Interview by Conan Simmons – September 27, 2020 – 7:10 am
Horror has long been a staple of independent films. Even in England, where independent filmmakers have a long tradition of telling compelling horror stories, from ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘Psychomania’ to ’28 Days Later’ and ‘Dog Soldiers’.
Now comes a new tale of terror from across the pond.
It’s Christmas time and everyone is naturally making merry by inviting family and friends over for dinner. Only something nefarious is lurking beneath the surface of all the jolly merriment. A supernatural threat casts an ominous shadow over this holiday season in Adam Leader’s and Richard Oakes’ fright film ‘Hosts’.
‘Hosts’ is due to be released later this week on October 2nd in both the USA and Canada.
The film stars Neal Ward and Samantha Loxley (both serving as producers), Frank Jakeman (‘A View to a Kill’), Lee Hunter (‘Vikings’), Nadia Lamin, Jennifer Preston, Buddy Skelton and Sandra Howard-Williams. Written and directed by duo Adam Leader and Richard Oakes. The film hails from Odin’s Light and Dark Fable Media.
I recently interviewed executive producer Gillan Williams, from Odin’s Light, via Twitter on Friday, September 25. Speaking on the making of ‘Hosts’, the inspirations for the movie and the state of filmmaking in the U.K. during this time of a global pandemic, he offers words of caution and hope.
CS: Over the years there have been many home invasion movies, Michael Haneke’s ‘Funny Games’, Eli Roth’s ‘Knock Knock’ and others. How is ‘Hosts’ different from other home invasion movies?
Gillan Williams: ‘Hosts’ has a supernatural element with a deeper subplot. The true story of ‘Hosts’ focuses on the lies and secrets hidden by the Henderson family, which are brutally brought to light by the supernatural home invasion format. The horror and violence is a metaphor for this. Also, it isn’t strictly a home invasion as the couple are warmly invited in. The story also draws inspiration from Mary Poppins, the theme of a family broken by an uncaring father.
CS: What is it about ‘Hosts’ that brings comparison to Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’?
GW: The main similarity is the violence. The directors, Adam Leader and Richard Oakes, were insistent on having impactful scenes, the camera doesn’t cut away. Kate Griffiths did some amazing work on the SFX that really helps sell the violence.
CS: The movie takes place at Christmas. Are there Christmas themed horror films that served as an influence or inspiration for ‘Hosts’?
GW: Adam, who wrote the film, absolutely adores Christmas. The seasonal setting was more about his love of Christmas than an inspiration from another film.
CS: How is working with two directors together on one project different from just one director?
GW: Adam and Rich have worked together for several years, producing music vides for television as Dark Fable Media and running their youtube channel. This meant that they had very similar artistic visions for the production. They did also bring different skills to the film, whilst both were deeply invested in the story, one focused more on performance and the other on the cinematography, but it wasn’t a clean cut between the two. Both would input their own ideas on set regarding the setups and performances. Having worked together for so long, there was very little friction on set, they were both focused on what was best for the film, not being possessive about their own ideas.
CS: That’s very interesting. I’ve always wondered how two directors collaborate. You mentioned Kate Griffiths creating SFX. How much of the SFX are practical as opposed to CGI?
GW: The effects are almost entirely practical. We were keen to keep as much of the effect ‘in camera’ as possible. There is some CGI, but very little. We used CGI as a way of helping sell the practical effect rather than being the effect itself.
CS: Where was this movie filmed?
GW: The film was shot in Oxfordshire, England.
CS: It must have been filmed before the Covid-19 pandemic. Did the coronavirus lockdown in the U.K. affect the production or post-production in any way?
GW: We were so lucky with the timing of the lockdown. At that point, we were well into post-production so the final stages of post were done remotely.
CS: A lot of independent horror films have been made in the U.K. over the last decade. What do you attribute that to and how do you see the independent film scene moving forward?
GW: Horror has made the most sense as a gateway genre to the industry for a long time. The fans are so supportive and some even prefer the lower budget aesthetic of independent horrors. This means you have an engaged audience that you can reach on a micro budget. That, coupled with the lower bar of entry as cameras and post production capabilities are getting even cheaper, means you can deliver great content for less.
However, this also presents a problem. The market is being flooded with micro budget horror, so it’s getting harder to stand out from the crowd. Demand from VOD platforms for horror is waning too. Sky have recently changed their policy on graphic content making it harder to sell horror. The streamers are keen on drama and thriller series as they help with their retention rates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shift in the independent film scene to other genres and formats to make it more appealing to the buyers.
The most important element of any production is the story. Independent filmmakers don’t have the option to impress the audience with spectacle, so they must rely on compelling stories that capture the audience’s attention. This will only become more important.
Covid-19 has changed the way we work, and will continue to for a long time. This is also going to have an impact on the independent film industry in a way we haven’t seen before. I see it happening in two ways. Firstly, the practical side of keeping everyone safe during production. It’s a real problem, but filmmakers are problem solvers so I am sure we will find a way of doing it. The other problem is the uncertainty of the financial markets, which has a huge effect on private investment. Luckily the UK Government has put a Covid-19 insurance provision in place as part of the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, which helps, but a lot of productions only happen through the support of private investment, including Hosts. This should improve over time as the markets eventually stabilize and productions prove to be safe places to work.
CS: ‘Hosts’ is due for release in the U.S.A. and Canada on October 2nd. Where will audiences be able to see it?
GW: ‘Hosts’ will be out via Virtual Cinema on October 2nd. We will also be on PVOD.
Cleveland Cinemas / Cleveland, Ohio – Screenland Cinemas / Kansas City, Missouri – FilmBar / Phoenix, Arizona – Gateway Film Center / Columbus, Ohio
PVOD: Apple TV & iTunes (US & Canada) – FandangoNOW – Google Play (US & Canada) – PlayStation video (US & Canada) – Amazon Prime Video – Microsoft Movies & TV (US & Canada) – Sling TV (rental only) – Vimeo On Demand (US & Canada) – Vudu – AT&T – DirecTV – DISH – Vubiquity – Shaw Canada – iNDemand (10/27)