Recently I spoke with Director Brandon Zuck about Hulu’s horror series Into The Dark. Brandon Directed the film “Crawlers” and was kind enough to discuss it with us.
How did the idea for the film come about?
The idea came from an original screenplay by Catherine Wignall. Everyone read it and really sparked to the concept, the quirky tone, and the array of odd and complicated characters.
What were the biggest challenges you had and the biggest success stories?
The biggest challenge is just something inherent to a project of this scale. Time. And I don’t mean just this movie, I mean the whole collection of INTO THE DARK entries. Making 12 movies a year is a crazy mountain to climb, but what a cool endeavor. It’s like a 24 hour film festival that never ends. You just need to know what you’re getting into. And I would have to say the biggest success along the way was probably the stunts department. On our schedule I was always terrified we’d go way off track on stunt days and they always just nailed it the first time. It was a thrill to watch.
What does Hulu offer you as a platform vs Home video or Theatrical?
The main difference is availability. Hulu’s really distinguished itself as a home for amazing content, so they have this massive audience of subscribers built in. As soon as your project goes live, boom, there you are right in people’s living rooms. It’s a very cool thing.
How did you get into show business and what was your big break?
Well show business technically started when I was a kid. I used to do commercials and things like that. I was actually on a Saturday morning series in the 90s so I guess that counts. Growing up on set just made it all feel very natural. Honestly I don’t think I fit in anywhere else. In terms of big breaks, I can’t really say. I think it’s a collection of things. But I would say that the best thing I ever did was quit my job in marketing and go back to film school. Whatever breaks I got definitely started there.
How long was filming and where did you shoot?
The schedule was 16 days long. Just to clarify: that is an incredibly tight schedule. And we actually shot on this truly strange abandoned college campus just outside Los Angeles. It was wild. Quite a few ghost stories from set.
What do you have coming up next?
I have a couple projects on the horizon. Film and television. Things I’m very excited about, working with some legendary artists. Hoping to announce very soon!
