Bob Freville talks about his film Thirst Trap and his life as a filmmaker

by Gordon Shelly

Bob Freville is the writer and director of the film Thirst Trap (reviewed here), which we have just reviewed as well. In his own words, he has been “a citizen journalist, a music critic, one half of a noise rock band called Steven, a part-time tool salesman, a telemarketer, a SEO writer, an office manager, [and] a gutter poet.

His first feature film, Hemo, was released by Troma in 2012, and he has worked on movies like The Slasher, and The Deep Ones, among others. Freville has been making movies most of his life and received his first recognition with an experimental film called Of Bitches and Hounds in 2007. If he sounds busy, it’s because he is. We were fortunate enough to find Bob during some of his free time for this interview.

INFLUX: What are you currently working on that you can share with us?

BOB: I’m currently prepping my next feature, an ambitious 70-set love letter to the exploitation movies of Bobby A. Suarez, Cirio Santiago, Gerri Sedley, Greydon Clark, H.B. Halicki, Jack Hill, Stephanie Rothman, Stu Segall and Vernon Zimmerman. Those are the main inspirations, but there are too many to list. The movie is called The Big Hen House and we actually just wrapped production on a proof-of-concept movie trailer, which we hope to use to raise financing.

The Big Hen House is a grindhouse-style horror-comedy about an ex-porn star turned long haul trucker who must take to the road after a depraved maniac targets the working girls of his favorite rest stop. It’s part White Line Fever, part Teenage Hitchhikers, part Switchblade Sisters, part Killer’s Delight, and All Fun with a Capital F.

The goal is to shoot it in such a way so that it really feels like it’s some mid-to-late-70s drive-in picture that’s been found in a trash can. So, we’ll be experimenting with different techniques, including video formats and post-production services, possibly Holy Grain.

We’re planning on reaching out to some genre legends about attaching themselves to the supporting cast; I’d love to get Bill Oberst, Jr. and Nina Hartley on board… maybe even lure Sandra Peabody out of retirement. But the main priority is to make a movie that’s as down and dirty and sexy and authentic as those 1970s movies, while ensuring that it’s really fucking funny and unique. I think we’ve nailed the latter, now it’s just a matter of getting our ducks in a row, finalizing our budget, and reaching out to people.

A childhood photo of Bob Freville

INFLUX: What are your hopes for your current projects?

BOB: My hope is that Thirst Trap finds its audience, which is definitely a niche audience of weirdos like me–the people who grew up loving John Waters and Howard Avedis and Gregg Araki, The Kids in the Hall, Rocky Horror, Moritsugu, campy melodrama, old exploitation movies. Essentially, this is a psychotronic exploitation movie about exploitation in the age of social media, and I know there are people out there who will lap that up.

It’s weird talking about the movie like it’s someone else’s, ya know? But honestly, it’s strange talking about it in industry terms, because it’s not really like anything else. But you have to pretend like it is to do the whole sales pitch thing to distributors and reviewers. So, you end up overselling it or underselling it. Right now, I’ve been telling people it’s The Substance meets Saltburn by way of Araki and Waters, which I realize is only going to set an audience up for disappointment or outright anger, but it’s true, at least insofar as Thirst Trap shares certain thematic concerns with those movies.

My real hope is that it will be discovered by people who love good dialogue, because the movie is wall to wall dialogue. We’re doing another pass on some of the audio right now for this very reason–because we want to give just respect to the dialogue. In that regard, I think it’s a movie for people who love LaBute and Mamet and Kevin Smith and Hal Hartley, but the movie itself is whacked. It’s very much its own thing.

I have no real expectation for the time being. Frankly, I know how these things go and with the marketplace so oversaturated, I’ll be happy if people find the movie and fall in love with it one by one by one. But I have no delusions of grandeur… outside of a burning desire to start merchandising the character of Mason. I mean, with a character this original and demented, you gotta!

A still from Thirst Trap

INFLUX: What was the inspiration behind your latest film, Thirst Trap? Stories like this so often stem for an element of truth.

BOB: That’s because it is [true], at least in a sense. The bedrock elements of the narrative arose out of sheer disbelief. I looked at all the stars that had gone up in flames due to cancel culture and then I looked at these assholes on YouTube, these content creators (I won’t name names, but it should be fairly obvious to anyone who’s been on YouTube), who somehow managed to weather the biggest shitstorms of their own creation.

