Director Nicholas Payne Santos’ atmospheric horror short Strange Creatures finds a grieving sister searching for her deceased brother at the site of his death. Santos, whose filmmaking more commonly falls into horror comedy territory, as was seen on DN’s pages back in 2017 with his short Holiday Fear, switches gears into more dramatic fare with Strange Creatures and the results are superb. It’s a short dripping with dread and tension and sees Santos embrace some excellent practical special effects for the film’s antagonistic force. DN is delighted to be sharing Strange Creatures on this spookiest day of the year in conjunction with our conversation with Santos where he talks through the personal bereavement that inspired the short, his motivation to switch from horror comedy to something more supernatural, and the decision to buck the trend and go without a score in order to amplify the on-screen tension.
What’s the origin story of Strange Creatures?
Seven years ago, I lost my older brother to the opioid epidemic. Since then, I haven’t been able to bring myself to delete his number from my phone. Every time I scroll through my contacts, I come across it and am fondly reminded of him. Yet, I also have this recurring nightmare where I receive a call from his number, but it’s not him on the other end. This unsettling experience inspired the initial concept for Strange Creatures.
Having worked extensively in horror comedy, I wanted to challenge myself by creating a truly frightening film. This story felt like the perfect opportunity to do so. My goal was to craft a supernatural horror movie that delivers not only jump scares but also psychological terror and a lingering sense of dread from the very first frame.
How did you realise that intention during the journey from script to screen?
To bring this concept to life, I reunited with previous collaborators, including Actress Quinn Jackson from my micro-budget feature It Cuts Deep, as well as crew members like DP Kyle Kelley, Editor Adam Brown, and Sound Designer Jordan Eusebio. Along with Producer Ross Saxon, we set out to make a truly terrifying film.
When we talked to you a while back about your short Holiday Fear, you spoke about subverting the stereotypes of horror with your work, do you see Strange Creatures as a film which diverts from the typical tracks of the genre?
With Strange Creatures, I wasn’t trying to subvert tropes but lean into them and use them in unexpected ways. My first draft ended on a fake jump scare, withholding it from the audience, where I initially was subverting the jump scare-based short film, but it didn’t feel satisfying narratively. I looked back at the history of jump scares, from Cat People to The Conjuring, and one of my favorites in Mulholland Drive, to feature a variety of scares and use them as effectively as possible while telling a deeply personal story.
The location plays such an important role in establishing the tense tone of the short. What were you looking for during location scouting?
For the location, I knew we needed a real trailhead to capture the look and feel of the script. I scouted parks online across New York and New Jersey, focusing on areas within two hours of New York City, where the cast and crew would be traveling from. After visiting several parks, I chose Jenny Jump State Forest in Hope, NJ, which is the same area where the original Friday the 13th was filmed. It also helped that the park had its own ghost story tied to its name.
My goal was to craft a supernatural horror movie that delivers not only jump scares but also psychological terror and a lingering sense of dread from the very first frame.
We decided early on that we’d shoot in the summer to achieve the right look for the woods. Although much of the film came together in the spring, we waited until July to shoot. The extra time allowed me to meticulously shot list, rehearse and block. We also pre-recorded the phone call with actress Christine Nyland in April, giving Quinn an early opportunity to immerse herself in the role. By the time we were on set, everyone was fully prepared.
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Could you talk about your approach to creature design and developing the look of your ghost?
The extra time also allowed us to perfect the look of our ghost. I wanted a decayed, rotting corpse aesthetic, reflecting what the ghost’s body would look like after a month of decomposition. Our talented Special Effects Makeup Artist Jared Balog worked closely with Actor Sean-Michael Wilkinson to mold and create our monster. For the eyes, instead of using contacts, we opted for special effect eyeballs placed over the actor’s eyes, limiting his vision but enhancing the eerie, otherworldly feel.
What drew you to use practical effects for the ghost as opposed to digital effects or CG?
I will always use practical effects as much as possible. While I’m not opposed to CG and VFX, something real and tangible will always be scarier and more effective. I was originally planning on using VFX to make our decaying ghost’s eyes glow, but Jared’s makeup worked so well that it didn’t feel necessary.
The short comes in at six and a half minutes, did that make for an equally short shoot? How many days were you on set?
For budget reasons, we planned to shoot the entire film in one night, with an extra day as a backup. Thanks to our thorough preparation, we managed to stay on schedule, though we were racing against the sunrise to complete the shoot while it was still dark. Lighting exterior nighttime scenes is always challenging, but with the expertise of Gaffer Kevin Pastor and our skilled crew, we captured the perfect look. Combined with the special effects makeup, it made for a hectic but exciting shoot.
I felt that the absence of sound would heighten the tension, so we opted not to use a score.
I mentioned earlier about how it’s a film with such a rich atmosphere, how did post-production play a part in creating that unnerving feel?
In post-production, I worked closely with Editor Adam Brown to nail the pacing and tone, while Sound Designer Jordan Eusebio and his team enhanced the atmosphere with a carefully crafted mix of silence and jarring sound effects. I felt that the absence of sound would heighten the tension, so we opted not to use a score, though we did incorporate a track by the NYC band Russian Baths to add character to the opening shot. Finally, with Colorist Nicholas Lareau, we achieved the right balance of darkness and texture to make the film both visceral and terrifying.
You made Strange Creatures after making your debut feature, did you learn anything from that process that you brought back into this short?
My debut feature It Cuts Deep, which everyone should go and watch on Tubi, was a horror comedy and although some people do find it scary, I wanted to make something more serious and terrifying. I took what I learned in directing emotionally stressful scenes from that film and applied that here, as well as using the same lead actress Quinn Jackson.
What’s next for you?
I do have a feature adaptation of Strange Creatures as well as a micro-budget project in the same style, tone and horror. And I recently wrote a big high-concept feature that’s a supernatural slasher about a haunted reality show that I’m very excited about.
