It’s February 2016 and Empire is camped out in a freezing cold farm in Hertfordshire. We are currently staring at Jason Flemyng’s head in a jar in a fridge. It’s hidden behind body parts, urine samples, unidentifiable bodily fluids and a bottle of gin lit by spooky puke green lighting. It’s his only appearance in Eat Locals, his black comedy horror directorial debut. On a four week/20-day schedule, Flemyng hasn’t got time to pull double duties. Instead he is directing Dexter Fletcher and Ruth Jones as Mr & Mrs Thatcher, a seemingly sweet couple who have vile secrets in the refrigerator, trying to escape from a vampire coven.
“In all honesty, it's a bit of a challenge only because you want to fuck about and have a laugh and also you think, ‘Is this really Jason Flemyng directing me?’” says Fletcher during a break. “I have directed Jason before. Suddenly having the shoe on the other foot is a bit more of an interesting proposition. You want him to do great and it to be fantastic.”
The project started around ten years ago when Flemyng and Fletcher met writer Danny King who was peddling a project then called Reign Of Blood (it changed to Eat Local before landing on Eat Locals. “It was designed to be a budget specific project,” recalls Flemyng. “Dexter and I, when we out of fashion a little bit, said we’ve got to start doing something ourselves.” At this point, Fletcher was down to direct and Flemyng produce. Reign Of Blood went on the back burner after Flemyng went to the US to make X-Men First Class and Fletcher flew the project to make Wild Bill (also written by King). When Flemyng returned, he met with numerous directors but none displayed the intimacy and feel for the project.
“I realised the reason I didn't want to be a director was fear,” he admits. “Producing is still a little bit detached. You can always say, 'It wasn't my fault, I didn't make all those decisions.’ You are front and centre when you are directing and you've got to make all those decisions. It was just fear that was stopping me. And then I went, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to do it.”
What Flemyng committed to do adheres to the First Rule Of Low Budget Filmmaking which is keep the action in one location. In this case, the setting is that horror staple, the deserted farmhouse. Once every fifty years, the heads of all the vampire covens (including Vincent Regan, Eve Myles, Freema Agyeman, Tony Curran, Charlie Cox, Annette Crosbie) hold their agm to discuss territories, eating live humans vs. synthetic blood and AOB. One of their number is tracked by a SAS squad (led by Mackenzie Crook) looking to capture one of the bloodsuckers for testing. What follows is a Dog Soldiers-esque stand off between the vamps and the military, complicated by Essex geezer Sebastian (Billy Cook, David Essex’s son) thinking he is on a promise with Myles.
“It's the thing that Jason and I caught onto very early on that set it apart from gangster fare,” says Fletcher. Eight vampires trapped in the house who have to get out before sundown. Jason has great humour and humanity about him. He likes the vampires being the heroes rather than the villains.”
Dexter and I, when we out of fashion a little bit, said we’ve got to start doing something ourselves.
Flemyng’s genial demeanour is present and correct, singing and joshing with the crew seemingly without a care in the world. It is this charm and can-do attitude that has attracted name talent both in front of and behind the camera (many of the crew jackets read X-Men Fast Class and Kingsman) for a pittance.
“My fiscal value to this project was that I was going to get a stellar cast and fantastic HOD's (Heads Of Department),” he says. “I had no guarantee I could do that but that's what's happened. All the HOD’s have been moonlighting and stealing off the projects they are on. Without being a wanker, it's made with love.”
Flemyng calls his film “the biggest little film ever”. There have been gun fights punch ups and yesterday a motorcycle drove through a wall. Yet perhaps the most surprising crew appointment sees one of the world’s biggest action stars call the shots behind the camera.
“Stathe’ came in to direct second unit for me,” he laughs. “We had two days of Statham going "WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP ON THE HILL MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND MAKE ME A CUP OF TEA. WE'RE VERY BUSY DOWN HERE. It was such a buzz.”
Yet speak to any one on the Eat Locals crew and the most welcome Flemyng favour came with the food. Usually low budget film crews survive on a diet of stodgy lasagna and reheated chips. On Eat Local, the production is eating like Kings courtesy of chefs provided by one Jamie Oliver.
“I think it is the best catering I've ever had,” laughs Fletcher. “Jamie is an old mate of Jason and mine. There was an amazing lamb ragu yesterday. I had fucking scramble egg on toast with truffle oil on it which doesn't happen. Usually there is more choice — there is just a meat dish and a vegetarian option — but the quality is unbelievable.”
Today’s dish is Tempura lobster and Empire can attest it is sublime. Yet, however good the cuisine is, it hasn’t done any damage to Flemyng’s physique. He is tripping on the buzz of being creative with mates.
“It's fucking amazing,” he says. “I thought I'd be dead in four days. I've not had a personal trainer in fucking six years trying to lose a couple of kilos. Direct a film — seven kilos. I look more like Stathe than Stathe."
It seems that, despite the grueling schedule, Flemyng has kept both his waistline and his head. If you don’t, of course, count the prosthetic one in a jar.
Eat Locals is in cinemas from 1 September.