New horror comedyShaky Shivers,directed byFast and Furiousfranchise starSung Kangin his directorial debut; is acampy homage to 80’s creature features. The film includes stand-out performances from newcomersBrooke MarkhamandVyvy Nguyen, as well as the stunning practical effects ofGabe Bartalos(Leprechaun,Gremlins 2).
The film marks Sung Kang’s directorial debut and follows two best friends Lucy and Karen, who are stuck working at their local ice cream parlor. After finding herself bitten by a mysterious animal, Lucy becomes convinced that she will transform into a fearsome werewolf. Joined by her best friend Karen, the two embark on a wild adventure filled with magic and mayhem, as they look to do battle with a throat-slashing creature ripped right out of an 80s horror movie.
The film was an Official Selection of the Gasparilla International Film Festival, where it received the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, and an Official Selection of the Dark Bridges Saskatoon Horror Film Festival. It also played at the Overlook Film Festival, Horror Hound Film Festival, Screamfest LA, London Soho Horror Festival, and the New York Asian Film Festival.
Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower recently sat down with the stars of Shaky Shivers, VyVy Nguyen, and Brooke Markham. They spoke about establishing chemistry on-set, mixing genres, creature envy, and working with ‘gentle giant’ Herschel Sparber, among other topics. NOTE: Ms. Markham joins the interview about a third of the way in.
Jimmy Bellinger as the zombie in a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
Interview (w- mild Spoilers)
Glen Dower:
Vyvy, star of Shaky Shivers alongside Brooke Markham who will be joining us shortly, how are you?
VyVy Nguyen:
I’m very good, thank you. How are you?
Glen Dower:
I’m really good. We are here to talk about the film, and I want to start with the beginning, the prologue/cold opening, this opening 10-minute section. I thought as I was watching, ‘If this is the whole movie, I’ll be really happy. This is great!’ Honestly, after the first five minutes, I’d laughed out loud three or four times. We are right into the story. The exposition, the back and forth between the two, establishes a great new horror double act that the movie is built on. One friend who is really, really nice, really supportive. And you have the other friend who…may or may not be the worst. How much fun was that to film?
VyVy Nguyen:
That was a lot of fun. But the funny thing with that scene too was, that it was the beginning of the movie, it wasn’t supposed to be the first thing we were going to film. We actually had some equipment issues on the first day, so we were supposed to film a different scene. So suddenly we were scrambling to be like, well, what can we film today? Well, we’ve got the car, we can do that. And so fortunately that was actually the scene that Brooke and I read together for our chemistry read at the callbacks. So we kind of had it in our back pockets already. So that’s how we started out, and it was really a lot of fun.
Glen Dower:
Sure. We also establish and respect the lore of the situation that we’re in. And playing with the lore too. The key moment that really has stayed with me, and I told my friends about, is when Brooke’s character hands you the huge gun, we don’t know where she got that gun from, and then she starts painting the bullets with silver nail polish. I’m locked in, this is just the greatest thing. She thinks this is going to work. And you are kind of like, ‘ok…’
VyVy Nguyen:
Yes. This is how we’re going to fix a werewolf coming to life by putting silver nail polish on some bullets! That’s exactly the same as having silver bullets.
VyVy Nguyen and Brooke Markham in a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
Glen Dower:
Exactly. So we’re playing with the lore, but what I like about the film is that it’s not an out-and-out horror, it’s perhaps a younger person’s way into the genre. It would play well alongside Stranger Things or the recent Jack Black Goosebumps movies where they’re scary but funny.
VyVy Nguyen:
Yes!
Glen Dower:
So I’ll be recommending it to those of my generation who grew up with Ghostbusters. Scary; it may live in your nightmares for a while, but you’ll laugh so much and quote it to your friends. Plus excellent practical effects, and these characters are great and they’re really fun. It must have been fun to switch between the genres as a double-act.
VyVy Nguyen:
Yeah, definitely, because it’s so many different genres together. It’s like a horror buddy comedy film. And yeah, we try to really touch on the friendship between the two characters. We feel like that’s the touchstone that brings it all. Why when they’re going through these crazy antics together, why would they stick together if they’re not the best of friends? So yeah, we definitely wanted to hit on friendship as well as the horror elements. There’s a lot of inspiration from 80s films. We really wanted to get a lot of practical effects. So I thought that was such a special part of our film too, that we have proper werewolf prosthetics. Zombie prosthetics…it’s so nice to just have it there and it’s so visceral and you can see all the little detail that our VFX Director, Gabe Bartalos put into it. And yeah, there’s humor too. We want you to laugh. So I feel like it’s got a little bit of everything that we hope draws in the audience.
