“I Wanted To Create Something That Would Make The Audience Squirm In Their Seats”: Andrew Hebert Talks Body-Horror Four Itchy Boys

The short film from the writer-director, who has previously collaborated with Paul Mescal and Rihanna, is designed to really make your skin crawl.

Itching. Possibly one of the most visceral, yet relatable sensations. “People are always scratching themselves without even realising,” Andrew Hebert tells Man About Town. “I was at the [Four Itchy Boys] premiere last night, and I noticed that while speaking, the actors were scratching at their arms and didn’t realise.” 

Who can blame any of the cast – led by Twilight’s Booboo Stewart, American Horror Story’s Nico Greetham, Never Have I Ever’s Gilberto Ortizwho and Alone at Dawn’s Ben Weinswig – for satisfying the urge. It is an impulsive and inherently physical one. So much so, it’s perfectly placed for an intriguing take on body horror. The result, as created by Hebert, is Four Itchy Boys, the LA director’s new short, following four young men who are quarantined and become world-famous after contracting an unexplainable disease. The only symptom: an insatiable need to scratch.

“Everyone has been bitten by a mosquito or has had a rash,” Hebert continues. “That seemed like something that could translate from the screen to the audience.” But it wasn’t merely the physical sensation that inspired him; rather, the absurdity of the fifteen minutes of fame it engendered for the boys afflicted. The process by which anyone can seemingly be propelled into international fame in the 2020s is a phenomenon Hebert became fascinated with after long hours spent scrolling on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The idea of virality is really scary to me,” he says.

In the case of his fictional protagonists, boyband-worthy good looks contribute to the public’s unhealthy obsession with them as their disease develops. “Even with their gross skin condition, since they’re attractive, the public is really interested in this story. I think the public would want to build them up and tear them down. How can we make someone very famous overnight, discard them the next day, and they’re only valuable for fifteen minutes?”

Since entering the industry himself, Hebert, a Tisch School of the Arts alumnus, has obtained a decade of behind-the-lens experience, primarily in entertainment marketing. Cutting his teeth in commercial spheres, he’s helmed bespoke advertising for film and TV, and even directed music videos. To date, he’s worked with stars including Rihanna, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Mescal and Jeff Goldblum. Another string to his bow is his Focus Features docu-series Reel Destinations, which received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2023 for Outstanding Travel, Adventure, and Nature Program. 

However, with Four Itchy Boys, the creative marks a shift to narrative filmmaking and the realisation of a lifelong passion and goal. Sitting down with Man About Town, he unpacks the conceptualisation of the project, plans for its evolution, and how it challenges the horror genre’s clumsiness with marginalised groups. 

After almost a decade working in commercial direction, you’ve decided to gravitate back towards narrative filmmaking. How come? Did you always know this was a transition you would make?

I guess I’d always hoped so. I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker for as long as I can remember. But when graduating, I was faced with the reality of needing money. So I went into marketing and commercial. For a while, I think I resigned and accepted my career. And I was happy with that. I love advertising, and I’ve had such a wonderful time in my career so far. 

Through directing commercials, I’ve received great feedback from actors and other directors, which has made me more confident about revisiting narrative filmmaking. I left that job about two years ago to work as a freelancer, and I’ve been dedicating myself fully to narrative storytelling.

Advertising is such short-form storytelling. Whereas in a narrative project, you’ve got ninety minutes to tell a story. Or if it’s TV, sixty minutes. In the commercial world, it’s thirty seconds, fifteen seconds, and sometimes, in today’s attention economy, even shorter. There’s the challenge of conveying so much information and creating something appealing. Then there’s the darker side to this: everyone’s always trying to sell you something. That’s the underbelly of capitalism, which is a theme in my film. 

The film Four Itchy Boys combines queer themes with horror. Are there any pieces of queer horror media that stand out as inspiring you?

I guess the fact I’m struggling to come up with an answer means there’s not enough. I wish there were more. One of my favourite films of recent years – kind of queer and kind of horror – is Saltburn. It inspired the look and [Four Itchy Boys’]  eerie, dark underbelly. That’s actually my favourite kind of queer genre. It’s not really in your face, but simmering underneath the surface, allowing the audience to interpret the characters uniquely. That’s exactly the story I’m telling. 

My favourite kinds of films are those open to audience interpretation. Some people watch it, thinking it’s an allegory for queer pain, chronic illness, or even a commentary on the media landscape and virality. They’re right. I’m happy it makes people feel something or sparks a conversation. That’s something I spoke about often with my producer during production: how dense or simple do we want this to be? We want the film to mean different things to different people. 

Like the four boys, anyone can go viral for just about anything. How influential was this absurdity to the film’s conceptualisation?  

