Film Name: I Curse this Land
Director: Jackson Batchelor
Starring: Charlie Bond, Annabella Rich, Andrew Elias, Chris Mills, Simon Berry
Alison (Annabella Rich) thinks her dreams have come true, when she finds her dream home, a quiet seaside village pub. Little does she know the pub bears a chilling and inexplicable history of failure and death, rumoured to be cursed by forces of the ancient occult. In the depths of the pub’s storeroom a sinister presence lurks, patiently awaiting her moment for malevolence. When Ally falls for local handyman Matt (Chris Mills) the curse tightens and threatens their very lives. Matt and Ally are forced to turn to the village’s eccentric residents, who may hold the key to the dark secrets that have plagued the village for centuries. Will they overcome the curse or will the Witch have her perpetual revenge?
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds for the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Director Jackson Batchelor a few questions about his film I Curse this Land.
I Curse this Land has been selected to at Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Saturday 20th January at 17:30.
Q. Your film I Curse this Land has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. A fun folk horror film that will, hopefully, make people both jump and laugh.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. We were thinking about Sam Raimi, Drag me to Hell (2009) , in particular with a bit of nightmare on elm street, but we wanted to bring that energy to a folky British setting.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. I particularly enjoyed shooting the set pieces. It was a challenge but incredibly rewarding. The whole team were integral to supporting these effects and it was incredible to watch and be part of the collaborative creative puzzle solving process.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
We were very fortunate to be able to shoot in the pub location for free most of the time, but this meant we were working around closing hours and only for a few hours each evening. Struggling with changing layouts of tables and decorations, and of course it was all set in a tourist trap seaside town during the summer. So even getting there could be a nightmare. Of course no one can blame the pub, we shot over two years and they were very nice and tolerant. But that is something we will certainly consider next time!
Q. What makes stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. That’s for the viewers to decide! We just wanted to make a fun ghost ride experience with characters you fall in love with.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. To me this film is pure escapism. I just hope people come away with a smile, and a creeping feeling that something might be watch them sleep that night.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’ve recently acted in Taped Up Memories (which I co-directed with Sam) and Taped Up Families (directed by Stephen Sibley) which is coming out this year. Both of these are found footage slasher films. We are working on a third part, Taped Up Killer, this year so watch this space.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
Build a good team of people that you trust and let them do what they do best. Collaboration is key and making that a welcome part of your set will only improve your work. Everyone looks at things in a different way and recognising and utilising the best of your team will give you the best results.
I Curse this Land has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on 20th Jan at 17:30pm
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!
