Rob Willey: An Interview with a Westcoast Horror Director

Rob Willey is the frontman of the rock group Jell. Willey won "Best Director" for his video "Out of Your Head" at the Vancouver Island Music Awards in 2012. He has continued to work with the camera. In 2013, Willey began shooting a feature length horror film, titled Dark Cove. Willey has encountered a few challenges during filming.

In this interview, Willey talks about plans to distribute his first horror title. He also discusses some of the treacherous sets, which were truly isolating and even dangerous. Willey also discusses a future and mysterious upcoming production.

(Michael Allen): Rob, I mostly know you from your touring days with Jell. I only recently heard that you were trying out filmmaking. It has been awhile, but I look forward to talking about your slasher film Dark Cove today.

For those who do not know, can you talk about Dark Cove, or introduce the film to horror fans?

(Rob Willey): "Sure, it is a classic Canadian tale of five friends heading out to camp on the westcoast. They want to have a good time on their annual camping trip. And, essentially, they meet a British fellow and two Australian surfers. They indulge in some drinking and some partying. There are some marijuana cigarettes and some mushrooms.

The Australians turn out to be a little nasty. And, there is an accidental death. That death leads to some of the mayhem that happens in the woods."


(MA) And, can you describe some of the horror elements that viewers will find in this title?

(RW): "It is a slasher film. There are some axe-murders and some bloody wounds and horrific images. There is a lot of horror in this title for fans of the genre."

(MA) So, is the film a contemporary slasher film like John Carpenter’s Halloween or the Friday the 13th films?

(RW) "It is not that classic, but somewhere along those lines."

(MA) Are there more thriller elements in the film, then?

(RW) "It is a thriller horror film. There is the classic axe murder imagery and we are trying to keep it very modern and realistic, at the same time."

(MA) And, how does the film set itself apart from other horror and thriller films?

(RW) "We rely heavily on some very realistic dialogue in the movie. We have realistic and believable characters and locations, which look and feel right. We are not using just the prototypical horror set-up."

(MA) We are up here in French Beach, British Columbia. The area is pretty wooded and rugged. So, are the characters equally isolated in the setting?

(RW) "Yes, definitely. There are some challenges in finding help, when the first body is discovered."

(MA) How far are you into the production schedule?

(RW) "Production is going well. We shot for 10 days in August. And, we got about half of the movie finished. We are doing this four day shoot and another four day shoot in August, to wrap it all up."

(MA) Do you think you will have a second trailer for Dark Cove in August?

(RW) "Yes, as soon as this second shoot is finished, then I will be moving onto editing the second trailer."

(MA) What are some of the challenges that you have encountered during production?

(RW) "We have such a small crew. Everyone is essentially doing three or four jobs; everyone is multitasking. It has been challenging. We have also encountered some challenges with locations. One of the reasons that this location works so well is because it is so terrifying and so isolating."

(MA) After the film is complete, will you be touring some of the local film festivals?

(RW) "We are definitely going to try for the Victoria Film Festival, down into the United States and into Europe, too. We have already had a couple of invites to horror film festivals: one in the south and one in Scotland."

(MA) Do you think you will be able to release the film in early 2014?

(RW) "Yes, that is the game plan. We have already had a couple sales agents looking to represent the film."

(MA) Where are you going to go next in the genre? Are you going to take on another horror or thriller film?

(RW) "We are planning to shoot another horror, thriller. It will be more of a thriller this time, with more suspense."

(MA) Is there anything that you want to let horror fans know about the film?

(RW) "If you are looking for a real nitty-gritty horror film that is professional looking, with fun characters, then you should check this film out. We are going to take it to Cannes in 2014. We want to have that blood and we want to have that thrilling element. So, we are trying to keep it real and we really want to represent the Canadian westcoast vibe. And, we want it to be intelligent too."

(MA) And, how can horror fans follow updates on the film?

(RW) "Fans can follow us on the Dark Cove Facebook page. Just like the page and we will be updating after every shoot. We will update it with lots of pictures and anything else that comes along."

(MA) Thanks for doing the interview, Rob.

(RW) "I appreciate it."

The film's fan page is here:

Dark Cove on Facebook

The trailer for Dark Cove has previously been posted here:

Dark Cove's Trailer on 28DLA

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