Interview: Hunter Hoffman Talks ‘The Creeper’s Curse!’

Villain Media has an exclusive interview with screenwriter/actor Hunter Hoffman, who talks about the comedic horror behind The Creeper’s Curse. Find out what happens when you cross the line with the wrong witch!

Chef, Roger (Hunter Hoffman) is notorious for hitting on women when he’s had too much to drink, making him an absolute total creep. At a New Year’s Eve party, Roger (Hoffman) aggressively hits on a witch (Brielle Cotelo), The Witch (Cotelo) then places him in an ancient curse, where he is vocally trapped into speaking Elizabethan English and is slowly taken over by a demon.

With The Creeper’s Curse heading towards the film festival circuit, Hunter Hoffman reveals how the concept came about, finding the comedic tone of the dialogue, and juggling the multiple roles of screenwriter, actor, and executive producer. Check out our review of the official poster as Hunter and I walk into the writer’s studio to discuss the ins and outs of filmmaking.

Villain Media: Tell me how The Creeper’s Curse came about.

Hunter Hoffman: It was initially a script that I wrote for The Cold Read podcast. We had this podcast where we basically write a new screenplay every other week. And this was a script that I thought was funny. My then-girlfriend said, “This is a funny script! You should make it into a movie.” So, I made it into a movie!

VM: Not only did you write the script, you’re also performing in the film as Roger. Tell me about juggling these two roles as screenwriter and actor.

HH: It was crazy! As screenwriter and also the executive producer, it was the first time producing something of my own work. Initially, I thought about not being in the film. And then, Blake [Rice], the director said, “No, you need to be in this movie;” which was great! The shoot itself took less than 24 hours for us to do. So in the past year of getting this movie done, the filming itself was kind of a blip. It was a total blast! It was so much fun! 

And also, Blake was really great! Leading up to the shoot day, and everything afterwards, I would have to say I put my executive producer hat on. While we were filming, I was the actor on set. “That’s all you need to worry about. There are other producers here, helping you out. You just need to worry about acting in the film,” he said. 

VM: As screenwriter/actor/executive producer, how much emphasis do you place on dialogue? Did you expect the cast to say their lines word-for-word? Or was improvisation allowed?

HH: When it was scripted, there was definitely a lot of room for improvisation. It is more comedically based. There was a lot of room to play around and ad-lib, and do a lot of things. It was a lot of fun!

There are some parts of the script though. With all that freedom, I also wanted to make sure the message was getting across. We were saying what needed to be said. And I also wanted to make sure all my words came out correctly. So I guess to answer your question, yes and no.  

VM: Asta Paredes plays Gwen and Brielle Cotelo plays the Witch. Tell me what they brought to the roles you wrote.

HH: Asta was incredible! She came into filming and she was sick. I think she had a severe head cold. She was definitely sick. She definitely powered through and she was amazing! She did an incredible job! And she was also a fun person to have on set!  Asta’s role as Gwen is “the straight man” in the movie. She does a great job holding her own while me and the other actor, and everyone else around her, get to act like bumbling idiots. She was great being this powerhouse character.

Brielle was great! She had initially auditioned for Gwen. And then, we needed someone to come in and play the Witch, who my character, Roger, hits on. Brielle was such a champ! She just showed up to set. We were like, “Hunter is going to be an a$$hole and just hitting on you. We need you  to have this total straight doesn’t-give-a-crap face.” And she nailed it. She knocked it out of the park. It was fun working with both of them!

VM: Tell me about the music by Dillion M. DeRosa.

HH: The music makes the music so much! It was done by Dillion M. DeRosa, He’s such a genius! His last film was People Like you. Blake had worked with Dillion as well. The music just heightens everything. The way that Dillion composes, it has fantastical elements to it, but it’s also incredibly grounded. It really makes these comedic and ridiculous moments in the film come to life. This film would not be what it is without his work. It’s great that it’s now own on iTunes and Spotify!  You can buy and listen to it!

VM: How did The Creeper’s Curse change you as a storyteller? 

HH: It definitely inspired a lot more confidence in me as a filmmaker. This is my first-ever script. This is the first one we ever produced. It created this itch in me to make more films. So now every script I write, I’m like, “How can I shoot this? How can I make this happen?” The Creeper’s Curse opened the floodgates for me in a way; to create more films and do more stuff like this. 

VM: How can the readers of Villain Media find your movie?

HH: Right now, we’re going to be starting the festival circuit very soon. There’s going to be a trailer. They can follow us on Instagram, on Twitter, and our Facebook page. And then, we also have our website, www.thecreeperscurse.com. Basically, if you type in “creepers curse,” you’ll find us somewhere. Hopefully, we’ll be hitting festivals very soon.

VM: What are you working on now?  

HH: Right now, I’m doing some more acting stuff. I’m also an actor as well. There’s also talk about turning The Creeper’s Curse into a feature. I’m working on that as well. I’m figuring out those concepts. And then plugging away at The Cold Read podcast; doing all those things. Doing that New York City hustle of life, you know!

The Creeper’s Curse will be hitting the festival circuit. Readers can find out more information here or the links above:

[Writer’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Links are highlighted in bold.]