COMPETITION: Win M3GAN on Blu-ray

M3GAN (Unseen Edition)  released on 17th April

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on Blu-Ray to give away.

Synopsis:

M3GAN UNSEEN EDITION delivers more distressing violence and profanity and features never-before-seen bonus content including a breakdown of the creation of M3GAN and behind-the-scenes featurettes showcasing the film’s complex stunts and gory deaths.

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, Get Out), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to. As Gemma faces pressure at work from her boss (Ronny Chieng, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) to deliver a finished version of M3GAN, she suddenly becomes the unprepared caretaker of her newly orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House). Gemma decides to pair the M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems, a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

Pre-Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/41kUHhC

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 24-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win Winnie The Pooh: Blood & Honey on DVD

Winnie The Pooh: Blood & Honey released on 17th April

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies on DVD to give away.

Synopsis:

An unexpected re-imagining of A. A. Milne's beloved 1926 book in an ingenious and irreverent new horror film

During childhood, Christopher Robin befriended Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and their friends, played games and fed them. But as he grew older, the visits stopped, leaving them increasingly hungry and desperate, eyeing Eeyore as food. Now Christopher has returned to the forest with his new wife hoping to introduce her to his old friends. But it sends Pooh and Piglet on a murderous scavenger hunt for human flesh when they antagonise a group of college girls on a rural cabin vacation. Will Christopher still get Pooh back on the right track?

Pre-Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3Utm1Il

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 24-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: (4K UHD and Blu-ray) Limited edition

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: (4K UHD and Blu-ray) Limited edition out on 10th April 2023

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and a copy to give away.

Synopsis

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre not only changed the face of horror, it remains one of the most disturbing, powerful and terrifying films ever made. Now – almost half a century after its original release – you can witness the terror as never seen before, as Second Sight Films presents the definitive version of Tobe Hooper’s legendary horror classic.

The highly anticipated Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box set comes complete with three discs: one UHD and two Blu-rays and in a brand-new presentation featuring additional restoration work. The UHD is presented in Dolby Vision HDR produced by Second Sight Films. Presented in a rigid box featuring stunning artwork, the release comes complete with a slew of special features and a 190-page hardback book. It arrives on 10 April 2023 and will also be available on Standard Edition 4K UHD and Standard Edition Blu-ray.

The film that redefined horror, tells the story of a group of five friends who take a road trip and find themselves at the mercy of a depraved Texan clan, among them one of the all-time horror icons, the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface – played by the inimitable Gunnar Hansen. It’s not long before their idyllic drive becomes a macabre nightmare...

On its 1974 release, the film shocked audiences to their core, caused outrage and was widely banned for many years. To this day, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has the power to strike fear into its victims, both old and new.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3ZwsJOB

Enter now for a chance to win.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 17-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

LEGEND serves up a raft of Sixties vintage horror on Sunday nights

THE VINTAGE VAULT continues to brighten up Sunday nights with its popular classic horror double-bills, including the Channel premiere of cult sci-fi comedy mystery THE TERRORNAUTS, starring Simon Oates, Charles Hawtrey and Patricia Hayes. You can also journey into the history of 60s genre cinema with Jack The Ripper thriller A STUDY IN TERROR (1965), psycho horror BLACK TORMENT (1964), DR TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965), starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966), Hammer’s sole foray into the Zombie genre, THE REPTILE (1966). another Hammer mid-'60s shift away from the traditional staples of Dracula and Frankenstein, THE SORCERERS (1967), the debut feature of cult-director Michael Reeves, Terence Fisher’s DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966), FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMEN (1967), the fourth of Hammer's Frankenstein series starring Peter Cushing and eco sci-fi chiller NIGHT OF THE BIG HEART (1967),

April’s entertaining slate of premieres is spearheaded by the UK premieres of action thrillers EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, starring Richard Dreyfuss, and MONEY PLANE, starring Kelsey Grammer and Denise Richards.

Plus, there are Channel premieres for air highjack thriller EXECUTIVE COMMAND, starring Bryan Cranston, high-octane crime adventure AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1981), starring Chuck Norris and Christopher Lee, and tense detective thriller STANDOFF, starring Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane.

