Mainstream: Director Adam Barnick
By: Elaine Lamkin

Adam Barnick is one of a growing number of East Coast indie horror directors who are really making names for themselves in the genre. His first film, the unnerving “Mainstream”, was chosen for inclusion in a major DVD compilation of horror shorts and he is also a contributor to a number of horror websites including Entertainment Insiders and Dread Central. And he has so many projects lined up, including music videos, sound design for Dante Tomaselli’s upcoming “The Ocean” as well as several scripts of his own, it was amazing Bloody-Disgusting had an opportunity to speak with him.

BD: First things first Adam. Tell us a bit about yourself – The Adam Barnick Story - for those who don’t know you. Where are you from? Where did you get your education? Have you always been a horror fan?

AB: I’m originally from Meyersville, New Jersey. Grew up in a wooded, freaky setting where the winters were ominous and I was the only one who got inspired when it was overcast.. –now I’m living next to New York City, with seasonal trips to LA…I went to the School of Visual Arts for film. I started out as a kid with a huge interest in sci fi and fantasy, starting with watching 50’s monster flicks on TV late at night. My interest often dipped into horror, I always felt drawn to it, but didn’t get obsessed with the genre and its potential till I was about 12.

BD: Where did the idea for “Mainstream” first come to you? People have mentioned how it reminds them of the Nine Inch Nails video, “Happiness in Slavery” with MUCH less of the gore but you have said you never saw the video. Are you curious to see it now?

AB: Sure, I’d like to check it out. I didn’t even know it existed until August. As far as I hear “Mainstream” just brings back some memories of this video. All I know is it involves a guy getting tortured, not sure if it goes for the intention I did with “Mainstream”.

The idea came from being, at the time, surrounded by people who couldn’t handle anyone thinking or being creative or being outside the box- people who had given up on their creativity or goals or their drive and were just drained, apathetic, letting life push them around- one day the process of them giving up and numbing themselves just came to me in this natural hallucinogenic rush of ideas that was the operation.

As I analyzed the images that had hit me, I saw how people could interpret it in different ways, other than what had inspired it…that excited me because I love when there’s more to any story than what’s on the surface…when it’s layered. That’s one thing I love about science fiction and the horror genre; it has no limits, from being able to sneak in social commentary like Romero’s films and “The Twilight Zone”, to exploring subjects and ideas other genres wouldn’t touch, to the amount of creativity you can put into production design, sound, etc…nothing has to just look like it does outside your window.

BD: How would you describe “Mainstream” to someone without giving too much away?

AB: It’s about being on autopilot, or how we let ourselves become bland, just like everyone else, and part of the machine, depicted through an unsettling medical procedure. Maybe I should say “it’s like this Nine Inch video!” (laughs)

I’ve gotten some interesting interpretations from people depending on what they brought to it. An NYU professor, who comes from a medical background, saw it at the New York City Horror Film Festival and wrote this great letter to me detailing how it was about the failings of Western medicine...it was fascinating to read, some of what she wrote were things I intended, some I hadn’t thought of! An intensely devoted artistic friend of mine saw it as a warning not to give up or let others dictate your life. Some people have just seen it as a moody atmospheric nightmare. Artistic people tend to have the best response...I think most are used to relatives and co-workers trying to do what the machines do in the film. I figured when I was putting it together that a lot of the moments could be taken different ways or just enjoyed on their own for the creep factor. If it’s your own interpretation and you’re the kind of person who thinks for yourself, then it’s right.

BD: What was the budget for “Mainstream” and how did you create your amazing, cringe-inducing special effects? That first “jump scare” with the needles did it for me :).

AB: We had three and a half thousand dollars. Most went to the effects, some to the 16mm film stock, and that prop gurney and some lights were rented. Same with the dolly. The FX…the machines, depending on which one, are a mixture of antique/obsolete medical equipment, devices used on animals…plastic and metal parts shaped into what we needed. The prosthetics were all done with casting latex based off sculptures. Most of those needles are thicker metal tubes actually. Real needles were too thin to easily show up on our film stock after the bleach bypass(the surgery scenes were treated in the lab so the blacks would be deeper.) We freaked out the crew doing the needle scenes too!

