Film Name: 1 Star Review
Director: John Ferrer
Writer(s): Simon Darkman, Harry Metcalfe, Haydn Worley
Starring: Judah Abraham-Silas, Charlie Clee, Peter Dombi, Matt John-Hemmings, Amelie Leroy, Sarah J Parker
Chef Michael has a murderous obsession with changing negative reviews to save his restaurant, but a date with his latest critic Elysia makes him question his motives.
In a new Exlcusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Director John Ferrer and Co-Writer/Producer Simon Darkman a few questions about the film ‘1 Star Review‘
1 Star Review will play at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 19th January at 3.00pm
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we
can expect?
A. Simon – Well, speaking as the Producer and without giving too much away, the main feeling you can expect from this film is tension – hold on tight for the first 55 seconds as it really hits the ground running and lets you know exactly who you’re dealing with. Then we slow right down as the great performances from Amelie, Charlie and Sarah take over. The film starts to explore its central themes but then, all too soon, the already-palpable tension level starts to rise again…and it doesn’t stop until the credits roll. You’ll be left thinking twice before giving another bad review!
Q. Simon, you wrote the script with Harry Metcalfe and Haydn Worley. What were some of your influences when writing the script and what was your process of writing together?
A. Simon – Well, the coolest thing about being here at Horror-on-Sea is that this is where I came up with the idea! I remember watching a short where a chef bludgeoned their partner to death for cheating. I thought “Chefs are so highly strung, I bet they can’t stand it when people make thoughtless SM comments, wouldn’t it be cool if one started killing people in ways that were related to their criticisms…I’ll call it ‘1 Star Review…that’ll be hilarious!” Having not written anything before, I went looking for people to help and found Harry and Haydn, who perfectly complement each other’s styles.
The three of us met a bunch of times and worked on getting my already fast-paced 5,000 word story down to 10 pages whilst trying to lose as few elements as possible. To their credit, we just about managed it, but when we took it to John he (quite rightly) felt it was still too much. Then we went back and stripped it down again to the core themes, and I’m so glad we did because it’s incredibly tight and really delivers just the right pace in just the right places.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. John – We wanted a very dark aesthetic, so we often looked to the Hannibal series. Both for visuals and for tone, because that show has a fantastically dark sense of humour. Obviously, it’s a horror first and foremost we’re trying to go for, but with a cheeky mean streak. Outside of that, we kind of watched a lot of similarly themed horror films, but not so much for influence, but more to try and avoid copying them.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. John – The script changed constantly throughout the year leading up to shooting this, and it even changed on the days of shooting. We’d be reworking dialogue and cutting/changing scenes on the fly. No matter how much you prepare, there are always just these incredible moments where actors find interesting new perspectives to the characters, and do unscripted things that work better than what we had in mind.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. John – Getting blackout drunk once we wrapped… I’m only half joking when I say this, but it was a difficult shoot. Working in a kitchen was surprisingly complicated, but we had a lot of fun when it came to stunts and figuring out the cat and mouse chases of the film. There’s something so instantly rewarding about shooting stunts. You’re not waiting until you’re in the editing room to find nuances and little details that make a scene come to life, but rather you instantly see these big balletic actions happen in front of your eyes and you get a real adrenaline from it. It’s a bit of a cheap answer, but I’m a sucker for stunts.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. John – Any filmmaker who answers “no” to this is lying. There are always issues, from malfunctioning equipment and props, to time constraints, but that’s the fun of it. Figuring out in the moment. Puzzle solving is the funniest part of being on set when things go wrong – and they always do!
Q. What makes it stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. John – I think we’ve had horror films that focus on social media, and we’ve had horror films that take place in the culinary world, but never a merging of the two subjects. We’ve all been subjected to criticisms, harsh comments or mean reviews online, and this felt like a fun cathartic way of exploring that. I’m not saying I agree with murdering the people who leave you bad reviews (in fact, they tend to be your most useful critics!), but it’s fun to remind people to think before they say something scathing or harsh online.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. John – Honestly, I just hope they’re entertained. It’s nice to depict some interesting themes and start a conversation on the subject, but it’s essentially a slasher film at the end of the day and I think having fun with it, feeling the suspense and cheering for the protagonist is the most important part of it. Horror is horror because it’s great fun. It’s like a roller coaster. You get to experience danger without being in danger.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. John – Currently I’m directing some music videos and an animated short, but we’ve been hard at work trying to develop our first features! We have two on the go: a romantic comedy called Match! and a an action horror called Cyanide. And I feel like people would want to know more about the latter in the context, but all I can say for now is that it’s balls-to-the-wall carnage, gore and action. And I hope people get to see that someday soon!
Q. If someone was looking to make their own film what advice would you give them?
A. John – Currently, everyone has a camera (whether they own one or they use their phone), and it’s saturated the market in so many films, so many shorts and so very many TikToks. There is so much content out there these days…and while that may seem daunting, I actually think it’s great. It no longer feels elitist to be able to make a film. We can all do it now. The thing that will make you stand out is your creativity and talent. So don’t worry about the so-called competition, just make the most “you” film you can, and eventually you will find your audience. I wish I had stuck to my guns more in the early days of my career, because I’d have showcased myself more for my own unique talents, rather than pandering to what I thought people wanted from me. And I’ve had more success just by doing my own thing, my own stories, than by imitating other films and people’s work.
You can find out more about ‘1 Star Review’ on the Website and follow director John Ferrer on Instagram
1 Star Review will play at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 19th January at 3.00pm
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!
