When someone comes along whose as talented as Eric Owen you just have to talk to them so here he is chatting about his latest movie, In a Cold Vein ahead of its world premiere at FrightFest 2025.
NYX: After the success of your first movie Thirst, did you have much pressure for this project?
EO: I would actually say that the lack of success for THIRST put the pressure on this project. I'm very proud of that film, but it didn't open as many doors as I'd hoped for. I truly feel like this film, IN A COLD VEIN, will knock em down!
NYX: Did you make any mistakes during that movie you made sure you didn’t do during In a Cold Vein?
EC: Absolutely! With THIRST, before we filmed, I didn't realize how important having TONS of really cool B-Roll to choose from was. We had enough, but barely. So I learned to capture as many images as possible, even if they weren't in the script, and to make them compelling enough to stand on their own, regardless of the context. This gives the editor some options to work with.
NYX: Where did the idea for In a Cold Vein come from?
EO: I literally just saw the very first shot of the film in my mind. Starting incredibly close on someone's face as they wake up, zooming out as both the character and audience realize that he is bound and gagged in the back of a van. The idea of shooting a lot of the movie in a van was interesting to me. For starters, it lowers location costs, but also having to work in such a confined space would really highlight the tension and make us feel like WE ARE trapped in the back of a van. And then with limited space, it makes you get really creative with how you shoot - the angles, long takes with camera movement vs coverage, lens choices. So that's how it all started, with that first shot and the story just built out from there.
NYX: Where do the characters you bring to your movies come from, are they loosely based on people you’ve met?
EO: Haha, I don't think anyone's ever been fully based on someone, though there are characters that absolutely have attributes of people I know/have met. A lot of my characters are criminals or deviants, so I hope I don't meet many people that could appear in one of my films.
NYX: Did you write it with a cast in mind?
EO: I did! With this project in particular, I knew Brian and P Mike would be who I'd want to play Phil and Steve, the would-be kidnappers. They were local, they were really good, and we had a great experience shooting THIRST together. Both of them had big roles in that, and they were so great to work with, that I knew I'd want them in something else. Now after having worked with EVAN (GAMBLE) on this one, I've already written scripts with him in mind. He's a real beauty (that's my Canadian coming out)!
NYX: There’s a wonderful thread of dark humour running through it, how did you make sure it didn’t water-down the intensity of the story?
EO: That was definitely something that had to be balanced just right. I look at the tone of the film to be split in two halves. The first half, while being dark and often violent, has those humorous moments. I feel like that helps ease us into the second half of the film, which is definitely more intense and bleak. I like to say that it's a reverse "BARBARIAN", where the first half of that film is dark and tense, and then when Justin Long comes in, it really lightens it up, even though he's obviously a dark character.
NYX: The film has dark noir tones, are you a fan of the genre?
EO: Absolutely! Lots of my favourite films are neo-noir if we can call them that. I love how the lighting and camera angles can evoke such emotion! And when there's a little bit of mystery to be solved, I think that helps immerse the viewer/audience into the film even more. We feel like we're trying to piece things together with the characters.
NYX: Was it all shot on location?
EO: It was! In a van, on a cliff that I almost drove the van off and died, in an actual glass window warehouse. My favorite location is definitely the glass house at the end of the film. I barely had to do any set dressing, as the place was instantly cinematic.
NYX: Will you be nervous when the movies has its world premiere at FrightFest 2025?
EO: Nope! I'll just be fully excited for people to see it! It'll be great to laugh with the crowd, and watch them jump for the scares. I wish I could jump with em, but I know when they're coming...
NYX: How do you mix your musical career with your film making one?
EO: They actually balance really well, especially with modern technology. With the band, there is plenty of downtime on the road, especially after soundcheck where you have several hours to kill! I write on the road, I finished the score to THIRST while we were on tour as well! I've done scene prep, shot listing, you name it! So, I can pretty much do everything except be on set for actual production in my pockets of time, that aren't rehearsing, recording, or playing gigs with Black Pistol Fire.
NYX: So, what are you up to at the moment?
EO: I'm actually about to go rehearse with the band. We have a tour and an album coming out later this year. Then later today I'm going to rehearse for this narrative (fictional) podcast I've created, which I'm recording an important scene for tomorrow. It's about an Ex-hockey fighter, who thinks his old rival - whose career he ended, is tormenting him and trying to kill him after he broke out of a mental institution. Other than that, doing some UK planning for Frightfest, which I'm so stoked about!
NYX: Eric Owen, thank you very much.
