Film director with Island ties premieres independent movie

Former Mercer Island resident Bjorn Anderson premiered a new independent horror film, “Eyes in the Dark,” on Nov. 5 at the Rendezvous’ Jewel Box in Seattle.

The 77-minute movie was filmed in the Puget Sound area.

“I’ve always wanted to tackle a horror film,” Anderson said. “I love the thriller-horror genre, and like all of my movies, I began with the question, ‘I wonder if I could.’”

The film’s plot features a monster chasing people.

“I’ve always found that our own imaginations can come up with something far creepier than anything we can put up on screen,” said Anderson. “So following this rule, I limited the exposure of the creature to the audience. You never really see what is out there, and when we don’t know what we are facing, our natural reaction is fear.”

Other films directed by Anderson include a medieval film titled “Warrior’s End,” which premiered at the 2009 Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival. For funding the past two features, Anderson depended on local actors and took on several roles such as caterer, driver, production manager and, of course, director. Anderson’s passion, however, is directing.

“Well, I had always loved telling stories and watching films and movies, and my friends and I had always dreamed about filming a movie, so I walked into the office on my 26th birthday and gave my two weeks’ notice,” he said.

Anderson is currently working on two more thriller-horror films, scheduled to be filmed during the next two summers. Both movies will be shot in the area.

“I feel that the world hasn’t really been exposed to the natural beauty that is up here, and when the world takes notice, there’s going to be a great influx of films coming here,” he said. “I’d like to be here when that happens, and the Northwest is my home.”