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An Interview with Sam Mason-Bell, Director of Terror at Black Tree Forest

by Mike Haberfelner

May 2021

Films directed by Sam Mason-Bell on (re)Search my Trash

 

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Your upcoming movie Terror at Black Tree Forest - in a few words, what's it going to be about?

 

Caroline and her friends usually meet up once a year for a camping trip to escape their everyday lives and to feel like youngsters again, but this time it is different. They still meet up, but someone is stalking and killing them off … one by one!

 

With Terror at Black Tree Forest being a remake of the movie by the same name by Dustin Ferguson [Dustin Ferguson interview - click here], how did that come about even, what inspired you to remake that movie?

 

Actually, Dustin offered us the opportunity to film a remake way back in 2018, and we were set to make it last March (2020) before the pandemic happened. The original idea was to reflect that it was the tenth anniversary of the original Terror at Black Tree Forest. Despite the deadline passing we were, and are, still really keen to make a traditional slasher, and, fortunately, Dustin was still more than happy for us to remake the film. I always find the ideas of remakes fascinating as it is a case of finding the right tone in both honoring the original and giving it new life!

 

How close will you remain to your source material, how much artistic license will you take?

 

Dustin has given us full creative control, so we have taken the story in a very different direction whilst also harking back to the original. It is still a slasher with a psycho on the loose, but the question is “who is the psycho?”!

 

(Other) sources of inspiration when creating your version of Terror at Black Tree Forest?

 

I guess just embracing the good and the bad of the slasher genre - how do we find ways to hide the killer, keep the violence shocking, and have characters that the viewer can empathize with and also some that you are just waiting for them to be killed! As bloody and messy as possible, in some cases…

 

With Terror at Black Tree Forest being a slasher movie, is that a genre at all dear to you, and some of your genre favourites?

 

I love the slasher genre, it is probably one of the first horror subgenres I was introduced to in my teens, devouring Friday the 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street and, of course, Halloween, Scream and such like. Sure, they are some of the most popular of the slasher genre but there’s a reason for that: Iconic killers and great victims! 

 

Like most slashers of the 80s our film will be using some of the techniques perfected by giallo film filmmakers like Dario Argento and Mario Bava [Mario Bava bio - click here], in particular Blood and Black Lace and Deep Red - those films offer the perfect mix of mystery and grizzly, keeping you guessing who the killer is till the final moment!

 

Do talk about Terror at Black Tree Forest approach to horror! And what can you tell us about the overall intended look and feel of Terror at Black Tree Forest?

 

The key word for this film to me is 'entertainment', something that can offer you all the cheap thrills you expect from a slasher, with strong characters that never fall into a style of a knowing wink to camera or a grim gritty and unnecessary reboot that does nothing new... no one needs another one of those! We want people to walk away from watching our version of Terror at Black Tree Forest absolutely screaming out to see the sequel! And, like the majority of our feature films, we will be using a lot of improvisation with the actors too to give them the freedom to develop their characters as well as telling the story.

 

Anything you can tell us about Terror at Black Tree Forest's cast yet?

 

For me it is an interesting mix of actors who we have worked with before (and who I adore) and actors who will be working with us for the first time. That will bring a sense of excitement for me in directing this film. I just have to give shout outs to the cast. 

 

Our lead, Amanda Bourne, really impressed me with a small cameo for our feature film Senseless, so I know she will offer an emotional release for the audience as they will really feel for her, and I think that is absolutely essential in your lead! 

 

Annabella Rich - I have had the absolute pleasure time and time again working with her, she is truly remarkable. 

 

Max Pill really impressed us in his audition, plus we wanted an authentic musician to add to the complete feel of the group of youngsters on screen! 

 

Calum Beeson worked with us (Trash Arts) on our feature film Acting last year and I can’t wait to see him play a more fun character this time round! 

 

Ella Palmer was actually one of the first actresses I worked with way back in 2010, so I feel very lucky to have her working with us again, especially after her character work in Senseless.

 

Martin W Payne [Martin W. Payne interview - click here] is not only a fantastically committed actor to any role but has become a good friend and supporter of Trash Arts, so, whilst his on-screen role is small and insignificant (or maybe it isn’t… it is a ‘whodunit slasher’! Haha!), he will be taking the burden of producer for the feature so I know he will help relieve some of the anxiety on set/location! 

 

Cassandre Wallace had a brief cameo in a thriller feature that we have just shot called Hacker. That was via a zoom recorded performance, so I can’t wait to work with her in the flesh! 

 

And last, but definitely not least, Will Jones is a familiar face in UK indie horror and someone I have wanted to work with for a long time, recently starring in I Scream on the Beach (TIS Films) and Pandamonium (Mycho).

 

You're currently running a fundraiser for Terror at Black Tree Forest - so what can you tell us about your campaign?

 

We have some awesome perks for this IndieGoGo, thank you perks, executive producer credits, physical media, props from the films, t-shirts - but one perk which will be very close to me is pay £10 and I will get hit in the face with a number of custard pies, each named for the donor and I’ll give a shout out to them as well.

https://igg.me/at/black-tree-forest

 

Once the budget's in place, what's the schedule, and any idea when and where the film might be released yet?

 

We are aiming to shoot the start of July and dive immediately into post-production with the film being released via SCS Entertainment, hopefully by the end of 2021! My intention is to lock the film and hope for an immediate release!

 

Any future projects beyond Terror at Black Tree Forest?

 

Trash Arts has a few projects on the go at any one time. So we have Decline and Acting on a year-long festival run thanks to the support of an IndieGoGo last year. Acting has picked up 11 selections and a couple of ‘Best Actor’ awards for Annabella that we are really happy about. Senseless is an arthouse anxiety-ridden woodland horror that is currently in post-production alongside Home Is Where I Lay, a psychological horror. Hopefully after Terror at Black Tree Forest we will look to produce Jackson Batchelor’s [Jackson Batchelor interview - click here] next horror comedy feature and we are working on other ideas as well, including a vampire-based film for shooting in 2022!

 

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So where can people support you?

 

It would be absolutely great if we could achieve our target on the crowdfunder. We have set it as fixed at GBP 3,000 because we know we will need at least double that to make it really effective. We know we can do that – we’d like people to support us and come along for the ride! So please click on https://igg.me/at/black-tree-forest to see the perks on offer, get your name in the film credits, and, no matter what, see me get splatted with custard pies

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

© by Mike Haberfelner


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Thanks for watching !!!



 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

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Vimeo

 

 

 

Robots and rats,
demons and potholes,
cuddly toys and
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love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

is all of that.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
-
a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
to the weirdly romantic,
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the twisted mind of
screenwriter and film reviewer
Michael Haberfelner.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

the new anthology by
Michael Haberfelner

 

Out now from
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