Film Name: The Protos Experiment
Director(s): Brian Avenet-Bradley, Laurence Avenet-Bradley
Writer: Brian Avenet-Bradley, Simon Clark
Starring: Anja Akstin, Fred Thomas Jr., Ricky Herrera, Trista Robinson, Corey Landis, Micheal Ferguson
In a dystopian future a scientist uses memory implants to revolutionise the prison system. Four death row inmates must escape or risk losing their minds forever.
The Protos Experiment will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 18th 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 from the film?
A. Firstly, I’m thrilled that The Protos Experiment has been selected for the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival – a massive thank you for that.
As for the film… when I wrote the script I was on a mission. I didn’t want The Protos Experiment to be a film where the characters sit around talking in rooms. I wanted the characters to be constantly moving, and to be always facing danger, and to be constantly fighting for their lives. The film’s makers enthusiastically joined me on that mission to create a film that is a relentless sequence of high-energy action scenes. The film opens with John chained to… well, chained to some ‘thing’. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. What I can say, is that the main characters are trapped in a remote facility where they are subjected to brutal tests. Those that pass the test survive. Those that don’t… you can guess what happens to them.
When I wrote the first version of the script, I had a gut feeling that this could be really special. And when the directors/producers, Brian and Laurence Avenet Bradley, got to work they created a horror feature of extraordinary power. It’s horror feast for the eye – and one for the ear, too. The musical score is at times haunting and sometimes absolutely terrifying. The cast have put their heart and soul into creating characters who are going through a living hell to the point they can’t even rely on their own memories, and even if they ask the apparently simple questions ‘Who am I? What’s my name?‘ the answer they are given could shock them to their core.
Once again, I’m skirting around giving a plot description because I want people to experience all those shocking twists and surprises in the film. For me to say more would be releasing too many spoilers into the wild. However, what I can say is that you will be in for one hell of a horror treat. There are scenes in the film that are so original to filmmaking that they took my breath away when I saw them. And it’s not just about gore and bloody frights, the way it has been filmed absolutely nailed my attention to the screen. If you get chance, watch the trailer before you see The Protos Experiment, and you will be treated to some amazing glimpses of what the film has in store for you.
Q. You co-wrote the script with co-director Brian Avenet-Bradley. How did the collaboration
come about and what was the process of you writing together?
A. I’d never written a film script before, though I had scripted my novel The Night of the Triffids as an audio drama for Big Finish. A couple of years ago, I was taking the dog for a walk – throwing sticks for Mylo is prime thinking time for me – and suddenly I decided the time was right to tackle a film script. I set out to write something that could be shot on a tiny budget with just a couple of very basic sets in a studio. Long story short, I sent the script to Julian Richards, a film sales agent I’d met years ago. Julian liked the script and sent it to Brain and Laurence Avenet-Bradley. They loved what I’d written. Shortly after that, we talked by Zoom – Brian and Laurence live in LA, I live in Yorkshire – and they said they wanted to turn my script into a movie, which was a moment of heart-pounding excitement to hear that news. But they had something important to tell me. Something HUGE. “We want to make your story much, much bigger,” they revealed. “We want to use lots of different locations.” That’s when the collaboration began.
Brian and I worked on a re-write of the script with a lot of input from Lawrence who had amazingly ambitious ideas, which would make what I’d originally envisage, as a small horror movie shot in one studio, into something that would be set in deserts, mountain ranges and eerie mine workings.
The actual writing process with Brian went very smoothly. We brainstormed during Zoom meetings, with Lawrence contributing ideas, then Brian and I emailed the script back and forth, each of us adding scenes and shaping the story. We worked extremely well together and found we could really make the creative sparks fly as we built up this drama of dystopian terror.
Q. Were there any changes from the original script during filming?
A. There was very little in the way of changes. Mainly the changes during filming were to add a line here and there about a prop that an actor would be handling, or to accommodate the physical layout of the set, such as a character saying something like, “Head for that doorway.“
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. First and foremost, to be entertained. Brian and Laurence have created a ferociously exciting film. It’s a white-knuckle ride of a psychological horror-thriller. It also has heart, and it encourages the audience to think about what makes us ‘us’. I hope people take away the enjoyment of seeing a great action horror film, and I also believe the issues raised about identity will resonate with viewers for a long time afterwards. After all, when we look in the mirror, what do we truly know about ourselves?
Q. You have also written a connecting novelisation called The Protos Experiment. Did this come before or after the script and how does it connect?
A. The novelization came after the script. Most people who write novelizations work from the script only. I was in a rare and very fortunate position that I could use the script, and I had an early version of the film I could watch. The novel closely follows the film; however, I was able to look inside the characters’ heads and describe what they were thinking. Also, I could use other ‘written word’ techniques to build up the sense of dread and horror in the story. At first, I did wonder whether I should avoid adding events that don’t appear in the film, but Brian and Laurence encouraged me to expand the story, and to write a novel that would be epic in scale with huge action scenes and hi-octane horror. I’m immensely proud of the novel and I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. In the early 90s I wrote an apocalyptic horror-thriller called Blood Crazy where everyone over the age of nineteen becomes murderously insane, thereby triggering the collapse of civilization. I was amazed how it become a cult favourite amongst fans and recently I decided to turn Blood Crazy into a series of novels. These are appearing now. I’m just about to start work on a new horror novel.
There’ll be more news about that on my Twitter/X feed in the coming weeks.
Q. If someone was looking to write their own script what advice would you give them?
A. Go ahead! Write the script! You might only just be beginning to learn the technical side of scriptwriting, but you can plunge right in and tell the story you want to tell. Also, try and go to film festivals like Horror-on-Sea and go to conventions like Fantasycon in the UK where you will meet like-minded people – including writers and individuals involved with filmmaking. You never know, you might start talking to a fellow attendee who says, “I know a director who needs a great horror script.” You might be that writer with the finished script on their computer. That’s when the most exciting adventure of your life begins….
The Protos Experiment will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 18th 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!