I remember thinking, “A standup comic has his whole career and life blown up because his pathetic kink is having chicks watch him while he jerks his little dick off and now that dude’s gone forever, but somehow these bigoted, ignorant, mean-spirited pedophilic freak rapists still have millions of followers on YouTube and the most that ever happened was they got temporarily demonetized?” Like, really? This is the lesson, that some people are subject to total eradication due to their gross indiscretions, but others are repeat offenders and all they gotta do is issue insincere apology videos and stay outta the news long enough for people to forget that they’re pieces of shit? That was the inspiration and then it just grew from there.

Your movie mostly revolves around a group of young actors and what happens to them when their paths cross with a predatory social media influencer. But then there’s a subplot with Roger Rock, this has-been TV actor. What’s that about and why is it necessary to the story?

I think Roger and Bailee’s story serves as a sort of parallel; there are obvious parallels one can draw between these young actors and the desperation they have to break in and the older actors who are desperately trying to hold onto fame or regain lost fame.

Roger is a terrible guy. [Laughs] And that’s part of what makes him compelling, because he’s a relatable kind of terrible, he’s a part of so many of us–the petty, the desperate, the opportunistic, the entitled, the delusional. His presence feels necessary to show the audience what these young actors might look like if they finally get their way and become famous. This is where they might end up if they’re not careful, in ruin and in denial. Plus, it’s a pretty funny fucking character, at least when we first meet him. I mean, the guy can’t act for shit, but at least according to him, he was the star of an important franchise.

INFLUX: You’ve said that Thirst Trap is a niche movie. Who is it for?

BOB: Thirst Trap is for anyone who likes cringe comedy, who likes comedy that challenges, that doesn’t play it safe. It’s also for anyone who likes smart dialogue and dumb jokes, anyone who enjoys contradictions and can find humor in despair. It’s a pretty fucked up movie now that I think about it. [Laughs] It’s definitely for people with a strong stomach.

INFLUX: There is a film about halfway through the movie that may confuse some viewers. I think you know what we’re referring to. Can you tell us about that scene?

BOB: I assume you’re talking about the cosmetic surgery recovery suite scene, with Bailee (Jacqueline Sophia London), the janitor (Tyler Johnson) and the male nurse (Ravi Tawney). That scene was one of the first things I wrote for it and I always knew it would appear in the second act, without warning, so that the audience feels like they just wandered into the wrong room. I knew if we played it like that it would rip the rug out from under the viewer and really keep them on their toes.

As a movie lover, there’s nothing I appreciate more than a film that undermines my expectations and throws a good curveball. This scene was designed to seem shocking and dangerous because I knew it would support the comedy and, more importantly, I knew it would get people talking about the movie. That’s the scene that just sucks the air out of the room when you watch it with other people. So, mission accomplished. Here we are talking about it. [Laughs]

INFLUX: What have been your greatest challenges as an indie filmmaker?

BOB: The greatest challenges are always budgeting, editing and managing expectations, and not in that order. When you’re planning a movie, especially a DIY self-financed feature, it’s imperative that you spend as long as possible figuring out where you can cut costs, where you can afford to let things go, and where to allot money for contingencies. And there will always be contingencies–weather prevents you from making the day, you have to bring an actor back from another state, put them up in a motel, bring them back for reshoots, pay someone off before they have you booted from a location where you don’t have a permit, bribe a young mother to shut her baby up before it blows your last and only usable take.

That’s the budgetary end of things. Then you’ve got the shoot itself, which is where managing expectations come into play. Any director who tells you he’s got it all figured out and knows exactly what will happen on the day is a fucking liar. Something, someone, whatever it is, it will trip you up. Something will always arise that will alter your original vision and necessitate on-the-fly revisions. So, always plan accordingly, which is to say, plan to mint a new plan when your first plan dissolves like cotton candy in a puddle.

Finally, editing is always a challenge, because editors do not like to conform to the will of the director. Probably because most of them really want to be directing. The good ones bring something special to the table, a fresh perspective and some creative solutions. The bad ones drag ass and make you feel like you’re the problem. Also, no matter how well you cut it all together in your head, you will invariably walk into that proverbial editing bay with a scene or two (or more, depending on circumstance) that simply doesn’t cut together well. Refer back to managing expectations and planning for contingencies.

