Jacob Chase & Andrew Carlberg On Balancing Thrills with Musicality for Live Action Short ‘Trouble’

As I watched Jacob Chase’s zippy, zazzy musical thriller short film, Trouble, I constantly wondered…what is the key to the horror musical? Our best example is, of course, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but Chase has created something wholly original with his 11-minute short. By riffing on musicals we love to listen to over and over again and giving it a vengeful edge, we are treated to one of the most unique films vying for a spot in the Live Action Short Film race. Trouble is, quite simply, a damn good time.

Anthony Rapp plays The Salesman, a genial guy who just wants to sell some knives to the man of the house. When he meets an overworked nurse at the door, she offers to let him stay for a few minutes while she checks on another patient up the road. When The Salesman wanders the house, he finds The Old Man, a disgruntled gent who may or may not have a spotty past.

Are you a fan of The Music Man? Have a place in your heart for traveling salesman? Ever wonder what happened when Marion left the library? Trouble isn’t an explicit sequel or continuation of Meredith Wilson’s beloved musical classic, but Chase was interested in twisting that nostalgia. This is the kind of film that makes fans giddy with excitement in terms of acknowledging something they love while making references to an original text.

What I love about Trouble is that is doesn’t apologize for being a musical. There are so many (too many) movie trailers that shy away from showing off the musicality of their films, but Trouble wears its musical heart on its sleeve. It lives in a world where the emotions are so high that the characters need to sing in order to express themselves. Don’t you want to live there?

You can watch Trouble below and then check out the video with Chase and producer Andrew Carlberg. We talk about why there might not be as many musical thrillers and our current musical obsessions. Yes, they let me geek out.