BD: The lack of next-to-no dialogue coupled with the bizarro doctor and the tranquilized wife as well as the second “more willing” participant (played by you, for those who didn’t catch that) – did you purposely set out to do a “less is more” film as those seem to be the ones that resonate more with viewers?

AB: We had to keep it simple for budget’s sake, but it’s close to how I saw it originally, though I would have made the machines more elaborate if we could have afforded to. In terms of the process in the film, and the running time etc., that’s all how I planned it to a degree. But I agree, simplicity always strikes harder. I felt that if I overdid it that people wouldn’t try to read into it and would just get lost in the visual noise. If it was part of a larger story illustrating these themes, I might have taken it farther. If a feature surfaces one day of “Mainstream”, not only would the surgery be part of a more concrete plot, but I’d emphasize making that scene far, far scarier. People find it unsettling, but it’s not all-out horror yet.

BD: I wanted to ask one question about the sound design for “Mainstream” as it was so...organic.  Who did your sound design?  That persistent hum punctuated by those metallic and JARRING sounds of the machines?

AB: In post, that’s where I consciously went for ‘less is more’. After a first attempt. Originally the sound design started out more science fiction-oriented, louder, more “look at me!” And it didn’t work. I scrapped it and started over. Strangely, we found that mixing more natural or organic sounds, even if distorted, into the machines/process was more effective. It sounds fine on DVD, but in a theater at festivals, we’ve gotten a lot of great comments on how chill-inducing the sound was to them. It kind of wraps itself around you and proceeds.

But I did 90% of the sound design.  A gentleman named Justin Hennard created some ominous drones for me as a favor after I interviewed him, which I altered and played with and layered into the tracks…the rest was me. Justin went on to do sound design for the upcoming film “A Scanner Darkly”.   He's got a terrific experimental sci-fi film on DVD called “Moonlight by the Sea”, worth checking out.  

I had someone lined up to do “Mainstream”s sound at first…but realized I couldn't afford him and had to do it on my own.  That was a blessing in disguise, not only did I learn a lot and get really inventive with limited resources, but I got a few paid gigs out of it: I recently completed sound design for an experimental horror film called Suicide Angel, directed by Troy Acree, and I'll be contributing samples to the feature “The Ocean” and another short…and I'm already making background tracks for my next film.  My sound library can still be carried in one hand but it's growing...

BD: Were there films or directors who influenced the look of “Mainstream”? I felt some Clive Barker as well as David Cronenberg might be lurking around the edges.

AB: Cronenberg is a favorite. He never skimps on the ideas or the performances.. We did look at “Dead Ringers’” surgical instruments to see what they had come up with before ours were built. I knew I wanted them to look real/functional, not too futuristic, but not too obviously modern. You can’t put your finger on them, you just know they hurt. (laughs)

Clive Barker didn’t really come to mind when I made it, though I know that that scene in “Hellraiser II” where the doctor is altered has a lot of tubing and embalming. “Phantasm” was a huge influence on me in general. I did try to find gurneys that reminded me of ones in that film series.

No specific film comes to mind that inspired the look; it’s a far less expensive version of how I originally saw it. I know it seems like an alien abduction sequence to a degree. Why is every nasty experiment on mankind done in a big dark space? (laughs)

BD: “Mainstream” is on a short horror films DVD. Are you happy with that collaboration and have you had much feedback from people who have seen the DVD?

AB: Absolutely. It’s certainly helped with exposure, I’ve gotten some feedback from reviewers/critics as well as total strangers who tracked me down. Having that show at the NYCHFF and other festivals recently helped too. I’m pretty relentless about promotion but I was getting feedback before the DVD release.

BD: How did you go about casting the actors in the film as, other than the wife, no one has any dialogue? Was it a difficult sell for you?

AB: Not really difficult, you just look for people who ‘get’ you and what you’re trying to do. I put casting ads in Backstage...though I had already seen Jean (Arlea) in several plays and short films and asked her directly if she was interested. I wondered for the lead if people would be up for a part where he’s technically unconscious for half of the film! But the actor I cast, Edmundo Santos, got what I was going for with the imagery and had lots of interesting takes on the subtext. I think he was used to playing cops, and guys whining about their social life at the diner, that kind of thing...so he was up for something different. Same with Jean- she understood the material and was game for it.

BD: What projects are you currently working on? Anything we might be seeing soon?

