An interview with director Micah Khan about his new zombie film.
Why do zombie movies continue to remain so popular? That is a question I asked director Micah Khan regarding his new movie The Zombie Wedding. Set during the midst of a zombie invasion in New Jersey, the movie follows the adventures of engaged couple Ashley (Deepti Menon) and Zack (Donald Chang). The problem is that Ashley is human and Zack has been infected by a zombie virus. Needless to say, tension mounts as the couple's wedding day approaches.
Other members of the large cast include Cheri Oteri ("Saturday Night Live"), Seth Gilliam ("The Walking Dead") and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. Written by Greg D'Alessandro, The Zombie Wedding was released on various Video-on-demand outlets and select theaters on September 13.
Micah Khan's prior directing credits include a number of short films including Safe House and Meetcute on Danceworld. I posed some questions to Khan about The Zombie Wedding.
Question: What was the impetus behind the creation of The Zombie Wedding and what themes is the movie exploring?
Micah Khan: The Zombie Wedding was created and written by Weekly World News CEO, Greg D’Alessandro. The goal for Zombie Wedding was to create a movie that was about love triumphing in the face of annihilation while still being wacky and silly. Through the visuals, I wanted to create a theme of connection. Watching the film you can see how we create our power dynamics for “connection” through the actor blocking, camera composition, and movement of how any character on screen is connecting with each other and the audience. When Ashley is the POV character in a scene our camera language revolves around her.
Specifically, if you’re watching the scenes at the Morgan’s house, you can see how those camera visual themes create a difference in the conflict. While Ashley is mourning, you can see how the camera portrays Betty comforting her and how Buddy Bob tells her to move on; her mom is close and her father is far away because all Ashley wants is to reconnect with Zack. You can find meaning within the frames while watching Zombie Wedding.
Q. Was there anything particularly memorable or unpredictable that happened during the course of filming?
Khan: Oh so much! For me, the coolest and most memorable thing was being able to work with my long-time collaborators Jim Powers, John Stegemann, John Mac Schnurr, Lakota Ruby-Eck, and Alexandra Lindsay. It was surreal going from working on no-budget short films with them to working on a real movie with a full team. I couldn’t imagine making this movie and problem-solving with any better folks.
Speaking of problem-solving, we had a lot of unpredictable moments while filming. Our film had 35 locations, a 21-actor ensemble, and 18 days to shoot it all. We were moving fast while also making sure to give our actors time to find their characters and have fun. There was a day we lost our motel location on the day we were supposed to shoot the scene. Greg, our production designer John Stegemann, and I quickly came up with a new idea to shoot the scene in a diner built in the corner of our production office. John had found diner booths and within an hour built the set but the only caveat was we could only shoot in one direction. If we shot to the left, you’d see the entire makeup department, and if looked right you’d see the entire production office. There were a lot of moments in this movie that we had to be creative and pivot to make sure we made our days.
Q. Why do you think that zombie films have been so popular for so long? Are there other zombie films that you particularly like?
Khan: My personal answer to this is that I feel audiences want to feel like there is a world that is slightly more magical and just out of reach of ours. I think that’s why we all gravitate towards any kind of paranormal folklore or creature. We go to the movies to feel what it might feel like to be swept away in a world more magical than ours.
A few of my personal favorite zombie films are Shaun of The Dead, Train to Busan, Planet Terror, Zombieland, Dawn of the Dead, and 28 Days Later!
Q. Is there anything in general that you would like to tell audiences about The Zombie
Wedding?
Khan: We’ve built some subplots and jokes that are played entirely in the background of the film. Can you find Elvis?
Q. Would you like to share what your next projects are?
Khan: I’m working on an R-rated horror comedy feature about a guy who finds out his dad is Bigfoot and has to go out and find him. Another one I’m working on with writers Victoria Diana and Patrick Regan is a horror comedy about a monstrous and murderous Duck. Lastly, I have a full-on horror film in the style of A24 or Neon about a man who finds another dimension underneath a rug that I wrote with Patrick Noel with an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor attached to star.
Thank you so much for your time!
-Interview conducted by Paul Hansen