While it may sound cliche, it is true, hard work does pay off. Out of the midwest, Marcus Dunstan was an impassioned film lover who had a dream of making his own movies. Something many fantasize about growing up, but never actually get to achieve, Dunstan stood fast for years until something magically happened… all the struggles paid off and he was on his way as a screenplay writer. Gaining recognition for his co-written screenplay for the 2005 Horror film Feast, soon to follow would be steady writing for not one, but five Saw sequels!
Most recently working on the forthcoming Saw XI screenplay, Dunstan has also been pretty busy as a director as well; directing such films including 2009’s The Collector, plus episodes of Hulu’s Into The Dark, and Epix Unhuman series. Truly living his dream, Dunstan was enlisted as the director of the exciting new murder mystery AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead. Starring the likes of Jade Pettyjohn and JoJo Siwa, the modern Slasher hit select theaters and On Demand on August 2, 2024 with plenty of intrigue. Excited about the project, Marcus Dunstan sat down to chat about it all, his consistent work in Horror through the years, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – Before we drive into your latest project, let’s briefly look back in time. You have been involved in film for quite some time as a writer and director. Writing for well-known Horror films like 2005’s Feast, plus a list of Saw sequels, how would you briefly describe your journey in film to this point?
Marcus Dunstan – Only with absolute gratitude. Patrick Melton and I, we were fortunate that we were both from Illinois. I of Macomb, he of Evanston. We both ended up at the University of Iowa. We both ended up in the same ramshackle apartment building in Hollywood when we moved out here in the ’90s. This was a century ago, kids. It was in the 1900s. Same decade that I think lights and fire may have been developed. We don’t know. But we were certain the internet wouldn’t last. (Laughs)
Anyway, then we decided to write a Horror movie. We wanted to simply, “Well, what do we want to see?” Our Willy Wonka moment was Project Greenlight Season Three. That’s how that came to pass, we were given a chance to sit at the adults table in a guest seat. Courtesy of some really brilliant management by Trevor Engelson and agenting by David Boxerbaum, Cheryl Peterson and Debbie Deuble. We were then able to keep going, to have opportunities, to help create. That led to Saw and etc., etc. That’s really what got us some ground underneath our feet.
For AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead… it’s now been 20 years to the year of Feast. With this new movie, I read a script by first-time Horror, Murder Mystery writers Josh Sims and Jessica Sarah Flaum. Then I had a transformative bit of a moment in my head where I realized – I’m not looking too far ahead with some of these moments, and I’m actually looking at experience for the first time. I then remembered a moment where a hopeful pair of writers named Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan handed this thing that they’d sweat and bled for called Feast over to John Gulager. John Gulager, with his warm embrace, his creativity, and that brilliant mind said, “I got you.”
That was it! I felt like this was a chance to say, “Josh, Jessica, you’ve got a one hell of a script here. It not only is a Murder Mystery which scares me to jump into that very important vital fray, but it has a twist I genuinely didn’t see coming and it has a heart I hope to protect. I got you.”
Cryptic Rock – That is great that you could relate with Josh and Jessica when you read their script. It is also cool that it all comes full circle for you 20 years later in many ways.
Marcus Dunstan – Time just happens.
Cryptic Rock – It definitely goes by very quickly. You began with your writing, but then you got into directing a little later on with films like 2009’s The Collector. Was that really a dream come true for you to get into directing eventually?
Marcus Dunstan – Yes. I am hearing that quote from time to time in the ellipses… what I really want to do is direct. No, I started that, I just simply ran out of money. I was in college making movies on a Bolex and I worked in movie theaters so I could earn two and a half minutes of film on a spool at a time, and went for it and made.
The cool education of moving out first to North Hollywood was simply, I just didn’t have any money to compete and make a full-on feature. I had about six and a half hours of film under my arm. I had everything I’d worked on before. Then I thought, “Well, how about writing something that maybe could be done?” I love just the audacity of sitting there in front of a blank screen writing away and just practicing, teaching, going for it. Then, turning every opportunity into a chance to learn more about that craft.
