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Your upcoming movie The Nachzehrer - in a few words, what's
it about? "When a group of friends is left
devastated by the brutal murder of one of their own, they decide the
only course of action is to flee the city. Little do they know that
the murder bears the hallmark of a Nachzehrer, an ancient Germanic
revenant, hellbent on exacting it's purpose on all."
As far as I know, The Nachzehrer is
based on Germanic folklore - so what can you tell us about the legend of
old, how did you happen upon it, and how close do you intend to stick to your
source material? I live in Austria, and it was tough to find something specifically
Austrian. I didn't want to default to a well-known monster, and a
Nachzehrer ticked most of the boxes.......European, not just German, a
vampire variant, referred to as a revenant or a ghoul, spreading
disease and death by association and generally a static monster,
eating it's own shroud and looking a bit tortured. I do intend to
stick to certain traits and the creation of a Nachzehrer by suicide of
the victim, but there's lots of room for artistic licence also.
(Other) sources of inspiration
when writing The Nachzehrer?
The Descent is a film I admire greatly. I wanted that simple, good
story to blend into terrible horror as the film progressed. And also
No Country For Old Men, for tension, and a particular plot twist that
really effected me when I saw it for the first time. The Exorcism of
Emily Rose and Evil Dead Rises also provided inspiration for different
aspects of the script too. What can you
tell us about The Nachzehrer's approach to horror?
Fear, tension and gore in various bursts.
Anything you can tell us about The
Nachzehrer's cast yet?
We are fully cast. Jacob
Anderton (Mart) is an actor becoming more and more of a regular on
mainstream TV in the UK, Elle O'Hara (Lindy) has a reputation as an up and
coming scream queen, Emma Barbara (Jo)
is coming through as an established features performer, and Lynne Payne
(The Nachzehrer) is an accomplished all-round performer. You're currently
running a fundraiser for The Nachzehrer - so what can you
tell us about your campaign? The campaign is hosted by
Greenlit -
https://greenlit.com/project/nachzehrer -, a platform specifically for
short and feature length films, TV series and stage plays. My campaign
appeals to horror fans and lovers of micro-budget, indie films, and
there is a small concise selection of digital and producer perks to
choose from. So once the money's in
place, what's the schedule - and any idea when and where The
Nachzehrer might be released yet? (And yes, I know it's probably
waaay to early to ask.) Yes, it's a bit early to talk about a release, but filming is
pencilled in to commence towards the end of April. We are currently in
pre-production, working out a schedule as we speak.
Any future projects beyond
The Nachzehrer you'd like to share? When the time is right, I want to write a feature about the
RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute). It was close to my dad's heart
and it is a focal point of any community that it is situated in. It
will probably not be a horror though. I do have a short called Don't
Worry About Me that I'd like to adapt into a feature one day. What
made you want to become an actor in the first place, and did you receive
any formal training on the subject?
I always wanted to be an actor, I just didn't give myself permission
to really go for it. I did a lot of stage work from 9 until 17 years
of age, and then got wrapped up in life. I then decided to give it a
proper try at the age of 35, I packed my job in and moved to London
from Newcastle in the UK. I had no formal training and would just
attend the odd workshop as and when I had some spare cash.
What made you
pick up writing and directing eventually, and which side of the damera do
you actually prefer? Two things. My wife got a new job in Austria and we had to move
before lockdown started or else the job may not have been available
afterwards. I don't speak German and the job I had arranged didn't
last long, so I had to work out what I could do in the meantime. I
started to jot down ideas for short films to make with my mobile. And
just like that, the ball was rolling. What can you tell us about
your filmwork prior to The Nachzehrer, in whatever position?
From an acting standpoint, short films and commercials were the
bread and butter, and before I moved abroad I had landed roles in
three quick fire feature films. Directing-wise, three mobile short
films, all zero budget, and one camera-shot short film. I'm very much
a fledgling.
How would you describe yourself as a director?
I honestly don't know yet. I acted and directed in most of my
projects so far and I'm producing and directing this one so I haven't
had the luxury of really analysing my style just yet. Fraught,
probably. Generally fraught.
Filmmakers who inspire you?
Michael Mann, Paul Thomas Anderson, Baz Luhrmann, Steven Soderbergh. Your favourite
movies? Crash, Philadelphia,
Magnolia, Elvis, The Deer Hunter,
The Descent,
Synecdoche New York, Heat, The Exorcism of Emily Rose,
American History X.
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... and of course, films you really
deplore? Freddy Got Fingered. I can't think of any others. Your(your movie's website, fundraiser,
social media, whatever else? The Nachzehrer fundraiser can be found on
https://greenlit.com/project/nachzehrer, and the
campaign is being driven via my production company Instagram @sjfilms77
Anything else you're
dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I just want to thank you for this platform and yes, The Nachzehrer
is a folk-horror film, but it is also an ambitious, micro-budget
feature.
Thanks for the interview! |
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