Full film details in transmission order:

Sat 1 April @ 21:00 – EXECUTIVE COMMAND (1997) *Channel Premiere

A group of terrorists steal a deadly toxin and then hijack a plane that has the vice president on board. But the only man who can stop them is Dr Rick Harding (Michael Didikof), the toxin's inventor. In a race against time, can Harding be found and can he stop the terrorists? Co-stars Bryan Cranston.

Sun 2 April @ 21:00 – A STUDY IN TERROR (1965)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

In this Sherlock Holmes tale, Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary 19th-century British sleuth is on the trail of Jack the Ripper. The trail takes Holmes (John Neville) from the lowest rungs of society all the way to the peak of the aristocracy, discovering blackmail and family insanity everywhere he goes. Also features Judi Dench, Barbara Windsor and Robert Morely.

Sun 2 April @ 22:50 – THE BLACK TORMENT (1964)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

When Sir Richard (John Turner) returns to his manor with his new wife. he hears rumours that he had already secretly returned and had committed several murders. Has he lost his mind, or is something dark afoot? Also stars Heather Sears and Patrick Troughton

Fri 7 April @ 21:00 – AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1981) *Channel Premiere

Sean Kane (Chuck Norris) is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he goes berserk after his partner is murdered. He decides to fight alone and follows a trail of drug traffickers into unexpected high places. Also stars Christopher Lee.

Sun 9 April @ 21:00 – DR TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Just as a train departs, a mysterious stranger, Dr Shreck, enters the carriage with his pack of tarot cards to tell the fortunes of five fellow passengers. The cards predict that every one of them will suffer a terrible death, but will fate deal them the same hand. Stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

Sun 9 April @ 22:55 – THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Directed by John Gilling, this is Hammer’s sole foray into the Zombie genre and attracted the scrutiny of the British Board of Film Censors, who expressed concerns over the scene where a lumbering corpse (Jacqueline Pearce) is decapitated with a spade. The support feature to Dracula Prince of Darkness may have been a B movie with no star names, but it is widely regarded to be a superior film

Fri 14 April @ 22:45 – EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM (2021) *Channel Premiere

Desperate to find his missing daughter, Jake Hunter (Paul Sloan), tracks her last known whereabouts to a small desert town. As Jake uncovers the truth about his daughter's whereabouts the answers become terrifyingly clear and he goes on a merciless quest for revenge. Also stars Richard Dreyfuss.

Sat 15 April @ 21:00 – STANDOFF (2015) *Channel Premiere

When Isabelle (Ella Ballentine), a young girl with a knack for photography, sees something she shouldn’t, an assassin (Laurence Fishburne) follows her to a lone farmhouse, inhabited by grieving Carter Green (Thomas Jane). Unable, and unwilling to hand the girl over, Carter vows to protect her from the ruthless hitman.

Sun 16 April @ 21:00 – THE REPTILE (1966)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Harry and Valerie inherit the Cornwall home of Harry's brother, who died under mysterious circumstances. The couple's neighbour, the hostile Dr. Franklin (Noel Willman), had been investigating a secret tribe of snake-people on his last trip to Borneo, and they had reacted to his intrusion by making Anna, his daughter, one of them. As a result, she turns into a hideous cobra-woman every winter..

Sun 16 April @ 22:50 – THE SORCERERS (1967)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

A scientist and his wife possess a device that enables them to impose, through telepathy, their fantasies on people and allows them to experience sensations felt by their subjects. They take control of a teenager and have him live out what they associate with contemporary youth: violence and sex. This disturbing and powerful film is the debut feature of cult-director Michael Reeves and stars Boris Karloff, Catherine Lacey and Ian Ogilvy.

