Film Name: Magenta House
Directors: Bill Ross, Z.G. Taylor, Freddie Skerritt, Jake Bebbington
Writer: Bill Ross, Z.G. Taylor, Freddie Skerritt, Jake Bebbington
Starring: Bradley Jack Williams
Three patients escape from an experimental facility, what will happen to the world around them?
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got the chance to ask Co-Writer-Director Freddie
Skerritt, a few questions about the segment of ‘Magenta House’ called ‘RAZOR FACE’, which will have its World Premiere at The Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday, 25th January at 09:30hrs.
Q. You Directed the segment RAZOR FACE as part of the feature film Magenta House which has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from your segment?
A. In my segment RAZOR FACE, you can expect to see psychological slasher elements with a twist.
Q. In addition to directing you also wrote the segment. What were your inspirations when writing the script?
A. My inspirations whilst I was writing this where American Psycho (2000) for the psychological breakdown element. Other movies such as Psycho (1960), and Vanilla Sky (2001). Dexter (2006-2013) has also been quite inspirational from a blood spatter perspective.
Q. Did you have any of the cast in mind for the characters when writing the script?
A. In terms of cast, Bradley has always been my first choice for the character Sean as I knew that he had the range for this character as we had worked together prior.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. In terms of style, I have been influenced by many movies but mostly I have looked at both Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In terms of Cinematography, I liked how some of the extreme close ups looked on the eyes. Some of the shots in vanilla sky have been very beneficial to look at to.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. In terms of my favourite moments on RAZOR FACE, my favourite moment was my third day shooting in the alley with Bradley and Loui. This was a really great day as we all worked really well together and created something that I am really proud of.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. In terms of issues, an issue occurred on the night shoot with the camera which lead to an hour delay on shooting. However, I called Elliot and he managed to talk us through how to fix it over the phone. This allowed us to resume filming.
Q. What makes Magenta House stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I think we stand out because we have shot this towards the end of our second year whilst on the degree and this is quite rare. I also think that this is a mix of genres too and this will help make us stand out.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I think making a project like Magenta House with next to no budget is achievable.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m currently working on my dissertation script which is a feature length set in Victorian London which is following two detectives solving cases. This will be loosely adapted from Jekyll and Hyde.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. I would say have a plan as this will help you massively. Whilst you’re making it, try to Have fun too.
Magenta House which will have its World Premiere at The Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 25th January at 09:30hrs.
You can find out more about Magenta House and purchase tickets for the film 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!
