Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Dark Specter 2’

Review Fix chats with “Dark Specter 2” creator Bruce Nachsin who lets us know what makes the film a special one.

Review Fix: What inspired this film?

Bruce Nachsin: The direct answer is the original Dark Specter, though in a round about way. The first short was a simple sketch comedy bit about a hero and a villain having a face off that gets interrupted by the Villain’s mom. It was very funny, if I do say so myself, but it’s an SNL style thing. However, while filming it, someone asked me a very interesting question: “If the answer isn’t that the Dark Specter is just a loser, why would his mother be there?”

That got the ol’ wheels turning and in my logicking of the situation it dawned on me that if the Dark Specter’s mother was at the fight, she couldn’t be anywhere else at that time, which implied to me that the Dark Specter had to take care of his mother and was trying to fit his villainy in on the side. That introduced a very human concern into what was up to that point an extended gag. As I began to explore my realization deeper, the story for Dark Specter 2 was written. Funny enough, the post production process of Dark Specter 2 has inspired what has become a push to develop a full series for the characters.

Review Fix: What attracted you to the superhero genre the most?

 Nachsin: I’ve always been a fan of comics, sci/fi and fantasy. As a kid I had a massive Marvel Comics collection, but my interest started even before that. Very early on, my father took me to fantastical movies and told me stories of myths and legends. I remember us watching things like Dr. Who & Dark Shadows on PBS because I wasn’t the kind of child who actually slept so we stayed up to watch a lot of late night TV and I believe that heavily shaped me, just as an overexposure to Monty Python has formed my humor. Comics books are one representation of modern-day mythologies. So, instead of the 12 Labors of Hercules, we have Captain America Civil War or Batman’s Killing Joke.

Review Fix: What have you learned from it?

Nachsin: How fleeting the possession of money is and yet how permanent debt can be.  On the plus sides, I learned how to delegate and assign responsibility, the value of having a team you can trust in & how to perform under high pressure. On the down side, I learned how hard it is to get good VFX on a budget, the cost of being overambitious, and how to cut ties when it becomes clear that you cannot work with certain people.

Review Fix: What was the feeling like on set?

Nachsin: Very positive. I always strive to have fun and professional sets. To start, I treat everyone with a high level of respect and courtesy and I expect everyone representing me on my sets to do the same. I’ve been on sets where the “above the line” is yelling or condescending to their cast and crew and aside from that just being flat out the wrong way to work, I personally feel that it doesn’t get an efficient response either, it just demoralizes everyone and then the project suffers. I want people to enjoy working with me.

I also believe in good food the same way others might believe in the Holy Spirit so all of my sets have great crafty and good meals. Even on the most pressure filled day, which was fight day, there was a fun energy to everything, the crew was firing on all cylinders and the talent was on point. This was in spite of racing a rapidly moving clock and being under the gun to get enough footage to make the fight work cause we only had the one day.

Review Fix: How did this film affect you?

Nachsin: Well, from a professional standpoint it landed me my first three acting awards, all of which happened within the same week. We’ve had the film in a bunch of festivals, where it has won 26 awards, about 21 of which are IMDB listable. It personally made me a 15 time award winner on IMDB so it has given me a degree of professional respect that I hope I can build off of. I’m trying to build a career along the lines of a Jon Favreau or Seth Rogan and these shorts are the start.

On a personal level, not that I really needed it, but it validates me as an artist, both as a writer and an actor. It’s one thing to know you are capable of good works, but it is entirely different to have a that feeling proven time and again. It has also kept me connected to my family. I’m sure it is no surprise to learn that there are aspects of my own mother in Lilly Leibitski and with my mother’s passing in 2017, this film and that character indirectly serves as a memorial to her, I still get choked up every time I watch the end credits roll & I see her name. In the future, as I lay out more stories involving Lilly, it will continue to reflect the love I have for my mother.

Review Fix: How do you want people to be affected by this film?

Nachsin: I want people to be entertained and amused only to then be hit in the heart.

Review Fix: Who will appreciate this film the most?

Nachsin: I think if you are a lover of comics, sci/fi or fantasy then you will like this film. If you relate to the trials and tribulations of the “BAD GUY” then this will speak to your hardened black heart. I think if you are a chronic sufferer of either Jewish or Italian guilt, then this is a film for you. I think if you haven’t called your mom in a while and you know you should, you will appreciate this film.  If you want to have a little bit of sadness with your fun, then have I got something for you.

Review Fix: Why should people see this film?

Nachsin: You know how stories like this are supposed to go and we take you somewhere else.

We have a unique take on a very structured and rigid genre that goes places you wouldn’t normally expect.

Review Fix: How would you like it to be remembered?

Nachsin: As a story that managed to humanize the bad guy and make you feel for him.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Nachsin: Dark Specter 2 is slated for public release in late April or early May–to be announced soon!  If you’re interested in staying up to date, our website http://www.darkspecter.com/ has all of the info, a newsletter signup, the full Dark Specter 1 episode, and the trailer for Dark Specter 2.  

Right now, we currently have both Dark Specter 2 and my my directorial debut Lunchtime is Over making the festival circuit. You can catch Lunchtime is Over here: https://youtu.be/DmlFS2lS7ho  My producing partners Manuel Gutierrez, Richard Tatum & I are working on finalizing the series bible and pilot for the Dark Specter series, which will be a much more expanded universe for Bertrand to cause havoc in. I also have two other features that are in the scripting phase, one that you can think of as a John Hughes movie about contract killers and the other about two very special people and how their relationship is affected by the modern social media world. Beyond that, there is a possible horror featurette I will be helping produce later this year to help highlight my Glamour Goth Dillon Bonnee so that we can shine a light onto her amazing makeup skills. Otherwise, I’m always looking for quality projects to be part of.

Review Fix: What else would you like to add?

Nachsin: Thank you for talking with me and introducing me to your readers. If, as a said earlier, you would like to connect to me, you can find me at www.darkspecter.com & www.brucenachsin.com you can also find me on Instagram at @bigguysmalldog and on twitter at @brucenachsin.