A Little Bit Zombie is a horror-comedy about a man who gets bit by an infected mosquito and, as he begins to transform into a member of the living dead, struggles with his craving for brains so that he doesn’t disappoint his fiancée or friends. It’s an absolutely hysterical take on the genre, and with a solid script, cast, and production behind it, it’s sure to become a cult hit along the lines of Evil Dead or last year’s Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil.
Criticize This! spoke with Casey Walker, the director of the film, about how the idea was spawned, what it took to be the first crowd funded film, and what he hopes the audience gets out of the movie. Read our Q&A below.
Brian McKechnie: How did the idea for A Little Bit Zombie come to be?
Casey Walker: I was at a friend’s birthday party and I was introduced to Chris Bond, who had written Evil Dead: The Musical. We waxed philosophically about zombies, [Sam] Raimi and Bruce Campbell, and all his experiences and stuff. Then he learned I had just made a short film and said, “I’ve got an idea for a movie! What happens when a guy gets bit by a zombie mosquito? He becomes a ‘little bit’ zombie.” At first I thought it was a joke, but it’s also a really good premise and that’s where it was born. We parted ways and I don’t think he thought anything of it, but it stuck with me for two weeks and I ended up hunting him and his writing partner down and bought it on the spot.
BM: This was funded mainly by crowdsourcing, correct?
CW: A big part of it was funded via crowdsourcing. Part of it was from government tax credits, and a big chunk of it was out of my own pocket.
BM: How did you find the crowdsourcing aspect of it? Were people willing to throw their money at you?
CW: I was the first person to [use crowdsourcing for a movie]. It was a lot of trial and tribulations and was a hard, hard five years. I don’t know if I’d do it again, especially to that level. No one has gone out and tried to raise a million dollars to make a movie through $10 donations.
BM: It took five years to make?
CW: I started mymilliondollarmovie.com in 2006 and we began shooting in the spring of 2011. I originally had another script in position to shoot, but when I got the forth or fifth draft of A Little Bit Zombie I just knew I had to make it now. I actually loved the script and it made me laugh out loud and got me excited. It reminded me of why I do what I do and that’s why I jumped all over it.
BM: The cast is amazing. Were these actors you had in mind from the beginning?
CW: Some of the actors were part of my second round of casting. And I’m glad the people I approached first said no because then I wouldn’t have gotten this cast. I truly believe the people who were meant to be in the film were in it, regardless of how it started off. Kristopher Turner wasn’t our first choice, but he was the best choice for Steve and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing that role now.
BM: You’ve done a lot of television work. Did you notice a big difference switching over to doing a feature film?
CW: The big difference I noticed was that I was the one in charge. Normally, even though I’m the director, there’s a producer and a broadcaster above me. Sometimes there’s several producers and several broadcasters. Where with this one, the buck stopped with me. The film lived and died on my final decision. It’s very exciting but it’s also very nerve-wracking.
BM: What was the biggest challenge with the production for you?
CW: We had issues with financing all the way through. I never had an issue with creative or the cast and the crew. The people who were supposed to be helping us financially… I don’t think that they fully trusted us and because of that I was forced to spend more time on the business side when I should have been concentrating 100% on the creative side. That’s probably the most challenging and the most frustrating.
BM: What do you hope the audience gets out of the film?
CW: To be honest, I hope they laugh a lot. If it helps them forget their cares and worries for 87 minutes and just concentrate on our world and the craziness that’s going on, then it’s totally been worth it.
BM: Any chance for a sequel?
CW: There’s a non-sequel sequel we’ve been talking about. I don’t want to spoil it but the characters are certainly not dead.
A Little Bit Zombie premieres at the Victoria Film Festival on February 4. For more info on the film and to find other upcoming screenings, visit alittlebitzombie.com.
Check out the trailer and poster for A Little Bit Zombie below.
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