Isabelle Fuhrman and Andy Tennant Talk Twists, Turns, and Suspense in UNIT 234

Isabelle Fuhram in UNIT 234 | Image courtesy of Brainstorm Media

By Shannon McGrew

In the thriller UNIT 234, when a group of criminals come to collect the contents of a storage unit, Laurie Saltair (Isabelle Fuhrman), who runs the storage facility, has to play cat and mouse to escape with her life. 

For the release of UNIT 234, Creepy Kingdom’s Shannon McGrew spoke with director Andy Tennant (Ever After) and actor Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan). During their chat, they discussed everything from crafting tension in confined spaces to what makes a great thriller twist.

Thank you both for taking the time to speak with me today. Isabelle, your character, Laurie, experiences many intense moments in this film. What drew you to this role, and how did you prepare to take on this character? 

Isabelle Fuhrman: Intense moments are kind of my bread and butter [Laughs]. I love the journey that Lori goes on. To me, she’s so relatable. She’s on the precipice of a big change in her life if she wants to have it. Still, the hard part is that she can’t really decide, so life steps in the way and puts her in a crazy circumstance that forces her into an uncomfortable situation that makes her realize that she is ready for whatever life can throw at her. That was a beautiful story of self-discovery through these crazy circumstances that I loved.

On top of that, the story and the twists and turns…I like a movie with a good twist [Laughs]. I like it when you read a script and think you’ve outsmarted the movie, and then it pulls one over you. I think that’s a great sign of a great story. It also seemed like a no-brainer when I learned Andy was involved because I grew up watching his films.

Regarding preparation, I was very lucky we had a great team of actors to work with. I came to the set knowing who Laurie was, and they came to the set ready to play ball. Because we didn’t have much time and had to make this movie quickly, we didn’t have enough money, as Andy likes to say. We were thrown into it, so we were putting that urgency on screen. 

Jack Huston in UNIT 234 | Image courtesy of Brainstorm Media

Andy, you’ve worked across all different genres from romcoms to thrillers. What excited you the most about tackling UNIT 234? 

Andy Tennant: As a moviegoer, I love all kinds of movies. However, I got pigeonhole into the thing that I can do. Had it been a thriller that was the first thing I ever did, maybe I would’ve had a thriller career. I was lucky enough to be offered this script, and reading it, you’re always afraid that it will disappoint. There are a lot of well-intentioned, good ideas, but not very good scripts. This script was very good. It sustained itself, the twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and then it delivered a gangbusters ending. So, for me, I was completely in. 

The thing about having Isabelle, Don Johnson, and Jack Huston involved is that, I was speaking about this a little earlier, the lucky thing for me as the director was that in the first week, we shot most of the end of the film. I knew then that the movie would work in the first week because the ending was so good. These guys were all together in the climax and crisis of the film, and I already had the goods; it was already in the can. So the rest of it, telling Isabelle to keep running down the hall and this and that, it was easy. It’s really interesting, and I may use this in other movies, to shoot the end first. They say the first 15 minutes of a script are the most important, but the last 15 minutes of a film are the most important, so this movie, I think, has both. It has a strong script, great performances, and delivers on the promise that it’s a fun thriller. 

The film takes place primarily in one location. How did that impact how you approached building the suspense, both behind the camera and in front of it? 

Isabelle Fuhrman: It was creating a sense of comfort for me. This is Laurie’s backyard. It’s her home. It’s where she grew up. She knows everybody with a unit and what they’ve got in there; she’s a little nosy [Laughs]. There’s something about being at a real story facility and being there every single day that, after a while, it’s just like going into the office. It’s a pretty comforting place to be.

Andy Tennant: When I originally read [the script], I thought we were going to go to New Jersey and do a sports facility, but because we were in the Cayman Islands and they didn’t have those and they had the outdoor one that also had an indoor one, it allowed us to keep the rain and the dark and stormy night as a character because we were actually outside in it and we weren’t just listening to the rain on the roof.  

Lastly, what are you excited for horror fans to experience with this film? 

Isabelle Fuhrman: It’s such a twist, and what I love is that this movie doesn’t play to the audience. You’ll be trying to figure it out, and you’ll probably be wrong, and that’s what I loved about this movie when I read the script the first time. I love a good thriller like this, which takes the audience for a ride, but you’re also walking with Laurie. You’re there with her and you’re figuring it out with her. It’s not like you’re watching from behind; you’re one step ahead of everything, which I think is really, really cool. 

Andy Tennant: It’s also a modest movie. It was a small budget. It’s not trying to be anything that it’s not. It’s a B-movie thriller, and I grew up on those and love them. When you have modest or low expectations for an audience of fans who discover a movie, and then the word of mouth is that they’re surprised that it’s as good as it is and that it’s actually really good, it’s really fun. That word of mouth is what I’m looking forward to. The people who get and love these movies are going to be surprised by the quality of the film and the depth of the movie. 

UNIT 234 is now in theaters and On Demand!