Shana Feste added every woman’s nightmare to the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival in the form of “Run Sweetheart Run,” her newest horror film starring Ella Balinska and Pilou Asbaek.
The film, which will be released by Universal later this year, stars Balinska as Shari, a single mother who decides to re-enter the dating scene. Asbaek plays Ethan, a man who seems to be charismatic and charming when he meets Shari for a date but soon reveals his sinister nature. Desperate to escape, Shari runs out onto the streets of Los Angeles after dark and soon discovers that Ethan is not only dangerous but well-connected, too.
“It was based on a bad date that I went on when I was attending UCLA,” Feste told TheWrap’s Steve Pond. “I literally — without a purse, shoes, cellphone — just ran home from Hollywood Hills to West Los Angeles. I think every woman could relate to something like that because every woman has their own real-life horror film.”
Also Read: 'Horse Girl' Star, Co-Writer Alison Brie on Writing an 'Almost' Completely Improvised Film (Video)
Feste’s personal story, one she said she wrote for her daughter from a “very angry place,” resonated deeply with Balinska when she read it while working on another film. She said she gravitated immediately to the film.
“There’s nothing in the script that’s like, ‘Oh, she has to make these decisions, otherwise it’s not a horror movie,” she said. “She’s intelligent. She does things that even I as a human being thought, ‘Wow, that makes so much sense!'”
Watch Feste, Balinska and Asbaek talk more about “Run Sweetheart Run” in the clip above.
81 Sundance Portraits From A to Z: Awkwafina to Zach Galifianakis (Exclusive Photos)
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Awkwafina, "The Farewell"
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Demi Moore, "Corporate Animals"
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Ed Helms, "Corporate Animals"
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Hilary Swank, "I Am Mother"
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Clara Rugaard-Larsen, "I Am Mother"
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Director Grant Sputore, "I Am Mother"
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Director Sacha Jenkina and RZA, "Wu Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men"
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Peter Sarsgaard, "The Sound of Silence"
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Tony Revolori, "The Sound of Silence"
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Comedian Reggie Watts
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Zach Galifianakis, "The Sunlit Night"
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Jenny Slate, "The Sunlit Night"
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Storm Reid, "Relive"
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David Oyelowo, "Relive"
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Director Jacob Estes, "Relive"
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John Lithgow, "The Tomorrow Man"
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Blythe Danner, "The Tomorrow Man"
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Director Noble Jones, "The Tomorrow Man"
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Annette Bening, "The Report"
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Jon Hamm, "The Report"
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Maura Tierney, "The Report"
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Director Scott Z. Burns, "The Report"
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Danielle Brooks and director Chinonye Chukwu, "Clemency"
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Alfre Woodard, "Clemency"
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Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr., "Luce"
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Jennifer Ehle, "The Wolf Hour"
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Producer Cameron Crowe, "David Crosby: Remember My Name"
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David Crosby, "David Crosby: Remember My Name"
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Director AJ Eaton, "David Crosby: Remember My Name"
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Director Ryan White, "Dr. Ruth"
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"Troop Zero" directors Bert & Bertie and actress Mckenna Grace
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Director Alma Ha'rel, "Honey Boy"
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Byron Byers, "Honey Boy"
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Noah Jupe, "Honey Boy"
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Clifton Collins, "Honey Boy"
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Haley Joel Osment, director Joe Berlinger, Angela Sarafyan and Brandon Trost, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile"
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Director Matt Tyrnauer, "Where's My Roy Cohn?"
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Creator Richie Mehta, "Delhi Crime Story"
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Aisling Franciosi, "The Nightingale"
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Gina Torres, "Selah and the Spades"
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Lovie Simone and Celeste O'Connor, "Selah and the Spades"
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Jharrel Jerome, "Selah and the Spades"
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Wendy McLendon-Covey, "Imaginary Order"
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Max Burkholder, "Imaginary Order"
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Director Debra Eisenstadt, "Imaginary Order"
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Director Garret Price, "Love Antosha"
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Jim Cummings, "Greener Grass"
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Director Alice Waddington and Danielle Macdonald, "Paradise Hills"
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Jim Gaffigan, "Light from Light"
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Marin Ireland, "Light from Light"
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Josh Wiggins, "Light from Light"
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Director Penny Lane, "Hail Satan"
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Alex Holmes and Tracy Edwards, "Maiden"
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Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, "The Great Hack"
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Chris O'Dowd, "State of the Union"
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Florence Pugh, "Fighting With My Family"
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Lena Headey, "Fighting With My Family"
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Jack Lowden, "Fighting With My Family"
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WWE Superstar Paige, also known as Saraya-Jade Bevis, "Fighting With My Family"
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Nick Frost, "Fighting With My Family"
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Writer-director Stephen Merchant, "Fighting With My Family"
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Rachel Lear, "Knock Down the House"
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Alia Shawkat, "Animals"
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Holliday Grainger, "Animals"
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Director Sophie Hyde, "Animals"
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Director Stanley Nelson, "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool"
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Rahaf, "Dunya's Day"
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Director Raed Alsemari, "Dunya's Day"
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Sara Balghonaim, "Dunya's Day"
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Sam Richardson, "Bootstrapped"
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RJ Mitte, Beau Mirchoff, Tyler Posey, director Gregg Araki, Avan Jogia, "Apocalypse Now"
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Karley Sclortino, Roxanne Mesquida, Kelli Berglund, "Now Apocalypse"
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Bobbi Salvor Menuez, "Adam"
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Director Rhys Ernst, "Adam"
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Nicholas Alexander, "Adam"
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Riley Keough, "The Lodge"
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Lia McHugh, "The Lodge"
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Directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, "The Lodge"
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Akili McDowell, "David Makes Man"
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Writer-executive producer Tarell Alvin McCraney, "David Makes Man"
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Sundance 2019: See all the stars come out to TheWrap’s portrait studio at Ryot/Vice Studios, in partnership with Art Bronze Film Productions