BOW WOW MOON: INTERVIEW WITH “CURSE OF THE WEREHUAHUA” DIRECTOR LUCAS MILLHOUSE

The world is certainly not lacking in movies that relish in werewolf tropes. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, there were many werewolf movies and series released, including “Eight for Silver” AKA “The Cursed, “The Wolf of Snow Hollow,” “Teen Wolf,” “Wolf Pack,” and most recently, “My Animal (Sundance Film Festival Official Selection),” to name a few. Needless to say, ZFA was ecstatic to see a werewolf movie submission that is completely out of the ordinary. With influences from classic horror films such as “Young Frankenstein,” 2000’s comedies such as “Dude, Where’s My Car,” and even some adventurous moments that gave us “Deadpool” vibes, Lucas Millhouse’s “Curse of the Werehuahua” stole the hearts of our jurors.

The premise? A radioactive chihuahua bites a human. Combine that with hilarious performances (Lucas Millhouse, J.R. Timothy, Brittany Shamy, Talitha Hanks, Melinda Yeaman, Carolyn Koskan, Joseph L. Puente) and creature designs by the venerable Chris Hanson, and you get cheesy, comedic gold. Curse of the Werehuahua won the following awards this last season: Best Feature Film, Best Makeup/FX Makeup (Eve Keener, Katrina Millhouse, Chris Hanson), Honorable Mention: Best Supporting Actor (J.R. Timothy), and Honorable Mention: Best VFX.

Poster design: Clinton Lofthouse

ZFA: What a unique concept for a movie! What inspired you to create this film? 

Lucas: "Curse" started out when a friend asked for some film ideas. " I want to make a cheesy creature horror film," he said. I shot back an idea about a guy who gets bitten by a cursed chihuahua and becomes a werehuahua. His friend replied.... “fun!” So we took a short film that had not been finished, this idea, and Boom! Werehuahua was conceived.

ZFA: Where did you film it? And how long did it take? How did you go about designing the creature?

Lucas: We filmed all of the movie in Utah, and it took about a month-an-a-half to film on the weekends. Our creature was designed by Chris Richard Hanson, here in UT. He's a fabulous creature and special fx guy who took our feedback and ran with it. 

ZFA: The jurors commented on the fantastic chemistry among the cast. How did you go about casting this project (including that chihuahua!)?

Lucas: Casting wasn't too hard to do. We held a casting call and filled the roles that needed to be filled. Some were invited to be a part of the film and just said yes, which makes things a lot easier. Lots of people want to know about Olive (the chihuahua.) Olive was found through a Facebook post through our producer. They were gracious enough to come down and shoot a couple of afternoons to get the footage we needed.

Areal Sorceress (Melinda Yeaman)

ZFA: What was the biggest challenge you faced during production and/or post-production?

Lucas: The biggest challenges we faced were 1. The unspecified virus of unknown origin, and 2. We had an actor not show up on the second day of their commitment, so we had to scramble and get a body double in for a fight scene.  We slapped a wig and makeup on him, and Boom!... substitute Viking. If you look close you'll be able to spot that there are actually 3 actors playing the Viking. 

ZFA: What was the most memorable moment on set?

Lucas: The most memorable moment for me (director/producer/actor/writer) was the day that our actor didn't show up, and we just BARELY got all of the shots off needed to finish the climax of the film. We got done and were packing up, and I sat and recorded a moment with my phone just to have a reminder for me of what that whole ordeal was like. 

Carolyn Koskan as “The Priest”

ZFA: Any lessons learned or things you would have done differently?

Lucas: We always could do things differently, but if I were to do things a bit different next time, I'd have more budget to make things move more smooth. 

ZFA: Any advice for aspiring filmmakers?

Lucas: Aspirational filmmakers, if you want to be successful in this business you must complete your work. Finish your projects. Lots of people dedicate time and talent to projects just to not see them finished. It’s bogus. Honor them. Finish your shyte.

Lizzy P. (Brittany Shamy) wields her sword

ZFA: How can we find you and follow your work?

Lucas: You can catch us on IG @Millquasproductions FB or Youtube.com/millquas

Interview: Alicia Oberle Farmer