Then I was working at Blockbuster Home Video; and I wasn’t 21… I was cruising closer to 30. The weekly calls from home were, “Have you had enough yet?” I was like, “I don’t know. I want to try something here.” I was taking advantage of my five-free rentals while Patrick Melton was a reader at ICM. He read 2,000 some screenplays. All of a sudden knowing screen structure and whatnot was in there.
In watching all these movies, every single movie I could at Blockbuster, then the visual of, “I haven’t seen that before,” education started to come up. Even in the fostering of that, you kind of get your education in what is in front of you. I didn’t need to go to the film schools that I couldn’t afford or wouldn’t have me. I learned it wherever I could. That’s what I kind of super appreciate about today’s media and the way we can do it is, I now have a movie studio on my phone. I can do the things we were doing then.
What I get to do with the experience now is, I’m still reaching back to high school, and I’m still reaching back to ketchup bottles and whatnot to get a lot of things done. I think that is an important education in and of itself. It takes everything on your journey to help make your tomorrow that much better.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. It is also really inspiring to hear how it all started for you and where it has gone. This latest feature, AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, is an interesting film. Set for release on August 2nd, you are acting as a director on this film. It has a Slasher quality to it like you said. That in mind, there are a lot of interesting things in here; such as a little bit of a take on today’s internet culture and such. You said you read it and decided you wanted to work on this, but how did it all come about?
Marcus Dunstan – Kevin Greutert was an EP on it. When Saw X came along, he was originally attached to direct this. Saw X, he went and did that. Then there was a vacancy in the chair. I’m so grateful to Kevin, he nominated me to jump in. I auditioned, and I was fortunate to get the part of directing this. After that, I just loved that this thing was a fresh voiced Murder Mystery and had a new take on voyeurism.
Voyeurism, you kind of count on in the Horror movie, because in this case, the Voyeur isn’t hiding in the tree line. The Voyeur’s in your pocket. We’ve invited them in through our own little dark glass windows that we carry everywhere. We want the follows. We want the eyes. What happens when someone wants a little more back? You’re staring at your phone. They’re staring at every point of vulnerability in your life.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, it says a lot about the way we are nowadays, too, right?
Marcus Dunstan – Yes. There’s no nutrition in that phone, but yet we look at it as if it’s feeding us. (Laughs)
Cryptic Rock – It is so very true. You also got to work with a really cool cast here. This is a very eclectic cast of characters. So, what was it like working with everyone on this film?
Marcus Dunstan – It was a privilege. Our Lighthouse, our North Star, Jade Pettyjohn, and JoJo Siwa, they’d both worked together 10 years prior on School of Rock, the kids show. To see them resume a rhythm was marvelous.
Then, by way of South Africa, Michaella Russell and Peter Giles, those are ringers for me. I’ve worked with them before, and I wanted that. I wanted to have some folks I had a little familiarity with. That is especially when pushing for different tones or whatnot.
For example, Peter Giles is the voice of Fox Sports. When you hear “The Rams versus the Patriots,” you have that. I love writing shocking offensive things for this very nice person to say. He’ll be like, “Really?” I’ll be like, “Just say it.” “What’s inside a goiter?” I’m like, “Thank you, Peter. We may not use that line, but let’s try it.” He’s like, “Did you just trick me?” “Yes, I did.” I love that. (Laughs) He’s such a sweet man.
Now, Michaela Russell not only is a wonderful actor, but took on a producing role in this when we needed 33 original songs. You can’t just pull that out of a hat. Because of her storied, layered career back in South Africa, we ended up with a cavalcade of brilliant musicians. So, we sounded modern. We sounded good; because some of the songs and lyrics in particular that she also co-wrote, or wrote, would be payoffs and would be telling us something.
I genuinely tend to appreciate music that has a pulse rate. I thought, “Well, in this era of today where you don’t just get the attention. You have to earn the attention and then hold onto it with all your might.” I wanted this to have a beats per minute quality to the visual as well as the sonic landscape.
Cryptic Rock – Well, it’s a really fun film and people are going to enjoy it.
Marcus Dunstan – The one thing I want to also say is – stay through the end credits, because we have twists! We’ve got turns all the way until that screen goes black. Stay with us!
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