Film Name: MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW
Directors: Jake West, Airell Anthony Hayles, Andy Edwards, Ludovica Musumeci
Writers: Andy Edwards, Airell Anthony Hayles, Jake West
Starring: Chiara D’Anna, Richard Cotton, Sarah Diamond, Roisin Browne
A Madame owns a Soho Peep Show with a difference – the sights on offer are tailor made to its customers’ deepest sinful fears. Tonight it welcomes a businessman who has a unique connection to an extreme fantasy website. He becomes witness to three stories of victims that found the website. But now the Midnight Peepshow has found him, it’s only a matter of time before he’s made to pay the ultimate price for dabbling in the dark side of desire. This is a twisted portmanteau horror threesome exploring the nightmare side of psychosexual fantasy.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask co-writer/co-director Airell Anthony Hayles a few questions about Midnight Peepshow which will make its World Premier at Arrow FrightFest on Friday August 26th at 23:00
Q. Your film MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW has been selected to play at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film and your segment?
A. Yes, we’re delighted the film has selected by Frightfest. We can’t express enough the child like excitement that fills us up each year when the event rolls into town like a dark carnival, with the ring leaders of Paul, Alan, Ian and Greg!
Just like the festival itself, audiences can expect a different mix of moods and emotions from Midnight Peepshow as four very different directors have brought their own voices to the project.
With my segment, Personal Space, people will hopefully enjoy a new twist of the ye olde’ home invasion story. I like the direct and alarming energy of home invasion stories, from
the extreme French thriller Inside (2007) to the brilliant high concept of Don’t Breathe (2016) Without wanting to give too much away, the story was inspired by watching a home invasion film unfold and hoping it would go in a certain direction, which that one didn’t. This one does…
Q. How did you get involved in the horror anthology and what attracted you to the film?
A. I got involved in this anthology as the writer of most of it. But the middle section wasn’t working so we teamed with Andy Edwards when he presented us with a fun high concept that we hadn’t seen done before. Two of the segments are pretty full on at times, so we wanted the middle story to be a bit lighter and comic in tone. Though it leads with the horror over the comedy. When Jake West got involved, we re- wrote the segment ‘The Black Rabbit which he was set to direct. As well as the wraparound story as it shared characters from his segment. In that final re- write we ramped up the horror and thriller elements even further. We wanted to offer audiences a powerful, potent cocktail…
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for your segment of MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW?
A. What attracted me to the story, or rather collection of stories, was a desire to dive deep into the dark side of sexual fantasy. To look at the creepy crawlies scattering about in our subconscious. And put a microscope over them.
The influence in writing the first version of the script was to forge a fusion between the old sleazy Soho Peepshow booths, with the sensibility of Amicus horror portmanteau films, or the old school Twilight Zone episodes. The idea of presenting nightmarish sides of sexual desire, and adding a link to the Alice in Wonderland story, burned bright throughout the writing.
The influence behind my segment, Personal Space, was the cinema of Michael Haneke, Gaspar Noe, and Lars Von Trier. All masters in weaving dark, transgressive stories. Film Nior was also an influence, along with the desire to tell a small, slightly sad story about a couple who have lost the ability to communicate effectively with each other
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. My influences for the look and style of the film are varied. For the general look of the Midnight Peepshow, and the Madame working inside of it, there was a desire to channel a David Lynch weird world quality. The Peepshow is a shape shifting phantom entity. It finds people, rather than them finding it. We did research, with production designer Jason Kelvin, into how the old booths would have looked, and we put a twist on that. And our very talented DOP Vince Knight lit it in a slightly ethereal way.
