Adam Berardi is the star of a ‘killer’ new genre release titled The Last Five Days.
Two college students find evidence connecting a story they are investigating for film class to a series of deaths. Things begin to spiral out of control when an unknown force watching them becomes more violent and bloodthirsty.
The film is now available on DVD and Digital from Wild Eye Releasing.
-PH: Would say this is a genre you’d normally gravitate towards?
-Adam: Yes. I like Horror a lot. I love to scare people. Being scared is what keeps blood pumping. It’s what keeps us alive.
-PH: Does the project remind you of anything you might have watched as a youngster?
-Adam: I was a huge fan of the movie, The Blair Witch Project. I remember seeing it at the theater when it first came out. The way they marketed that movie was genius. It felt real. It was a great experience. I really hope that we brought that feeling back in a real way for our audience.
-PH: Growing up, did you have a favorite or go-to scary movie?
-Adam: My first movie that I ever watched was Psycho. It is one of the greats. To this day, I still watch it. But, who doesn’t love everything Hitchcock?
-PH: There’s different types of horror films – where do you think this one fits?
-Adam: This is definitely a Found Footage Horror film. In the true sense of the word. The only aspect that doesn’t fit that category completely are the bookended parts that my character is in.
-PH: In terms of how you decided to play the character – where did you start.
-Adam: That part was pretty easy. Growing up as an inner city kid, I witnessed a great deal of tragedy in my life. I watched police officers do their work, day after day. The look in their eyes seemed very hollow. They still felt. Anyone could see that. Most had families and a good life for the most part. But, those eyes. They all had the same expression too. It was like there was a deep scar that they hid from the world. Their chosen burnen. I wanted the Detective to have those scars too. I mean, the Detective has seen some horrible things, but I wanted the audience to feel like what he watched on that tape was the worst thing he has ever seen.
-PH: Some actors like to come up with comprehensive backstories for their characters, even if none of it is referenced on screen. Did you do that?
-Adam: I absolutely did. I think it is important. For me, I wanted the Detective to have a family. A wife and a child at home. Something that makes him do his job maybe more diligently than most. I wanted him to have a stake in the world. Something greater than himself. That way, when he saw what was on the tape, it could almost crush him emotionally.
-PH: What makes your character tick? Can you speak about the arc without giving away much?
-Adam: He is there to do his job. No matter what the job is, or what it takes. I wanted to make it look like he is humble, and that he gets no joy from publicity. He only wants to do his job and keep people from harm.
-PH: If the movie were part of a double feature at a drive-in theatre, what would make the perfect support/second movie?
-Adam: I absolutely loved the first Paranormal Activity. It would be a thrill to have these movies play back to back.