In late 2001, David and Amber had decided that enough time passed trying to get their feature Primal fully funded and they created Zombie Night to be a smaller, more manageable self financed feature. David wrote the script in between breaks on set while doing extra and acting work and it was completed a week....

....before David and Amber were to get married. When they got back to Toronto after their honeymoon they set a date three months later to begin shooting come hell or high water. Setting a date to begin shooting a feature movie with no funding, crew or actors, is a strange way to make a movie but they agreed that if they allowed even one little issue, like money, cause a delay, then one thing would lead to another and nothing would ever get done, a common cause for endless delays in the industry. 

Three months is a quarter of the time fully funded major films take to prepare yet Dave and Amber managed to get an amazing crew of over 100 people, a cast of over 20 and around 100 extras in place during that time as well as locations, equipment, special effects make up, pyrotechnics, hair, grips, electrics, assistant directors, production manager and many, many others in place and ready to shoot. After cleaning out their bank accounts and lining up the credit cards on the table to finance the movie, it was ready to go. Dave and Amber decided to go with a campy tribute style Zombie movie, paying homage to the throwback horror movies of yesteryear and the audience at the premiere of Zombie Night in Toronto laughed at the tongue in cheek slants and the not so subtle humor, they screamed when they were supposed to and an amazing time was had by the entire packed house.

Between locations canceling the night before a shoot, the PM and Producers trying to re-coordinate transportation for 100 plus people to a yet unknown location the following morning, the DOP, due to personal issues, having to quit days before they were to start shooting taking with him the cameras, sound recording equipment and lenses that they needed, snow during an exterior day of shooting, a location with live wires hanging from the ceiling and no heat… you get the picture.

Yet the deadlines were met and production was completed thanks to an amazing cast and crew willing to work ungodly hours in sub zero temperatures overnight and in some of the most adverse conditions the writer has seen on a set to this date.

Click Next to see a 3 part video about Zombie Night with David J Francis