Thursday, October 31, 2024

Crashlands: Evil Has Landed


'Tell him our stay has been ruined by some.. thing!' 
Matthew


When a young married couple rents an Airbnb to celebrate their anniversary, they have no idea what awaits them on the other side of the front door.  In the supernatural thriller Crashlands, Carrie and Matthew, (Taylor Alea' James and Matthew Simmons) want a nice quiet weekend. One with time to relax, hit  the beach, and enjoy the meteor shower expected the following day..  


Unbeknownst to the couple, the short-termed rental had a disturbing visitor arrive the night before... With short films, you have to use your time wisely, you don't have an hour and a half to build tension and tp unveil story.  Director Carlos Suarez quickly sets the tone in the films opening scenes.  We're introduced to Mr. Hawkins, (Tome Young) the rental's owner, as well as the  uninvited, and unwanted houseguest. 


Crashlands is about 14 minutes long, and maintains an high level of intensity from beginning to end.  The special effects are impressive for a short film, and the acting outstanding.  The most difficult role is that of the alien visitor, and actor London Smith does a great job maintaining a terrorizing tone throughout the film.  Director Carlos Suarez skillfully tells the story with an ending that could also be just the beginning of the visitor's reign of destruction. 

On-set

What inspired Crashlands
Carlos Suarez: Stephen Spielberg's Close Encounters and War of the Worlds for sure. I have always been a fan of the unknown and aliens, making Crashlands was definitely a way to explore the genre. 

Was it a difficult or long process from script to screen? 
Writing the script is always a challenge, but luckily my team and I were able to knock out the script in one month. 


What was the casting process like? 
I got very lucky casting this film. I had the pleasure to meet Matthew Simmons, London Smith and Tom Young at a casting event. And thankfully Matthew referred me to Taylor Alea' James, our leading actress. Without this talented cast, Crashlands wouldn't be as big of a success as it has been. I am very grateful for them and my entire team behind the camera, Blake Pichon and Jorge Jimenez. 


So how did I discover Crashlands, and it's director Carlos Suarez?  Well, through images of the male form of course.  When I decided on an Alien theme for this Halloween, I contacted Tom from TR Pics about some ideas I had floating around.  Tom had a better idea, instead of a Alien themed shoot, how about spotlight a Halloween shoot featuring the h ot sci-fi director of an Aliened themed film.  Check out that shoot below!


If I've peaked your interest about Crashlands, you can watch it for free on Youtube HERE:



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