A global contagion leading into widespread feelings of isolation, paranoia and societal breakdown long ago only fueled the anxieties of characters in horror films. COVID-19 is such contamination that’s not only still shaping the themes of the horror genre six years since its outbreak, but also how they’ve been made in real-life. The horror movie, ‘Our Happy Place,’ is one such feature in which its creators were forced to adapt their craft to an unprecedented reality.

The project marks the feature film directorial debut of Paul Bickel, who also wrote the script. He also produced ‘Our Happy Place’ with Raya Miles, David Ho and Tracie Thoms. Miles, Bickel, Thoms and Eugene Byrd also starred in the drama.

The movie’s small cast and crew had restricted access to resources, and were forced to have safety protocols in place, while they shot during the COVID lockdown. These limitations, however, led to a surge in creativity and innovation, as the filmmakers had to embrace minimalist settings and new storytelling techniques to reflect the times.

‘Our Happy Place’ follows Raya (Miles) as she wakes in the forest, cold and confused, with no memory of how she got there. Each day, it happens again. By the third day, she wakes in a shallow grave. The graves deepen each time, as if an unseen force is burying her alive.

Back in her cabin, she’s haunted by visions of tortured women whose screams echo in her mind. Night after night, her visions intensify, blurring the line between dream and reality. As the hauntings intensify, Raya must confront a horrifying truth that shatters everything she had believed.

‘Our Happy Place’ had its World Premiere during Dances With Films: NY 2024. The screening was held at Regal Union Square during the festival’s third annual event in New York. The drama is now streaming on Amazon.

Bickel and Miles generously took the time to discuss starring in and helming the drama during an exclusive interview over Zoom to support its digital release. The conversation came after the filmmakers previously sat down for an in-person interview, along with Thoms and Byrd at Regal Union Square during Dances With Films.

Film Factual (FF) We first met back in December (2024) when your horror movie, ‘Our Happy Place,’ premiered at Dances With Films: NY. Looking back, what was your experience like of sharing the drama with audiences at the festival?

Paul Bickel: (PB): I want to relive it – I want to do it all again. It was great.

Raya Miles (RM): It was the first time we got to hear an audience gasp, and then laugh at the moments of levity, when the tension breaks. It was really satisfying to know they were reacting exactly where we hoped they would. You could feel the tension in the room.

PB: It was also the first time we were in New York together, too.

RM: Also, Dances with Films did such an amazing job. We were all together in that beautiful lobby. They did such a great job of creating the red carpet, organizing interviews and making us feel like real filmmakers among other filmmakers in an independent film festival.

PB: Absolutely – it really felt like we’re real filmmakers and that we’ve arrived.

FF: After premiering at Dances With Films: NY, you screened the feature at several other festivals, including your international premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London. What was your experience like bringing the drama to other festivals?

PB: The London audience was really interesting. At first, we thought it wasn’t going well because the audience was so quiet. But then we noticed people physically reacting, including recoiling in their seats. Afterward, they came up and gushed about the film.

RM: They said how scary and funny it was. I even have some family in England and was able to invite them to the screening, and they were gushing about i it. When I said I couldn’t tell if they liked it, they laughed and said, ‘Yes, it’s terrifying! But we’re British—we don’t vocalize in theaters!’ It was such a funny reaction.

The second screening had a younger audience, and they were more expressive.

PB: Then, the comparison of coming back here to America with the movie was great.

RM: To have a screening at Dances with Films in LA at the TCL Chinese Theatre in June was incredible. There were paced audience, and a lot of screams and gasps. That was a blast.”

FF: Following is film festival run, ‘Our Happy Place’ is now playing on Prime Video. What has the experience been like of releasing the drama on streaming?

PB: It finally feels like one of those moments where you can say, ‘I’m a real filmmaker now.’ Hopefully, we’ll make some money off it—that would be nice. Indie Rights, our distribution company, got us up on Amazon pretty quickly.

RM: The distribution process was fascinating. Going to these film festivals, getting feedback, meetings with agents and distributors, and figuring out the right fit, was a complex process. There are also contracts, deliverables and legal aspects, which is a complex process. So it’s been fascinating.

But now it’s great to finally be able to tell people, ‘You can watch it now,’ instead of hoping they catch it at another festival.

FF: Did audience feedback at the festival screenings lead to any changes in the film?

PB: Well, afterNew York, we tightened the film and cut a few minutes. From there, the edit stayed mostly the same.

We did make some sound adjustments, including smoothing out spikes and improving dialogue levels. That first screening really helped us understand where the tension worked. Even small changes made a big difference.

RM: Yes, they did. New Yor was such a learning experience, in terms of realizing where we needed to do some tightening up there were some small changes, but they really helped get the final version.

FF: For new audiences who aren’t familiar with the movie from its festival run, can you once again discuss what inspired the story and how you developed it?

PB: We always wanted to make a film in Big Bear, where we have a place, and where we are now. During the pandemic, we realized we needed a creative outlet, as our creative life in LA is pretty intense. We realized people were suffering during that time, but we also wanted to make use of our time.

So after we came up here during the pandemic, we were walking in the woods one day. We asked: what if someone woke up there every morning with no idea how they got there or how to get home?

