Film Name: Horror-Scopes Volume One
Directors: Tony Sands, Maria Lee Metheringham, Dani Thompson, Davin Jeayes, Alexander Churchyard, Pablo Raybould, Anna Dixon, Luna Wolf, Martin W. Payne, Richard Elson, John Foxen, Annie Knox, Mj Dixon
Writers: Alexander Churchyard, Mj Dixon, Davin Jeayes, Annie Knox, Martin W. Payne, Pablo Raybould, Tony Sands, Dani Thompson, Luna Wolf, Anna Dixon, Eve Oliver
Starring: Pauline Peart, Stacy Hart, Jack Glanville, Peter Tilley, Claire Louise Amias
Horror-Scopes aims to bring 12 of Indie Horrors brightest talents together to tell 12 star crossed tales of Horror Scope based horror.
In a new interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask writer-director Alexander Churchyard a few questions about what we can expect from his segment of Horror-Scopes Volume One.
Horror-Scopes Volume One will be showing at Horror-on-Sea at 8pm on Friday 13th January.
Q. Your film Horror-Scopes Volume One has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film and your segment Leo?
A. A strange story of jealousy and rivalry between two actors who have both inhabited the same role, that of Brian the Lion.
Q. How did you get involved in the horror anthology and what attracted you to the film?
A. I believe MJ and Anna shot me a message over Facebook and I was very pleased to get my company TIS Films involved.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for your segment?
A. Most specifically would be the First Labour – the story of Hercules and the Nemen Lion – but then mixing that in with a ridiculous Lion film and an interviewer with OTT plastic surgery. Weirdly also Twilight – I liked the idea of beautifying something that perhaps had previously been portrayed as body horror (albeit silly body horror).
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I’m not sure if it translates but David Lynch was an inspiration for elements of it, elements of Hammer Horror and some Lorraine Kelly as well.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Yes in a couple of ways; firstly we shot the first half but I struggled to find a location for the second part. I ended up changing it from a mansion to a nightclub – it majorly changed the film really, as suddenly this scene that was originally these two men in a house is now in a bar with loads of extras. Secondly that meant I had an idea to add two bouncers, played by Philip Rogers and Mark Lawrence, who also kindly wrote their dialogue based on a very vague brief.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Tony Mardon in full man-lion makeup hamming it up was fantastic. Probably the funniest though was Hannah Paterson (my wife) trying to do lines with fake lips and teeth. I think people in the room were crying every time she did her strange laugh.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. I find action really hard to choreograph – how do you get two guys standing, to on the ground wrestling and safely. I have to say the DOP Duncan Newham and my brother Max really helped me through that and the actors Tony and Kurt were incredibly generous as well.
Q. What makes Leo stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. It’s a real hodgepodge of ideas – no idea if they all work together, but I hope people enjoy what I was going for.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they get something out of a really short burst of mad ideas and some great work from Tony Mardon, Kurt Deed and Hannah Paterson. With lots of fun cameos from other regulars of ours. We also have John Walker, who I met at Horror-on-Sea 2022 in this one so a nice little connection there as well.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. So I have Mosaic in post-production, Video Shop Tales of Terror which is screening at Horror-on-Sea on the 21st and then we also have the sequel to Video Shop in production. I’m also doing a segment for the second volume of Horoscopes.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Usually I say go for it, but it’s getting competitive out there so maybe give it a miss and let this hack continue to pollute the indie screens.
Horror-Scopes Volume One will be showing at Horror-on-Sea at 8 pm on Friday 13th January. You can purchase tickets and merchandise for the festival on the website 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!
