Steven Pierce's (editor, Saturday Night Live) action-driven horror film HERD is out in theaters and on VOD/Digital platforms on October 13, 2023 from Dark Sky Films. With a blistering pace that never lets up, HERD examines how group-think or “herd-thinking” drives otherwise normal people to incredible and sometimes heinous acts.
Steven compiled two lists of films that inspired different elements of his film HERD. Read about them below.
HERD is a zombie movie (at least on the surface).
Check out the list on Horrorville here.
These three films inspired me and showed me that zombie films can be so much more than wandering undead.
Train to Busan (2016) - This film breathes a new life into zombies. The design, the action, the fun concept of being stuck on a train… even after decades and decades of zombie films this one found a fresh lane.
The Crazies (2010) - While so many remakes can not hold a candle to the original, I think this is a stand up remake that handles rage virus infected in a way that is fun, thrilling, and impactful. Seeing people you know and love turn into crazy killers in an instant is almost more scary than seeing them turn into a living dead creature. In our film, our infected are also rage virus, rather than the undead, so it is inherently an inspiration.
Night of The Creeps (1986) - This one is really just for fun, but wow, it is nuts and almost perfect in every way. If you’re looking for a great group watch, look no further. I really think it’s only a bit obscure because the year in which it was released was jam packed with blockbusters.
HERD is also all about group-think and how otherwise well meaning people can end up doing terrible things under stress and during times of extreme circumstances.
Three films that I think encapsulate that sentiment and are inspirations for me and for the film are:
Barbarian (2022) - Incredible work all around. Surprising, scary, and just a fun watch.
The Babadook (2014) -This movie is terrifying because it shows how trauma can turn you into someone else and manifest into a daemon. That can cause you to do things you would never want to do in your worst nightmares.
The Shining (1980) - It’s an obvious classic made by a master. But it is the real corner stone of how a real-world break down of an individual is terrifying and how that can happen in increments.
-----
Steven Pierce is an award-winning director and writer with a body of work that spans narrative, documentary, live music, and commercials. His projects tend to feature strong performances of identifiable characters that carry a strong social message.
Beginning his career as an actor, Steven has a unique ability to reveal nuanced performances. After completing his first narrative feature film, "HERD" (starring: Corbin Bernsen, Timothy V. Murphy, Ellen Adair, Amanda Fuller, and Dana Snyder) in 2022, as well as a feature length documentary/concert film surrounding the breakout indie band, Buke & Gase, in 2021, Steven has three films in development the first of which is scheduled to begin production in 2024.
He helmed the hit online competition series “Top Photographer” starring Nigel Barker, “What It Takes” for the NHL and Hulu leading up to the 2019 Stanley Cup, and has received four collaborative Emmy awards and one A.C.E. nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live. His high-energy style of storytelling mixes story with pace in order to lift the story off the screen.
As a documentary director he has shaped the stories of people such as Kurt Warner, JJ Watt, Jamaal Charles, Emmanuel Sanders, Christian Yelich, and many more.
As a live director he has led performances for the Lumineers, Cee Lo Green and the Muppets, Blake Shelton, Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Regina Spektor, twentyone pilots, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr. and Janelle Monae. His commercial work includes brands such as Amazon, Toyota, CBS, T-Mobile, Canon, Nikon, Proctor and Gamble, Verizon, Motorola, American Family Insurance, and AT&T.
You can follow him and the film on Instagram, or visit StevenCPierce.com for more information.
