Inhumane: Welcome Back to The Female Werewolf!

What is better than a new horror feature about a female werewolf? Not much, I had a think about it and yeah, not much. Lucky for us there are still creatives who understand this NEED for movies with plots such as this one and Eric Winkler is one of them; a fairly new on the market writer who has bought us not only a new horror movie but has done so with the sharp bite of woman empowerment. Inhumane is, as said, a female led werewolf movie in which our main character Lisa has something horrific happen...hold on, let me have the brains behind the movie tell you a little what it’s about, that’s right Velvet-ians, I got to speak to the man himself;

Where did the idea for Inhumane come from and made you want to write it?

ERIC: My original thought was "I want to write a movie with a really badass woman as the lead character." Basically, I thought it'd be cool if we had her be a superhero, but her superpower is that she's a werewolf. Well, originally I couldn't decide whether I wanted to make her a vampire or a werewolf...but vampires have been done to death. The movie really evolved into a psychological exploration. What does a good person do when they lose control? Many werewolf movies deal with that loss of control, but most don't give the main character a reason to give in to their change. Our lead character, Lisa, is a strong, righteous person. She has unspeakable things done to her, and she basically has everything (save for her friendship with her best friend) taken from her. She survives because she's strong! And, she's conflicted about what to do after surviving. Does she relent and embrace the dark change occurring within her? Is she justified? 

Horror is one of our favourite genres here at Velvet Film and being a female run blog, there is such an importance within this representation matching with the gory glory that is fear in film, those are my reasons for being drawn to this movie, but I wanted to know Eric’s for writing it; 

Inhumane is obviously of one of our favourite genres here HORROR and you've also bought woman empowerment to this genre, was this important for you and for the story?

ERIC: Absolutely! I'm a straight, white male. We live in a time where I've got it pretty easy. I consider it my DUTY to stand up for, and celebrate, those who aren't like me. And, as this is a female empowerment movie, I try to include my wife (acting as a producer) and our lead actress (she's also a writer) in every decision I make about it. We are also involving as many women as possible with production, too!

I think horror has had strong women in the past, whether it's Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween," Lori Cardille in "Day of the Dead," Sarah Polley in the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, or Dee Wallace (a Kansas City native - that's where we're from) in "The Howling." It's really refreshing, though, to see movies like "Wonder Woman" bringing female power to the forefront. Let's hope it continues! And, I'm so happy that our movie features several strong women in it.

So, how did the leading lady herself Lindsay Lillig come to find the concept and the idea of Inhumane? I asked her just that!

How did you come about Inhumane and what was your first reaction to it?

LINDSAY: I first came across Inhumane a little over a year ago. Eric found my talent profile through my agency’s website and contacted me about a screenplay he’d written. He gave such a strong, passionate pitch that I simply had to read it. I was hooked from the very first page. Lisa’s opening action just screamed Lindsay. I knew I had to be involved in this film somehow.

This film looks awesome and with blood and moon fronting this train, it’s all got to be interesting to ride, especially when your the crew helping it run. 

What has the creation process been like?

ERIC: We filmed a short version of the movie last Fall. Our lead actress lived in LA at the time (she's since moved back home to KC), and she and her husband (he's also an actor) were back in town for a wedding. We had them for two days. We filmed for 17 hours each day. Then we did some pickup shots. I found the filming process to be absolutely exhilarating. And I was in awe of the professionalism and talent of our crew. I'm so honored to even be associated with them! And, I'd like to signal out our lead actress, Lindsay Lillig. She was basically man-handled, thrown around and water boarded over the course of two days, and she attacked it with fierce determination. I always considered the casting of our lead role to be the single-most important part of this movie, and I couldn't have found someone more talented, dedicated and perfect for the gig. I'm quite confident she's going to have a very successful career.

Finally, we filmed a short version of the movie, but the main goal has always been to make the full-length movie. Not unlike many independent films, we're seeking the funds to do that. We currently have a rough cut of a teaser trailer finished, and it's fantastic, even in rough cut form!