Glen Dower:
Yeah, sure. So you and Brooke both have your transformation scenes. Was there any ‘transformation envy’ or anything about who had the longest time in the makeup chair?
(Brooke Markham enters the call from her current film set)
Brooke Markham:
Hi guys!
Glen Dower:
Hi, Brooke. Nice to meet you. Is this the same car from the movie, that you are calling us from?
Brooke Markham:
You know what? Yeah, let’s say it is!
Glen Dower:
Perhaps filming the sequel?
Brooke Markham:
You know what though? I will say, I very confidently can say that I’m in a town currently where we should have shot Shaky Shivers.
Brooke Markham and VyVy Nguyen in a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
VyVy Nguyen:
Got the same small-town, scary vibes?
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, I love it. I mean, it reminds me of the town that I grew up in. Anyway, we can talk about the movie and not my life right now!
VyVy Nguyen:
Glen was asking if there was any kind of ‘creature envy’ in terms of how I got to become a zombie and you got to become a werewolf. I mean, definitely Brooke’s transformation scene, she put her heart and soul into it. Her transformation is, so you were screaming your throat out and it was in your body! So I definitely applaud you for that. I felt like I had it easy with my bumbling around.
Brooke Markham:
Oh, ‘creature envy’. Yeah. Yeah. That scene was so fun. I mean, it was nuts. And getting to do that kind of prosthetic, something to that degree is something that I actually haven’t done before. So that was cool. I think for VyVy’s, what I really enjoyed about yours is that our artist, Gabe, he made all the monsters feel like they’re coming from the environment. So VyVy, you had these wood chips coming out of your mouth and they were in your nails because that was of the environment that we were shooting in. Obviously, we were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the woods, kind of like where I’m at right now. I really loved that. And the zombie that Jimmy turns into. It really felt, of this world. So they didn’t feel like your typical zombies. And so I was quite envious of that even though we went down more or less the typical werewolf route, which was also very fun. But I really loved that aspect of your guys’ prosthetics.
VyVy Nguyen:
Gabe was full on, he went out into the woods and got moss and wood and branches and stuff and incorporated it into the costumes, which was such beautiful detailing.
Glen Dower:
So let’s talk about the set, of course. I’m guessing it is a direct reference to Friday 13th being set in the abandoned summer camp. And we have Brooke’s transformation, which is akin to An American Werewolf in London. And there is a great shot inspired by a classic scene from the original Halloween. Were you made aware by the director of his homages or did he give you a list of films to watch before filming?
VyVy Nguyen:
I know Brooke, you definitely had a lot of conversations with Sung beforehand.
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, just about the movies that inspired our movie. Yes. I think I come from a background of already absolutely loving those movies so much. So when Sung and I got together to talk about them, it was just like two kids sharing our favorite parts. My brother and sister are a little bit older than me, so they come from that generation when those movies were actually coming out and being made. And so I grew up watching those with them. That’s kind of how they raised me, with these classic horror movies. I love that genre of movies. And so when I became attached to Shaky Shivers, that was an aspect that I was so excited about because that’s super nostalgic for me. Definitely.
VyVy Nguyen:
I’m admittedly more of a baby, so sometimes it’s like I stay away, but I appreciate what they bring to the art for sure.
Glen Dower:
And Brooke, before you joined us VyVy and I were just talking about the opening scene, how that is my favorite. And I said to her, if that was the whole movie, just in the car start, I would be very happy with that.
Brooke Markham:
I love that scene too! And funny enough, I don’t want to misquote myself, but I’m pretty sure that when Sung and our writers, when this script was brought to Sung that the movie was a short film of just that scene, and so that was the birthplace of the whole movie. So yeah, that makes total sense. Sorry, writers if I’m totally misquoting you guys, but I’m pretty sure. Always second guessing myself. No, I love that scene too. I love that scene!
Glen Dower:
I want to talk about how you guys were brought together through the casting process and how that was your reading scene. How were you guys put together by the director?
Brooke Markham:
I was brought on quite early for this movie and then Covid happened and we didn’t know if we were going to be able to make this movie anymore. So about a year later I got a call saying, we’re good to go. We still want to do this. And they asked me to read with a couple of girls for the part of Karen, and it was just undeniable that VyVy was our girl. There was no other choice.
Brooke Markham in a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
VyVy Nguyen:
And it was wild for me too because from my process, I got the initial tape, self-tape, it was March of 2020, and then of course everything shut down and I got my callback email from my agents in April 2021. So I remember getting the message being like, wait, I have a callback for something. What is this? Oh, it’s that movie I fell in love with a year ago and I was so excited. And I saw in the email it said Brooke was attached to the project and Brooke and I have a mutual friend. So I immediately texted her being like, ‘Lindsay, can you let Brooke know that I’m going to be reading with her because I love her!’ So I was such a fan and we knew each other mildly and we had so much fun in the callback, the chemistry read.
