Fred Dekker "Night Of The Creeps" Lesson In Casting

I was listening to commentary track on this classic flick and director Fred Dekker brought up an interesting point...he casted his dream girl and directed her to be seductive towards a guy who he saw as himself. In other words, he was able to re-create his own life and have the outcome be what he wanted.
I thought back on all the project I made, and for the most part...yeah. I live vicariously through my projects. Not anything directly, but I think being a filmmaker or director gives you the opportunity to re-shift your life the way you wished it could've been. Or address issues that you may have wanted it to be. OR provide an answer for some deep seeded pain that may have been nagging you. For me, it has been really nagging things that I like to address in films. My friend, who directs features, had that approach as well. In his own projects, he addresses the relationship problems he has. His anger, pain of betrayal all goes up on the screen. Then he feels he can file those feelings away.
I believe that's what a LOT of us get into making movies. So we can control the world where sometimes in reality, we feel helpless. If that's the motive for living in the land of make believe, I don't think it's a bad thing. Injecting your movies with something personal most definitely adds to the universal theme for the viewer.
I think making movies definitely allows you to exorcise your demons. Writing does as well. But it seems seeing it realizes a dream. For a lot of filmmakers, it's a way to right a past wrong (also "write a wrong") And if you struggle with those questions, most likely someone else will.

I dig Fred Dekker's 80's movies. Most fell through the cracks but found their way to my Middle School watch rotation. I guess we weren't the money makers back then. A little perhaps. 'The Blob," "Night Of The Creeps" and "The Monster Squad" were trifectas for me. They were something like a perverted Steven Spielberg movie. Some of the same crew even. But something in Dekker's melancholy seemed to feel more honest than Spielberg's constant "Pollyanna" world view.

But I digress, Fred Dekker was brilliant to cast Jill Whitlow, as it's hard NOT to have a crush on her. And then she becomes a flamethrowing badass, and simply becomes every boy's dream. These were the girls we pined after during middle school dances. These are the memories we have of endless possibilities with the girls of our dreams. Many of us make movies to make those dreams come true.