In a new interview on HorrorScreams VideoVault I got an opportunity to ask director Tom Lee Rutter a few questions about his latest feature Day of the Stranger. The first ever British acid western which is being released by VIPCO later this year.
Your film Day of the Stranger picked up for distribution by VIPCO. Can you tell me a little bit about what we can expect form the film?
You can expect a British take on the psychedelic western. It is a bold and ambitious film made with very little money, but it wears its fierce independence on its sleeve. It is certainly one for the more discerning fan of DIY and guerrilla zero budget film-making.
Day of the Stranger has the title of being the first ever Guerrilla Acid Western. Can you confirm what a Guerrilla Acid Western is and why you decided to film it in the UK?
The Acid Western is a term coined to encapsulate a string of subversive westerns made from the early-mid 60’s onwards until the early 70’s with notable contributions sporadically through the 80’s onwards. Usually a counter-cultured look at a doomed, blood-stained society a-la the American Frontier (or at least a likening of) through acid-tinged lenses and lapping’s of surrealism and ultra-violence.
What were your influences when writing the script for the film?
The film is adapted from an unfinished Mark Twain story more popularly known as ‘The Mysterious Stranger‘ – with passages directly lifted and reshaped into some sort of West Midlands existentialist, western. Other direct influences were the key acid-westerns of the genre. Jodorowsky’s El Topo, Robert Downey’s Greaser’s Palace, Monte Hellman’s The Shooting as well as various classic spaghetti westerns that shared a lot of the subversion you would see in the acid western.
What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
Definitely rough and tumble prints of low budget exploitation films of the 1970’s, their gritty handheld urgency and unflinching exploration of controversial themes, etc. I utilised the ‘grindhouse thing’ with all the grain and film damage, even if I tried not to overuse it. The decision to bring in the filmic artefact look was actually to help patch up and mask some of my errors and faults (of which there were bloody many!) and thought it would contribute to the rough, DIY charm as well as pay homage. I usually use a lot of black and white on my stuff so I made sure the colours were the brightest they could be to create an illusion of unspoilt, sun drenched desert land but in the UK. We were blessed with a lot of blue skies on the long and arduous shoot.
It was always going to be a difficult to create a western on a low budget, in the West Midlands of the UK. In the end taking 6 years to complete. What were some of the biggest issues you face whilst filming?
We faced every issue imaginable. The film became an absolute nightmare, a maze of which I didn’t think I’d ever emerge from. We wondered into the woods and started shooting this thing with next to zero resources and were like lambs to the slaughter. Films are always designed to be shot in a tight time frame – I particularly aim to set out to make a film that is manageable and within my capabilities, BUT it never works out like that!
Day of The Stranger was initially conceived as a chamber piece; not many actors and limited location setting. It obviously spiralled into something a little more and I found I had to create more strands to satisfy the plot and flow, etc. The fundamental problem with this one was that we didn’t have a final script in place and just haphazardly started shooting. The project was born out of a need to battle inertia with friends and to be active so to speak. We ended up rewriting as we were shooting and that included scenes we’d already shot! We also recast one of the principal roles at an extremely later stage after ongoing problems with the original guy. It was a right messy production the likes of which I won’t be repeating!
What were some of your favourite moments whilst filming?
I’d say finishing it – but this was one of those films that I never really knew would ever be finished – even after the cut we called ‘final’ it was always going to seem unfinished. It just came to a point where I had to stop and say ‘okay – this is it’ and it wasn’t a moment of joy at all, more one of quietness and reflection.
I genuinely enjoyed the first day of shooting as that was one where we all approached the day with genuine enthusiasm, had many elements on our side and the impressive results encouraged us to continue.
The last days of shooting with the new actor playing The Stranger were also the best. After months, even years of dwindling momentum and dying enthusiasm we really hit our stride on these new shoots, and it was invigorating. The spirit of that first day had returned and ended things on a high.
Were there many changes from the original script and were there any areas where you felt the film was improved due to the issues you faced during filming?
Oh sure, as mentioned previously the script was never finalised. We kind of set sail on a draft that needed severe revision. The latter half was where it mainly deviated as I must have rewritten those scenes so many times over. Shooting with the new actor in the role of the Stranger gave me the opportunity to tighten those scenes for the final time and I am so thankful for that as I’d grown as a filmmaker since the start of the shoot by this point. My confidence in writing and directing had grown with it. The scenes with Caine and The Stranger as a result hit all the right notes now.
