[Editorial] Horror Filmmakers to Watch: Christian Bachini

In terms of innovation in short-form filmmaking, Christian “Kang” Bachini’s incredible Escalation (2021), a thrilling whirlwind of body horror and masterful martial arts choreography, stands out above the rest. To say that this is a one-of-a-kind film would be an understatement, and it truly must be seen to be believed.

Taking place in a single night, Escalation is the story of Chris, a rich, self-centered bloke whose acceptance of the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic borders on insensitive and gauche. Within the confines of his bachelor pad, Chris indulges in opulence and a pure lack of empathy for what is happening in the world outside, before becoming entranced and ultimately bewitched by a horror film within a film that feels unnervingly close to reality. What starts as a slow descent into madness quickly escalates into a cacophony of bloody homages to The Evil Dead and incredible feats of stunt work that Bachini performed himself. At once hilarious and horrific, Escalation is social commentary soaked in viscera, with set pieces that make you want to cover your eyes checking every box for those viewers looking to witness the pure love of handcrafted cinema.

I first saw Escalation at FilmQuest in 2021 and it was the highlight of its block, and re-watching the film I was just as enraptured as I was nearly a year ago. The film is polished and feels like it has a huge team and lots of money behind it, as opposed to a small-scale production. Escalation has been selected and won awards at such festivals as FilmQuest, Nevermore Film Festival, Fright Nights, Etreum Horror Film Festival, to name only a few, and will be shown at upcoming major festivals as Days of the Dead, Houston Horror Film Festival, and HorrorHound Film Festival. 

I was so intrigued by the making of this DIY pandemic-era masterpiece (no hyperbole, it’s that great), and was thrilled to be able to ask Christian a few questions about his process. The story of how Escalation came to be is no less interesting and informative than any filmmaking podcast or book. Bachini managed to create a short film that never sacrifices his vision, and the result is a truly unique film that is the perfect calling card for an exciting up and coming director. 

Where did the idea for Escalation come from? 

How Escalation came to be is a pretty funny story, one of those stories where in the end you might be inclined to say that "it was meant to be.” Before debuting as director with this short I lived in Shanghai for many years. I arrived in my early 20s with the dream of becoming a martial arts actor. It wasn't easy but I managed to become part of the action movie circuit there and earned respect through hard work and a lot of injuries. After years spent helping and shooting for others, I began to want to tell my own stories, to see my stories up on the screen. I have always been a bit of a perfectionist, so I started to get frustrated by the lack of attention to certain aspects of filmmaking. As long as the kicks were cool and the action scene worked, the cinematography and scripts were always coming second.

One day, I began to talk to producers about my desire to debut as director, and since I was getting disenchanted with just martial arts action, I told them I would love to try my hand at horror even if just a small project. The answer was that I was just a guy who throws kicks, and I should stick to that. "What do you know about scripts, storytelling, lights and cameras? You are just a kid, leave that to the professionals.” So, one night I went back home, frustrated and heartbroken, and I sat down on my bed and thought to myself “Well, what if I did this on my own?” I would write a script, gather some friends, and use my savings to shoot something that would blow all those who didn't believe in me away. Having an almost nonexistent budget I had to get creative. What I knew I had for sure was myself as an actor, and to keep things simple I could use a single location, and not having enough budget for monsters or creatures, the villain had to be something invisible, an Entity of some sort that cannot be seen.

Talk about the process, did you have a team or was most of the work done on your own?

I literally locked myself inside my apartment and began writing. After a couple weeks, Escalation was finished as a feature film script. I made the main character in the story the same ugly type of self-entitled person like those who poked fun at me for wanting to direct and express my art and unleashed on the character all kinds of hell and sufferings so to speak. But the story was too much and too complicated to shoot on my tiny budget. It had evil clones, tons of Cronenberg-style body horror, metamorphosis, hallucinations, and visions of Hell. Impossible to shoot with my limited budget, and no crew. So, I focused on one simple scene at the beginning of the script and decided to turn that into a self-contained story that I could pull off on my own while also being able to use it as a proof of concept for the feature film. And that's how the Escalation that is roaming right now on the festival circuit came to be.

From creation to the shoot, I shouldered the weight of it all. Remember, also, that I was filming in a place where horror is not generally allowed or understood, so even finding a crew was a challenge. Luckily, from the get-go, I was hell bent on covering as many roles as I could myself, from set design to make-up to acting to DOP, so I was ready to endure all that would come with that decision. I began to slowly create the project step by step, envisioning how it could translate from the pages in the simplest way while still being able to make it exactly as I had envisioned it in my mind. 

I spent months looking for the right location. The house of the main character needed to be lavish and colorful because my approach to cinematography is that every shot needs to look like a comic book, a painting, very tridimensional and vibrant. The location was as much of a living character in the story as the lead. 

