BTL Radio Show – 11/03/2025 with MATTHEW WHITAKER discussing TRUTH & TREASON and BRADFORD THOMASON & BRETT WHITCOMB talking THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN

Extending Halloween a bit longer this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we chat with documentarians BRADFORD THOMASON & BRETT WHITCOMB about THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN. Plus, writer/director MATT WHITAKER discusses the powerful and important narrative film TRUTH & TREASON.

But first, let’s keep that Halloween feeling going with THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN.

Who hasn’t seen or doesn’t know about the utterly charming HALLOWEENTOWN franchise? It became a Halloween staple from the moment it released, with Debbie Reynolds as the magical Grandma Aggie Cromwell and Kimberly J Brown as Aggie’s granddaughter Marnie, along with Judith Hoag as Aggie’s daughter and Marnie’s mom, Joey Zimmerman as Marnie’s brother Dylan, and Emily Roeske as their younger sister Sophie. So beloved, that original film spawned three sequels! But it all started in the little town of St. Helens, Oregon, where the original film was shot.

And now, all these years later, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb return to St. Helens to discover how this picturesque town of St. Helens and its Halloween happy residents decided to capitalize on the town’s starring role in HALLOWEENTOWN and each year invites tourists to come and celebrate the film and Halloween with them.

Brad and Brett are the perfect documentarians to bring us THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN. You might already know one of their acclaimed documentaries, “Butterfly In The Sky” about PBS, Reading Rainbow and Levar Burton. If you haven’t seen it already, I encourage you to do so now, especially in light of the funding cuts for PBS and wonderful educational programming like “Reading Rainbow.”

Now, they have trained their camera on St. Helens, documenting the colorful cast of characters that live there with everyone from the Queen of Halloweentown to a former cheerleader to the Klondike bar owner, and even the folks responsible for the Alien Museum, and explore the legacy and impact the film has had on their town. A charming character study that captures the spirit of Halloween enthusiasts as well as small-town disagreements and the drama that occurs when colorful residents disagree passionately, this is an artfully crafted documentary that will entertain both fans of HALLOWEENTOWN and fans of fascinating human behavior alike.

I spoke with Brad and Brett on Halloween afternoon a few days ago to find out about the tricks and treats of THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN. Co-directing the film, Brad also served as editor, while Brett was the cinematographer. Highlighting the town’s month-long preparations and breaking the film down with a weekly countdown until the big parade and lighting of the town’s pumpkin on Halloween, they take us through various events and businesses, including commentary by the residents about the positive impact on businesses and the community’s enthusiasm. Of course, they also show us the flip side with some of the town’s naysayers. Breaking down the “making of”, Brad and Brett also talk about interviewing the local ghost hunter and an ongoing paranormal investigation, as well as a seance, both of which we see in the film, and which add plenty of suspense. Brad goes into detail about the editing process, with both of the guys talking about collaborating and working with the townspeople, and the importance of capturing authentic stories and always keeping the spirit of Halloween and Halloweentown alive.

THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN is currently streaming on Prime, AppleTV and YouTube.

Shifting gears, I want to talk about an important and powerful film that is in theatres right now – TRUTH & TREASON. I’ve briefly mentioned it the past two weeks, but this is such an important film given the current political climate, that even though my interview with writer/director MATT WHITAKER discussing the film has been out on behindthelensonline.net, I want to showcase it now on #BTLRadioShow.

TRUTH & TREASON is based on the true story of German youths Helmuth Hubener, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, and Rudi Wobbe, who fought Hitler and the Third Reich with the most powerful weapon of all – their words. An amazing true story that has remained untold for too long and now, thanks to Whitaker and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, comes into the light.

As World War II rages, 16-year-old German youth, Helmuth Hubener, is forced to confront a terrible truth—loyalty to his country now means loyalty to a lie. When his trusted bishop urges obedience to the Nazi regime, he begins to question everything. And after his Jewish friend, Salomon Schwarz, is taken away, he secretly listens to banned radio broadcasts and launches a resistance, exposing the truth. But in a nation ruled by fear, defiance comes at a cost—and as the regime closes in, he must decide what it truly means to be a good German.

As Matt breaks it all down for us in this interview, we learn of the genesis of the film and what led Matt to this true story, and how that led to the idea of a film, and then a script, and ultimately, a film. As you’ll hear, authenticity and historical accuracy were essential, which led them to real historical locations in Lithuania (which emotionally impacted the cast and crew and which Matt goes into chilling detail about), and capturing the right visual and atmospheric tone, such as the contrasts of light and darkness and the physical constraints of tunnels and cells. Calling on cinematographer Bianca Cline, Matt and Bianca developed a visual grammar that was not only cinematic but that captured and supported the emotion of each and every scene.

As you’ll hear, Matt discusses the the importance of this film, the courage of Helmuth Hubener and his friends, casting and performance, visual inspirations, authentic locations, set and design details, thematic use of light and darkness, symbolism, sound design by those masters at Formosa Group, Aaron Zigman’s amazing score, not to mention the editorial challenges which, in addition to the film, gave way to a four-part series that dives even deeper into the real events and is now streaming on Angel.com. An incredible “must-see” film.  A fascinating and emotional interview.

TRUTH & TREASON is currently in theatres, while the four-part series is streaming on Angel.com.

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