The critters in this case were 50 hungry leeches. All i can say now is i’m soooo glad it’s over and all 51 of us came out alive.
This was the hardest shoot i’ve done–submerged in the cold (yes, COLD) water, i was completely isolated and at the mercy of the frisky, blood-thirsty creatures. It was one of the few moments i have felt truly terrified in a scene. Though logically i knew the setup was safe, i could not help but dwell on the fact that there is no safewording on a leech. And those little buggers don’t mess around. Guess where they headed? Straight for the crotch! And all i could do was wail through my breathing tube and try not to panic as i felt the sting of their microscopic teeth pierce through my soft tissue. It…um…sucked (i know, stupid joke).
But seriously, it was an intense, crazy shoot hopefully with some good end results. i think the leeches, at least are satisfied!