Bad Feeling Magazine Podcast #4 with Afflicted co-writers/directors/stars Clif Prowse and Derek Lee

Derek Lee, definitely not feeling sparkly.

Can audiences still be truly frightened by vampires in this post-Twilight, sparkly undead world? First-time feature writers/directors/stars Clif Prowse and Derek Lee are betting on it, with their recently-released found-footage vampire film Afflicted. Filmed on a minuscule budget in France, Italy and Spain, the Canadian-production is a refreshingly bleak look at the vampire mythos. What if vampirism was an addiction? What would it be like to actually have to kill in order to survive? These are the sorts of uncomfortable notions Afflicted is interested in exploring.

Prowse and Lee up the discomfort level of the film by playing themselves, two old friends who embark on a one-year globetrotting adventure after Lee is diagnosed with a rare brain disorder. Their plan is to record their trip and broadcast their adventures on their video travel blog, a smart conceit by the filmmakers that answers the fundamental question that most found-footage movies studiously avoid – why would the characters constantly be strapped with video equipment, especially once things turn deadly?

Left to right: Clif Prowse and Derek Lee, before the shit hits the fan.

Peppered with real-life home videos of Prowse and Lee, and featuring cameos by their actual friends and family, Afflicted succeeds in creating a genuinely creepy atmosphere of unease, which ratchets steadily throughout the film until it explodes in the final scenes. The movie also features an incredible creature makeup job, and seamlessly blends in a series of innovative stunts that are actually enhanced by the found footage style, rather than hindered by it.

I caught up with Prowse and Lee by phone to discuss the origins of Afflicted, shooting in the crowded streets of Western Europe, the benefits of the Canadian film system, and what it’s like to cast your real friends and family in your first feature film.

Take a listen via the embedded media player below, or right-click and “save as” to download here: Episode # 4 – Afflicted

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Afflicted is available on VOD and iTunes now.

Visit  http://afflicted-movie.com/ for more info.