Film Threat Publisher Chris Gore sat down with writer-director David St. Clair to talk about his debut feature, The Lonely Crowd, a romantic thriller now streaming on Prime Video. The film follows two strangers on what starts as a first date and quickly spirals into the worst night of their lives — caught up in a dangerous situation neither of them saw coming, forced to trust each other just to survive. Equal parts romance and nail-biting thriller, it’s a genre mashup you rarely see pulled off this well. In their conversation, St. Clair opens up about what inspired the film, how he balanced two very different tones, the reality of using guns on an indie film set, and the hard-won lessons he’s taking into his next project.
St. Clair, who lives in Glendale and shot the entire film in Southern California, says the idea came from a mix of personal experience and research into the modern dating world. He knew going in that he didn’t want to make a horror film — even though that’s where most movies about bad dates tend to land. “I didn’t wanna make a horror film about this,” he told Gore. “I want it to be a little more grounded.” The result is something more uncomfortable and more real: two people navigating genuine romantic tension while everything around them goes haywire.
“If the romance aspect between these two characters was in the center — if that worked — then the rest of it would work.”
One of the trickiest parts of making The Lonely Crowd, St. Clair explains, was keeping the genre blend from falling apart. Too many tones, and you lose the audience. His solution was to anchor everything in the relationship between his two leads, Taylor Anne Dahnhauer and Adam Wesley. “If the romance aspect between these two characters was in the center — if that worked — then the rest of it would work,” he said. Strong characters first, plot second. It’s a simple principle, but St. Clair makes a convincing case that it’s what holds the film together.
Gore and St. Clair also dig into the practical side of indie filmmaking — including what it actually takes to legally and safely have guns on set. St. Clair used a combination of fully plastic prop guns for wide shots and real firearms gutted for close-ups, with trained safety personnel on set for every take. The conversation is a surprisingly fascinating look at how something audiences take for granted in any thriller requires a whole layer of preparation most viewers never think about.
Getting the film made was one challenge. Getting people to watch it is another. St. Clair is candid about the uphill battle of standing out on streaming, where content is everywhere, and discovery is tough. But he’s proud of what he made — and already looking ahead. His next projects include a sci-fi thriller about a historian who rewrites the past, and another contained thriller with a female lead.
The Lonely Crowd is streaming now on Prime Video. Visit thelonelycrowdmovie.com for more.