Here is a great horror short film for you to watch called night messenger. In the film, “One night gives us a glimpse into the life of a woman who made a career out of feeding people to monsters. When one of the victims escapes, the story escalates into a hellish cat-and-mouse chase.”
This short is shared in partnership with FilmQuest Film Festival, where we hope to showcase some of the fantastic independent genre films and shorts filmmakers are creating.
The director and producer of this film is Tabitha and mason macdonaldwe have also included an interview that you can also read to learn more about them.
Please tell us, without spoiling anything, what your film is about, its characters, and its themes. Is it a proof of concept, or a standalone story?
A blood courier’s night becomes a harrowing cat-and-mouse chase after one of her victims escapes. The short film serves as a proof of concept for the series of the same name, as well as a script for a feature film titled “Never See the Sun Again.”
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with this idea?
Initially, it was just an idea born out of COVID quarantine to make an experimental short film based on some fun and creative footage, but it just kept snowballing until it became a much bigger story. Also inspired by stories like “Only Lovers Left Alive” and iconic films like “You Were Never Really Here,” “The Night Messenger” takes a less fantasy and more down-to-earth approach to its depiction of vampires.
While they are immortal, sensitive to sunlight, and survive solely on blood, more exotic traits such as transforming into bats, being vulnerable to garlic, and sleeping in coffins are omitted. The purpose was to create a race that was different from humans but very similar.
This thoughtful choice reflects real-world bias, where even if someone is very similar to us, we still find reasons to distrust or oppress them. This theme forms an important aspect of The Night Messenger, as vampires face discrimination despite being protected by the law.
In short, the comparison between the Messenger and her prey makes her rethink her path forward as she realizes that vampires are not the only ones suffering from discrimination.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?
We have been making films and commercials together for over ten years, with Mason writing and directing and Tabitha producing and editing.
What inspires you to work in genre films and tell these kinds of stories?
Horror allows us to open doors, explore, and ask questions in a way that no other genre can. Horror can be both contemplative and entertaining. It can be social commentary or it can explore our worst fears. It’s the most malleable genre, with an incredibly supportive audience and fan base. What is not to love?
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process on this project?
Our favorite part is world building! The world of Night Messenger is incredibly collaborative and has taken on a life of its own. The legend goes back a long way.
What are you most proud of about this film?
What we’re most proud of is the visual language of the film. We didn’t have a definite style before this movie, but when we were making the movie we knew what we wanted, and it felt really good. We’re also proud of the way this world influences the stories we create after the fact.
What’s your favorite story or moment from the making of the film that you’d like to share?
On the final day of the final scene of our short film The Night Messenger, we were in the parking lot in the middle of the night, about to make our move, when suddenly, our key character, Regina, was standing nearby. . We all looked at her, and flying around the lantern was a giant Luna Moth.
Everything stopped and everyone gathered around her, watching silently as the moon moth danced around the glowing ball of light. It was surreal and to this day it remains one of our favorite set experiences. Later we read about the Luna Moth. Their lifespan is only 1 week. We are so grateful that the luna moth gave us a moment of its short but beautiful life.
What was the most challenging moment or experience you had while making the film?
The next day, production was delayed several hours due to a North Carolina spring downpour. We decided to wait and see if things would clear up, and sure enough, they did, with a double rainbow.
From there we started a night of shooting scenes with the police. While it wasn’t pleasant to work on, the rain left us with a heavy fog that lasted throughout the evening, which made for really nice lighting. It didn’t dissipate until we wrapped it up!
If so, how did your film change or differ from the original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How does this impact the way you approach future projects?
The characters evolve significantly based on input from the actors and their interactions. From that point on, we made the actor’s character development a key part of the process and couldn’t be happier with the results.
Who are your collaborators and actors in this film? How did you start working together?
Emily (“The Courier”) and Dreze (“The Man”) have been part of the story from the beginning. We have worked together on other projects and bringing them together to do this was an absolute dream.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker?
Make movies for one audience only—yourself. ——Denis Villeneuve is prolific. Don’t try to do one thing, many things, many roles. Whether it’s your dream role or not, the more you create, collaborate and work with others, the more doors will open for you.
What are your plans for your career? What stories would you like to tell in the future?
We are constantly developing new stories. Mason has since written five feature-length screenplays, as well as the pilot for the Night Messenger series. We’re working hard to bring this series to life along with our eco-horror film The Decomposers and Jennifer Trudron’s script Bite Time. We hope to continue using horror as a medium to explore humanity, and we’ll see where it takes us!
What’s your next project?
We have two more short films coming to the festival later this year! Bite time and I take them with me everywhere I go.
Where can we find more of your work? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel? Social media handle?
darkredhorror.com is the home of our work (and the horror film festival Crimson Film Festival). You can find us on Instagram @darkredhorror, @tabby.makes.movie and @mason.makes.movie. Our email is [email protected]
Bonus Question #1: What is your favorite movie?
No place for old people
Bonus Question #2: Which film inspired you the most as a filmmaker and/or influenced your work the most?
“No Country for Old Men” and “Under the Skin.”
Enjoy the short video!