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, it was great. It was so much fun. It was just kind of like it all came truly together at that moment in time.
Glen Dower:
It really comes through in the movie. So, are you guys looking forward to going to the conventions in the coming months and years and having kids dress up as Lucy and Karen as their cosplay?
VyVy Nguyen:
That would be cute! I feel like your tracksuit outfit Brooke is very distinctive and clear. I’ve also got the overalls and the yellow shirt and people kept calling me a Minion for the shoot. I was going to say I’m not dressed up like a Minion! This is my character! But I think it’s still cute. It’s very 90s.
Glen Dower:
With the blood splatter and Brooke with the furry handcuffs…iconic.
VyVy Nguyen:
Yeah, let’s make it iconic. Let’s make this a thing!
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, the furry handcuffs are awesome.
VyVy Nguyen:
Actually, they gave everyone small, furry handcuffs as a Wrap Gift at the end. So we all have little furry handcuffs now!
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, I have a photo somewhere in my phone of a huge box and it’s literally just filled with hundreds of pink furry handcuffs because everybody got that as a gift. Very fun.
VyVy Nguyen in a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
VyVy Nguyen:
It’s perfect.
Glen Dower:
Back to the characters themselves. The film is set in 1993, and there are a few time hops. Where do you think your characters are now in the world? Are they ghost-busting somewhere maybe? Are they off on adventures? Or are they still best friends? What do you think?
VyVy Nguyen:
At this point in time? Well, I think they’re definitely still best friends, but I feel like, I think Karen’s still in the town. She loves the town and she loves making her ice cream. I think she’s maybe got a little empire now, like a little franchise throughout the area, but Lucy, Lucy had big aspirations from the start.
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, I’d like to think about my dream for Lucy, if I could dream up a future for her, I really do wish that she did move to New York. I think that line about maybe moving she says, at least it was in an earlier script. She had this dream of moving to New York at one point in time, and I think she did that. I think she took the leap and moved to the big city is what I feel and hope that she did. Lucy always wants to be the hero of her own life, and I think subconsciously was really looking forward to this adventure that she and Karen go on. As terrifying as it was, I want to think that this was the moment in her life, that it was the decision maker that she could do something bigger and better with her life after going through this thing with her best friend.
Glen Dower:
Perfect. And before my time’s up, I just want to ask about Herschel Sparber, your co-star. I was so glad to see him because he is in one of my favorite all-time favorite comedies, The Birdcage. He has a tiny scene with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as the big guy in the park. I’m hoping he was just like this ‘Big Movie Grandpa’ on set with you.
VyVy Nguyen:
He’s such a gentle giant. We all loved him. He’s so tall (6′ 9″). He actually was taller than the person we had in our Sasquatch outfit, which was fun. Funny enough, we had to do prospective work against it really. But he’s the kindest soul and I love him, you just want to give him a hug anytime you see him.
Brooke Markham:
Yeah, I think ‘Big Movie Grandpa’ is the perfect phrase for him. He is so wonderful, such a kind, kind heart and soul and oh yeah, I adore him. I adore him. He made us cakes! Oh, he’s so lovely.
Glen Dower:
Method acting as well then!
Brooke Markham:
Yes, yes!
Brooke Markham, VyVy Nguyen, and Herschel Sparberin a scene from “Shaky Shivers” (2023). Photo courtesy of Fathom Events.
VyVy Nguyen:
They were delicious.
Glen Dower:
I am so happy to hear that. Ok, Ladies, the floor is now yours to tell our readers why they should go see Shaky Shivers. VyVy, you first.
VyVy Nguyen:
Oh gosh. Everybody come out and watch Shaky Shivers. You’ll have fun, you’ll laugh, you might even cry. You’ll definitely scream. It’s just a fun joyous film with a scary twist on it!
Glen Dower:
And Brooke.
Brooke Markham:
Hi guys! Go watch Shaky Shivers. If you’re a fan of classic 80s horror movies like me, you’re going to love this. So go check it out.You’ll enjoy it!
Glen Dower:
Perfect. Ladies, thank you so much for your time. It’s been a real pleasure. I really enjoyed the movie and I’ll just go back and watch that opening 10 minutes any time I need to laugh. And again, just as we said, whoever had the idea about nail polish on the bullets (chef’s kiss). Best of luck with the movie.
VyVy Nguyen:
Thank you so much. So nice to talk to you.
Brooke Markham:
Bye-Bye!
CineverseandFathom Eventswill be releasing Shaky Shivers nationwide on September 21, 2023.
