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Your new movie A
Final Exorcism - in a few words, what's it about?
The film is an exorcism in its final days told in real time.
What were your sources of inspiration when writing
A Final Exorcism
and did you do any kind of research on the
religious/mythological/psychological backbone of your story?
With A Final Exorcism, I looked at the classic
Exorcist-franchise, in
particular the 1st film and the third film, I was also deeply inspired by
12 Angry Men and the idea of decisions being made in real time. I treated
Christianity like folk storys and deep-dived into High Anglican exorcisms,
reading about the history of the practise occurring in the UK. Do talk about your movie's approach to horror!
As the film is very much a drama first horror second, I wanted to really
excel with expectations, using black drops to bring these nightmarish
creatures alive. Ella Palmer who played all 6 of the demons was integral
to the design of each creature, we both planned the look and performance
of the demons. Katie Grist, our makeup artist, did an outstanding job
bringing them alive. We were also very fortunate to work with Jason Jay
Lowe on some of the sfx set pieces, particularly the giant egg in which
one of the demons comes out of. It was fun to explore what we could do
with various horror tricks and keeping it all practical effects.
A Final Exorcism
is limited to only a handful of sets - so what were some of your
techniques to keep things visually interesting throughout?
We were fortunate to have a flat that had a lot of personality, something
we tried to play with when using lights. Darkness to me is a horror film
maker's best friend, let the audience question what they can see lurking in
these dark empty spaces. It needed to feel real, so keeping to a minimal
amount of sets was essential to feel you're in Anne's home. Using the black
drops for our nightmares worlds we hired various art studio spaces and
just flooded them in darkness. A
few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?
The performances were to me the most important element to sell the
conflict and the feeling this has not only been going on for the last few days
but that we will see how it all ends in real time. I was incredibly
fortunate to have an excellent cast, the film was improvised (minus the
biblical quotes) and the actors fully embraced their characters.
What can you tell us about A Final Exorcism's
key cast. and why exactly these people? I'd been dying to work with Cy Henty and Keely Jo Jupp after producing S,N,
Sibleys Deadly Display. Both
are excellent in that chamber piece and I really
wanted both Amy and Father Stone to be hugely sympathetic characters. I
knew both could deliver that.
Suki Jones and Simon Berry I've had the
pleasure to work with throughout my career, I wanted Simon to show a
different side that no one had seen and I knew Suki could deliver the fear
and anger of the possessed but also the vulnerability and confusion.
Ella
Palmer has played many monsters for us, she's our main creature actress and
she's fantastic, every time we work with her.
Ayvianna Snow and Charlie
Bentley i'd not worked with but both were exceptional in their small
appearances in the film, and to work with Patrick Olliver, one of Michael J.
Murphy's lead actors, is always a joy the man brings such gravitas to any
dialogue.
Do talk about the shoot as such, and the on--set atmosphere!
It was an intense environment, being that the first half of the film was
very dialogue-driven, people kept their commitment to the characters. We
did have a few accidents that occurred during the shoot. Suki had a fall
just before the shoot causing a delay and an extension to the film shoot,
Keely also got ill on the shoot and one actor had to pull out due to
illness in March 2024 slate of filming. I guess when you fuck with the
devil strange things can happen!
The $64-question of course, where can
A Final Exorcism be
seen?
A Final Exorcism is available to buy via
Darkside Releasing and will be
released on more platforms later this year.
Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of A
Final Exorcism?
Like all my films its a marmite experience, some just don't click with the
madness, others become heavily invested in the characters and feel like
they've been given acid when things get strange in the second half. I'm
beyond proud of this film and can't wait to hear more people's views on it!
Any future projects you'd like to share?
We've just completed a new feature set to be released early next year
called They Wait In Shadows, it was an amazing experience our biggest crew
and most ambitious film yet, it's still a chamber piece but the world and
craft certainly expanded! Your/your movie's website, social
media, whatever else? Find me on Instagram and Facebook under Sam Mason Bell or find Trash Arts on
YouTube and subscribe, or TrashArtsUk on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks
for the interview! |
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