MOMBIE by N.T. Bullock

DIRECTED by: N.T. Bullock

Little Kevin watches his dad try to keep the family together after mom comes home… changed.

A clever take on the zombie film, with plenty of laughs and some interesting casting choices...

Film Pulse editor Adam Patterson

Five Questions with Director N.T. Bullock

What was a unique challenge you faced in making this film?

First off, thanks for selecting Mombie for Film Pulse. I’d say what made this short film a challenge was directing and starring in it, playing the role of a childlike character whose knees are basically ankles. I knew early in the writing process that it would be extremely hard to cast a kid, especially on a low budget, that I could dial in what I was going for; we only had two days to shoot so it just seemed like a bad route. On top of that I think psychologically it would be even harder for an audience to find funny if an actual kid were in that role. It quickly became a short film for lovers of absurdity. The unique challenge was shooting it all, getting it all covered, without showing my real feet.

Where did the inspiration for this film come from?

The inspiration was just wanting to do something simple, that could be done in one location over one weekend on a super tight budget. I haven’t done a lot of horror material, so that was also appealing to me – even if it was just for laughs I tried to play it pretty straight. I had also wanted to work with a longtime friend of mine, David Matthews, who’s a great DP living in my home state of Mississippi and this project seemed like a good enough excuse. I also got to work with longtime friend and actor, Nate Wells. So really, I just wanted to hang out with friends and shoot something crazy.

Who are your top influences?

Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher, James Cameron, & Jean-Pierre Jeunet are some that come to mind.

What do you hope people take away from this film?

A twisted smile on their face.

What’s your personal takeaway from this production?

I was working with a new crew, Mad Genius, on this one and they were great; it’s nice to enjoy the people you’re on a momentary journey with. As for the movie itself I knew that it would be divisive amongst fans of my previous work. It asks a lot from the viewer in order to have fun with the idea, and for some that’s harder than others. But, I’m glad I had a team that was willing to take some chances on the material and go “hog wild.” Having seen the film at multiple festivals with an audience I’m reinforced that there’re definitely likeminded folks out there who enjoy the same absurdities that I do.