Film Name: Marginalia
Director: Mark Beal
Writer: Mark Beal
Starring: Joe Grisaffi, Jessica Bell, Cory W. Ahre
Summoned to Karnstein Abbey to serve as a mourner at the funeral of their recently deceased
abbess, Sister Trista she discovers web of evil involving demons, witchcraft and killer rabbits. But
Sister Trista has a secret of her own.
In a new Exclusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Writer/ Director Mark Beal a few questions about the film ‘Marginalia‘
Marginalia will play at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 19th January 12.30pm
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we
can expect?
A. Marginalia is a quirky movie with a medieval setting that draws inspiration from silent era films. It falls generally into the horror genre, but it’s not scary.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script?
A. My initial concept was Suspiria in the Middle Ages. Then I added medieval astrology and the idea of the Music of the Spheres keeping the universe functioning harmoniously. Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout also had an influence. And of course medieval marginalia with it’s wacky creatures and killer rabbits was a big element.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. The primary influence on the look and style was Häxan. I also looked at Guy Maddin’s films and art by Hieronymus Bosch.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. For the most part stayed very close to the script during shooting. Cory Ahre – a Writer/Director in his own right – improvised some lines and I re-arranged some scenes in editing. In the script, Pazuzu was supposed to have a second face in his crotch as was common in medieval depictions of demons. We ran into some technical issues at the last minute and weren’t able to shoot that — I did add that as an effect for a few shoots afterwards, but originally he was supposed have the second face throughout.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. The Secret Garden scene where Sister Trista goes “Carrie” on the witches was a lot of fun. It was a big scene with a lot of actors and also one of the few scenes shot outdoors, which freed us from a lot of the restrictions encountered shooting on a set.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Time was the enemy. We were only able to get into the studio a week before filming began to start building the set, so we were really under the gun to get that done. We continued building it right up until (and actually a little after) the shooting started. All the lead actors had come in from out of town and some even came from out of state, so there was a lot of pressure to get the scenes done before they had to leave. This was also my first time to shoot a film primarily in a studio, so there were limitations on what angles I could use which was a new experience.
Q. What makes it stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. This is an atypical horror. It’s built around horror elements like witches and demons and curses, but the vibe is really different. As I mentioned, it’s not scary. Instead, it really leans into the weirdness.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope people have fun with it. I hope they find it unpredictable. I hope viewers will ask themselves “Did I just see what I thought I saw?”
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’ve got a couple of projects in development. One is a straight-up surrealist film involving a photographer who witnesses a disruption in the laws of physics and then encounters an angel and a demon who offer competing explanations. The other one is a Depression-era story about a psychic bank robber pursued by an experimental FBI robot in a showdown between science and magic.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. My advice is to forget about the commercial value of the project and just be completely self-
indulgent. Since the odds of making money on an indie film are remote, you should just do the film you want and make no concessions to the market. Also look at the resources you have available in terms of locations, props, costumes, actors, etc. and build your story around those.
You can find out more about the film on Facebook and IMDB
Marginalia will play at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 19th January 12.30pm
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
