Haunted

Writer, Producer, Director, Camera, Editor:

Philip R. Fagan

2001

The idea behind HAUNTED came to me in the course of an independent study I was granted at UNT in which I researched the history of the representation of heroin addiction in popular culture and film. I decided I wanted to make my own "junkie movie". I was also very inspired by the dark visions of independent New York film makers such as Abel Ferrara and Larry Fessenden, both of whom had made horror films using vampirism as a metaphor for addiction. I wanted to try my hand at a ghost story/ love story angle on the heroin/horror theme. Count Lyle (of Dallas band Ghoultown), an old friend and collaborator, was the perfect choice to portray the grieving and addicted death rocker. I shot it on location in Dallas on digital video, but lighted it to give it a certain filmic tone. I wanted vivid colors like Dario Argento achieves in his work. HAUNTED was the most challenging of the series as far as editing and sound design go. It's a bit of a trance film with a rich soundscape consisting of scant dialogue, effects, and the haunting score by my brother Louis and (Dallas band) Anthropods. Several people have found the film puzzling and asked me what it really means, but I like to hear what they think.

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