Shawn4Ever (2012) Online
A lonely young man learns that suicide is not the answer.
| Cast overview: | |||
 | Shawn Elestren | - | Shawn (as Shawn Watson) |
 | Cyres Dorward | - | Drunk Teen |
While shooting, Shawn Watson was actually on bail for serious assault and narrowly avoided being sent to jail for setting a brief scene on the Forth Road Bridge. The police were called and he was questioned. Had they searched him they would have found the Glock 17 and 16-inch hunting knife seen in the movie (both highly illegal to carry in the UK) and arrested him immediately.
The forest featured in the movie is based on Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, otherwise known as the "suicide forest" which sees an average of 3 suicides a week. It is also said to be haunted by multiple "Yurei" - Japanese ghosts who are angry at their own deaths. Shawn appears as a Yurei in the second half of the movie. This premise was later used in the Gus Van Sant film Море деревьев (2015) and yet again one year later in Лес призраков (2016).
This short was actually a compromise by Shawn Watson, who wanted to spend all of summer 2012 shooting an epic sequel to Shawn's Dark Xmas (2012) but Tom Leon decided that he wanted nothing more to do with Watson and cut all ties. As a last-minute option the script for Shawn4Ever was thrown together.
Shawn Elestren regretted not shooting the film anamorphically or featuring wide-open locations and felt that the narrow aspect ratio made for an unintended claustrophobic feel.
Had a budget roughly one forty-fifth that of Shawn's Dark Xmas (2012).
The first movie by Shawn Watson to feature the F-word.
According to the newspapers seen stuck in the letterbox, the movie takes place on the 27th and 28th of July 2012.
Fake blood from Shawn's Dark Xmas (2012) can be seen on a pair of Shawn's Converse sneakers.
Shawn Watson's idea of the short came about after he figured that the last thing to go through a suicidal person's mind would be regret.
Shot entirely in natural light.