Film Name: Sorry About the Demon
Director: Emily Hagins
Writer: Emily Hagins
Starring: John Michael Simpson, Paige Evans, Jeff McQuitty, Sarah Cleveland
FrightFest was one of the first festivals to focus on the fresh and delightful work of Austin- based director Emily Hagins when it premiered MY SUCKY TEEN ROMANCE in 2011. Now she’s back big time with a supernatural horror comedy that’s movingly funny. After being dumped by his girlfriend Amy, broken-hearted Will is offered a massive house at a very low rent. What’s the catch? The restless spirit haunting the place needs a human sacrifice and the prior owners must find one or else their young daughter is toast.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask writer-director Emily Hagins a few questions about the film Sorry About the Demon which will be making its UK Premiere at Arrow FrightFest on Monday 29thth August at 15:15hrs
Q. Your film Sorry About the Demon has been selected to play at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. Sorry About the Demon is a little silly with a lot of fun plays on the haunted house genre, but also very heart-felt and personal to me. So, I’m hoping one can expect to laugh (or at least slightly chuckle or smile!), maybe jump once or twice, and enjoy living in this quirky haunted house for a sweet and spooky hour and a half.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for Sorry About the Demon?
A. A big influence for me was exploring the feeling of finding your purpose and wondering what you’re worth in your late 20s and finding ways of navigating those self-doubts when you think you should have it all sorted out by that stage of life.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I really wanted the viewer to never feel lost in the house and drawn out of the story wondering “wait, where are we again?” So, I looked to several films that expertly laid out the geography of the central set piece while also giving the house a lot of character and spookiness. A few of the films I studied were The Conjuring films, the Insidious films, The Innocents, Ju-On, The Innkeepers, and The Orphanage. I also drew a lot of inspiration on balancing the horror elements with heart-felt characters and comedy and looked to films such as Shaun of the Dead, Anna and the Apocalypse, Drag Me to Hell, Evil Dead 2, House, and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil to see how those filmmakers balanced their genre blending.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. A few changes, here and there! I love when the actors bring their own voices to their characters — it feels much more authentic to me if they can contribute to the meaning behind the words, they’re saying instead of just reciting my script with an agreed upon interpretation. I remember this one heartfelt moment where our main character Will, played by Jon Michael Simpson, is coming to a pretty big realization both character-wise and story-wise. But big speeches can be tricky and sometimes preachy on screen, and I was never 100% happy with what I had written. It just felt too “written”, and I’ve often found that once we’re in that territory, rewriting often contributes to overwriting. Jon Michael found a way of taking the sentiments of the written speech and simplifying them in his own words, giving them a meaning that tied together the themes much more beautifully than my original script. It went from one of my least favourite parts of the script to one of my favourite parts of the movie from that on-set collaboration.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. One of my favourite moments was seeing our extremely sweet and easy to work with youngest cast member, Presley Allard, completely transform into a demonically possessed child. She was so delightfully creepy that the whole cast and crew applauded her after her first take. Not only was she incredible to work with but seeing that sense of support and watching everyone champion her made me tear up a bit on set, ha-ha. It reminded me how great making movies can be when everyone is working together to do their best and encouraging a creative and supportive atmosphere!
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. I think there is a general sense of uncertainty when making movies during covid, and that can be tricky to grapple with as productions of all sizes learn the best methods of keeping people healthy and safe. We were lucky to have the opportunity to build our set in the large atrium of a Holiday Inn in Canada, while our cast and crew remained in a covid bubble for the duration of the shoot by staying in the same hotel we were shooting in. So luckily, we did not have any covid cases on this production due to the isolation of staying and working in the same building, but it did factor into how we shot the film and what we could and couldn’t do for sure.
Q. What makes Sorry About the Demon stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I’m hoping it stands out as a fun and spooky break-up horror comedy. I hope it makes you enjoy the horror of demonic forces as well as the horror of awkwardness with an ex. It’s challenging to blend genres like horror and comedy — to poke fun while also trying to communicate a love of horror and its nuances. I’m a big believer in not taking myself too seriously, but also making sure the characters and story are earnest in their intentions. What’s funny to us should be serious to the characters experiencing these problems…which is why it’s funny to us. If everyone is winking at the camera, then I don’t think there’s much room to be scary or funny. So, I’m hoping the sweetness of the characters combined with the love of haunted houses and horror comedies creates a fun and heart-felt genre-blend.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. My genuine hope is that people walk away feeling a little lighter. I know that sounds cheesy, but the whole reason I make movies is in the hope that each film connects with at least one person in the world and makes them think “they get what I’ve gone through.” That’s why I love watching movies, too. I love feeling like a filmmaker I’ve never met gets me, like we’ve somehow shared a life experience. It’s such a wonderful sense of connection that inspires me to keep working. I know this movie won’t connect with everyone, and that’s the wonderful thing about horror being made up of such a vast set of themes, sub-genres, and ideas. But if at least one person feels uplifted, encouraged, or just a little more pleasant after watching this movie — then I am happy too!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m currently working on another horror project that’s a little less comedy and a lot more Christmas. I hope to have more to share on that one soon.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. My history as a filmmaker is a little unusual, as I made my first feature when I was 12 years old, and there was a documentary that followed the process. I made 2 additional feature films before I graduated high school. From those experiences of growing up and growing into my voice as a filmmaker at the same time, I felt that the best advice I ever received was from the folks that made the Raiders of the Lost Ark Adaptation when they were children (I was a 10-year-old filmmaker when I asked their advice), and it’s what I continue to pass along to filmmakers of all ages now — don’t let anyone else set your limits for you. As long as you persevere and work towards your goals with kindness and a good attitude, you can accomplish what you set out to do. Others may put you down or they may encourage you — but the important thing is that you know what you’re capable of, and others don’t get to decide that for you. So always find ways to keep making things, collaborating, and learning — every creative experience, big or small, serves you in the long run!
You can find out more about Emily Hagins on the website www.cheesynuggets.com and by following social media Twitter and over on Instagram
You can find out more about the Festival and purchase tickets here: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/
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!