Sat 22 April @ 21:00 – MONEY PLANE (2020) *UK TV Premiere

A professional thief with $40 million in debt and his family's life on the line must commit one final heist - rob a futuristic airborne casino filled with the world's most dangerous criminals. Starring Adam Copeland, Kelsey Grammer and Thomas Jane

.Sun 23 April @ 21:00 – DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Christopher Lee stars in this chilling tale of four English tourists who become stranded in the Carpathian mountains. When a driverless coach appears and takes them to a sinister castle, can they survive the night? Directed by Terence Fisher and also starring Andrew Keir and Barbara Shelley

Sun 23 April @ 22:50 – FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMEN (1967)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

The fourth and one of the best of Hammer's Frankenstein series sees mad doctor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) once again experimenting with human bodies. This time he transplants the soul of an executed young man into the disfigured body of the young man’s female lover, Christina, who had committed suicide. But the revenge impulse of her male soul takes over and she seeks out those who brought about her/his unjust execution

Sat 29 April @ 21:00 – NARROW MARGIN (1990) *Channel Premiere

Robert Caulfield (Gene Hackman), the DA of Los Angeles, has been protecting Carol Hunnicut, a prime witness in a murder case. But he was careless and they are forced to hide on a train going to Vancouver. But the mafia killers are on board. As the train speeds around the Rocky Mountains, how will they escape the trained hit men?

Sun 30 April @ 21:00 – THE TERRORNAUTS (1967) *Channel Premiere

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Joe Burke heads a radio telescope project at a British observatory, hoping to pick up signs of life from another planet; thus far, the team has reported no positive results. But just when the project is about to be cancelled, Burke discovers a faint signal the same mysterious signal that intrigued and haunted him as a child and decides to respond. Doomwatch star Simon Oates takes the lead role in this cult '60s sci-fi gem, adapted from visionary author Murray Leinster’s novel ‘The Wailing Asteroid’ Also features typically comedic turns from Patricia Hayes and Charles Hawtrey.

Sun 30 April @ 22:30 – NIGHT OF THE BIG HEART (1967)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

A freak heat wave sends the temperatures soaring on a remote island. Dr Stone (Peter Cushing) and Callum (Patrick Allen) try to uncover the mysterious reason for the sudden change in climate. But the arrival of Callum's former mistress (Jane Merrow) forces the atmosphere to boiling point and it falls to Godfrey Hanson (Christopher Lee) to discover that the rising heat is the start of an invasion of merciless aliens...

 
TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

THE REPTILE (1966)

COMPETITION: Win Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist on DVD

Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist on DVD out on 27th March 2023

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on DVD to give away.

Synopsis
Six months after millions of people disappeared in the Rapture, the world is just beginning to recover. So when a so-called expert claims that a second wave of vanishings is imminent, news anchor Cameron Buck sets out to disprove her theory.

On a parallel journey, Ray tries to convince his daughter that his wife's disappearance was, in fact, the rapture. In a world where Biblical truth is censored and vilified, he's desperate for answers. As their paths begin to converge. Buck soon realizes that the story is much bigger than he could have imagined. They are indeed living in the end times prophesied in the Bible and facing the rise to power of the evilest and most dangerous human being in history…The Antichrist.

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COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 03-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win V/H/S/99 (A Shudder Original) on Bluray

V/H/S/99 (A Shudder Original) on Bluray out on 27th March 2023

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on Blu-ray to give away.

Synopsis

Seminal horror franchise V/H/S returns for its fifth wicked instalment V/H/S/99 – which will have you taped to the screen. The latest incarnation brings a brand-new host of hellish found footage fear fillers –  five unique tales of mayhem and terror – all linked by the year 1999.

This Shudder Original proved its horror chops, showing it’s still as popular as ever when it quickly became the streamer's most-watched film – ever. Now, this terrifyingly thrilling feature is set to arrive on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 27 March 2023, courtesy of Acorn Media International.

Witness a hellish vision of 1999 as social isolation, analogue technology, and disturbing home videos fuse into a nightmare of found footage savagery that explores the dark side of 1990s nostalgia. With roots in Rock n' Roll, Maggie Levin's ‘Shredding' tells the story of a dare that turns deadly... meanwhile ‘Suicide Bid' from Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, 47 Metres Down), explores the concept of college hazing through a claustrophobic horror tale that’s sure to terrify viewers.

Renowned record producer, DJ, filmmaker and rapper Flying Lotus (Kuso) collaborates with Zoe Cooper, who takes the idea of a low-budget game show that humiliates its contestants with the promise of a reward that's impossible to win... and in 'The Gawkers' – directed and penned by Tragedy Girls creators Tyler MacIntyre and Chris Lee Hill – boys just want to have fun, but at what cost?

