“SNZN is really the story of three people who emotionally fall apart and come together during a zombie pandemic,” explained Cain. “So while yes, the movie is about zombies, it’s really about these three people dealing with their own issues during a horrific ordeal.”
Other SNZN cast members include genre favorites Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), as well as veteran character actor Vernon Wells (Commando, The Road Warrior).
Cain’s experience filming SNZN vastly differed when compared to his experience directing his first feature, Naked Beneath the Water. In fact, Cain said that what prepared him to get ready to make SNZN was his work on someone else’s film, not his own movie.
“For that film, I was the producer/1st A.D. so I had make the nuts and bolts come together each day so we could get what we needed,” Cain continued. “Like SNZN, the pre-production was about a month but SNZN had less money, so that meant less people to assist me.”
Filming for the 12-day shoot for SNZN started off well enough but near the end, Cain described the experience as “nothing short of brutal.”
“We had another shoot location where everyone got sick and I realized that there was no way we were going to get that scene in the film,” Cain added. “I have to say that I am in the editing process right now and I am not really missing that scene so luckily, it all worked out.”
Cain even had a bit of a run-in with local law enforcement. During one of the scenes that was filmed near a duplex bordering an industrial area, the police mistook the large group of the zombie actors assembled in the area for a bunch of gang-bangers.
Cain decided to set SNZN around Christmas so the holiday itself would serve as a poignant backdrop for the main characters in the film.
“I think people sometimes don’t realize that you can tell an interesting story within the context of a horror movie, just as long as it’s a good story,” said Cain. “If you make a movie that shows as a director you are obviously invested in the characters and the premise you are presenting, then audiences will want to care too.”
Cain recently launched the website for SNZN. While Cain is the first to admit that he’s faced a lot of uphill battles early on in his directing career, he’s happy with how everything has turned out professionally so far.
“My whole life has been working towards these moments,” he enthused, “Even though it’s been tough and brutal and I’ve dealt with my fair share of bullshit over the years, I really wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s been an amazing ride so far.”
Keep it on Dread Central for more Silent Night, Zombie Night updates as the film nears completion!