Exclusive Horror-on-Sea interview with ‘Mama’s Boy’ Writer and Director Laura Makai
Film Name: Mama’s Boy
Director: Laura Makai
Writer: Laura Makai
Starring: Jane Mcdowell, Caleb O’Brien, Fran St Clair
The tension between a bitter, ageing mother and her son’s radiant girlfriend comes to a head when the son, Conner, starts hinting at marriage. But how far will Darla’s motherly love and jealousy go? And what price does Tiffany have to pay to stay in her relationship with Conner?
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask writer-director Laura Makaia a few questions about her film ‘Mama’s Boy’.
‘Mama’s Boy’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 20:00pm
Q. Your film Mama’s Boy has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. Expect to be uncomfortable and disgusted is the best way I can describe this film. The vibe of this film is deeply disturbing while also looking perfectly normal with a bit of a fairy tale love story look at times. It’s like when you’re in a serious situation, but you have your rose-tinted glasses on, which is basically what Caleb’s character Conner is doing to Tifanny. Keep her keen to get to his end goal.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for Mama’s Boy?
A. My exploring horror stemmed from wanting to express my frustrations and how I see things, and as a lot of people do, I spent a lot of time on the internet. I came across clips from a series about women dating mama’s boys and thought “If I was in this situation, what would be the worst-case scenario?” and after doing some thinking, this film is what came to mind. A lot of people asked me if The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) was an influence but funnily enough I only watched that film after I wrote this. But in the end that ended up influencing me as we moved forward in how I see Conner and my other characters.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. At the time of writing this and coming up with the visual style, I was influenced by films like Fresh (2022), The Menu (2022) and Midsommar (2019). Especially in set design, and tone. I wanted to be grounded in reality with the series of events happening, but I wanted to tell a lot of the story through the set design, the colours, spaces, and costumes. And as I mentioned, after being recommended The Silence of The Lambs, both the cinematographer Henry and I took great inspiration from that film.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. We did make very subtle changes but nothing that particularly changed the story from its original path. I had a pretty clear idea of what I would like to happen and why, and by the time we got to filming, the script has been though several rewrites. The changes we did make were due to how I see the actor – character relationship. I believe that while I write my characters and I know them like I know myself, the actors are the ones that step in the characters’ shoes. So, I spoke to my actors and let them know that if the dialogue doesn’t feel right or if they have suggestions, I am more than happy to discuss and so they did. But again, we stayed pretty true to the script.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. I think this shoot was probably the most fun I have ever been on. It was my first-time casting and directing actors on a project of this nature and we had a blast. Especially when we were doing the scenes with the fake skin and seeing Jane, playing Darla, wearing Fran (Tiffany’s) face. Filming that final scene with the mask on and the dancing gave me the chills. Very uncomfortable but also excited chills. And just in general I have to highlight how wonderful it was to work with this crew and the cast. They were all so wonderful.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. No film comes without its challenges for sure. But I am pleased to say we didn’t have anything that we couldn’t fix during production. The one regret we did have is that for our final dancing scene, we were suggested to use Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra and we fell so in love with that song during the final scene that it was hard to let go. But our wonderful composer Josh Rowe and performer Richard Soane whipped up another song for us to use which we were very happy about as well.
Q. What makes Mama’s Boy stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. This film definitely falls under psychological horror. And instead of the intention of scaring you, it aims more to disturb and disgust. And I think this film doesn’t shy away from showing the uncomfortable topic of mama’s boys and inappropriate family relationships not just as they are but as they feel to those who have had to be in relationships like this. Tiffany has to stay young and beautiful but take on Darla’s motherly nature while Darla has everything Conner wants except for youth. And these things are both often expected from women in relationships. This film is just an exaggerated way of showing it because that is how it feels.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope that the audience is horrified because then the film would have done its job! And hopefully, they will be able to see Conner’s intention and motivations behind his actions and if they are stuck in a relationship such as this (although hopefully less extreme) they may give it some thought.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Myself and the whole crew are recent graduates, and speaking for myself, I’m trying to figure out adult life at the moment so nothing solid, but I have a few ideas swimming around in my head, waiting for the right time to emerge…
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Observe other people. And I don’t just mean watch videos and documentaries of your favourite directors and writers on how they do stuff, but get on set. See how things work, see how the director interacts with their crew and actors and take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. Film is best learned on the job.
What I found to be the best mindset for me is that while I am the writer and director, film is a collaborative process. I am not here to dictate I am here to lead. Because every person on your crew and cast is a creative with ideas and talent and if you don’t allow them to have those creative discussions with you, and you are not open to seeing alternative ideas, you may be missing out on things that would make your film even better.
You need to be able to take criticism. Constructive and rude criticism because you will get both and it will hurt. Take it if it’s constructive and move forward. I separate director me and real me and I found that works for me.
When it comes to writing, identify what you want to actually say with what you are writing. Ask yourself “does this add to the plot and tell the story the way I intended to tell it?”. Again, feedback is so important. And of course, practice.
You can find out more about Laura Makai on her website, Linkedin and follow on Instagram
‘Mama’s Boy’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 20:00pm
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!
