Why Frank Darabont Looked to ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ When Directing ‘Stranger Things’
What To Know
- Frank Darabont came out of retirement to direct two episodes of Stranger Things Season 5.
- Darabont’s direction drew on his experience with ensemble casts and dramatic pacing from The Shawshank Redemption.
Filmmaker Frank Darabont has spent the better part of his career crafting nightmarish scenarios and deeply heartbreaking moments, often striking a balance between visceral horror and profound humanity.
From plunging audiences into the Lovecraftian horror of The Mist to chronicling the institutional cruelty and quiet hope of The Shawshank Redemption, Darabont left an indelible mark on both the big and small screens, carving out a singular niche in pop culture. His rare ability to fuse humanity with traditional horror allowed him to create emotionally resonant stories that linger long after the final frame.
So in 2013, when Darabont retired, he deserved the break.
During that time, the world (and the helmer himself) got swept up in Stranger Things. Over the course of the next decade, Darabont and his wife became fans of the show, so imagine their surprise when, in the fifth season, he received a call from the creators Matt and Ross Duffer.
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According to Variety, director Dan Trachtenberg had to drop out of Season 5 due to a scheduling conflict with Predator: Badlands, leading to the brother duo to ask Darabont to come out of retirement to helm a few episodes in the final season.
“My wife and I were fans of the show from early on. We actually had watched all four seasons three or four or maybe even five times. It was so good,’ Darabont told Variety. ‘Then one day out of the blue, my agent called me and said, “The agent in the office next to me represents the Duffer brothers, and he just wanted me to tell you that they’re big fans of yours.’ I said, ‘That’s fantastic. That’s very flattering. I’m big fans of theirs.'”
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As a result, Darabont directed Episodes 3, “The Turnbow Trap,” and Episode 5, “Shock Jock.”
In “The Turnbow Trap,” the episode was a dialogue-heavy, action piece with a large ensemble cast to create a dramatic dynamic. Darabont’s direction gave the material a measured intensity, using restrained pacing and character-driven exchanges to build a gripping atmosphere that paced the action.
As a result, the episode is a high-intensity, edge-of-your-seat watch for fans, to which Darabont credits his experience on The Shawshank Redemption to why the episode worked.
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“I’ve always said that if you have the right actor, there’s not much that they need to hear from a director. I learned that on my very first theatrical feature, The Shawshank Redemption,” explained Darabont. “Sometimes a director can get too much into an actor’s ear. Tim Robbins, for example, loves conversations with the director. Morgan Freeman does not. He’s a very intuitive, very instinctive actor, and does brilliant work. Both of them do. I remember midway through the shoot, I was talking to Morgan about whatever scene we’re going to shoot next, and I could see his eyes glazing over. He was just being very polite and listening to me, so I stopped myself and said, ‘Morgan, you really don’t need to hear this, do you?’ and he goes, ‘No, just tell me where to stand and how to turn. That kind of stuff.'”
“From that moment on, I let him do his job,” said Darabont. “It was a great lesson for a first-time director. Every actor is different.”
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