Film Name: Hosticide
Director: Geoff Harmer
Writer: Geoff Harmer and Mark Brennan
Starring Paul Kelly, Jenny Mitchell, Stacy Hart, Andrew Coppin
In another interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival I got a chance to ask, co-writer/director Geoff Harmer a few questions about what we can expect from Hosticide which will be playing at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 14th January at 20:00hrs
Q. Your latest horror film Hosticide has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. Hosticide is a Dark Horror/Thriller. It’s a journey through the mind of a serial killer. When I set out to make it, I wanted to go as dark as I could possibly go, within the constraints that I had. Half of the film is found footage, with the other half jumping into the reality of the situation. Hopefully, you’ll feel uncomfortable with the viewing.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for Hosticide?
A. The themes and ideas behind the film were influenced by the true case of the ‘Crossbow Cannibal’. Back in 2009/2010, a man murdered three sex workers in Bradford. He was caught on CCTV killing his last victim and this led to him being captured and convicted. Our film takes elements of this true crime and blends them into the story and the overall tone of the film.
Q. Did you have any of the actors of actresses in mind when writing the script for the film?
A. The film was actually written with Paul Kelly in mind from the start. I had worked with Paul on a film called A Darker Shade of Red (2010), after which I said to Paul, I needed to shoot something to showcase him in. I started putting together a short-called Addict (2013) which was to be 7 days in the life of a serial killer film, with Paul as the lead. I started shooting and then before I knew it, I was expanding and turning it into a feature film.
I had also worked with Stacy Hart and Andrew Coppin before, so gave them both first refusal on the roles that they played, as I loved their performances in my short films Room 4 (2011) and 8 Ball (2011) respectively.
For the role of Sarah, we auditioned many brilliant actors, and we eventually decided on Jenny Mitchell who was fab in the role.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. From the look perspective, I have always been influenced by the cinematography of Alex Thomson (Legend, Excalibur and The Keep), especially his low angle style of photography, something I was very conscious of emulating when shooting the film. The film was originally graded in Black & White, I felt this would help with the bleak tone of the piece. This version of the film still exists under the title ‘Addict’, but since going back to the film to recut, remaster, etc, I decided to keep most of the colour but desaturate it enough to keep the bleak tone. Changing the name to Hosticide is the right choice for this improved and huge change.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. A good chunk of the film is improvised, for those scenes I would give Paul a guide and then let him go for it. This would help with the visceral and realistic feel of the scenes. The scripted elements remained fairly constant, that was until the ending. The original ending was the ending for the short film version of the film, which I really liked and decided to keep. But when the film screened to a number of audiences, I realised that although this ending was good, it was the ending of the short version of the film and didn’t work so well as the ending for the feature film version. So many months after wrapping the film, we got everyone back to shoot a new ending and some additional scenes to make the ending more effective. It was definitely the right decision.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. The whole film was a blast from start to finish. I honestly couldn’t pinpoint any specific moments. That being said, one of my favourites was probably the scene in the bar near the end of the film. We had lots of friends in the pub all drinking and having fun whilst we shot the “date” scene amongst them. This was also the last scene we shot, so I got to call ‘That’s a Wrap!’ The pub made a lot of money out of us that night.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Plenty! We shot the film with relatively no budget, so we were always having to make do. We only shot at weekends or evening, as people had jobs, etc. So, organisation was a pain! Because we shot the film over about a year, we often had hair changes to look out for. There was one scene where Jenny was feeling really unwell, but she still turned up to filming so that we could get the shot done. We had to roll her into a ditch in the middle of the woods, on a cold evening night, which when you feel like you have flu was not fun for her. The sad thing is that the scene was eventually cut from the film, so her pain was for nothing.
Q. What makes Hosticide stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. For me, the performances from the cast are just fantastic. They are completely believable, and they really put their heart and soul into it. It is incredibly dark and really punches above its weight, considering the little to no budget involved in putting it together. The realistic and serious tone of the film is something that makes this film stand out. With a good blend of found footage and traditional film, the journey Hosticide takes you on will turn your stomach and your mind.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. My intention when I first sat down to plan this film, was always to make people feel as uncomfortable as possible. I want people to have a sense of unease and maybe that feeling of dread that you get when you ‘think’ you know what is about to happen.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. We’ve just recently finished a 3D VR Horror/Comedy short called You Can Cancel at Any Time (2021), which was an awful lot of fun to make and it’s a great thing to experience. To get the best possible viewing experience of it, you really HAVE to watch it with a VR Headset. Going forward we are putting together a short segment for the ‘Virus Detected’ horror anthology film, as well as a ‘fake’ trailer to be included on the ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror’ anthology. Outside of those, my creative partner Peter Hearn is in the middle of writing what we hope will be our next feature film, currently called ‘Punch’ (although the title has changed a number of times). It’s going to be a seaside set horror film, with a folky feel. We’re currently channelling our inner Saint Maud (2019) and De Noorderlingen (1992) vibes.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Find people to join in with you. Don’t do it alone! Network, go to film festivals, talk to other filmmakers. Get involved in what is out there.
But most of all… don’t be a dick!
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!