'To Hell And Back' from Vanessa and Joseph Winters (Deadstream), concludes the collection and sees two videographers hired to document an occult ritual summoning who end up getting much more than they bargained for...

A throwback to the final punk rock days of VHS that takes one giant leap into the hellish new millennium, V/H/S/99 is an eerily entertaining, frightening and at times darkly humorous ride and a must for any collector’s shelf.

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COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 03-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win Martin on Blu-ray

Martin on Blu-ray out on 27th March 2023

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on Blu-ray to give away.

Synopsis

From the horror maestro himself, George A. Romero comes the highly anticipated, long-awaited release of Martin Limited Edition Box Set. Second Sight present the film in a brand-new 4K scan, painstakingly restored from a 35mm dupe negative, supervised and approved by legendary director of photography Michael Gornick.

Unavailable for many years, this rarely seen, wickedly original vampire thriller with bite gets the release it deserves with an all-singing, all-dancing release from experts in the field, in three versions: Limited Edition UHD 4K/Blu-ray Box set and Standard Edition 4K UHD and Standard Edition Blu-ray –  all of which come packed full of fantastic special features.

Alongside side the newly restored film, the bonus features include audio commentaries galore from George A Romero, John Amplas, Tom Savini, Richard P Rubinstein, Michael Gornick and Donald Rubinstein, plus new commentaries by Travis Crawford and Kat Ellinger. There’s a new feature-length documentary Taste the Blood of Martin and a new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein plus a short film by Tony Buba and much, much more.

Martin Limited Edition 4KUHD/Blu-ray Box set is presented in a rigid slipcase with original classic artwork, complete with a 108-page book with new essays and the original soundtrack CD by Donald Rubinstein. You can get that from https://amzn.to/42o4DZa

Martin – brilliantly played by John Amplas (Dawn of the Dead) in his feature film debut – is a troubled young man who believes he’s a vampire. When he moves away to a small Pennsylvania town to live with his elderly, religious cousin, Cuda (Lincoln Maazel – The Amusement Park), he falls for lonely housewife Abbie Santini (Elyane Nadeau). Desperate to curb his overwhelming craving for human blood and the brutal lengths he goes to sate his thirst… Martin endeavours to live a normal life. But the hostile Cuda becomes convinced that the young man is actually Nosferatu...

The film also stars Romero’s wife Christine Forrest (Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow) alongside Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn) the special effects master, who worked alongside the director in the first of their many collaborations.

Sink your teeth into Martin, the wickedly gruesome, cleverly wry masterwork from the legendary filmmaker whose work never fails to astound in this highly anticipated, must-have collector’s edition.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3yT0bE4

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 03-04-23
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.
5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

First images from the set of Federico Zampaglione's new horror film - The Well

Federico Zampaglione is returning to the horror genre with dark supernatural thriller THE WELL, which is currently on a 4-week shoot in locations around Rome.

THE WELL stars Lauren LaVera, fresh from her lead role in the box-office smash Terrifier 2, as Lisa Gray, a budding art restorer, who travels to a small Italian village to bring a medieval painting back to its former glory. Little does she know she is placing her life in danger from an evil curse and a monster born of myth and brutal pain.

Written by Zampaglione and Stefano Masi, the film’s principal producer, this gripping journey into the depths of evil also stars Claudia Gerini, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Linda Zampaglione, Jonathan Dylan King, Lorenzo Renzi, Taylor Zaudtke, Gianluigi Calvani and Yassine Fadel.

THE WELL is an Iperuranio Film production, directed by Federico Zampaglione, written by Federico Zampaglione and Stefano Masi, and produced by Stefano Masi and Mario Pezzi. DoP: Andrea Arnone, SFX: Carlo Diamantini, Costume Design: Antonella Balsamo, Make up: Federica Puglielli, Set Designer: Blazej Wasiak.

Interview with Chris Smith - Co-Writer and Director of Consecration

 

Ahead of the European premiere of his psychologically disturbing supernatural thriller, CONSECRATION, at FrightFest Glasgow 2023, director Chris Smith talks about the supernatural side of religion, filming in Scotland, and his encounter with a pregnant sheep.

Another FrightFest, another Chris Smith movie! Why has FrightFest always been a key component to your release strategy?

