Film Name: Pareidolia
Director: Aaron Truss
Writer: Aiden Truss
Starring: Diane Franklin, Graham Cole, Carolyn Pickles, Joe Acres, Dawn Perllman and Sandy Johnson
A single woman alone in her house can’t be sure if the changing pictures and shapes around her are real, or whether something is watching her.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask writer Aiden Truss a few questions about the film ‘Pareidolia’ and his book ‘Gape‘.
‘Pareidolia’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 15:00pm
Q. Your film Pareidolia has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. It’s about something we all experience, but probably give little thought to – seeing shapes and faces in everyday objects. But what if there was something evil behind those faces, the manifestation of something that wants to stay hidden? Our main character stumbles across something unnerving while investigating the phenomenon.
Q. What were your influences when writing the script for Pareidolia?
A. It grew from a short story idea that I’d written ages ago, so I had the basic premise. I used to read The Fortean Times magazine – all about the paranormal and mysterious. They used to have a section called ‘Simulacra’ which featured photos of what really should have been called ‘pareidolia’. When it came to writing a proper outline and treatment, the ideas started to flow, and it almost wrote itself. In the back and forth with my son, Aaron, we worked on a few homages and tips of the hat to various people, but they all had to work within the framework of the story. A few reviews have picked up on perceived influence from other works. These are flattering, but I wasn’t conscious of trying to do anything other than write a creepy story.
Q. Were there any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Yes, and for good reasons in terms of pacing (and budget!). Some ideas were just unfilmable with the money and resources we had, and some of the fat was trimmed from the dialogue. Jake West helped, and I had no problem with the suggestions he made. There isn’t the time to indulge your characters in a short film and he understood this.
Q. What was it like working with your son, Aaron (Director) and Stuart Morriss (Producer)?
A. It was great to work with my son. I keep joking about ‘reverse nepotism’ if there is such a thing, as he got me involved in the project. He’s worked on some successful films and I have complete trust that he knows what he’s doing. And he’s as steeped in horror movie lore as I am and so I knew his instincts would be bang on. Stuart was a joy to work with too – mainly because he’d ask for script additions or changes, I’d write them, and he’d agree to nearly everything!
Q. What was it like seeing the finished film for the first time?
A. I’m a bit bashful about my own work – I don’t even read my writing once it’s published, but I did take great pride in being able to show the film to friends and see their reactions. They’ve all been bowled over by the production values and I’m glad to say, some of them were unnerved by the story.
Q. What makes Pareidolia stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. It goes against the current vogue for gore and instead plays on your imagination. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic slasher movies, but I’ve gone from rooting for the kids to escape the maniac to hoping that he/she will up the body count as most of them are so clichéd and annoying.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. Well, it’s a public information film really. Don’t take that shape in the shadows for granted – your life may depend on it!
Q. You are also re-releasing your novel ‘Gape’. Can you tell us a little bit about the book and why you have decided to release it again now?
A. It’s a fantasy horror involving a bored demon swapping places with a young homeless girl. It’s a fish-out-of-water story where he lives among humans with all their frailties, and she takes on his powers. They do this at a time when there’s a civil war breaking out in Hell and she’s swept up into the politics of the infernal realm. It was first published about 10 years ago, but I’m now out of contract with the publishers and decided to re-release it myself as it’s got a bit of a cult following and I keep being asked to write a sequel (which I am now doing!)
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. The sequel to Gape, as mentioned previously. I’ve also got several short stories that I’m hoping to put together in a compendium. I’ve also got a novella based on Dracula on the go, and am re-writing another finished novel on growing up with horror and sci-fi. Apart from that, I’ve not got much on.
Q. If someone was looking to write their own story/screenplay, what advice would you give them?
A. I was fortunate enough to have some insight into the process as I did a year of screenwriting on my BA course years ago but this is the first time I’ve done it for a proper film venture, so I’m in no position to give real advice. All I can say is that the formatting of the screenplay is easier to get to grips with than having to come up with a good story idea. The advice I give on writing books is to read good books – I guess I’d offer similar and say to watch good films.
GAPE: The 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION is now available to buy and download exclusively from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gape-10th-Anniversary-Aiden-Truss/dp/B0CPNQF98H/
‘Pareidolia’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 15:00pm.
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!
