1) Can you talk briefly about your backgrounds, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

Anna: I grew up in Japan watching my American dad work on Japanese variety programs and TV shows as a comedian/performer. So from a young age I wanted to perform and have a creative career. As I gained momentum in my comedy and acting career in the U.S., I realized that there weren’t roles written for someone like me. So I started writing for myself and realized writing for others and establishing a world is really fun too. 

Omar: Growing up, whenever my entire Pakistani family would get together we'd make short films. My uncle would direct, my sister and cousin would co-write the script, and all the family members would act in it. Those times were really some of the most memorable and energizing of my childhood, so I guess it makes sense that's the lane I ended up in. The past decade I've been doing stand-up comedy and never really thought I'd have the confidence or ability to fully pursue filmmaking. It took Anna twisting my arm and pushing me to really go for it with her.  

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

Anna: As a couple we’ve co-written and co-created video content and web series before. For example, we shot a web series called “Japandering” about my experience growing up biracial in Japan and shot it in Tokyo with zero budget. As we were stuck in a studio apartment for six months, we thought we wanted to make something and also say something new and untold about the pandemic. 

Omar: Anna mentioned "Japandering", and that was an experience -- that project completely burnt me out. I knew if we did another project, it would have to be minimal. One location, one day shoot, nothing crazy. But I also wanted it to have some dynamic element to it beyond COVID and quarantine and Zoom. So I thought about what got me into comedy, and it was mockumentaries like "This is Spinal Tap" and the BBC Office. Essentially career-related comedies where the characters believe whole-heartedly in what they're doing and their abilities. "Spooky Town" came from that. 

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

Anna: The easiest part was staying true to our voices. Luckily Omar and I have really similar taste in comedy; we love deadpan comedies like BBC’s “People Just Do Nothing.” The biggest challenge was believing in ourselves and bulldozing through this from idea to production in less than two months and collecting other members who believed in us enough to be part of it. 

Omar: The easiest part was for the first time in our careers not being told no in the creative process. We're lucky enough to have auditioned and pitched and for once not having to be at the whim of another's taste or opinion was ridiculously liberating. The most challenging part was probably that a black bear showed up at our set in New Jersey at night and we had to cut 2-3 scenes and figure out a way to tell the story we wanted to tell in post. You know, when you think of New Jersey you think of Bruce Springsteen and black bears. 

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

Anna: I saw The Matrix for the first time in my life and it blew my mind. I moved to the U.S. in 2000 so I think I missed a lot of 1999~2000 landmarks in transition. We also recently saw Bong Joon-Ho’s 2004 short, Influenza, and even though the film was intense and dark, there was one scene that made me laugh so hard. It really stuck with me and inspired me to stay true to my sense of humor and vision in anything you create. 

Omar: Slumber Party Massacre II. My movie viewing has really shifted during COVID. I went to college for film studies and used to worship the likes of Tarkovsky and Sokurov. But during the past few exhausting months, with quarantine and an election cycle, I don't really want to watch films that are challenging, it's challenging enough just existing in this world right now. Sometimes movies should just be fun. And that's exactly what Slumber Party Massacre II is. A damn fun movie.

5) What’s next for you?

Anna: Things are coming!

Omar: We've been working on an Islamophobia horror feature script for a few years now, and we've adapted the script for a short. We were going to film it in August but then COVID kept dragging and we had to put it on hold because we had a big party scene in it. Hopefully we can get to work on that sometime soon once things settle and seeing people at parties without masks doesn't feel so weird. 

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omarcomedy.com | IG and Twitter: @omarshockit

helloannasuzuki.com | IG and Twitter: @helloannasuzuki