Bag of Lies director and co-writer David Andrew James wanted to approach his feature directorial debut with a different perspective than what is typically seen in traditional horror films. Yes, jump scares and blood/guts can be terrifying, but what can be equally as terrifying is the thought of losing your significant other. David honed in on this idea and then built the story of Bag of Lies from there.
What would you do for more time with your dying spouse? Desperate to save his dying wife, Matt turns to The Bag, an ancient relic with dark magic. The cure demands a chilling ritual and strict rules. As his wife heals, Matt's sanity unravels, facing terrifying consequences. Bag of Lies stars Patrick Taft (Baby Steps, Wildfire), Brandi Botkin (Zero Percent, St. Gabriel), John Wells (Supernatural Assassins, I Can), Madison Pullins (The Kiss List) and Terry Tocantins (Red Is the Color of, Ally McBeal).
Bag of Lies director David Andrew James dives more into how the film was made below.
What did the Bag of Lies writing process look like for you? How long did it take to write?
The process had its strikes and gutters, but it was very formative for development moving forward. Nick Laughlin and Joe Zappa did a lot of the groundwork that paved the way for what the script ultimately shaped into. They wrote about seventeen treatments and one draft of a script before they got calls for bigger and better things, at which point I wrote the shooting script. At that point, it took me about a week to write that draft, only because I was standing on the shoulders of their genius. They’re both sharp, cutting writers, and it was a pleasure diving in deep with them. All in all, from turning the short film version into a feature, it took about four months.
When you started shooting, did you change anything from the script to add more scares? Or did you stick pretty close to what you wrote?
We stuck pretty close to what we wrote from a horror perspective, if I’m honest. The big changes came during the more dramatic or dialogue-driven scenes; it wasn’t about making massive rewrites on set, more so just making micro-adjustments in collaboration with the actors to make sure they felt authentic and confident with what they were delivering. Looking back now, as I’m sure is the case with anyone watching a film a year after you shoot it, you wish you could pump 15% more scares into the piece. That said, I’m happy with where we ended up.
What was your favorite part of making Bag of Lies?
Ah, wow. It’s hard to whittle it down, due to the way my brain works. I have this divide between collaborating with actors, versus being heavily involved in the technical approach. I enjoy nerding out on both sides of that coin. There’s this rush of problem-solving how to design sets, then light them, then shoot them; I get the same rush from problem-solving the blocking and performances. I reckon problem-solving isn’t the best phrase, as it makes it sound like everything’s always on fire. It never felt like that when I was with the cast and crew. The only real problem we had was the ever-finite resource of time. We had to shoot 72 pages in 12 days, which required us to eat out Wheaties every morning.
How is Bag of Lies different from other horror films?
I feel daunted and humbled by the question; I hope that it is different for the audience watching the film. Nick, Joe and I, our big mantra was: Win or lose, let’s be original. Ultimately, after centuries of storytelling, originality is hard to achieve. We tried to approach it from a standpoint of scaring adults, and I hope that’s what sets us apart from other horror films. We wanted to pinpoint just how terrifying the thought of losing a lover could be, and built out from there. Sure, that means not everything can be a jump scare, or a bloody mess; sure, some people might prefer those methods of horror, but we just wanted to try for something a little different. Another element that we strived for was a balance of tone. Sometimes, horror films can be ridiculous and silly, or they’re so self-serious to a detriment. Tonally, we tried to approach it like life: Not every moment is serious, even if you’re in the midst of a serious situation. It called for moments of humor, irony, and so on. John Scott Wells, who played cousin Harold, was a big scene-stealer in this regard. He can change gears effortlessly, and I credit him (and the rest of the cast, but a special shoutout to him) for centering the film’s tone.
We heard you are a big David Fincher fan. What are some of your favorites? Why does his work
connect with you?
I am a big admirer of Mr. Fincher, although I’m sure BOL’s aesthetic might drive him crazy, if he somehow ever saw it. Anyway, I relish his approach of perfection by subtraction: Remove everything that isn’t vital to an individual scene, or the story at large. Some of my favorites include Zodiac, Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network, TGWTDT, and Gone Girl. Obviously, yes, there is that one scene in BOL that is inspired by Se7en, but the thing that no one’s really picked up on thus far, was the inspiration we took from Gone Girl, for our ending. Yes, these two people are together, but at what cost? Did either of them really get what they wanted, or needed? Do they deserve each other? We tried to be as neutral as we could with our presentation, and let the audience debate it on their car ride home (or on their walk to the fridge from the TV). Anyway, that’s a long, rambling way of saying I owe a lot to the man whose
TS discs I’ve consumed for decades.
Some critics have said that Bag of Lies is very much a slow burn. Do you agree with this statement?
Yes, and no. I reckon that the first act is a slow-burner, and the transition from act two to three is slow. The rough cut was 2:06 from a 72-page script, and we chiseled it down to a runtime of 96 minutes. For me, it feels like a relay race; I preferred it even slower than it is, however audiences for this particular genre aren’t hip to burning slow…so I’ve been told. What do you think? Rushing, or dragging?
What is your elevator pitch of why people should go see Bag of Lies?
What are you doing Friday night? Are you tired of seeing sequels and reboots? Do you like to be scared? Buy a ticket.
If you had to choose 1 position and it was between being a director or writer, which would you pick?
You just put a gun in each hand and told me to point one at the right side of my brain, the other at the left, and ask which half I could live without. In all seriousness, due to my stubbornness, the two jobs are irrevocably linked, probably to the detriment of my bank account. I’m sure I could make a lot more money if I could separate the two; write for other directors, direct other’s scripts. Writing and directing are so intrinsic to my process… Even if I did direct something I didn’t write, I’d have to retype the draft verbatim. Perhaps it’s just where I fall on the spectrum, but I need to have gone through hell with the characters in some way or another to fully understand and sympathize with the story I’m telling. Yeesh, I might need to get on Better Help.
Is there another subgenre of horror you would like to explore next?
I would absolutely kill for a chance to direct (and therefore, write) a film within the world of the cosmic horror subgenre. Annihilation was a huge influence on me, as well as the smaller, rounded ways that it weaved its way into season one of True Detective. The blending of the weird with the terrifying… I dunno, it’s something I gravitate toward. I blame my seventh-grade music teacher, Mr. McKinley, for showing us The Wizard of Oz, synced up to the Dark Side of the Moon album. In all seriousness, I’d kill to make any film of any genre; your next one’s never guaranteed. I hope Bag of Lies connects with audiences, and someone’s crazy enough to take another shot on me. Thank you so much for your time.
