Exclusive: Co-Writer/Director Sean Stone Talks Greystone Park
Steve Barton
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Today co-writer/director Sean Stone’s feature film debut, Greystone Park, hits DVD and Blu-ray courtesy of Xlrator Media. The found footage spookfest also stars Stone and his co-writer on the project, Alexander Wraith, and features a cameo by Sean’s iconic father, Oliver Stone.
Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to briefly chat with Stone about the project, what inspired the story behind Greystone Park and more on the challenges he faced along the way while working on the project over the last several years.
Check out our interview with Stone below, and grab a copy of Greystone Park now that it’s available everywhere!
Dread Central: So how did this project come about? Had you been fascinated by the paranormal before Greystone Park?
Sean Stone: No, no- this all came about because of Alex (Wraith); he had been talking about the supernatural for some time. I guess he’s been going to tons of abandoned mental hospitals and Greystone over the years, breaking in and ghost hunting at these places. He’s been doing it for years, and after he investigated Greystone, he came to me because of his experiences there alone one night.
When Alex went in there alone, it was kind of like “The Twilight Zone”; it’s easy to get lost, you see shadows everywhere, and not just regular shadows either, but shadows that seem to move on their own. So I was definitely skeptical about it all until we went out one night to Greystone; the very next morning I was writing the script. That first dinner scene in the movie was very similar to how our initial conversation went, too, and even the story my dad tells at the table is a story he’s shared with me before.
Dread Central: How did the filming process go then? I know this was a movie you guys had made independently- did you face any challenges along the way?
Sean Stone: You know, I really thought when we started Greystone that it was going to be one of these amazing and fun experiences where I just grab a video camera and go shoot a movie with my friends in a haunted hospital- I just had no idea what we’d be in for.
We ended up going through this three-year process of just getting the movie made and out the door; we lost financing a few times along the way, and we lost our location because we thought we were going to shoot in the real Greystone at one point but we couldn’t get permission. There were just so many issues so by the finish line you’re exhausted. It was not an easy process, but it was worth it in the end because I definitely learned a lot about the good and the bad to independent filmmaking and just what it takes to get a movie made and sold these days.
Dread Central: Did your dad give you any advice along the way?
Sean Stone: A little here and there maybe, but he was pretty hands off throughout the entire process. He watched the first cut and really liked it, but after that he let me do my own thing. I’ve learned a lot by watching him and being a part of his movies for so many years, but I think for Greystone Park it was important that I learned to stand on my own two feet, which is what I did.
Dread Central: You wore a lot of hats on Greystone Park; was it difficult finding a balance being in front of and behind the camera at all?
Sean Stone: You know, it was and it wasn’t; I guess when you’re holding the camera, you have different levels of attention going on so you can lose yourself in the process sometimes or lose track of what you need to be focusing on as a director. It’s not easy when you have to worry about whether or not your actors are in the right spot, if you’re in the right spot, if your DP on the other camera has got the right shot and whether or not everything is going to happen the way you want it to; but thankfully everyone came prepared and we just went for it on this. I loved the challenge of it all.
Dread Central: So any future plans in the horror genre?
Sean Stone: Maybe down the road, but the next thing I’m directing is a 70’s/80’s action hero comedy project, which should be a lot of fun. I’d definitely love to explore the demonic subgenre of horror in the future though- that stuff really fascinates me.
Check out Greystone Park on Facebook for more info about the flick!
i>Based on true events, the film follows three aspiring filmmakers trying to document unexplainable events in an abandoned insane asylum known as Greystone Park. Urban legend has it that anyone who ventures into the forsaken hospital will suffer the consequences and face their own horrors. The trio stumble across a mysterious realm of escaped patients, ghosts, and demonic shadows as they try to uncover the truth behind Greystone Park.
Greystone Park stars Sean Stone, Oliver Stone, Alexander Wraith, Antonella Lentini, John Schramm, Monique Zordan, and Monique Van Vooren.
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