I feel very fortunate to have been brought into the FrightFest family. I was very lucky that my first film, Creep, was included and then I got very lucky with the dates of release of my subsequent films. Severance was shown the night before the festival started in 2006 and then of course there was the spectacular Premier for Triangle at the Empire Leicester Square. FrightFest has also shown Black Death and Detour. They didn’t bother with Get Santa but that’s their loss. FrightFest is the best audience for any director.

Where did the initial CONSECRATION concept come from? 

For a long time I’ve been trying to come up with a movie that was about the supernatural side of religion. If you look at Christianity, so many elements of the story are supernatural - the power of miracles, bringing someone back from the dead and then Jesus reappearing after his crucifixion. This requires belief and it is believed of millions of people and my story is not questioning that. I didn’t want to make a film that from an atheist stand point because to me there are more interesting questions to be asked from the position of a believer. I wanted to look at the miracles and say: “What would happen if somebody was born today that had the power of Christ? What would happen to that person 300 years ago? What would happen to that person in a modern context.  What if that new Messiah was a woman? These thoughts were basically the seed of the idea for Jenna’s  story.

You co-wrote CONSECRATION with producer Laurie Cook. Who came up with what?

So, I was kicking some ideas around with Jason Newmark who was the producer of Triangle, and Jason said that Laurie, who I’d collaborated with on The Banishing, had a treatment that may tie in nicely with my desire to make a religious film. Laurie had come up with a story of a priest that arrived from Rome to reconsecrate a church where there’s been a murder. I took that basic idea, which I really loved, and just wrote the first draft of the story we have here. Laurie then came in after that first draft was done and he wrote a draft over the top of it and then we just went back and forth with it till it was finished.

You have described CONSECRATION as “A film about the nature of religion and how defining one thing as divine creates a false opposite that is heretical”. Can you explain more?

I’m interested in the idea that people believe there will be a second coming and I tried to imagine how that might actually occur. How would those miracles be demonstrated and what would be the church’s position on it. Would the person be vilified? Certainly in the past they would. If it were a woman she would be a witch. I love digging into this stuff.

You’ve also called CONSECRATION your scariest film yet. Why do you think that is?

For me personally, anything that deals with fundamentalism is scary. So in that context only, this would be the scariest, along with Black Death. It’s impossible for me to answer really. Creep is the film that time and again people say is my scariest.

You assembled a great cast including Jena Malone and Danny Huston. You must have been pleased they responded so enthusiastically to the material?

I’m absolutely thrilled at the cast of this film but to be honest. I’ve always been very fortunate with the actors I’ve worked with. I love working with actors and that passion is recognised by them. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jena Malone, so when she responded so passionately about the material I was thrilled. Originally the story was going to be set in America but then we investigated Scotland and we found this amazing castle on the edge of a cliff in Skye.  Jenna was already attached and there was absolutely no way I was going to lose her, so she had to polish off her accent and become English. I’ve loved Danny Huston since Ivan’s XTC, which is still one of the best movies ever made about Hollywood, so when he signed on too I was in fairy tale land. But the whole cast were amazing. Some of whom we’re cast the old fashioned way from audition tapes. Eilidh Fisher who plays the young nun Meg, Thoren Ferguson who plays the policeman, both local Scottish actors and both great. 

And playing Mother Superior is the brilliant Janet Suzman. How did you tempt her out of retirement?

I was very lucky to have worked with Janet Suzman on a TV show I shot in South Africa and so, as soon as I came up with this Mother Superior character/ Nurse Ratched type,  I immediately thought of Janet. Not because Janet’s remotely like Nurse Ratched but because she’s not! She’s delightful. She’s just a brilliant actor from the John Hurt/ David Warner school. A proper legend.

FrightFest Glasgow is in Scotland obviously, so where did you film CONSECRATION on location here?

We filmed all of the exteriors that you see on the Isle of Skye. There’s an old castle on the edge of the sea and we used that as the old broken down Monastery. The interior of the monastery is all set in an old ex-monastery on the outskirts of London which fortunately has been deconsecrated. I have to say, I’ve fallen in love with Scotland as a result of being here so much. I’ve been up to the highlands twice this year already. Once to go up Ben Nevis with my son, which nearly killed me and then once to go hiking around Fort William. It’s no wonder the Queen loved the place, it’s gorgeous.

A smooth shoot? Any challenges or anecdotes you can share with the class of 2023?

Once I was sitting at the monitor and a sheep came up to me bleating. The sheep then gave birth to a baby lamb in front of me. You don’t get that on the King’s Road!

Finally, what’s next?

I’ve written a war movie which I’m trying to get made set in Syria. I’ve also got another horror movie that I wrote some time ago but couldn’t quite finish. It’s very much an old school gory horror with a serial killer but deadly serious in tone.

CONSECRATION is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Sat 11 March, 3.45pm, as part of FrightFest Glasgow 2023. Chris will be attending.

Interview with Marie Alice Wolfszahn - Director of Mother Superior

Ahead of the UK premiere of her stylishly brooding occult chiller, MOTHER SUPERIOR, at FrightFest Glasgow 2023, director Marie Alice Wolfszahn talks about being drawn to making a period horror film, multimedia influences and why returning to Scotland will be a homecoming.


MOTHER SUPERIOR is your debut feature. How did you decide that this was the film you wanted to make?

To be honest, I didn’t know Mother Superior was to become my feature debut when I first started the project – we were planning for a long short film. Over the course of the production the scenes grew bigger, the characters developed, everyone added their magic; and finally, in the editing suite, we realised we had made a short feature film. (We never tried to reach a certain length, we just let the story decide its own flow.)

I was drawn to making a period horror film dealing with a cult. I’ve been curious about faith and ideology for ages. The power of imagination fascinates me. Insofar, the connection between fascism and occultism is a theme that I have been researching for years. The existence of NS-devoted women’s movements was something new to me. So I decided to look deeper into this paradox.

Meanwhile Covid was raging and camps with conflicting positions teamed up - esoteric naturopaths who suddenly agreed with Trump; left-wing liberals who fell for ultranationalist conspiracy theories. I was baffled and confused and reflected on how naively we put labels on values - good/evil, permitted/forbidden, rational/odd - and how many combination possibilities there are in fact. So it felt like a fitting time to pick up on the subject of “brown esotericism” and, more generally, to raise awareness of the danger that despicable worldviews may walk hand in hand with appealing ideals.

How would you describe it?

It is a quest for self-discovery but on her journey, Sigrun is lead astray. Her desire to belong overrides her moral compass. She opens herself to an insidious, warped truth with gruesomely false ideals.

The ending may be interpreted however one prefers – most people, I assume, will read it as a supernatural phenomenon, a transmigration of the soul. This is what the signs are hinting at, and it is a genre film after all. Nevertheless, there is also a realistic interpretation: Sigrun may have been manipulated/brainwashed so much that she eventually follows the footsteps of the Baroness out of choice. This is even darker and where the warning is embedded.


When writing the script, did you always visualise it as a genre movie? Were there any particular influences in that area?

Yes, I definitely wanted this to be a genre film. Somehow, raw reality is not how my brain works. Our subjective perception creates its own fiction all the time. We are consumed by much more than the tangible here+now. To be able to portray the inner mind, to visualise the psychological projections of a character is such a fantastic way to bring across emotion, desire, fear.

Influences were 60s/70s horror films like Rosemary’s Baby and the old Suspiria but also the documentary Grey Gardens about Little and Big Edie.

You are also a multimedia artist. How did your background, particularly in art, influence the film?

I guess my art background shines through in my compulsive love for details. There is not a single prop or fleck of colour in each frame that I didn’t thoroughly think about. While creating all these old documents and indexes, we would not only consider the paper, ink and font, and authentically faking imperial eagle stamps (our paper bin started looking rather dubious) but also the small print such as the title of the issuing authority – aware that no one will ever see this. It disturbs me if things are a quick fix, no matter if they end up being in the far background, or even out of shot. Entering a set and fully immersing in a different era or realm makes it so much more real. For me, it is not just about telling a story but physically forging its entire world.


You deal with themes that you call fictional reality: faith, fanaticism and ideology – and also historical family disfunction. Were there any personal experiences that you brought to the writing or filming process?

There is no personal experience or family history that would explain my interest in the topics of my film. If anything, my heritage being Austrian and growing up with the horrors of the 2nd WW but learning hardly anything about the mythological backbone of the NS ideology which I think is so crucial in order to understand how such an insane worldview can take over.


As mentioned before, I’m highly fascinated by the power of imagination since I believe it influences all human motives. I always say we live in a grey zone between reality and fiction.

There is no objective truth as such - I don’t mean that there is ultimately no right or wrong but there is an explanation for every decision. Our values and worldviews depend on our upbringing, our influences. A person who stones a homosexual is terribly wrong but they are acting according to their personal truth. This is certainly not an excuse but the better we understand a narrative the easier it is to change it.

The performances are all exceptional. Take us through the key casting decisions. In particular, Isabella Händler as Sigrun.

My DoP had been working with Isabella Händler before, loved her energy and introduced us. We bonded immediately, did a reading rehearsal and that was that – she was my Sigrun. Isabella is of course a very different person in real life but she has that strong will, yet gentle spirit and untainted curiosity that I was looking for. We ended up shaping the character together over the course of several months and discussed every little possible backstory of Sigrun’s life.

The Baroness on the other hand was a longer search. I had a very fragile, petite lady in mind who refuses to eat but the actresses I cast were either too young for the role or too old for the challenging filming process. One day, a friend sent me Inge Maux’s demo reel. I had seen her in theatre plays before and thought her brilliant but hadn’t considered a corpulent Baroness. Slowly I began to fall in love with the idea and adapted the screenplay a little. Inge has Jewish roots, is often cast for Yiddish characters and adored the irony of playing a Nazi-Baroness. It was a perfect fit.


The film won Best Feature at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2022. Has that put more pressure on you, do you think?

No. Receiving these amazing awards (Best Feature and Best Director in fact) I couldn’t believe my ears!. It was a confidence boost and a reassurance that the team, the cast and I did something right. This was my first time working with experienced actors and directing long dialogue scenes. I was asking myself before if I have enough to offer that helps them bring these characters to live. But I realised there are many approaches, mine is empathy and sensitivity to everyone’s needs, and openness to the input of others. We were a really strong team and everyone was in it for the project and not for the (tiny) cash. There was a certain magic on set that made us all go the extra mile. Still, I’m incredibly humbled for such a huge recognition.

You studied art in Edinburgh, so is FrightFest Glasgow a kind of homecoming for you?

Indeed, Scotland is a homecoming for me. My mother and I moved to Edinburgh when I was 15 and I went to school there for a year. Later on, I returned for my studies and graduated in Film at the ECA. I adore the wild nature and crazy weather, the gothic architecture with its overgrown graveyards and dark alleyways, the sinister folk stories and tragic song lyrics. Scotland has definitely left a strong impact and shaped me into who I am.


The ending to the film suggests we haven’t seen the last of Sigrun. Are there plans for a sequel?

Funnily enough, there are plans for a kind of prequel. During my research I stumbled again and again upon the grandmother of esotericism as we understand this expression today - a spiritual teacher of the 19th century called Madame Blavatsky. There are photographs of her in the Baroness’ chambers in Mother Superior. There’s no film about Helena Blavatsky even though she has paved the way for all New Age movements we can think of nowadays. Her teachings are very controversial and she wasn’t necessarily a genuine person but her life story is spectacular and her theories are omnipresent. I’m not sure if this will be a biopic or more fiction, knowing myself it will explore the supernatural either way.


2022 was a great year for the genre. What have been your outstanding film choices?

The Innocents by Eskil Vogt
Luzifer by Peter Brunner
Huesera by Michelle Garza Cervera
Blaze by Del Kathryn Barton
Moloch by Nico van den Brink
Something in the Dirt by Aaron Moorhead &Justin Benson


What’s next for you?

Apart from researching for the Madame Blavatsky film, I’m co-writing a Christmas folk horror with a wonderful US author called Elise Salomon. It picks up on the ancient myth of the Wild Hunt, an eerie procession of ghost riders in the winter skies. Again, there is a strong female character with rather ambivalent motives.

MOTHER SUPERIOR is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Friday 10 March, 6.45pm, as part of FrightFest Glasgow 2023. Marie Alice will be attending.