Rooted in mystery, survival, and the unknown, the new horror film, ‘The Town That Takes,’ explores the stories that emerge from unanswered questions. Inspired by the legend of Croatan and elements of folklore, shape-shifters and ancient fears, the suspense thriller examines identity, trust and the search for truth while blending psychological tension with creature-driven horror.

Britt Bankhead directed the genre movie. He also wrote the screenplay with Jon Blaze, the latter of whom went on to serve as the director of photography and editor on the drama. Bankhead also served as an executive producer on the film alongside his wife, Grace Patterson.

The cast of ‘The Town That Takes’ is led by Bankhead and Patterson. They’re joined on screen by Miles Mussenden (‘Doom Patrol,’ ‘Cloak & Dagger’) and Mike Markoff (‘Hit Man’).

Atlas Distribution Company is dising the thriller today, Friday, July 10. The movie is screening in select theaters across the top 20 North American markets.

Atlas Distribution Company is releasing the thriller today, Friday, July 10. The movie is screening in select theaters across the top 20 North America markets.

‘The Town That Takes’ was inspired by Croatoan, the only clue left behind following the disappearance of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The thriller transforms one of America’s most enduring unsolved mysteries into a chilling blend of Southern Gothic atmosphere, investigative suspense and supernatural terror.

Bankhead and Patterson generously took the time earlier this week to talk about scribing, helming, producing and starring in ‘The Town That Takes.’ Among other things, the filmmakers discussed how research into Croatan, folklore and creature mythology shaped the feature’s story. The duo also reflected on how their creative partnership in developing the drama’s practical effects, character development and collaboration with their co-stars guided the production.

Film Factual (FF): Britt, you co-wrote the script for the new horror thriller, ‘The Town That Takes,’ with Jon Blaze. How did the idea for the story originate, and what was the process of developing the screenplay?

Britt Bankhead (BB): I was always fascinated with Croatan. I learned about it in school in lfifth grade, and it’s always been dormant in the back of my mind.

I had another script, and it had sequences and some characters that I really liked, but it wasn’t quite a movie. So we took that and adapted it, and we based it around Croatan. We really researched Croatan, and we started looking into the Native American lore of Wendigos and shape-shifters. It left us a lot of liberty and freedom to make something original.

FF: What additional research did you undertake while developing the story? How did that process help shape the film’s mythology and narrative?

BB: I had never looked into the Native American lore on it, and that’s where we found a lot of what we used in the movie. Everything else that I’d ever heard about it was basically that a colony went missing. Nobody has any idea what happened. They think all these different things, but nobody really had anything concrete.

As far as making movies, I thought the Native American lore seemed much more interesting. We did a lot of research into the Wendigo.

For that creature, we went back and forth with our artist for about a year. Does it stand on two legs or four legs? We even did a lot of research into the shape-shifters. We asked ourselves, what do we want them to look like? What do we want them to act like? So it was fun.

FF: The creature design and practical effects are key elements of the drama. What was the process of bringing those to life during production?

BB: We used a lot of practical effects.

Grace Patterson (GP): We did.

BB: Yes, we tried to do almost everything practical that we could.

GP: But it takes longer to do.

BB: Yes, it does take longer. It looks better though, in my opinion. When you have to start doing too much in post…

GP: Yes, it doesn’t quite turn out right.

BB: It can ruin a shot.

FF: Britt, you also directed ‘The Town That Takes.’ What was your approach to helming the movie?

BB: Oh, I loved it. I only wish I wasn’t wearing so many other hats so I could have really taken it in a lot more. But it’s something I’m definitely going to do again. I just want to do that alone next time.

FF: You both also served as executive producers on the thriller. What was it like also producing the film together?

GP: It was a lot of fun. We were both in it from day one. This has been like our baby for almost a year and a half. We have a lot of fun working together.

We’re also married. I don’t know if you knew that. We spend a lot of time together, and we know each other very well. It’s kind of easy. I already know what Britt’s probably thinking, so I’m like, “Okay, let’s do this.” He knows what I’m thinking.

BB: Yes, I definitely agree.

FF: Besides producing the drama together, you both also star in the project, alongside Miles Mussenden and Mike Markoff. How did you approach casting the supporting actors for the movie?