That being said, I can’t really talk about challenges with any sincerity. I’ve been very fortunate in that everything I’ve ever wanted to do I’ve been able to do. On the one hand, I spent many frustrating years writing on spec for flaky producers and other assorted bullshit artists, and none of those projects came to fruition. On the other hand, that was the catalyst my wife and I needed to go out and shoot Thirst Trap ourselves. And we pulled it off in just 12 short days! I’d be surprised if we went over a five-hour workday on even one of those shooting days.

INFLUX: What has been your most significant accomplishment as a filmmaker?

BOB: I guess I have to say my greatest accomplishment has been shooting a DIY feature in a matter of days, in a matter of hours really. We shot 18 pages of dialogue-heavy action in less than three hours! And it’s not because I sacrifice nuance of performance and it’s not because I’m a one-take wonder. It’s much simpler and more pragmatic than that.

The reason we’ve been able to make so much so fast and with so little money is because we don’t waste time. We keep the actors’ energy up, we keep them front and center, and we don’t put everyone in a holding pattern for an hour, while we argue about lighting or run tracks or any of the other laborious techniques employed by Hollywood.

We cut right through the bullshit and get to the meat of the thing, and that’s what most actors love, and that’s what keeps us grooving. We don’t stop till we make our day, and everyone’s happy because they get to go home to their boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and kids, whatever the case may be. They get to sleep in their own beds, which is of paramount importance if you want to keep the talent from burning out mid-shoot. Everyone’s high energy, having a good time, otherwise what’s the point? We’re playing make-believe, for crying out loud! It should always be a fucking party. A movie party, but still a party.

INFLUX: Tell us about some of your past projects and where we can watch them if they’re available.

BOB: Of Bitches and Hounds is on YouTube and Vimeo, I believe. It’s also available at The Intimate Theater. I think the Film Fund has it up on their site, as well. At the advent of the pandemic, my wife and I made this really far out short/R-rated PSA called Pig Lipstick, which is also available on Vimeo.

My X-rated bikersploitation novel The Filthy Marauders is out there on Audible, with a great narration by Sean Walpole, and Drive-Thru is up on Amazon. And you can expect to see Thirst Trap on Amazon and major streaming platforms within next few months. In the meantime, we’ll be debuting as part of AltFest New York’s 2025 New Filmmakers lineup. Date to be announced shortly.

INFLUX: What goals to you have for yourself moving forward?

BOB: My goal is to keep doing what makes me happy, regardless of the marketplace. I have a lot of ideas, constant ideas, but I only want to make the ones that feel unique to my taste and fun to explore.

Down the road, I’d like to dip my toes into the remake game, but I won’t say what I’d like to remake. Suffice to say it will be something from the 70s or 80s. I’m eyeing some IP in that area that I can put my own stamp on. But first and foremost, I’d like to keep going with what we’ve been doing and keep working with the repertory company we seem to be putting together.

I’ve never been good with goals, but I’ve always been good at putting my mind to doing something and then doing it. Whether I’ve stuck the landing every time is probably up to someone else, but I’m mostly satisfied with my output right now.

The only real goal is to eat healthy, quit dirty habits and still be here breathing and making movies over the long haul. Speaking of Bobs, I’d like to be the Bob Clark of New York–make a holiday film, make a horror movie, make a sex comedy, make a drama, you know? I dig all kinds of movies, and I have all kinds of stories to tell.

INFLUX: What advice would you give to your younger self just starting out?

BOB: Get your priorities in order. Stop fucking around. Give your passion the respect it deserves and put it before everything else. Otherwise, you’ll be scrambling to do it in your forties, stupid!

Seriously, the best advice I’d give my younger self would be to take life more seriously and the film industry less seriously. When you’re first trying to make movies, you let yourself believe it’s this insurmountable thing, because of all the gatekeepers and, “Oh, I’ve gotta get an agent, I’ve gotta do this, I’ve gotta do that.” Then you realize the guy with an agent is struggling, too. So, don’t hold yourself back thinking someone is going to stop you. If you want to do something bad enough, you’ll find a way to do it.

INFLUX: Where can people follow you and/or find out more?

BOB: Stalk me on Instagram of course! I don’t do Facebook or “X” or Threads, but I like to share pictures. That’s kind of my thing. You can also check out savageweekend.substack.com, where I bullshit about all of my favorite exploitation movies and profile unsung greats like Bethel Buckalew, Buck Flower, H.B. Halicki and Joy Houck.


You can follow Bob at:

Photo Credits: Intrepid Aspirations, LLC