IN CONVERSATION WITH AARON TRUSS
An upcoming film which should definitely be on your radar is EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD, a feature-length adaptation of a short film from 2008. Aaron Truss, who co-directed the short, is returning to direct the feature, and he wrote the script for the upcoming film alongside lead actor Joe Acres, who is also the star of the original. Truss also helmed the acclaimed short film, PAREIDOLIA, which premiered at FrightFest in 2023. And Jake West, the director of films such as RAZOR BLADE SMILE, DOGHOUSE, and the upcoming shark thriller, WHITE, starring Kate Beckinsale, is producing EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD, and BAFTA-Nominee Simon Boswell is composing the score.
The original EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD short focused on the staff of a supermarket as they tried to survive a zombie outbreak, and you can watch it on YouTube. Whereas the feature will instead serve as a meta comedy about a cast and crew of inexperienced actors and filmmakers who are trying to make a zombie movie within a supermarket, and the amusing obstacles they encounter along the way. Therefore, it sounds like EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD will be a very funny account of the making of a low-budget zombie movie, with a central theme being the desire of the protagonist, Hooban (played by Acres), to become a successful filmmaker so that he can escape from his mundane, soul-crushing job in a supermarket.
The original short starred Rob Knox, the actor who played Marcus Belby in HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, who was tragically stabbed to death in 2008. Truss was childhood friends with Knox and directed two documentaries about him, (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY, and (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER, both of which serve to raise awareness about the knife crime epidemic. The feature will honour the late actor’s memory by having actor Paul Casar play the role of a character named Rob, who is inspired by Knox. Casar is known for the TV series DETECTORISTS, and he will no doubt deliver a strong performance as Rob in the film. And the cast of EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD will also include THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER actress Dani Harmer, Ellie Rae Winstone, Sean Cronin, and HELLRAISER star Nicholas Vince.
Truss has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help bring EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD to life, in the hope of raising £50,000. He is clearly very excited and enthusiastic about this very unique project. If all goes well, Truss is planning to shoot the film later this year, and we can probably expect to see it in 2027. It certainly sounds like EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD will certainly be a highly comedic and intelligent film which will offer an outrageous examination of the challenges of independent filmmaking. Follow EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD on its various social media accounts, which are linked below.
Truss has launched an Indiegogo campaign in the hope of raising £50,000 to bring EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD to life. His enthusiasm and passion for this distinctly original project are unmistakable. If all goes to plan, Truss intends to begin shooting later this year, with the film potentially reaching audiences in 2027. EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD already sounds like a sharp, highly comedic and intelligently conceived feature, promising an outrageous yet insightful exploration of the challenges of independent filmmaking.
GORE IN THE STORE - Can you give us a brief overview of EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD and how it started off as a short?
Aaron Truss - This journey started almost 20 years ago as a university assignment in Ealing. We were given camera equipment and told to write, shoot and edit a short horror film in 48 hours. Myself and my friend, James Shovlar realised we had one of the best locations at my fingertips - a Sainsbury's. I was working there at weekends, doing deliveries on the loading bay. There was no way we'd get permission in such a short space of time (we certainly wouldn't get permission now as students) so I thought...fuck it. We're doing this.
I roped in my close friends Todd Stammers and Rob Knox to appear in the film, Rob having just appeared in HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE and was always in my amature home movies shot on my Mum's video camera. I'd also roped in this really popular kid from school who sung in a band and had good hair called Joe Acres - who was intended to be the villain of the film, but Rob Knox insisted on being the villain. He knew those roles were more fun to play, so Joe Acres ended up becoming our lead.
We filmed the short film on a single nightshift in Chislehurst with only a few hours of rehearsals beforehand at Joe's house. We didn't have much in terms of money and resources and ended up using trolleys for smooth gliding shots, something we would come back to when shooting the promo for Indiegogo with Vince Knight (our DOP) and Jake West (our producer). But we got it done! We wrapped filming just as the sun came up and legged it to the nearest cafe for a breakfast before shooting back to Ealing to edit the film.
Why are you now making EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD into a feature?
