Filmmaker Justin Brooks, who shared the 2023 Editor’s Eyeball on the Future Chainsaw Award for Alone With You with Emily Bennett, gave Fango the first word that he has joined The Hours That Keep Us as a producer and director of photography. Set to shoot in August in Massachusetts, it’s described as “a psychological horror anthology made up of three interconnected stories exploring grief, obsession and the terrifying things people do when they can’t let someone go.”
Written and directed by Tommy Jay Dwyer, The Hours That Keep Us stars Paige VanZant, Zack Ward, Mickey Gall, Devin Petry, Vinny Pacifico, Chelsea Brea, Avori Strib, James J. LaBonte, Jordan Tofalo, April Baker and Dwyer. The latter says, “I have known Justin for a long time. His honest, no-gimmick approach to shooting matches the subtlety and quiet pain that I search for in all of my stories.”
Brooks and Dwyer first met while they were both working on the 2013 supernatural action film R.I.P.D. “We played meth-head bad guys who get blown up at the beginning of the film,” Brooks tells Fango. “It was my attempt to see how bigger sets were run. We’ve since kept in touch and followed each other’s careers, waiting for the right project to collaborate on.” When The Hours That Keep Us came along, “Tommy’s approach to a connected narrative within the anthology was really what drew me to it. Each story lives on its own, but a broader picture is also at play.”
Following Alone With You, Brooks and Bennett reteamed on Blood Shine, which has won a strong response at festivals and is set for North American release by Dark Sky Films. Both movies deal with deep emotional disturbance, an approach Brooks says is common to that of this new production. “I feel like my films tend to reach toward dread more than jump-scares or blood and guts—not that I don’t love a good bloodbath,” he says. “Trust me, there will be plenty of the red stuff here to satisfy all the gorehounds, but I truly do love to explore the darkness within all of us. Dread has always been the keyword for me, and I feel like Tommy lives in the same space with this film.”
When it comes to his contributions as cinematographer, Brooks says, “I’m really excited to bring a visual style that speaks to a more ’80s/’90s sensibility: deep, dark shadows with rich colors, and images that help support the story being told. Story is always my North Star. Tommy has a strong grasp on what he wants visually, and I can’t wait to dive in and support that vision.
“I love all the stories told in this film,” he continues, “but there’s a special one in my heart, for sure. I can’t give too much away just yet, but Tommy will be giving every horror fan a little something to chew on in each of these tales. Let’s just say that the characters in this film are not having a very good time—but the audience certainly will!”