LINDSAY: So far, the process has been fascinating. Eric is a very open-minded, collaborative producer. He cherishes everyone’s opinion and wants each and every person on set to feel involved in the process. We’ve been very lucky to work with an insanely talented DOP, Evan, whom I’m obsessed with and want to keep forever. I’ve learned so much from just watching him work. I’ve also learned a lot from Eric regarding screenwriting, in which I’ve recently started to dabble. Sometimes film life is tedious and time-consuming, but it’s worth every second.

Of course it only took me a mere few minutes to start asking the golden question, but with me talking to writer AND actor, I found I had to reword the question separately; but worry not, they both asked THE question! 

I gotta ask, as a horror writer, what horror films are your favourite or might have inspired this movie?

ERIC: The question of which horror movie is my favorite is so difficult to answer, right? If I had to, I would say it's probably "Fright Night" from 1985. I actually met our amazing makeup/special effects guy, Jake Jackson, at a film showing of "Fright Night" at Alamo Drafthouse. One scene in our movie,"Inhumane," is directly influenced by one in "Fright Night." Other horror movies that influenced me were "You're Next" (filmed here in Missouri) and even the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in terms of their gritty, visceral nature. I wouldn't call them horror, but the original "Conan" and "Robocop" were both big influences on me when it comes to revenge movies. I hadn't seen "Ginger Snaps" when I wrote "Inhumane," but I have since, and it's fantastic! Of course, "The Wolf Man" from 1941 was a big influence. It deals with the aforementioned loss of control. And so does "Werewolf of London" from 1935. That's another movie I hadn't seen until after I wrote "Inhumane," but it features a strong woman, coincidentally named "Lisa." And this was 1935! I've decided to say I retroactively named our lead character "Lisa" after her.

Would you say you’re a fan of horror movies or maybe will be now?! 

LINDSAY: Honestly, I have never been much of a “horror” fan. I love a good suspense/thriller, but horror was never really my genre. Anything involving the “supernatural,” however, is right up my alley. Aliens, monsters, the paranormal - count me in. My favorite show is, after all, entitled Supernatural. So. It was the werewolf plot that drew me in to Inhumane, plus the badass female lead. Working on a horror movie definitely makes me want to watch more movies in that same vein, though.

AHH! A fellow SPN Family member! Also another sweet sci fi, winchester loving lady infected by the horror bug! Well done Eric! 

As well as being excited about where Inhumane is going and when it’s coming; interested, growing fans (that will soon be coming with this films release) can get comfortable on this strange metaphorical train I have made up because friends, Inhumane is only the beginning.

Could we see more from you in this genre in the future?

LINDSAY: Absolutely! Inhumane puts me one step closer to starring in Supernatural some day (only half kidding). But seriously, I would easily be in any other horror movie Eric writes. Spoilers? Maybe? 

Oh Lindsay, spoilers indeed; proven straight at the werewolf writer’s hand! A Trilogy, says the wind?

Do you have plans to continue writing in the horror genre?

ERIC: Yes! Going along with my theme of writing about those not like me, the second movie I wrote is an LGBT-themed dramedy. An early version of it made it to the semifinals of the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. And, I just finished writing the sequel to "Inhumane." I'm so excited about it! I'm actually pondering going ahead and writing the third (and final) "Inhumane" movie. I know where I want to go with it, and my wife and I came up with the perfect ending to the trilogy.

Faith is staying strong within upcoming writers and I'm letting out a little of that deep breath I have been holding in; here's to representation and the greatness of both writing and horror! 

Follow Inhumane on Twitter for updates: @InhumaneFilm

I think I'm gonna watch this now to satisfy my taste! 

Ginger Snaps (2000)

VF.

Images from:

Inhuman IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7542652/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm

https://ginger-snaps-movie.deviantart.com/