Film Name: Hate Little Rabbit
Director: Bazz Hancher
Writers: Bazz Hancher and Michael Walcott
Starring: Martin W. Payne, Thomas Lee Rutter, David Pearl, Bazz Hancher, Coralie Hudson
After the death of her adopted parent’s Lacy Graham tries to build a relationship with her natural mother Samantha, this is made difficult by Samantha’s struggle with mental health. Just as they start to bond the unthinkable happens, Samantha is kidnapped, who can she trust, a strange ex copper, her weird friends or has a distant relative set his sights on revenge for her father’s actions?
In another interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival I got a chance to ask Hate Little Rabbit director and co-writer Bazz Hancher a few questions about what we can expect from the documentary film.
Q. Your latest horror film Hate Little Rabbit has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. I like to think of the film as a British ‘Giallo’. It has all the normal traits that have appeared in our previous films. However, this time there is a big difference that may shock people. In the fact it has a story of sorts.
I hope on this occasion the film may play to a horror audience as well as the exploitation crowd. Like many of our previous horror films, you can expect blood and gore, along with some hard-hitting moments, that will take you out of your comfort zone. I cannot say whether people watching this film will agree that it is a Giallo, however, it has always been my take on what a British version would be like.
Q. You co-wrote the script with Michael Walcott. What were some of your influences when writing the script, and what was the process for you wiring the film together?
A. Visually I wanted the film to have a coldness to it, much like the 1983 Austrian horror film Angst, which I felt was both horrific and brilliant. The story itself was basically an unofficial remake of the film Joeys Garage (2007), one of my early films. Michael (Walcott) hated it. So much so that it nearly ended our long working partnership. However, after we cleared the air and resolved things, Michael was really positive about the project. As a result, he wrote an in-depth character script. As with most indie films this script changed many times as we moved forward. Some of the changes were down to the nightmare of finance and the rest was down to the complexity of dialog which was at times too much for our rookie actress. The main thing is that we got a film out of it for which we were both happy (maybe me more so than Michael).
Q. Did you have any actors or actresses in mind to portray any of the character when writing the script for the film?
A. I have to be honest, no I didn’t. I like to work with actors/actresses that I haven’t worked with before. We did cast via Mandy.com but soon ran into problems due to the length of time these actors needed to commit to our project, along with having very little finance available. However, thanks to my good friend and cohort Tom Rutter who had introduced me to the actress and filmmaker Coralie Hudson who agreed to chat with us about the role. Even more surprisingly she agreed with our ethos and thankfully jumped on board. David Pearl (formally known as David Fenn) was the only actor I had in mind before the project got underway. I had seen David play Dr. Balden Cross in Tom Rutter’s Dr. Balden Cross: Beyond the Void (2018) and thought he had the look and mannerisms I needed for his character. Again, I was thankful he agreed to taking on the role. Lacy played by Chloe Yarrington came to us after two other actresses dropped out of the project. Chloe had never acted in a film before and had only done some stage work, so this was a massive risk for us. We try to be honest as filmmakers and keep things as realistic as possible which include using disabled actors. In this case it was the talented actor/playwright Samuel Phoenix, who played the part of Rick. Samuel always said to us that he did not want to be seen as a disabled guy who acts, but an actor who happens to be disabled. That is exactly how he worked with us.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I feel our films are very British in their look. This film is no exception. I wanted the film to have a bleakness that I could resonate with. I really love the Italian Giallo film genre and wanted to do my own take on these films, but from a British perspective. I was mindful that I didn’t want to do a Dario Argento type of film because they are stylish. I wanted the film to have a grubby element. If anything, I would say the influence would be closer to the 1982 Lucio Fulci film the New York ripper.
Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A Yes. As we chose a rookie actress to play Lacy, the actress often found it difficult to work with the in-depth dialog of her character. Originally her character was meant to be a citizen journalist, caught in the modern trappings of society. Michael wanted it to be a modern day take on Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool (1969), in which the Lacy character was a vocal advocate of conspiracy theories. Had we been able to use the original dialog for this character, the film would have had an entirely different feel to it.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. I loved working with everyone on the film, as I almost always do. They put up with my dark humour and understand my passion for what we are doing. I can say hand on heart I enjoyed every minute making this film which is a massive change from the White Goods (2018) nightmare.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A Where do I start? OK let’s start with Chloe. I must say she was a nightmare, from turning up late, to not turning up at all. We had to change the script in the end to ensure we got an end product. Then we have the brilliant side of Chloe. The one who got into the swing of things, as the film went on, she turned up on time, she became much more comfortable with what she was doing once the script had been diluted. Her confidence came on more and more as the film went on. I feel as a rookie actress who had never been in a film before, she took direction well. She did a good job. More importantly, she could go on to better things if she puts her mind to it. Her first few scenes in the film were very apprehensive. However, after that she became much more natural and at ease. Both Michael and I will always be grateful to Chloe for her bravery by doing something that was outside of her comfort zone. I almost forgot, Michael was in a coma and nearly died…
Q. What makes Hate Little Rabbit stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I feel it is difficult to do something different in film. The trouble is we all have influences even though we think we are not using them in our films. We have tried to make this film a Giallo in our own vision. We wanted to do something a little different story wise and add a twist of Britishness to the genre. I feel the film is different to most horror films. However, in reality that’s not for me to say. I would be grateful to talk with you guys after the film for your forthright opinion.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope the audience go away from this film loving it or hating it. Indifference doesn’t bare thinking about if I’m honest. I think all us filmmakers will know this response (YOUR FILM WAS FUN!)
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. We are at the moment reimagining a SN Sibley’s film A Home for the Bullets (2005) which we have titled Axel Falcon (2023). This is an action / horror film a sub-genre that we haven’t tackled before. Fortune favours the brave, so they say. We hope this will be done for Horror-on-Sea 2024, we may be a little optimistic for 2023.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Run to the hills, don’t bother! It will kick you when you are down. It pulls your family apart. It strips you of your money. It will constantly worry you. It will take its toll on your health.
However, if you can deal with all of that then go for it. You will meet great people. You will immortalise your imagination for posterity. You will have a sense of achievement. You may even become famous if you’re lucky! Above all you will be a filmmaker and it doesn’t get any better than that.
You can find out more about White Raven Film on the website and following social media
You can find out more about the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on the website https://www.horror-on-sea.com/
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!