AB: My next short film will probably be “Eight Phone Calls”. It’s a weird thriller/character study. Very simple and streamlined in terms of cast, set, etc. I needed to do something soon without tons of props and complicated effects in it and to keep working, keep learning. That’ll be shot on 16mm and 24P. I am rewriting it and paring it down though, trying to maximize character in as few pages as possible. So it might be “Three Phone Calls” by the time it comes out. I’m trying to avoid too many similarities to other films involving being trapped or malevolent callers. I wrote this initially before all those recent films came up.. It’s my take on the phone thriller. Emphasis will be on the mood and atmosphere as well as the performances. I’m also tweaking the script for a short drama/comedy called “The Ashes of Idiots”.

I’m doing three music videos early next year and I’d like to do more. I’m developing several new feature scripts, half of which are horror...I’m interested in everything but will always come back to the genre. I’m working towards my first feature, which looks to be quite dark and strange, at the end of next year. Since “Mainstream” came out there’s been some interest, a couple of possible projects I’m waiting to hear more on. One producer wants me to look at a script to possibly rewrite and direct. It’s just talk for now, We’ll see what happens. But many things are brewing.

BD: Obviously you are a horror fan – what are some of your favorite movies?

AB: All the usual suspects, really, but tops are: Phantasm (all 4), Paperhouse, Cronos, Frankenstein (1931), Halloween, Habit, Dead and Buried, The Shining, Pet Sematary, The Fog, Burnt Offerings, Romero’s Dead films (all 4), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, its remake/update in ’78, Carnival of Souls, Exorcist, Exorcist III, The Changeling, Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus, not so much horror but beautiful and dark…The Fly (’86), Alien, Clean Shaven, Pumpkinhead, Vampyr, Nosferatu, Cabin Fever, The Thing (both), Ginger Snaps, Suspiria, Angel Dust, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Black Sunday, Black Sabbath… I think Cronos, Habit and The Night Flier might be the only 90’s horror flicks I could stand. Session 9, Malevolence, Horror, and Wolf Creek were recent films that got under my skin and impressed me. There’s a script going around in Hollywood called “Heartland” by Paul Solet that is really fucking nightmarish.

This feels equally like a great and an awful time for the horror genre, which is a step up from 10 years ago when it was all at the bottom. Everyone who grew up watching 70’s-80’s films are starting to make movies and steer it back where it should be.

BD: You are part of a group of rising indie horror directors on the East Coast. Have you all ever discussed collaborating on a project?

AB: We’re sort of dipping our toes in each other’s pools currently. Just helping out. Chris Garetano asked me to appear in his documentary on Dante Tomaselli after I met him. I’ve done in-depth interviews with Dante several times and he’s had good things to say about my work (he’s a “Mainstream” fan). As I said, I’ll be contributing some sound design/samples to Dante’s fourth film “The Ocean.” And we might write something together down the road.

I met Rob Galluzzo (composer/filmmaker) when he interviewed me for his (Icons of Fright) website, we hit it off after he saw “Mainstream”; I’ll be doing a spot of sound for him for his first short film entitled “If I Die Before I Wake.” It looks like he’ll score my next project as well.

BD: What does your family think of what you do? Are they supportive or “hope you grow out of this”?

AB: Very supportive. I’m sure they would love for the paycheck to match the passion as we all would. But they’ve always ‘gotten’ me; they’re glad “Mainstream” is getting some notice.

BD: Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to add at this point?

AB: I’m obsessed with abandoned houses. I miss seeing creatures rendered with latex and animatronics, and the days when 2-3 million dollar indie horror films opened in 2000 theaters every week. People who can’t differentiate between when to use “your” and “you’re” must be stopped. Apparently, my last name is a perfect Tango & Cash-esque villain surname.. “The drug shipments can all be traced back to Barnick!” That kind of thing. So I’m told.

I hope that this ‘horror renaissance’ continues and that people starting out or plugging away keep at it, and the old-school icons keep getting the respect (and projects) they deserve; I mean this year Romero came back, in theaters! And Masters of Horror is putting a lot of our idols back in the spotlight. Let’s make horror films dangerous, smart, daring, and creative again. And scary.

BD: What is one thing people don’t know about Adam Barnick that you think they should know?

AB: I Googled my name a while back and actually found three people with my name, all whom recently passed away. Hmm…

Check out Adam's official website

December 2005