We’ve always had a love for classic movies, especially the blending of comedy and horror. Some of the first films we remember being exposed to as children were the Abbott & Costello features of the 1940’s where the pair would do battle with a different Universal movie monster in each installment.
As for the characters, both Peter Stass and Divi Crockett spent many years living in LA. There’s a certain desperation there. Everyone seemed caught up in the rat race, searching for their next big score. This was the inspiration for the realtors, Jack and Lloyd. The name Ackerman is in tribute to Forrest J. Ackerman, the original ‘fanboy’, whose magazine ‘Famous Monsters of Filmland’ first opened our eyes to classic horror. Peter had a film of his produced by a small production company which was notorious for making schlocky horror movies in Romania to save money on a non-union crew. It seemed these people would get in bed with anyone who could provide funding. Why not Dracula?
Visually, Ackerman from Peter’s background as a fine artist. The whole idea is old meets new. Dracula yearns for the past so the vampires he creates are vintage hollywood archetypes, flickering black and white images set against the full color world. Their voice has the muddy quality of an old movie. Whenever we see the Count, the footage is grainy, with high contrast and lingering close-ups. And as his influence spreads throughout the story, the film itself starts to go from modern to vintage with old fashioned wipes and pinhole transitions, and the use of rear projection when the characters are driving. The special effects will be intentionally low-tech throughout, with as many practical effects and as little CGI as possible. But the overall reason for creating Ackerman & Associates Meet Dracula, is the desire to bring back the past