Interview: Chantelle Albers dissects sociopolitical implications of indie-horror flick, ‘The 6th Friend’

[Editor’s note: interview contains spoilers and major plot points]

Blood-soaked slashers quickly fell out of favor by the late ’80s. Only with 1996’s landmark film Scream, thanks to the wily inventions of mastermind Wes Craven, did knife-wielding maniacs see a renaissance and spark a new wave of neo-slashers, from Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later to I Know What You Did Last Summer to Urban Legend. Over the next two decades, the horror sub-genre has shifted, faded and been reborn countless more times. Indie-horror flick The 6th Friend, directed by Letia Miller (3 Times a Charm), steps up to the plate as a thrillingly twisty reconfiguration of predictable tropes, situating themes of womanhood, fame and trauma as the impetus for a delightfully, yet thoughtfully, gory and high-octane storyline [full review here].

The low-budget escapade ⏤ written by and starring Jamie Bernadette (Son of Sam, Mortdecai, The Darkness), alongside producer Chantelle Albers (The Demon in the Dark, The Visitor), Dominique Swain (Lolita, Alpha Dog), Jessica Morris (One Life to Live), Tania Nolan (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) and Monique Rosario (The Knockout Game, Lives) ⏤ plucks on the psychological strings of trauma and recovery, while examining relationships of women and the allure of Hollywood stardom. “I was really drawn to the element of females having a strong, close relationship, and we really wanted to bring that out. In a way these girls were like sisters, and there was a strong bond between all of them,” Albers tells B-Sides & Badlands over a recent email. “I think that demonstrates how females can be empowered to embrace and support one another rather than cut each other down. I was also drawn to the humor in the movie; a lot of it is subtle, but hilarious when you pick up on it.”

The 6th Friend was completed in late 2016 and then made various festival circuits last year, leading to its theatrical and VOD release last month. Even more, its staunch messages of female empowerment seem critical in the currently heated sociopolitical climate, which gives the film even more gravitas. “I think this is a perfect time for this film to come out, and the message might even be heard more because people are listening and talking about it. Having a female written, directed, produced film that stars a female main cast is something that my team and I thought would speak to and be an inspiration for current and future filmmakers,” says Albers, whose performance as the venomous Melissa is both emotionally-grueling and provocative. “It’s interesting to see the style and tone of a film when it has a female touch to it. Initially, it was geared toward a female audience, and we are so thrilled that men have picked up on it, too, and are supporting it.”

One particularly effective sequence takes place around the dining room table, as the characters display a true affection for one another, exchanging witty clapbacks and cheeky anecdotes. “We wanted to show the closeness, trust and connection between the girls by demonstrating the support and strength between these six women. Each girl is uninhibited and comfortable with each other during the scene; it’s funny how dirty girl talk can be when there are no boys around,” Albers says, turning her attention to the greater overarching premise of the film with its brutal themes of betrayal and competition in an ever-swelling industry. “It’s here we see for the first time Melissa’s opinions and knowledge about the entertainment industry and her desire to be in it. Each of the girls have a level head on them except Melissa, and you can tell this in her dialogue with how far she would go to be famous. In her, the competition and friction has already been instilled. I think that as females it is important to support each other and rely on each other with trust. The entertainment industry can definitely cause a lot of competition and upset between women and men alike, but it’s important to remember camaraderie and to have respect for each other.”

The 6th Friend (out now on YouTube, Amazon Prime and Google Play) leans heavily on atmosphere and a slow-burning reveal, further tightening the performances to near deafening screams. Below, Albers dissects its exploration of PTSD, actor dynamics onset, stylistic choices and the film’s biggest twist.

Another component that is so captivating about the film is that we, the viewer, don’t know if there is a real killer stalking the characters at the cabin or if it is all in the characters’ heads. It isn’t until the second half that we get a much clearer picture. Was it the intent for this to represent coping and PTSD?

We wanted to make it seem like it was a foggy nightmare in the first half. They were tripping on acid, drinking, and it was five years ago, so we wanted to make everything seem like it was a distant memory that is still haunting them. Often times, people will block out certain events that are so traumatic. With the characters, there is definitely an element of PTSD and wanting to block that night from their memories. In the second half, we see what we think is Tyler for the first time since the acid trip, because he’s no longer just a memory. There’s actually someone standing in front of them as Tyler, and the ending explains the materialization of him.

The chemistry between the cast is palpable onscreen, and everyone really felt like friends just trying to recover. Was that bond pretty instant onset?

I remember the first table read we had, and there was a really good energy there. Everyone seemed really excited and eager to be a part of the film, and we were loosened up right away. Knowing that we all had to be close friends made us bond really quickly, I think. And we did spend a lot of time hanging out to build on that chemistry. I remember taking some pretty goofy group shots at the table read, and it was then that we knew we had a cast of girls that could easily play girlfriends.

Your character of Melissa is rather striking throughout the entire runtime. Her obsession with fame is so consuming she leads this theatrical murderous plot. What did you see in this character when you initially read the script?

Honestly, I saw Melissa as being a little bit like Tony Montana in ‘Scarface.’ We love him even though he’s killing people; he has this humorous element to him that makes him likable. I always liked Melissa, and I also wanted to make the audience like her. I think she has a lot of humor, and it’s humor the audience would find funny, not Melissa. I saw her as a quirky, feisty drama queen who has so many layers to her and so many juxtapositions. She is sensitive yet narcissistic, funny but evil, charming yet manipulative. Playing obsessed characters gives you a clear direction on the details of the character. Melissa also does a complete 180 in her character from beginning to end; however, her personality stays the same. Yet when you look back at her, you can see she had the potential to do this the whole time, we just didn’t see it. She’s still the same person with the same personality, and we just see her for what she really is. In Melissa’s mind, she never lied because she never gave out any false information. She told the truth the whole time. In the mind of Melissa White, withholding information from your friends is not lying if they didn’t ask for it.