That became the foundation. Even though the story has supernatural elements, we wanted to ground it in reality. We wondered how a person would logically react to something that was completely irrational was happening to them. So we incorporated that into the script.

FF: You shot ‘Our Happy Place’ at your vacation home in Big Bear. What was your experience like of filming the feature on location there, especially during the pandemic?

RM: We were lucky. Big Bear is naturally isolated, so when we drive out into the wilderness, we often won’t see even one other person around.

So we avoided many of the challenges other productions faced. There’s a reason why the industry shut down when it did – you really couldn’t make a true project in the city.

But it was just the two of us doing everything, including the camera and lighting. So we were sticking with the COVID restrictions.

PB: Yes, some of the biggest challenges were remembering everything. We had to remember the batteries. We went to locations about 20 minutes away. We’d wake up at 5 am, and it was still dark outside. We wanted to catch the morning light. We’d drive out, and realize we forgot batteries or an SD card. That happened two or three days in a row.

What should’ve taken a day sometimes took a week. We had to reshoot scenes, deal with technical issues.

RM: It was a steep learning curve. Eventually, we got more efficient and started using checklists.

Still, it was physically demanding. We were carrying gear through snow, hiking to remote locations.

PB: Yes, working in four feet of snow wasn’t easy!

FF: How did you approach crafting the movie’s sound design?

PB: Most of the sound is natural. David Ho, our sound re-recordist, made sure to record ambient audio, including bird and wind noises, during each shoot.

RM: I think I also did some breathing. Also, on any given day during the shoot, he would just sit with his sound equipment and get some ambient noise. But overall, we relied heavily on natural sounds that we captured on location.

FF: Earlier, you mentioned carrying the cameras with you to the locations, and Paul, you served as the Director of Photography. How did you decide how you would visually shoot ‘Our Happy Place?’

RM: He’s an amazing visual artist.

PB: Well, for me, it wasn’t hard with the backdrop of the mountains. Of course, we chose our shots. But the location did a lot of the work, as it’s a beautiful environment. But we were very intentional with shot selection and lighting. I’m a pretty visual person, so I didn’t draw storyboards.

RM: But we had detailed shot lists. He would rattle off all the different shots he wanted to get. He’d bring whatever rig was necessary to make it happen, especially if he was going to be in a scene.

PB: Time of day was especially important, as the times were chosen to shape the mood. As the film progresses, the visuals become more claustrophobic, and the lighting reflects that shift. But we did get one shot that was an accident!

FF: Paul, you made your feature film directorial debut on the project. How did being a first-time filmmaker influence the way you approach helming the drama?

PB: It’s completely different from a traditional production. We had flexibility—we could plan and shoot day by day, since we had the luxury of time.

But on a full production, everything has to be planned in advance…

RM: …and much more rigid.

PB: Yes, everything would be executed on a strict schedule. I’m excited for that, as well as having a full crew so I don’t have to do everything myself.

RM: It’s just a very different process.

PB: It is a very different process.

FF: ‘Our Happy Place’ also stars Tracie Thoms and Eugene Byrd. What was your experience like working with them during the production?

PB: They were incredible and true professionals. They understand the characters and story right away.

RM: We filmed with them remotely over FaceTime, they’d jump right into character immediately. On the day of shooting, we would have a call going. We’d say, “Okay, we’re ready, so the next call’s going to be the real call.” Tracie would be like, “Oh, okay.” We’d then make another FaceTime call, and then she’d be in character. Eugene was hilarious.

It was really great because they’re just such pros. They’re so experienced, and it was a pleasure. They were so supportive.

Once quarantine restrictions lifted, they were ale to come up, it was really fun to work together. They’re really dear friends of ours, so it was a great family-friend effort.

FF: Paul, you also served as one of the editors on ‘Our Happy Place. How did you approach putting the final version of the movie?

PB: I did the first full pass, and I would edit as I would go. In some ways, I would be the on-set editor, so during the edit I’d catch what we didn’t catch on set.

But then we’d maybe have to wait a few days for there to be an overcast day, or wait until the evening to recapture the things that we missed.

So I did the first full pass, and Jim Holdridge came in later on and did the second pass. He really whipped the film into shape.

We actually shot new stuff because of Jim. He said, “I think this might be missing something here,” and he was right. So we shot some more stuff

RM: Jim brought a really great perspective of somebody who has not been in the thick of it for over a year. So he really brought that outsider point of view. He’d ask, “Did you mean to do this? I’m a little confused here.” So that was an amazing collaboration.

PB: Yes, he was really helpful. This was a difficult piece to put together, because there was so much that’s not linear. So he really helped the edit out. I then got it back, and I did the final pass of editing with David Ho, our post house person.

FF: With ‘Our Happy Place’ now streaming on Amazon, are you interested in working together again?

PB: I’d love to work with her again. Absolutely.

RM: Paul has multiple projects ready to go. But one he’s been working on blends comedy and horror. It still has strong horror elements, but leans into comedy as well. It will definitely feel like a horror film, with real scares, but there will also be comedic moments that come out of the film’s thrilling elements.