You use a lot of filmmakers who you have worked with previously, did you have anyone in mind for the characters when writing the script?
Caine was specifically created for my mate Dale to play. He wanted to get involved and I thought he’d pull off that gruff manly gunslinger protagonist ideally. The Stranger was always meant for someone who could pull off a deviousness, a manipulative and menacing allure who was also quite comical and genuinely unpredictable. Unfortunately, we took a chance on someone who was none of those things (laughs). Gary Baxter came along all those years later and put it right. Without him in the role the film would have died a horrible public death.
As for working with other filmmakers, I’m in this game to connect with like minded soldiers of the craft and love to discuss the many trials and tribulations that comes with film-making. There’s a lot of folk striving and working towards some sort of industry standard going on in the indie game and folk sometimes forget it’s a rainbow of different artists working in different styles and being able to express in different ways. Indie to me should be exciting and should offer something different – part of the package for me is chatting and admiring other filmmakers. I put a lot of them in my films in acting capacities as it’s kind of a bus-man’s holiday for them – they get to come to the set, do a bit of acting then off they go free of all the turmoil of running the set. They understand that turmoil though, which is why it’s nice to have them around!
You are also currently working on your new feature The Pocket Film of Superstitions; can you tell me a little bit about the film?
The Pocket Film of Superstitions is the most fun I’ve had making a feature so far. It is also a spiritual bedfellow to my earlier film BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM. It is an atmospheric, humorous, and often creepy look at various superstitions through the ages in vignette form. I wanted to make a film free of the usual narrative structure, I wanted to make a film that doesn’t give people what they usually expect, and I hope my gamble pays off!
The film includes some familiar faces from Day of the Stanger, but also some horror royalty with scream queens Lynn Lowry and Caroline Munro. How did they become involved in the film?
Caroline came along when I was introduced to her absolutely lovely manager Jayne courtesy of the aforementioned Gary Baxter who I actually cast and shot with in The Pocket Film… before casting him in the unfinished Day of the Stranger. Caroline had been undergoing some personal issues, so I am eternally thankful that she made the time to come do this for us. She is also as wonderful and as beautiful inside and out as you can imagine.
Lynn Lowy I actually connected with online. I introduced myself and we chatted a little. Some months later she popped up to say hello one day and said she’d like to work with me on something sometime. I immediately set to work and shaped a sequence of the film to fit especially for her. After some back-and-forthing, Lynn agreed to do it and she has done such a stunning job of the sequence that it has suddenly shot up into my favourite of the sequences in the film!
Despite restrictions you have done some of the filming during lockdown. How much of an impact has it has on the film and how have you overcome these issues?
It has become increasingly difficult as the severity of the pandemic has heightened somewhat. We have rolled into 2021 with more uncertainty than before. Back in 2020 I was very lucky to have shot the sequences I did but it wasn’t without its extra shares of anxiety and worry. It was also finding those ideal windows to get it done before restrictions got tighter. I’m also obviously behind schedule as a result and have sequences ready to go but with desired performers in different parts of the country – the whole idea of travelling seems impossible at the moment. I’m focusing on the bits and pieces I can get done locally for now.
Do you have any other projects which you are working on or have planned for the future?
Yes! Too bloody many! I have learned to speak of none of these as things never pan out as planned!
Coming back to the Indiegogo campaign, VIPCO are looking raise money for special limited addition releases of Day of the Stranger, I Scream on the Beach! and Harvest of the Dead: Halloween Night. Why do you think people should get involved and support the Indiegogo campaign?
Well speaking for DAY OF THE STRANGER, I can honestly say you won’t find another film like it out there! It’s a DIY, acid-western shot mostly in the West Midlands – and it has a lot of heart and soul. Anyone who is a fan of the underground and fringes of weird films should check it out – I’d certainly want to! I can also recommend I SCREAM ON THE BEACH!; the TIS films guys have taken the slasher standard and had a LOT of fun with it. There are so many surprises in there that it’s a lot of fun to take in and certainly a must for the fans of the VHS age. It’s a slasher with post-modern twists and turns and made with the same DIY passion as Day of the Stranger.
Harvest of the Dead I am yet to see, but I have seen previous works from Peter Goddard and can confirm he is a British indie talent to watch. Above all else, an indie label making a go of putting out these daring little films in the UK must be supported by anyone with an interest in the indie and the cult, right?
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Great interview, great website.