Neon’s Horror Subversion ‘Handling the Undead’ Director Thea Hvistendahl on the Patience To Face Your Nightmares

Thea’s feelings and thoughts post-premiere

Having the sound and images tell the story as opposed to dialogue

Her approach to directing and staging actors

Using a mix of real people, prosthetics, VFX, and dolls

Finding the balance between looking dead but not like zombies

The challenges in shooting the final scene

How Thea became a filmmaker

Financing the feature and shooting in multiple countries

Getting the balance right between the different stories within the film

Feeling anxious during the screening process

Trusting her gut feelings in the editing process

Having a much needed celebration when the film was finally finished