we included an interview with the filmmaker below for you to read through, so you can learn about the short and the filmmaker.
This short film is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the great indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?
Growing up, films like The Neverending Story and Return to Oz had a major impact on my life. I wanted to make a film that used puppetry and practical effects in a similar way to tell a create a modern fairy tale about the villain of our day as I see it.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker? What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?
My main interest is in fusing elements of horror and fantasy with weighty dramatic storytelling.
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
In my film, The Molok fuels his body with memories he's sucked out of discarded objects. We decided to build the puppet out of real donated objects that we collected over the months leading up to the film. Because the body of the monster was reliant on the memories and experiences we were receiving from our audience, it meant that the monster and the concept of The Molok itself kept changing evolving. I really enjoyed adapting to make the story feel more real.
What are you most proud of with this film?
I think we achieved something truly original in the story and the design of the monster. I feel like most monsters I see in horror films are based on a bug or a lizard, but The Molok is truly alien which gives it an uncanny quality that I've never seen before in how it moves and behaves.
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you'd like to share?
Our original puppet had two main puppeteers, one in the head and one on quad stilts inside the body of the monster. I was the first person in the stilts to test the movement of the puppet. The weight of the skeleton threw off the stilts and I fell and fractured my kneecap in the process. After that everyone wore kneepads and helmets.
What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
Everything in our film was donated from the objects that built the monster and his lair to the locations and costumes to the skills of the cast and crew. This made it difficult to lock things down and we had to be extremely flexible and adaptive with how we shot the film.
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?
Originally I wanted to make this film on no budget. Literally we were going to use a broom handle inside a black curtain to create a moving shadow. Once the concept took off with people and they wanted to get involved, the project ballooned into the production it was. It taught me that if you believe in your story, most likely there are others that will to and all you need to do is put it out there and ask.
Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?
Xander Chauncey was my main collaborator on the project from the start. He co-wrote the script and acted as the executive producer. When we had trouble finding actors with the right skills, he also ended up playing Micah's father in the film and operating the head of the puppet. He has a background in theater which helped.
What is the best advice you've ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
Making films is the hardest thing I've ever done. For me that's what gives it value, but if you're discouraged by endless, thankless work for its own sake, it may not be the career for you. Having said that; if you're committed to the art, my advice would be that those hard times you spend beating your head against the wall trying to make your film...that's literally the act of making your film better. Take the damage and keep working.
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?
The Molok short film has always been a step on the road for both The Molok story and my career as a filmmaker. I am currently developing The Molok as a television series and I hope that this film has shown a little of my particular style and interests as a storyteller.
What is your next project and when can we expect to see it?
My next project is shooting at the end of the year and will be my feature film debut as a writer/director. It's called The Trees! and it's a psychological thriller inspired by the writing of Algernon Blackwood.
Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you?
www.samwilsonfilm.com, @samwilsonfilm on instagram
Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?
The Silence of the Lambs
Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?
The Shining