GP: Well, we love casting. Going through the auditions and seeing different takes on characters that you created or helped create is really interesting.

BB: She’s really great at casting.

GP: We didn’t have our leads audition because we’d seen Miles in ‘Tulsa King’ and loved him. Then I realized we have the same management company, so I thought we could probably get him. He’s just as great off camera as he is on camera.

Mike, who plays Adams, and I had done a Lifetime movie together. Britt noticed him in that film.

BB: I was like, “Who’s that guy?”

GP: I said, “Oh, that’s Mike. He’s so nice, too.”

BB: I said, “We need to cast him in something.”

GP: Then two years later, we did.

Nico (Tirozzi) was the one we had audition. But even from his headshot, Britt said, “That’s going to be Wyatt.”

FF: Once the actors were cast in ‘The Town That Takes,’ how did you all work together to develop the story and the characters?

BB: I think with Grace’s character, we originally had created that character to be really seasoned.

GP: I was like, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I wanted the character to be more like a rookie because I’m the furthest thing from a cop. That made a lot more sense to us.

BB: So we rewrote it.

GP: I just felt it wasn’t going to be authentic to me. If she’s a seasoned cop, I didn’t feel really comfortable doing that. I wanted her to be passionate about her job but not the best at it.

That was a fun contrast to Miles because his character is a seasoned detective. We thought that was a fun dynamic to explore.

FF: Since ‘The Town That Takes’ is a supernatural horror thriller, how did you work together to create the characters’ physicalities?

BB: It’s really easy. I direct Grace a lot for her auditions, so me directing her is nothing new. She takes notes really well, and she’s a great actor. You don’t even really need to give her that many notes.

GP: I do need the notes!

BB: She likes the notes.

GP: But since his character was action-based, I think he’s a former military member. That helped with the action stuff. How he moved and that physicality came pretty naturally.

FF: How did the stunt work also fit into the locations? How did you decide where you wanted to film and how you would create the production design?

BB: Oh man, we did a lot of location scouting.

GP: We drove all over Dallas. We also drove outside of Dallas. We went everywhere.

It’s funny – the professor’s house in the movie is actually my parents’ house. The gas station is the gas station I went to growing up since I was five. We went in there and asked, “Can we put a little bit of blood in this gas station?”

We pulled a lot of favors for sure, did a lot of location scouting and used some local studios. Our set designer built some of the sets too, which helped us with noise because we didn’t want to have bad sound in a busy station.

FF: Besides co-scribing the script, Jon also served as the director of photography on the drama. How did you work together to determine how you would visually shoot the drama?

BB: John is really great at (shooting features). Our heads are kind of in the same spot, so while I’m directing, his shots are matching what I’m envisioning.

GP: He’s really talented.

FF: Edward Antonio served as the composer on ‘The Town That Takes.’ How did you collaborate to create the score for the movie?

BB: Edward, who’s a friend, is really talented. He scored my last film too. He’s just got an ear for what he sees. He sends me samples, and we go back and forth for months on what the sound was going to be like.

GP: Tell them about Jacob and Jared.

BB: My friends Jacob and Jared are twins. I wanted them to do a cover of ‘House of the Rising Sun.’ They watched the movie, then they recorded a version based on what they saw. We went back and forth on that a couple of times too.

FF: Besides shooting the film, Jon also edited the feature. How did you work together to put the final version of drama together?

BB: John’s really great. He wears all the hats. He’s great at editing. He has a great eye for almost every part of production and post-production.

FF: Atlas Distribution Company is releasing the drama in select theaters across North America. What does I mean to you both that ‘The Town That Takes’ is screening in theaters?

BB: We’re excited for people to see it.

GP: We hope it sends people down a rabbit hole and they start looking into Croatan and sending us what they think.

BB: That’s what we hope – that people go on deep dives and send us their own take on it. We really just hope people enjoy it. We put a lot of work into it.

FF: What’s coming up next for both of you? Are you interested in making another movie together?

GP: Yes, we have a couple of projects. We’re doing a military project dedicated to his brother, and we definitely have some horror projects in the works. We also have a couple of unscripted projects that we’re passionate about. We’re definitely staying busy and trying to dip our toes into every genre.