Werewolf stories are a staple of the horror genre. From Universal’s The Wolfman to An American Werewolf in London, each tale brings something unique to the screen. One actor and filmmaker, Wayne David, has created a new addition to the subgenre, Wolf Garden. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with him to discuss creating the film, the horror genre and much more. Take a look at what he had to say.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Becca Stalnaker: What inspired this film?

Wayne David: Well, it came out of lockdown because we had another film we were supposed to be making just as the COVID pandemic hit. So the decision was taken to not push ahead with that movie and try and do something that was a bit more contained, a bit more of a one-location sort of horror film, that we could work around what we had and what was nearby. It grew out of that really.

I think it was trying to do something one location, and also I’d always wanted to do a werewolf love story I had in my head for a while to do something more of a tragic romance. There was a blending of genres, rather than just being an obvious monster movie. Of course, with it being my first feature film, you want to try and do something a little bit different, just to stand out a bit more than if it was just another standard monster movie.

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BS: It must have been difficult playing writer, director and star. What was that experience like?

WD: It came about sort of by necessity. I’m an actor first and foremost. I’ve been writing for years, I’ve written a few things that we filmed and then I directed a few short films and trailers, the trailer for this actually. So there were times when I kind of thought, ‘Should I hand it over to someone else to direct,’ but once we really got into it all and the idea developed, it was my vision. I wanted to keep control over where it was going and the creative part of it. Of course, because it’s a very low-budget film as well, it was kind of like you have to wear lots of hats to make things happen. It was a strain, there was a lot of pressure, no doubt. I’ve said many times it kind of helps that the character was having a bit of a mental breakdown because I wasn’t too far away from that myself.

A man has his back to the camera and is carrying a limp woman in Wolf Garden.

So, it brought its own challenges, but it kind of fed into the performance as well. Although there are parts of it I wouldn’t wish on anybody some of the stuff. But it’s an indie film set and all kinds of crazy stuff happens, and with the backdrop of COVID that was sort of a present and causing more issues, it was tough, but I think the experience you gained from having to do so many things, you learned so much more about it even from the point of view of the post-production, sort of getting involved in that and even the sale of the film. You have to wear all these different hats, the finance, you have to make it work. That stands you in good stead for the next project.

BS: If you could only tell fans one thing about your movie to get them interested in it, what would that be?

WD: I think it’s something a bit different. As I say, with werewolf movies, it’s very often a monster movie and we’ve come at it from a more psychological angle. It’s more of a tragic romance, psychological werewolf movie, where you know, a lot of it you’re questioning, is this real? Is it in the character’s head? How much do we actually see of this creature, this mystery creature that’s locked inside of the shed, and what’s going on with that? I think it’s a sort of film where you can make your own decisions about what’s going on at different moments, and what it means. There are a lot of visual motifs and foreshadowing. So there we just tried to do something a bit different. So more of a psychological werewolf movie.

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BS: What was it like working with your limited cast?

WD: Yeah, it was great. When I originally wrote the script, the idea, I thought I’d be helping myself by writing the main characters on the screen a lot of the time, and then you suddenly realize, actually, it would have been helping me a lot if I’d have been on screen a little bit less. So that was one of the tricky parts of it, but the two other actors I’ve got, Grant and Sian, were really good. And there’s a nice relaxed chemistry there with Sian, and the scenes with Grant, he’s just got great energy and brings that sort of antagonist vibe to it. Very mysterious and just a really, really good actor.

It’s the same with the voices we got in later on. We had to do that after, we weren’t planning to have actors on set to do it, but we had to end up doing it to record it. So much like this, funnily enough, recording the voice bits and it all added those different dimensions that the film definitely needed to keep an energy going into it and have sort of points and points of interest at different times.

BS: When it comes to the monster that is mostly only heard, what was your inspiration for creating the psychological moments where we’re not sure exactly what’s going on with it?

WD: Well, I think it was always going to be an exercise in trying to show something without showing something. I always think the greatest horror films, they don’t show you a lot. We went very much down to that Alien route, you see flashes of the creature, I mean, there is even less than Alien. But it’s just that thing about what you don’t see can sometimes be a lot more scary than what you do see, and as soon as you get too much of a reveal it can work against you.

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Certainly, when you’ve got a low budget, you’re working around with what you can actually physically show. So it was a lot with the sound design, and the effects, even the moodiness of the atmosphere, just building that sort of tension there. I think it’s the in the press release that the film takes inspiration from American Werewolf in London and Vertigo. And I’d say obviously, while it’s not a similar film to American Werewolf in London, it kind of follows the same folklore, this sort of folklore strategy, the being stalked by the victims of the werewolf kind of thing. So that was obviously an inspiration.

We’ve not been able to show too much of the wolf. We made it work with some with very minimal VFX and the prosthetics we had. I was pleased with how that came out. Then as I say, with the psychological element of it, it was very much the other inspiration was Vertigo, in that it’s about love and loss and character, essentially losing his mind on screen.

BS: What is your favorite scary movie?

WD: It’s hard to say because there are so many. I mean, my fiance’s always saying I’ll put a film on, and I’m always saying, Oh, this is one of my favorite movies, and she says, you say that about all the films, I mean there’s a few I guess. Probably the number one horror film may be Dawn of the Dead by George Romero, the original 1978 film that’s kind of my go-to film. But you know, I wouldn’t go so far as to call that a scary movie as such. I think I probably lean more towards films like Alien and The Shining, they’re the two big ones for me. I like films that build a lot on the atmosphere. The Shining certainly had a big influence again on this film at that stage, just building the tension with not too much going on.

Wayne David stares at the camera with trees behind him in Wolf Garden.

BS: If you could give advice to someone interested in making movies, what would that be?

WD: I think it’s just to keep pushing forward. The biggest thing with all of it is there’s so much working against you all the time. There are always budget constraints, as well as finding the money in the first place. People are telling you it can’t be done. You can’t do this for this, but it’s that determination you’ve got to have.

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This film has taken more than two years of my life, from writing it to shooting it to getting it released. It’s very, very tough there. You get a few moments where you’re happy, and then there’s never this big winning the lottery champagne moment that you always think you’re gonna get. It’s always a very gradual thing. Then when you put one film out, you’re thinking about the next one.

So it’s, you know, it’s a constant thing, and I think the biggest thing you can ever do with it is to keep believing in yourself, no matter what you do. You’ve just got to believe in what you’re doing. You’ve got to believe in your vision and not second guess. You’ve got to take each day as it comes and keep pushing forward because it’s very tough. But if you want it badly enough, you can make it happen.

BS: So, why werewolves, specifically?

WD: Well, I think it’s a genre of film. I’ve always kind of been a big fan of American Werewolf in London and the original Wolfman. And it seemed like something interesting you could do to flip it on its head and make it more psychological, just something different. Because you know, you’ve got this sort of haunted house that we have ghosts and witches and stuff, but, you know, taking the werewolf genre and just trying to do something a little bit different. I think that was always the appeal of trying to make this movie for me.

BS: I’ve got one more question for you: Do you have another project on the horizon?

WD: I have a couple of projects on the horizon. I’ve got some meetings, and hopefully, fingers crossed, we can start moving ahead with one of them. One is more of a comedy-drama, which is quite far away from Wolf Garden, and the other is another suspense. So it’s always the case when you’re looking to get films made. It’s good to have a few options and a slate of we’re ready to go, so it really is which one takes off the quickest now.

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Have you seen Wolf Garden yet? Let us know in the comments. The film is available to buy or rent on Prime Video, YouTube and Xbox. Before you go, check out the trailer for Wolf Garden below.

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