For all that vampires may be undead, that doesn’t always stop them from procreating. Case in point: Francis (Noah Segan) in Blood Relatives, a new film written and directed by Segan about the trials of trying to raise a half-vampire daughter (Victoria Moroles) when you’re a full vampire who’s set in their ways. Find out why Francis drives a Barracuda and more in the following interview carried out over email with Segan:
Rachel Bellwoar: Blood Relatives could’ve been a straight family drama. What made you want to delve into genre for your feature directorial debut?
Noah Segan: I’m one of those nerds who thinks ALL movies are genre. Whether it’s a comedy, sci-fi or even a relationship drama, we’re always playing within a sandbox and (hopefully) trying to freshen it up. Nobody likes a funky, stale sandbox! After a career playing in genre, it felt like there was always going to be an element of it in whatever I did. And vampires are so fucking cool!
Bellwoar: Were there any vampire films or shows that helped inspire your take on vampires for this project?
Segan: It’s all about stealing from the best. For Jane, the daughter, played by Victoria Moroles, I tried to use Blade rules. She’s a “daywalker”, who ages, and can operate in both versions of human and vampire society. For Francis, I looked to Martin, Habit, The Addiction, Trouble Every Day and Near Dark as inspiration; films that don’t get mired down in vampirism ahead of the characters. Ganja & Hess was a big inspiration, tonally, and a lot of Hellboy found its way in, as well. There’s also a couple unanswered questions, like what would happen if Francis DIDN’T get invited in somewhere? He just doesn’t want to find out! That one was a little bit of Jewish neurosis playing on an old vampire rule.
Bellwoar: Did you know, while writing the screenplay, that you would also direct and star in the film, or did those decisions come about later?
Segan: Many of my positive experiences as an actor have been working with directors who write their own scripts. It’s a nice thing to feel like everyone is working from the same page, literally! When it came time to actually try and make the movie, it felt like all the team was into the script, so the choice to direct was really about trying to support the cast and crew in being excited over the screenplay when we were actually shooting it. We could all point to whatever pages were on the day and collaborate on that, and for me, that’s the best kind of directing. As far as acting, I definitely saw myself in Francis, struggling with fatherhood, his “life” changing, his “cool guy” persona sort of getting trolled, so I thought it’d be nice to do that to myself! A little ego check!
RB: How much fun was it to incorporate Yiddish into a vampire story, and were there ever any discussions about how much Yiddish to use?
Segan: The Yiddish was a ton of fun, if only that I got to learn a few new phrases that I’d only heard in passing or from actual Gnarly Old Jews. It sort of found its way in naturally, as I embraced the Old Jewish Man I am fast becoming!
Bellwoar: Was the Barracuda your first choice for Francis’ car, or was that a call based on availability?
Segan: We were very lucky with the Barracuda, which was left to me by a close friend and mentor, the great cinematographer Tom Richmond. He gave me my start in Hollywood and loved that car. When he retired to New York, he gave me the pink slip and I’ve tried to keep it in good running condition. Including it in the film was a homage to him, and very much a testament to the families we choose as well as who we’re related to. It’s not a fancy car, but it does run well, and even for being nearly 60 years old, it never showed up to set late!
Bellwoar: What was it like, tackling the ethics of drinking human blood and murder within the context of vampire parenting?
Segan: At one point in the movie, Francis tells his daughter, Jane, that he tries to “go” for bad guys, or “at least someone who won’t be missed” but it is an imperfect science. In terms of body count throughout the film, we have a few “accidents”, but most of our “victims” are pretty shitty people! The rest might require a little karmic retribution. Monsters are still gonna be monsters sometimes, but hopefully, they’re mostly good monsters.
Bellwoar: Road trip movies are usually about moving forward, but were there any drafts of the script that included flashbacks?
Segan: It was important to meet Francis and Jane where they are now, so we can go on the journey with them, and let them sort of decide how much of their past they’d reveal. For Francis, he’s still living in the trauma from the Holocaust, and the loss of his family back then. The script never originally included flashbacks, although I think there’s a great backstory in Jane’s upbringing. She grew up knowing she was different, but never really how different, and not knowing how to handle it. That’s something a lot of us can relate to. It’d be interesting to talk more about what her life was like before meeting Francis, how a kid vampire deals it.
Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Noah!
Blood Relatives starts streaming November 22nd on Shudder.
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