The location of the cabin in the woods contains a universal fear of isolation. What is it about feeling alone that is so terrifying?

I think it’s the feeling of being helpless and having nowhere to turn for resources or help. You are essentially self-reliant. When you don’t have resources in the middle of the woods you have little hope, and that is when the fear kicks in. Not knowing where the solution is can be a very terrifying thing, especially when your life is being threatened. I once drove through Wyoming in December where there were ice, heavy winds, and blowing snow on the road with no civilization around for miles and miles. It made me feel terrified because if something goes wrong, I won’t know where the solution is. Not having other people around to help you when you are in danger can create panic which is essentially fear. It puts you in a vulnerable position.

The storyline feels like a combination of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream and High Tension. As a producer on the film, and in working with such a creative, talented crew, did you have previous horror films in mind, at least stylistically, as you approached this project?

‘The Descent’ was definitely an inspiration for this film where they also featured strong females in the main cast trying to save themselves through the help of each other. It was done in a really tasteful and creative way and was more psychological, which I love. Another movie that was an inspiration is ‘The Craft,’ which also features four strong female leads. It plays upon the relationship of the women, and their trust of each other, along with some dark magic. I think that it has a really captivating story, and it didn’t rely on gore or sex to sell it. I thought both films were really intriguing and creative in the writing style by making it scary, but also going against the grain a little bit. ‘Scream’ was actually a favorite of mine growing up. I was only in grade school when the first one came out, but I still had it at the top of my list. With ‘The 6th Friend,’ we wanted to make a slasher film that uses these sort of elements to make the movie intriguing and scary without the use of gore and sex.

Looking back, the bread crumbs of the big twist are like “aha!” moments, particularly the scene when you’re practicing various emotions in the bathroom mirror. Why does fame make people do crazy things?

I think fame is something that is highly competitive, and extreme competition can become an obsession that can lead to some pretty extreme actions and drive a person crazy. When Melissa is doing those faces in the mirror, it’s almost like she has lost sight of her actions, and she’s oblivious as to how ridiculous she looks. The obsession of success has taken over to the point where she has lost some of her own self-awareness. She is obviously not aware of how ridiculous she is acting, but she also doesn’t care. The reason she doesn’t care, though, is because she’s unaware of how odd she looks. It is at that point you can see she has already detached from reality a little because of her tunnel vision. However, she does have her buttons that you can push, and when you push them, you could get dramatic tears or a knife to the heart. She’s a bit of a wild card.

Your performance is evocative and downright chilling. We’ve come to root for your character, but when the twist happens, the viewer is punched in the stomach. How did you approach building your character’s arc through the film, so by the end, we’re completely floored?

What I wanted to do with Melissa is make her character the same person and personality type throughout, and I didn’t want to make her a liar. After the reveal, it’s shocking, but it also makes a lot of sense that it would be her. I wanted to make it look as if she was revealing her true colors when she pulls off the mask. Her true colors were there the whole time, but you just didn’t see them. Looking back, you can see the crazy in her eyes. Joey and the rest of them just didn’t believe it or notice it. She has always been filled with passion, desire, drive, tunnel vision, energy, and by the end, she is still holding onto those traits. We see how far she has gotten swept up in the passion, desire, drive and tunnel vision to where it becomes incredibly destructive. If you were to ask Melissa why she did this to her friends, she would claim she never lied about anything…you just never asked. In a way, Melissa is very truthful ,and she holds onto this child-like quality. This whole thing has become a game to her, kind of like it became a game for Tony Montana. I think there is a lot of humor that can be brought out in both of those characters. When you are playing villains, I always think it’s fun to find the humor in them. They’re already pegged as “bad guys” so why not give them a little humor to contrast it.

Such visceral moments as when you’re found in the armchair with the knife are really haunting. What were your favorite moments to perform?

The arm chair scene was definitely a fun scene to play. In that scene, Melissa seems terrified, but her terror is slightly heightened because she’s “acting” after all and putting on a show. It’s fun to play those layered moments where your character’s reality is different from your costars. Jamie and I had a lot of fun filming the ending, and I have to say that was probably my favorite part to perform. It was like our characters were going at each other after we both find out the truth, and we have that bloody fight scene. The final scenes in the bedroom and outside the cabin are where my character really gets to take off and go to some really crazy extremes. We see the real side of Melissa and what she is willing to do for her own tunnel vision of success.

Generally, the use of is incredibly effective. It’s bloody but never needlessly gratuitous. Was that something you thought about?

We wanted to stay away from a lot of gore and thrill kills for this film. We really wanted it to be more about the chase and the close relationship between these six women and have them rely on each other to be saved. For me personally, when it comes to horror, I love movies that I can’t figure out right away. I’m much more scared at things that I can’t see, such as being haunted by the unknown.

The ending alludes to Jamie Bernadette’s character now being psycho for fame. It’s left just vague enough, and her gaze to the camera is penetrating. What does the ending mean?

Well ,there is always room for a sequel, and the full meaning of that look is currently being written. Melissa and Joey just can’t get enough of each other, I guess.

Photo Credit: David Villada

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