Paul Bunnell and the Art of Resurrecting Lost Cinema

In an era where movies are increasingly assembled by algorithms, shot digitally, color-corrected into submission, and consumed in fragments on phones, Paul Bunnell remains a stubborn anomaly.

The actor, writer, producer, and director has spent decades building a body of work that feels defiantly handmade. His films embrace atmosphere over spectacle, mood over noise, and personality over convention. They are strange, often funny, occasionally unsettling, and unmistakably his own.

That independent spirit is on full display in A Blind Bargain, Bunnell’s latest feature starring Crispin Glover. Rather than simply remaking the long-lost 1922 Lon Chaney silent horror classic, Bunnell reimagines it through the lens of 1970s counterculture, creating a psychological thriller that feels simultaneously nostalgic and entirely original.

It’s a fitting project for a filmmaker whose lifelong obsession with cinema began not in film school, but in movie houses, projection booths, and on Hollywood backlots.

Having spent his entire life in Burbank, California, Bunnell grew up surrounded by the mythology of filmmaking. While many aspiring directors study movies from afar, he found ways to sneak onto actual film sets, learning by observation and absorbing lessons from some of the greatest filmmakers of the modern era.

Those experiences shaped a filmmaker who has never chased trends. Instead, he has spent years cultivating a style rooted in classic cinema while remaining distinctly contemporary.

At the center of A Blind Bargain lies a simple question: what happens when a lost piece of cinema history becomes inspiration rather than blueprint?

For Bunnell, the answer was obvious.

“I didn’t want to make a scene-by-scene remake,” he says. “I wanted something inspired by the original, yet contemporary in style while still set in the past.”

Film Daily Interview: Paul Bunnell on Lost Films, Kodak Film Stock, Crispin Glover and Why Cinema Has Forgotten How to Slow Down

Film Daily: What first attracted you to the original 1922 A Blind Bargain?

Paul Bunnell: I’ve always been a classic movie fan. A friend of mine, John Falotico, became fascinated with the idea of remaking it and talked about it for years. Eventually I offered to direct and produce it, and that’s how the project began.

Film Daily: Was the goal to remake the film or reinvent it?

Bunnell: Once I came onboard it became a reimagining rather than a remake. I wanted the spirit of the original, not a duplicate.

Film Daily: Why was Crispin Glover the right choice for Dr. Gruder?

Bunnell: He’s simply a great actor. He connected with the material immediately and he’s also a big fan of silent films.

Film Daily: You still shoot on Kodak film. Why?

Bunnell: Film has always been my canvas. It has qualities digital photography can’t truly replicate. I’ve spent my life around film prints. It’s how I think about movies.

Film Daily: Why set the story in 1970?

Bunnell: The era gave me opportunities for stylized production design, costumes and music. I also prefer stories set in the past. The present is outside my front door every day.

Film Daily: What theme mattered most to you?

Bunnell: Aging. It’s the one thing all of us will face if we’re lucky enough to live long enough.

Film Daily: Did the original film being lost create pressure?

Bunnell: Quite the opposite. It gave me freedom. I wasn’t interested in recreating every scene.

Film Daily: What guided the film’s visual style?

Bunnell: Everything came from 1970. The cinematography, performances and filmmaking techniques all came from that period.

Film Daily: Did Crispin Glover surprise you during production?

Bunnell: Not really. I hired him because I knew he’d be excellent, and he was.

Film Daily: Was it difficult balancing cinephiles and modern horror audiences?

Bunnell: No. That’s exactly what I hoped to accomplish.

Film Daily: What was the biggest challenge during production?

Bunnell: Time. We only had eighteen shooting days. That’s incredibly fast for a stylized film.

Film Daily: How much digital enhancement did you use?

Bunnell: Very little. I prefer practical solutions and older techniques whenever possible.

Film Daily: What modern filmmaking trends were you avoiding?

Bunnell: Digital photography and excessive handheld camerawork. I prefer classic fluid camera movement.

Film Daily: What impressed you most about Jake Horowitz’s performance?

Bunnell: He exceeded expectations. He understood the character immediately and was completely focused.

Film Daily: Why were theatrical 35mm screenings important?

Bunnell: Film itself became part of the experience. Older audiences remember it, while younger audiences are discovering it much like vinyl records.

Film Daily: Do younger viewers still have patience for slower suspense?

Bunnell: Some do. Many don’t. But I hope the audience looking for something different finds our film.

Film Daily: What did winning Best Feature at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival mean?

Bunnell: I still think they made a mistake, but I accepted the award before they could change their minds.

Film Daily: Do you intentionally make cult films?

Bunnell: No. I make films I’d want to watch. Whether they become cult films is up to audiences.

Film Daily: What subjects still make audiences uncomfortable?

Bunnell: Excessive sex and graphic violence. I prefer suggestion over explicitness.

Film Daily: Has cinema become too clean?

Bunnell: Maybe. I actually like classic-looking productions, but my films don’t always end up that way.

Film Daily: If the original A Blind Bargain surfaced tomorrow, would you watch it?

Bunnell: Absolutely. My film is really a homage, not a replacement.

Film Daily: What’s the biggest misconception about independent filmmaking?

Bunnell: That it’s easy. It isn’t. It requires money, planning, persistence and patience.

Film Daily: Is there another lost or forgotten film you’d like to reinterpret?

Bunnell: Phantom of the Paradise. But honestly, why bother? You can’t improve on perfection.

Cinema’s Last True Believers

What makes Bunnell particularly fascinating isn’t simply that he shoots on film or prefers stories set decades in the past.

It’s that he approaches filmmaking like a preservationist and an innovator at the same time.

Many directors speak about honoring cinema history. Bunnell actively lives inside it. His house is filled with film prints. His references come not from social media trends but from decades of moviegoing. His visual language is informed by Hitchcock, De Palma, Lynch, Burton, Spielberg and Scorsese rather than whatever happens to be trending on a streaming platform.

That perspective gives A Blind Bargain an unusual texture.

The film feels less like a modern horror movie borrowing from the past and more like a forgotten artifact somehow transported into the present.

Even its central themes feel timeless.

Beneath the horror, Bunnell explores aging, desperation, obsession and mortality—subjects that remain as relevant today as they were when Lon Chaney first brought the original story to life over a century ago.

Yet perhaps the most remarkable thing about Paul Bunnell is his refusal to compromise.

While much of the industry continues racing toward faster editing, shorter attention spans and increasingly digital aesthetics, Bunnell remains committed to deliberate storytelling, practical craftsmanship and the tactile beauty of actual film.

The result is a career that feels increasingly rare.

He isn’t chasing the future.

He’s reminding audiences what cinema looked like before Hollywood forgot how to dream.

And with A Blind Bargain, he’s proving that some ghosts are worth bringing back.