INTERVIEW - REBECCA RINEHART - THE EMBALMERS' DIRECTOR - INDIE HORROR FILMMAKER

One of the greatest thing about being able to chat with many filmmakers around the globe is that each one has a unique talent and unique life circumstance that pushed them out to follow their dream, make a film. Rebecca Rinehart is for many reasons one of these people, she left her job to pursue her life dream and despite her feet has been tangle many times, she has been able to pull out and keep going. Rebecca revolves around the indie horror race and soon will show to the world her directorial debut with the film "THE EMBALMERS", where she acts too, first check in her director career. 

She let me chat with her about her movie and her thoughts about indie filmmaking, her upcoming projects, her insights about what she wants on upcoming. So, go inside and read about the interesting things she told me.

EEF: First off, thanks for letting me interview you. Where are you from and how boiled you up the interest to be in the film industry

RR: Born and raised in Indiana... in a small town where there was nothing to do but rent movies! I have always been intrigued by horror, specifically low budget horror and I actually started as a podcaster and YouTuber, interviewing independent filmmakers and reviewing the movies I love, and eventually, some of these people took notice and asked me to be in THEIR films!

EEF: Which role do you like more? Actress or Director? Or both and why?

RR: I’m really NOT an actress I have only actually auditioned a few roles:  most of the time, someone I have met on the horror circuit likes me and knows I absolutely love to do the craziest stuff so they ask me to do their films. So at the level of acting I do, it’s so fun to show up, get bloody and crazy, and let someone else worry about what everything looks like.  

But... the creative, organized, control freak in me is better suited behind the camera. I am the kind of person who relishes in seeing a project from start to finish.

EFF: Let's talk about your upcoming horror feature film “The Embalmers" which you direct and co-write. How did the project come out and how did you get involved in?

RR: I had started producing another film that fell through.  My sister, Diane Fraker, had the idea of the Embalmers and we already had several cast and crew interested in the failed film so we decided to write a full script and make it with the people we had already assembled. 

THE EMBALMERS (2021)

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EFF: What is “The Embalmers" about, and does it have a tentative release date? On the other hand, what stage the movie is?

RR: Three siblings bestowed with powers run a funeral home in rural Indiana, which is perfect because they have the ability to judge and sentence dead people for their wrongdoings.  I am done editing and am getting it ready for DVD and Blu Ray to ship out to my backers.

EFF: What influences ruled you up shooting the movie, maybe homage certain style of movie or director? What do you wanna transmit in this movie?

RR: Honestly, slashers are more my thing:  this is much more psychological. So, it was a good exercise for me to make a horror movie that isn’t in my sub-genre of comfort. I made it a point to spend as much time on sets as I could in the year prior to develop what my directing style would be and I feel like I came into it by the end. There are homages to many things but the most prevalent is Young Frankenstein, a family favorite when my sister and I were growing up.

EFF: How long took you to shoot it? What cameras did you use in the film and why?

RR: We did some filming over a weekend during the summer but did the main amount of filming in September over a seven day period.  My Director of Photography Samuel Vainisi did a fantastic job on our mostly one-camera shoot.  

Behind the scene "The Embalmers"

EFF: What problems you faced off during the film process, whether Pre, production or post?

RR: Many of the usual things that plague indie films: Starting with money and time.  You can never have enough of either! I had never edited a full length film so I learned that process with baptism by fire.  

"THE EMBALMERS"

EFF: How was the funding process?

RR: We did an IndieGogo; unfortunately, COVID shut the world down two days after we started.  We got a decent amount of funding from that, but not enough.  We did do a finishing funds IGG which has gotten a little more and I’ve put a large sum of my own money into the film.

EFF: What is your conception about indie horror production? Understanding that covid has affected all the industry and before it, the funding of indie films was hard.

RR: Yes... before COVID happened, I knew things were going to have to change because the old model of fan-funded films was drying up.  So it’s all about finding the next road to creative funding: which is what I am trying to do with my next film, Tin Roof.

EFF: What horror films do you like more and horror directors too?

RR: The Friday the 13th franchise is my absolute favorite! I like to say that my username on sites has been Jasonsgirl1976 before “girl” and “1976” were oxymorons 

EFF: What advice would you give to those wanna filmmakers who are undecided in how to make their first film?  

RR: What I am going to say is contradictory: if you want to make a movie, you just have to do it. But if you have no clue what you’re doing, don’t do it. Soak in other people’s experience and do your homework. So many people have an idea and a camera and think they can make a movie... until they find out that they have to schedule and budget, and organize, and a multitude of other non-glamourous behind the scenes stuff to really make it happen.  People who decide to make a film and get the fans invested, then drop the ball, do more damage to the reputation of indie horror than anything else.

EFF: If a producer gives you a chance to direct the remake of a horror film, what would it be and why? 

RR: Easy answer: Killer Party from 1986.  It is a FABULOUS slasher with a twist that was EVISCERATED by the MPAA.  The anecdotes from people who worked on the film about how great all of the kills were are AMAZING but unfortunately, like many films of the era, any cut forage was burned up in a warehouse fire.  I want to give that movie its time to shine.

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THE EMBALMERS (2021)

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