Combine Edgar Wright’s style (Shaun of the Dead), 20th-century horror tales, a dance number and a touch of the supernatural, and you get Snatchers. The Canberra production starts filming next month and hopes to draw more interest and attention to the talented creatives in the region.

Following lifelong friends Mac and Fettes as they try and make a quick buck by selling the organs from a fresh corpse, coming across the perfect one during their jobs as orderlies at the hospital.

“They kind of steal [the corpse] but get thrown a bit of a curveball when the corpse wakes up on the operating table. They have to decide whether they’re gonna go through with it regardless,” says Craig Alexander, writer, director and actor.

Loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher, a tale of two men who as medical students had the duty of receiving and dividing bodies for class vivisections. Some which may have come through in untoward circumstances, Mr Alexander was drawn to the morality highlighted in the classic story.

“Where do you draw the line? If you’re taking a body for the benefits of science, that seems kind of okay, but when it’s for personal or financial reasons, which is what we’re exploring in the film, that’s when you go wait a minute,” he says.

While performing solo stage shows that centred around storytelling, Mr Alexander thought of the possibilities he could create within the classic horror realm. Putting pen to paper, it was evident that the idea for this script lent itself to more fun and depth than what could be pursued on stage, so the writer started a screenplay. Straying from theatre and towards film for the past seven or so years, Mr Alexander started writing Snatchers close to five years ago.

“Horror comedy, especially that fine line between making someone laugh and making someone scared, is where I love playing around. This was the perfect vehicle for me to muck around in that space, a chamber piece almost, where there is less budget required to deliver a compelling story,” Mr Alexander says.

Working on the script with Screen Pod, Exsile Academy and workshops with local actors, the script is already a hit. Mr Alexander won Best Australian Writer at Melbourne Cineverse Film Festival in 2023 and his script for Snatchers received official selection in FilmQuest Film Festival and Siren Screenwriting Festival.

Shooting on location around Canberra, one of the principal spaces is HQ34 in Fyshwick. The downstairs commercial kitchen is transformed into a potential surgical space, while the stunning upstairs venue turns into a sinister den.

“Upstairs we’re decking it out as if it was an underworld auction house that was selling bodies is where we are going. It’s very dark but the show is actually incredibly funny,” says Mr Alexander.

The other main location is the hospital which will be shot on location at Narrabundah College, Mr Alexander needed somewhere decrepit and run down and the aging building fit the bill perfectly.

“There’s an amazing extra-long corrider they have out the back there that features quite heavily in the script. They’re just about to knock it all down and do their upgrades, so this will be capturing those cool Narrabundah moments for everyone for the future,” he says.

To be created with a 90 per cent Canberra-based cast and crew, with one of the three lead cast members being flown in from Melbourne, Mr Alexander wants to keep it as local as possible. Living in the region for around a decade, Mr Alexander and his wife, both artists, want to encourage other creatives to stay in the region to create their work.

“The opportunities we can present people here in Canberra, the more likely that they can stay here. The idea that you have to move away to do things that you love frustrates me a little bit. Canberra is an amazing city, we’re such fans of it now, the more opportunities we can find and make for artists here, the better off the whole city will be.”

Coming from a strong theatre background Mr Alexander and the cast play with storytelling modalities which they hope heightens the storytelling over your average chamber horror plot. 

“As much as we’re dealing with some dark themes, thematically it is about the exploitation of the working class, a late-stage capitalist society but it is really just a fun thrilling ride,” smiles Mr Alexander.

With principal photography due to be wrapped up by the end of April, Mr Alexander is hoping any further filming and post-production will have them wrapped up in time for festival release early next year.

“It’s all about supporting industry here more than anything, then leverage this project in particular to hopefully secure more funding for larger projects and get that film industry and performing arts industry here in Canberra really bustling.”

Keep up to date with the progress of Snatchers; snatchersthefilm.com

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