Is there a horror film that scarred you as a child?
I have always been terrified by 'The Shining.'
What is your favourite horror film, and why do you love it?
My favourite horror film is 'Little Joe', directed by Jessica Hausner. The cinematography has a Kubrickian quality; lots of long, slow pans zooming into two characters talking and then creepily continuing past the actors, focussing on the background as if the actors are only incidental to the scene. The camera is forever peering round corners, giving us the impression of eavesdropping on conversations we weren't meant to hear.
What I love about this film is that it's a slow burner; it's not all jump cuts and gory, bloody deaths; instead, Hausner manages to build a growing sense of unease. The film is disturbing and unsettling rather than flashy. There is a question over whether the lead character, Alice, can truly trust her own perceptions.
In terms of working in independent film, what are the most creative or funny things you or cast colleagues have had to do to make a scene work / be scary?
When I made 'The Lockdown Hauntings' with Howard Ford, he was acting as a one-man camera crew to comply with the Covid restrictions, which meant he had to do every job himself. I remember him having to pull a bit of string to make a door close on cue while also having to operate the camera, record the sound and say the other actor's lines! When the ghost appeared behind me briefly in one scene, he had to set the camera up, put the mask on and then play the ghost himself!
What appeals to you about working in the horror genre?
I think it is such a versatile genre. Many different topics can be explored through a horror lens. And horror has traditionally featured strong leading roles for women.
You recently narrated Orchestrator of Storms, a documentary about the life and work of Eurocult director Jean Rollin…
As an actress who works mainly in the horror genre, I am thrilled to be involved in Orchestrator of Storms, as Jean Rollin is, in many ways, the father of modern horror. His influence on horror has been so far-reaching.
What else do you have coming up?
'Video Shop Tales of Terror' is out in January 2023
Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayviannasnow/
Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/5817-5640-0092
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6757384/