After searching and searching, I could not find anything already made up, and had to settle for an old empty mansion. I bought cheap props online, borrowed others from friends, motorbikes, neon lights, furniture. Luckily at that time a very close friend of mine, Lucy Chun Yan, stepped in to help me with art direction and costumes. She had never done it before, but we spent years showing each other our respective countries' different styles of horror films. I introduced her to Dario Argento and Sam Raimi and she showed me amazing and semi-taboo comedies and gore films from Hong Kong. She worked with me on other shoots, so I knew she had the talent to help me make the set for Escalation look as iconic as it was in my head, despite my budget limitations. After location was done the next step were the prosthetic effects. I talked to so many companies without success until in the end someone finally agreed to just help me out for a very cheap fee.

The last thing was convincing a crew to shoot this crazy and bloody story with me. I ended up changing crews three times during the shoot and people began complaining I was too much of a perfectionist, that it was just a short film, but I stuck to my vision. People kept leaving and even the person helping with makeup and prosthetics on site, one day suddenly refused to help me. My props weren't enough, we didn't have money for the proper blood, the effects didn’t look good, I cared too much about the final results, etc. Instead of getting upset I told this person that if in the 80s people could create amazing practical effects with the bare minimum, I was sure with creativity and passion I could make that happen as well. So, I suggested he should leave and thanked him for the help until that point. 

Shooting wasn't easy and I ended up using all my budget because Covid hit right at that time. A friend from Italy came to my rescue, Antonio Vannucci. He chipped in, helping me cover what was left of the shoot, as well as creating part of the score as he is a professional musician. Another friend, Charles P. Cooper, who in the film plays the role of Mike on the phone, joined me later and suggested making the short Covid related, incorporating the terrible situation into the story. He helped me write Mike's dialogue to make sure this new story detail would fit. 

Those who stuck with me to the end are the most genuine and passionate artists that are ready to work hard for the sake of a film, a team of amazing people who deserve the best and that I hope I can carry along with me in my career. Taking on so many roles I went through quite challenging times, and I could have not made it without them. 

When shooting was done, I spent six months trying to find help for post-production. I edited everything myself, but I still needed some small CGI effects and to finalize the score and sound mixing. Finally, I again found people willing to help me even if I only had scraps of the budget left by then. I reached out to a great manager and agent in LA, Peter J. Hackman who introduced me to the super talented composer Alexander Taylor. FIN Design Australia stepped in to handle the CGI, color correction, and mastering, and in Shanghai, a duo of sound designers, Liu Jia and Jeremy John Butler helped me with sound. The amazing thing is that even if I was still in Shanghai, I managed to find a group of international talents to help me finalize Escalation. 

How long did Escalation take to shoot?

The shoot was long and grueling. It took me 30 days to shoot the full Director's Cut version which is 28 minutes (the festival cut is 16 minutes), plus 10 minutes of the Slasher film that is playing in the background. I had intended to shoot a full slasher film sequence as though it was a real movie. The Slasher sequence only took two nights to shoot the 10 minutes as I didn't need to pay too much attention to every single detail, which ended up saving time. 

The thing that made the shoot so long was the necessity for me to be both in front of and behind the camera all the time. As I was also the DOP, I had to check every single shot on the monitor to see what was missing to give new directions and shoot again. Once things got bloody, I couldn't really move from the ground I was lying on so not to lose continuity, so the camera operator had to bring the monitor to me after every take. The injuries I got also slowed us down as for a whole week I could not frame my right hand.

What’s coming up next for you?

I am in the process of planning to bring the feature film version of Escalation to Kickstarter while also talking to producers and investors and getting the project into gear. While that happens, I don't want to be off set for too long, so I am also almost ready to gear up for a new short film titled Haunting Skies. It will be a mix of sci-fi, supernatural horror, and gory action. 

Escalation introduced my trademark style of beautiful imagery paired with sickening and realistic gore but now I want to go beyond that and confirm my vision. Haunting Skies will have alien zombies, abductions, a LOT of blood, while also fully bringing my martial arts action experience. I cannot reveal too much because again this is a story that is totally fresh and never been done before, so I must keep it a surprise. Once Haunting Skies is done, hopefully I will be ready to jump on Escalation as a feature. 

What is the one piece of advice you would give to filmmakers starting out on their first short film?

I would tell them to go for it and never, ever compromise their vision. Many people say short films don't sell, or don't make money, but short films can make the greatest difference for you. Look at Mike Flanaghan and his short film, Oculus: Chapter 3. That film led him to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest horror names. A short film is a filmmaker's business card, it is your chance to go out and tell the world “This is me and this is my art.” It puts you on the radar and, with the help of all the amazing film festivals around the world that supports filmmakers, can lead you to bigger and bigger opportunities. 

So, to all the filmmakers working on their first short, I say make a hundred percent sure that your short comes out exactly as you wanted it to be. It is your shot and a showcase for all of your talent, and you do not want to mess up your vision in any way. If the budget is too little and the short too big in scope, cut it down, simplify if necessary, but make sure that no matter how small it becomes, it reaches the perfection you wanted. Also don't be afraid of experimenting with your ideas, anything you feel like inserting in your work, do it. It is the only way for you to know if the audience reacts positively to your art and may make your name stand out even more. Be bold, courageous, and relentless in creating your art. 

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