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An in-depth interview with director MARC KLASFELD discussing DO NOT ENTER.<\/p>\n
SYNOPSIS:\u00a0 \u00a0The Creepers are thrill-seeking urban explorers who love pushing things to the edge, and their latest stunt \u2013 livestreaming from New Jersey\u2019s abandoned Paragon Hotel \u2013 is their biggest yet. With its mobster past, supposed ghosts, and rumored stash of $300 million, the Paragon is catnip to The Creepers, a surefire way to increase their fanbase. But fear has other plans. Daring to enter the Paragon, not heeding the warnings, The Creepers fend off deadly rivals while supernatural creatures stalk them from the shadows, testing their endurance, sanity, and willingness to pay fame\u2019s heavy price.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Directed by Marc Klasfeld with script by Dikega Hadnot, Spencer Mandel, and David Morrell, DO NOT ENTER stars Jake Manley, Adeline Rudolph, Francesca Reale, Shane Paul McGhie<\/span>,\u00a0& Laurence O’Fuarain.<\/span><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n More than two decades after making his narrative feature debut with the biting satirical comedy The LA Riot Spectacular<\/em>, director MARC KLASFELD is back behind the camera for another feature\u2014this time in an entirely different genre.<\/p>\n His new film, DO NOT ENTER, trades political satire for supernatural horror, following a group of thrill-seeking urban explorers known as \u201cThe Creepers\u201d who livestream their latest stunt from the abandoned Paragon Hotel on the Jersey Shore\u2014an ominous property rumored to hold both mob money and malevolent spirits.<\/p>\n For Klasfeld, the return to narrative filmmaking after 21 years wasn\u2019t a retreat from directing but rather the result of a busy career elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve directed dozens and dozens of music videos,\u201d Klasfeld explains. That long stretch in the music video world sharpened his visual instincts\u2014something that becomes immediately evident in DO NOT ENTER, which blends cinematic horror language with flashes of stylized imagery and mixed-media textures.\u00a0 \u201cBeing cinematic comes very natural for me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n From the very beginning of the film, that sensibility is on display. The opening title sequence feels both modern and archival, layered with visual Jersey-esque Easter eggs and hints about the world the characters are about to enter.<\/p>\n \u201cThey put you in the mood of the movie,\u201d Klasfeld notes. \u201cThere\u2019s little Easter eggs in there if you look closely. There\u2019s storytelling going on in the titles as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the film is loosely based on David Morrell\u2019s novel Creepers<\/em>, Klasfeld embraced the opportunity to infuse the story with Jersey Shore iconography.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lot of Jersey stuff in there,\u201d he says, acknowledging the regional touches woven throughout the film.\u00a0\u00a0For viewers familiar with the area, those details stand out immediately\u2014from mob references to visual callbacks tied to the coast itself.\u00a0\u00a0Even the haunting imagery of the famous Seaside Heights roller coaster that collapsed into the ocean after Hurricane Sandy appears in the film\u2019s visual landscape.<\/p>\n Those touches help ground the story\u2019s supernatural elements in something that feels authentic and recognizable.<\/p>\n Despite the film\u2019s Jersey Shore setting, the production ultimately traveled halfway around the world to shoot it.\u00a0\u00a0The abandoned Paragon Hotel\u2014central to the story\u2014was discovered in Bulgaria.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found this one building in Bulgaria, of all places,\u201d Klasfeld says. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to find an abandoned building of that size that\u2019s actually safe to shoot in.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The enormous structure proved to be the perfect stand-in for the fictional hotel.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou cannot believe the size of this building,\u201d he recalls. \u201cYou can walk for miles in this space and still not get to the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n The location\u2019s scale and eerie architecture required surprisingly little modification from production designer Nikolai Kirilov.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI would say most of it was there,\u201d Klasfeld says. \u201cThat\u2019s why we ended up shooting there.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the building now hosts concerts and events, the filmmakers transformed it simply by shooting at night and selectively dressing the interiors.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhen you turn off all the lights\u2026 it definitely has an eerie vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n Klasfeld reunited with longtime collaborator and cinematographer Yon Thomas, with whom he had already worked extensively on music videos.\u00a0\u00a0That history created an easy creative shorthand.<\/p>\n \u201cYon and I just wanted to capture that space and do justice to it,\u201d Klasfeld explains.<\/p>\n The film blends multiple visual styles\u2014from expansive cinematic compositions to a gritty VHS aesthetic that reflects The Creepers\u2019 livestreaming culture.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of VHS art,\u201d he says. \u201cSo the movie has a little bit of everything\u2014a mixed-media vibe that gives it a layered visual story.\u201d<\/p>\n As the film progresses and tensions escalate inside the hotel, editor Patrick J. Smith helps maintain momentum through tight cross-cutting between multiple characters scattered throughout the massive building.\u00a0\u00a0Smith, though relatively early in his editing career, brought experience from working as an assistant editor on major Hollywood productions.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s worked on some of the biggest movies made in the last fifteen years,\u201d Klasfeld notes. \u201cHe\u2019s seen how those films are put together.\u201d<\/p>\n That experience proved valuable in shaping the film\u2019s escalating action and suspense.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI was just so happy to work with him,\u201d Klasfeld says. \u201cHe brought a lot to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sound design was equally crucial,\u00a0particularly in conveying the cavernous emptiness of the Paragon.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cGetting the sound of the space was just as important as getting the visual right,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou\u2019ve got this massive empty space, and the echo helps you feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n The film\u2019s ensemble cast had to function as a believable group of thrill-seekers while still giving each character a distinct personality.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe spent a long time casting,\u201d Klasfeld says.\u00a0\u00a0Once assembled, the actors rehearsed together extensively before filming.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe all sat in a very small room in Bulgaria for weeks,\u201d he laughs. \u201cWe rehearsed, ad-libbed, talked about the script\u2026 we worked really hard.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Those sessions helped the cast build chemistry\u2014even if they came with an unexpected side effect.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all got COVID because we were all in such a little room together,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t
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