The fact that just being itchy is so absurd, I’m glad you brought that up. I find the film quite funny. I mean, you’ll have to have a pretty dark sense of humour, but I do think it’s absurd. The world we live in is absurd. The world of social media made anything crazy seem normal. If you think about everything happening in America and our government, we’re having wrestling matches on the White House lawn; it is absurd, but just a daily headline. Then everyone just moves on. That’s just so spooky and eerie to me.  

I think it’s only become more topical since we’ve wrapped. It’s funny how we had an AI villain in the story, and since we’ve shot it, it’s become such a conversational topic in the news. It’s all happening at the same time. 

The fear of the unknown is also tied to queer themes and how we, as queer people, deal with a lot of prejudice and fear. I think hatred and prejudice could come from the fear of the unknown, and I wish there were more empathy and curiosity. However, today, I think people have become so inside themselves after COVID. The world feels scarier because we have more access to information, but we’re only seeing a very slim, curated version of it. We should all get more comfortable with the unknown. 

COVID has changed so much about how we interact and perceive things. Personally, I tend to pay attention to comments on videos more now, and I was so glad you introduced that aspect in your short film. 

I’m so glad you brought that up. I actually deleted TikTok. I’m no longer on it because it was making me crazy from reading the comments. A video could have so many different interpretations in the comments. It’s so interesting how angry or passionate people get, or how defensive. Like a mob mentality. People see what they want to see and say what they want to say. 

To tie it into the short film, the comments and public opinion shown on those screens were what we knew we definitely needed. It contrasted these boys, who are suffering, asking for understanding, with comments like ‘Oh, they’re faking it,’ or ‘They deserve it’, or ‘Don’t release them!’ Or even talking about something completely absurd like ‘They’re reptilians!’ All these conspiracy theories are derived from public comments. So, yes, I think it’s really interesting how it’s become a type of public forum for absurdity. 

Sometimes, the horror genre kills off or villainises marginalised people. Your film seems to reverse that dynamic. Was that reversal conscious from the beginning?

Yes, of course. They’re marginalised because of their condition, but all very attractive. This goes back to the absurdity aspect: as long as you’re hot in today’s landscape, you can become famous. Even attractive serial killers often have quite an intense fan club and even receive letters from jail. There’s something about attractive people that has the power to do that. 

The film is interested in how fear gets projected onto unfamiliar people. What kinds of fears do you think society is projecting most intensely right now?

I feel we’re living in a huge fear of war. I think people don’t trust the government and the powers that are supposed to protect us. It feels like every man is out for himself. Almost a barbaric mentality: if the people who are meant to protect me aren’t going to, then I need to protect myself. We’re turning into a very individualistic society. It’s very dangerous. That goes back to the unknown, because people don’t know who they can trust or who has their best interests. 

AI is a big topic of conversation in Hollywood. We’re having these discussions daily because technology, which aimed to improve our lives, is now threatening our livelihoods. We’re unsure what the job landscape and economy will look like in a year, two years, five years. Technology is always evolving, and humanity has always evolved with it, but it’s happening at such a pace that it is destabilising.

What was your favourite scene to shoot for Four Itchy Boys?

There’s a moment on set that is my favourite because it was the first day, and we weren’t all on the same page yet. We were still getting to know the crew and cast. Everyone was trying to find their vibe. We shot a couple of scenes, and the cast and I came out from the backstage area, behind the curtains; the crew’s jaws were on the floor. We all just clicked into a sort of uni-mind or collective force, and I could just tell everyone was like, ‘Oh, I get what we’re doing here. This is really cool, and I’m excited to be here.’

As a director, I’ve been thinking about this film for so long, and suddenly, looking at everyone, and them understanding you and all being on the same page, was the most amazing experience. Everyone was so connected. It was so fun. I’m so proud of the experience we had on set and all the connections made. 

You mention the film was first developed as a proof of concept. Are there any plans to develop this passion project further? Maybe into a feature, for example?   

Absolutely. I would love to see this in a longer form. It’s actually already written as a pilot, with a map for each episode in a mini-series, but I’m also exploring a potential feature as well. So, there are a lot of angles to it, but I’d love to see it as a feature film in the next few years. 

Lastly, your docu-series Reel Destinations follows host Alicia Malone travelling the globe, exploring the role locations play in upcoming films and classic titles. What drew you to the show’s concept and pushed you to direct it?    

Thanks for asking about this! I love talking about this show. I’ve been working with Focus Features for years. I love travel and behind-the-scenes stories. When I was younger, I’d always watch them on DVD or YouTube clips I could find, and Reel Destinations feels like a concentrated, elevated version of those special behind-the-scenes features. I’ve been so lucky to go to these beautiful filming locations, like manor houses in England, which are often not open to the public. 

Thanks to the production design and locations teams, we’ll keep making these films through this very specific lens. It’s actually one of my biggest prides and joys, and I’m coming to London to film a new episode.