AT: I didn't think I'd really come back to EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD, I knew it was special because it was the last film we made with Rob before his murder - and in many ways that's why it was hard to revisit. Ironically, I'd had to revisit it for the ITVX documentary (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY. It wasn't until after we finished on the film festival circuit with PAREIDOLIA that Jake West saw the original short film and said 'That should be your first feature film'. That's when the gears started turning and we realised that the story of how we made EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD as kids, was a story for a film in itself! Not a horror film, but a comedy about first time film-makers trying to make a zombie movie. Falling into all those pitfalls first-time filmmakers fall into on their first endeavour. That's what really appealed to myself and Joe Acres, a completely human story about a guy who's an absolute monster kid who decides to take a chance on himself and make a zombie movie at his supermarket behind his boss' back. Whilst it is a comedy, it's absolutely littered with references to horror movies and does what SCHOOL OF ROCK did for rock music - the ordinary public can still enjoy it on a relatable level without having to be aficionados in horror or zombie movies.
In fact, Joe Acres was the first person I called about the idea. Joe is one of my best friends and we've pretty much been inseparable in our professional careers and we both decided to write the screenplay and have him play the lead again. We lived this story so it made sense for it to come from us. I think that's why so many people have joined the project, including Dani Harmer (of TRACY BEAKER fame) as everyone who reads the script, sees the human story behind it. Doing something with your life before it's too late.
Can you discuss the cast?
AT: Knowing that this whole film was going to rely on a crowdfund, Joe Acres and I decided to invest a bit of money in creating a proof of concept promo - which then became 5! But we knew we needed a handful of actors to represent the characters we'd written. With Joe already cast, we needed to find his sister in the story and we'd had our eye on Dani Harmer for months - but we didn't know if we'd realistically have a chance in hell of winning her over. Myself, Dani and Joe were all supporters of the Rob Knox Foundation and the film festival, with Dani also having worked with Rob on the BBC sitcom, AFTER YOU'RE GONE. Thankfully, after weeks of phone calls, she read the script and was in! Dani isn't much of a horror movie fan, but her husband Simon is, and became one of our biggest supporters on the project. I've literally stayed up late texting him, discussing our favourite horror films. Friends of ours have since gone on to comment that we were making 'TRACY BEAKER VS. ZOMBIES', and whilst that does sound like a cool hook - it's actually so much more than that.
Aaron Truss - We couldn't cast everyone obviously, but we could cast some key characters for the promo - so we started asking actors for tapes and started a mini casting process. This is what led us to both Paul Casar and Ellie Rae Winstone. Both incredible actors and both super keen to be a part of this film. Ellie Rae Winstone is a force to be reckoned with on-screen and gives off an emotional intelligence that keeps you engaged. Paul Casar is a consummate professional who is just so incredibly entertaining to watch as well as direct. Everything clicked when these four came together on screen for the Indiegogo promo. We were super lucky to also cast Sean Cronin and Nicholas Vince too in very special roles that will become clear in the Indiegogo promos...
Can you also talk about Rob Knox, and how the film will honour his memory?
AT: I mentioned Paul Casar briefly, best known for appearing in BBC's DETECTORISTS. He will actually be playing the character of Rob in the film, a tribute to our friend who should be here with us now. There was no way we could make a feature film based on our original experiences and not mention or include Rob in some way. Joe and I both wanted to honour his legacy with a character based on him, someone older, someone who had the same passion, drive, charm and charisma as Rob Knox did. Paul Casar captured that in his tape and days later we met him for a drink and got to know him, which was especially important for us. I even called Rob's parents for their blessing on Paul's casting. I just know he's going to really shine in the role and channel Rob's energy into the film.
Can you both describe what you think makes EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD unique among the many other zombie-themed comedies on the market today?
AT: Do I think the film is unique? It's difficult to say because whilst we've lived this film, we do borrow elements from ED WOOD, LIVING IN OBLIVION, CLERKS and THE DISASTER ARTIST. Obviously, the nexus point in time and space for British zombie comedies is SHAUN OF THE DEAD - and whilst I absolutely love that film, we're doing something different. It doesn't matter though, people will always come back to SHAUN because that's the bar that's been set even though it was over 20 years ago. It has more heart and soul, I think; it's not about zombies, it's about first-time filmmakers trying to break the cycle of the 9-5 grind of working life to make their dreams come true by making a zombie movie with everything on the line. But don't be fooled; there may be a lot of heart, but we will rip it out of your chest and create some splatter and gore on aisle four.