When we talk about the difficulty of filmmaking, we usually mean budgets, schedules or creative compromises as was surely the case with Sinners. But, sometimes, the challenge is much more primal, like dealing with heat and bugs. The very real sense that nature is actively trying to push you off the call sheet was very much the case for Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-dominating historical horror hit, which was filmed deep in the swamps of Louisiana. We have have an idea of just how many mosquitos the team had to contend with, and it makes my skin crawl.
The behind-the-scenes reality of the show came into sharper focus this week, thanks to a recent interview Sinners producer Sev Ohanian gave to LAist. During the conversation, Ohanian spoke candidly about what it actually took to get the film made. While discussing the production with host Julia Paskin, he didn’t sugarcoat the experience. In fact, he framed it as a stress test rather than a standard shoot, and it apparently included copious amounts of bugs:
