Nick Button

J: Welcome to the Masters of Horror UK website Nick. Can we start with how the idea for Dark Hoard came about? 


N: Hey Jon, thanks for the opportunity to talk about this thing that’s been my life for over two ears!


I’ve been interested in writing for a long time and have written short stories in the past, but just don’t have the time to write a book. I came up with the idea of writing a series of short stories and compiling them into an anthology, because that would give me the flexibility to write each story when I could... Whilst reading short stories online I came up with the much better idea of asking other people to write the stories, whilst I run the project.


J: I like it, get other people to do all the work right?


N: Hey, you’d be surprised just how much work is involved in recruiting authors, managing their expectations, helping with ideas, editing stories and promoting the project.


J: To be honest I wouldn't be that surprised, running Master Of Horror is a very similar concept afterall. But this isn’t just a bunch of great stories is it?


N: No, I wanted to make it much more. There’s design work, paintings and illustrations throughout the whole book. I’m not kidding when I say it’s unique.


J: So, why horror? If you’re picking the authors, you could pick any genre that takes your fancy right?


N: I’ve always been interested in horror. I’m a big fan of James Herbert – I think I’ve read everything he’s written in fact. Besides which, when you look through the web, there’s so much talent in this genre, and so many great sites that feature short stories in particular.


J: I can think of at least one right now, and anyone reading this will surely know I am reffering to Masters Of Horror! - So, let’s talk about publishing, you’re using self-publishing aren’t you? Is that a budgetary thing?


N: Too right! This is strictly a hobby thing for me, any money the book generates is going back into the project to fund further promotion and hosting costs for the site etc.


J: So we could see this thing on Amazon yet?


N: Oh man, that would be great – but it depends on what people think of the book... If they like it, buy it and tell their friends, who knows what will happen?


J: Nick, thanks for your time. I wish you the best of luck with the book and hope to see you again on Masters of Horror! 


N: Thanks a lot Jon. 


If you want to find out more about Dark Hoard, check out the website – it’s awesome!


www.darkhoard.com

Simeon Halligan

How did the idea for Splintered come about?
The idea was brewing for some time in different shapes and forms through a bunch of different treatments and script ideas. The consistent elements being: a young female central character on the run from an abusive past and her relationship with an estranged man, living outside society in an abandoned building. At first it wasn’t a horror film, more psychological thriller.


What is the 4K red camera system and why was it chosen for the production?
We worked at 4K resolution, which meant that the quality of image is hugely detailed but it requires an awful lot of memory drive space to store the footage. The camera captures onto cards or hard drives and the material can then be transferred to an edit system directly without using film or tape as a recording medium.


Did you shoot predominately on location and where were these locations?
Finding the key location, the abandoned catholic orphanage, was a journey in itself, as I knew so much of the film relied so heavily on the environment and how the characters interacted with it. I’d seen pictures of St. Joseph’s and knew a little about the place and had tried unsuccessfully to recce it previously. I’d heard it was completely out of bounds. But after some effort, we managed to persuade the landlords. I’ve never been to anywhere else quite like St. Joseph’s; a huge rambling, gothic monstrosity of a building, which used to house a Priest school.


Were there any particularly difficult scenes to film?
We shot for around five and half weeks and every day seemed too short! Any scenes containing a lot of action or special effects were always the most difficult under the time restraints. Obviously scenes in which Gavin and Vincent interact were particularly tricky to shoot as both characters are played by actor Stephen Walters. These sequences were shot in two passes, each time Stephen would play one or other of the characters and we would use body doubles for the other brother. There isn’t one SFX shot used in the film to put both brothers into a scene, it’s all done with cutting!


There seems to be a preoccupation with doubles, pairings and opposites within the film, what does this mean?
I guess a clue is in the title; the SPLINTERED fragmentation of the human psyche, which echoes through the piece as a whole. There was a deliberate intention to show characters that are split in two, or can only function fully as part of or half of a whole.


It seems that Sophie is actively seeking out the threat – is this a subconscious desire for her to resolve the reoccurring nightmare that she has?
Sophie is constantly looking for answers, but in chasing myths and legends she is subconsciously avoiding having to find real answers to real questions and/or to confront the nightmare locked inside her head. She has spent her adult life trying to avoid the inevitable and horrific truth about her own life.


When did your interest in filmmaking begin?
I’m one of those filmmakers who knew that I wanted to get involved with the medium from an early age. 1977 was probably the catalyst year. I was ten and dragged my parents along to see STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. In return my folks dragged me along to the re-release of 2001 the same year. I think my fate was sealed.


Did you make any short films prior to making SPLINTERED?
Yes - my very first was a somewhat over ambitious 27 minute black and white film noir pastiche called TRIPLE EXPOSURE, set in forties Chicago! SLEEP MY LOVE gained financial support from the UK Film Council’s digital shorts scheme and showed at a whole bunch of festivals once completed. Influenced by Nolan’s MEMENTO and Ian McEwan’s novel A CHILD IN TIME, the film portrayed the breakdown of a relationship after the death of a family member; the truth is revealed at the end as the story unravels backwards through time.

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Synopsis
Something has been killing live stock in a remote part of North Wales and now it’s started attacking humans.


SOPHIE, a teenager with a troubled past, puts herself and her friends at the mercy of this wild beast, when her obsession of the unexplained leads them deep into the Welsh countryside. Looking for evidence within an abandoned building, Sophie witnesses a vicious attack on her friend and then finds herself incarcerated in a locked room. She cannot escape and her only hope is that her friends manage to find her before her captor makes them his latest victim…


Running Time; 100 mins


UK Theatrical Release Date: 3rd September 2010


Directed by Simeon Halligan


Starring
Holly Weston
Stephen Walters
Sacha Dhawan
Sadie Pickering


Images

Full Movie - Dog Soldiers (2002)

During a routine nighttime training mission in the Scottish Highlands, a small squad of British soldiers expected to rendezvous with a special ops unit instead find a bloody massacre with a sole survivor. The savage attackers of the special ops team return, and the men are rescued by Megan (Emma Cleasby), a zoologist who identifies what hunts them as werewolves. Without transport or communications, the group is forced to retreat to a farmhouse to wait for the full moon to disappear at dawn.

Straw Dogs (1971) - Starring Dustin Hoffman & Susan George

 

Straw Dogs is a 1971 psychological thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. The screenplay, by Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman, is based upon Gordon M. Williams's 1969 novel, The Siege of Trencher's Farm. The film's title derives from a discussion in the Tao Te Ching that likens people to the ancient Chinese ceremonial straw dog, being of ceremonial worth, but afterwards discarded with indifference.

The film is noted for its violent concluding sequences and two complicated rape scenes, which were subject to censorship by numerous film rating boards. Released theatrically in the same year as A Clockwork Orange, The French Connection, and Dirty Harry, the film sparked heated controversy over a perceived increase of violence in films generally.

The film premiered in the UK in November 1971. Although controversial at the time, Straw Dogs is considered by some critics to be one of Peckinpah's greatest films.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - Region Free - Public Domain

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent horror film written, directed, photographed and edited by George A. Romero, co-written by John Russo, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven people who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in western Pennsylvania, which is besieged by a large and growing group of "living dead" monsters.

The film was completed on a $114,000 budget and shot outside Pittsburgh, where it had its theatrical premiere on October 1, 1968. The film grossed $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally, earning over 250 times its budget. Night of the Living Dead has been regarded as a cult classic by film scholars and critics, despite its being heavily criticized upon its release for its explicit gore. It eventually garnered critical acclaim and has been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, as a film deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Enjoy this synth rescore of Night Of The Living Dead, featuring original music by OGRE vesves Dallas Campbell.