The look of the story ‘Personal Space’ came from a desire to evoke a small claustrophobic studio flat based in Soho above a night club. The flat had neon lights flashing through the windows. Basically, the couple, already in a bad place emotionally, were further being attacked on all sides by the outside Soho world. It’s bright lights, and noises became a third character sat in there with them.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. As to whether the script changed in production, of course it did, and for the better. Once actors get involved the baton is handed from to writers/ directors to them. They start to know your characters better than you did. The best part of film making is seeing actors bring characters and the character lines to life. (The second-best thing is connecting a film to an audience) In the moment, during filming, lines get cut, cause a look says it better. Or a line might change because it was over written, or just didn’t sound right. You sort of chip away at the sculpture all to way to when the film is locked as a final version.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Some of my favourite moments during filming, in no particular order, were-having a curry with Zach Galligan from Gremlins after he recorded a special voice over for the film. I love curry, and I love the movie Gremlins. It was nearly too much for my brain to take. A second memory was getting to the end of a very hard day of filming, after Jake West worked his magic on the scenes. We needed three days to shoot those scenes, and he did it in a day. I learned a lot that day, watching him work (and being aware that he was executing a plan he’d painstaking put together in pre- production) A third memory is of course finally wrapping the film. My segment suffered three covid related shutdowns, which of course was very stressful. After we called the final cut- that beer I necked tasted really fxxking good.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. As to whether we experienced any issues during filming. None I can think of, it all went really smoothly… I’m joking. There were issues to overcome each hour or so. Aside the fore mentioned Covid shutdowns around the Personal Space shoot, there were all the usual hurdles you encounter when shooting an ambitious, multi-location script, with makeup effects, on a low budget. You hustle. You think hard around how to use your time best. You ask people nicely for favours way too much. And you wish you didn’t have to, but you just do. It builds character I guess, which is the silver lining. I’m forever the optimist. Hard as it all was, it was great being teamed up with the exceptionally talented producer Dovile Kirvelaityte, who juggled an amazing amount of things each day.
Q. What makes MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. As to what makes Midnight Peepshow stand out as being something different in the horror genre, I think it’s because it’s a strange and sometimes very dark collection of tales. With the final tale, The Black Rabbit, it was fun to see Jake West (who often brings a lighter tone to his projects) create something much stronger in its horror. I struggle to find other films to compare this too. There are lots of other portmanteau films, but none to my mind, that so aggressively mine the dark side of sexual fantasy and desire.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. As to what I hope people will take away after watching the film, I think often people take out what they bring to it. Their responses often reveal a lot about them. That said, we certainly set out to make a genre piece that often delivers a horror vibe, whilst also skirting around a more reflective, and melancholy narrative. We hope parts of the movie stay with people, so as they get home and get into bed, they wonder why a particular moment keeps cycling in their mind. And what that might say about them.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. As to other projects that I’m currently working on, there’s Werewolf Santa, which got delayed for re- shoots, and because so many projects turned up all at once. Also, in post-production is The Krampus Calendar, a found footage film about an urban legend about a cursed Advent calendar. Grotto is also currently being filmed, which is about a haunted Santa’s Grotto. Yes, you read that right. We were given access to a huge walk-through Christmas grotto. So naturally we put a dark twist on all that, as it was a unique location. Too many times in horror, everything is set in a house or the woods, so it’s good to find new spaces. Unloved Ones is also in post-production, which is another home invasion horror film, also with a unique twist and starring Jamie Winstone (Donkey Punch) and Chiara D’ Anna (Duke of Burgundy, Midnight Peepshow) Finally, myself and Jake West have a crazy new idea that we’ll be turning into a screenplay very soon. So, lots on the slab…
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. If someone is looking to write and direct a feature film here’s the advice, I’d give… Hit the gym. It’s tough running about on set each day. Avoid sugar. Cause you’ll suffer an energy crash in the middle of making a tough decision. Look at your current day job and work out how many hours you can actually put into making your film. Cause film making demands your soul. So, you’d better love it! Or you’ll never survive the mental and physical assault course it is. Have a screenplay. Things happen if you do. If you market it. If it’s good. Just an idea is not enough. With directing, make the film as much as you can in pre- production. Cause in the moment, as a director, it’s like you’re a port in a storm. But the port can’t blow away, cause then everyone gets scared, and confidence drops. Be clear in your vision, tell people it clearly. Over and over… And finally. Be cool and kind and thoughtful. Cause most people that are part of this mad circus of a lifestyle are under stress, while trying to create something special for audiences. And I always respect those that create something, even if it’s it doesn’t fully work. Cause it’s so fxxking hard. But film making is the best thing EVER. It’s allure to those outside or inside the industry never dies.
You can find out more about the Festival and purchase tickets here: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/
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!
