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Manly-based independent filmmaker David Blyth is heading for Roswell, New Mexico, where his “alien abduction musical mashup” movie inspired by Covid-19 lockdowns is set to have its world premiere on July 1.
Filmed in several parts of Auckland, including Manly Beach, Night Freaks tells the story of two ordinary New Zealanders isolating during the pandemic lockdown who meet each other after being abducted by aliens and taken to their mothership.
The cast of the film, which mixes live action and cardboard animation, includes Yvette Parsons, Jemma Pollock and musician Andrew McLennan. Blyth wrote, directed and produced, and wrote lyrics for 10 original songs.
The movie will screen at the Roswell Daily Record Film Festival, an event focused on UFOs and related subjects. The Record is the paper whose 1947 story about an alleged UFO crash triggered “flying saucer” debates that continue to this day.
Going to Roswell is a “bucket list” dream for Blyth – and not just because his film will air there. Alongside the film festival is a weekend UFO Festival, featuring prominent Ufology personalities.
Blyth thinks he’s “going to fit right in” in that environment, which he adds will also provide “the perfect audience” for the film.
Night Freaks was made during the pandemic and the crew was not left unaffected – both by the virus itself and by internal differences over vaccinations.
There were light moments, however. Blyth recalls cast members sporting alien masks attracting double takes and laughter on Manly Beach, the “very friendly” community he is happy to call home.
“It’s not so much boy-meets-girl,” he explains of the movie. “It’s more a story of people going down the rabbit hole who share a certain belief, and develop a friendship, and the way we’ve seen that happen over the pandemic.”
He hopes the film leaves viewers with a sense of positive hope and connection. But he also describes it as “experimental” and acknowledges it’s “not everyone’s cup of tea”.
Blyth’s past work includes horror films Death Warmed Up (1984) and Ghost Bride (2013). By contrast, he also has a deep interest in documenting the legacy of war veterans. His Paradise Soldiers, dealing with Cook Islanders who fought alongside Kiwis in wars since World War I, has aired on national television on ANZAC Day several times since 2020.
Commenting on the wide range of his work, he says, “If I can use the analogy of eggs, I’m a free-range filmmaker, who has worked both inside and outside the caged capitalist consumer system.”
