I Scream on the Beach! (2020)
Directors: Alexander Churchyard, Michael Holiday
Writers: Alexander Churchyard, Michael Holiday, Max Davenport (Original Story)
Actors: Hannah Paterson, Dani Thompson, Reis Daniel, Jamie Evans, Lloyd Kaufman
In the small seaside town of Mellow Coast, Emily (Hannah Paterson) is trying to discover what has happened to her father, but as she searches for answers her friends start getting picked off one-by-one by an unknown killer.
In a new interview in the series leading up to Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask I Scream on the Beach! co-writer/director Michael Holiday a few questions about what we can expect from the film.
Q. Your latest horror film I Scream on the Beach! has been selected to play at Horror-on- Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A very silly low budget tribute to 70’s/80’s horror films. Think masked killers, inappropriate puns, practical effects and even a Goblin inspired soundtrack for good measure.
Q. You co-wrote the film with Alexander Churchyard based on an original story from Max Davenport. What were some of your inspirations when writing the script for the film?
This is difficult to talk about without spoiling some of the big mysteries within the film, but this dates back to a series of shorts Alex started making with Max when they were children and then I joined in about 14 years ago now. Alex came to me back in 2014 (I think) with an idea for a feature length version and then we set about putting it to paper over the course of a couple of years. Mostly written in a pub, which I think sets the perfect tone for this film.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
As I said, a lot of the film is inspired by horror from the 70’s and 80’s. So we watched lots of Giallo and Slashers during the making of this. But we also take a lot of influence from stuff like Evil Dead (1983), Basketcase (1982), The Beyond (1981). The idea was basically to take those sort of films but put them in a very British setting. In this case, a small fishing village. It was a lot of fun trying to imagine what a Argento movie set on the English seaside might be like. Probably nothing like this film, but the intention was there ha ha.
We wanted the film to feel like a weird obscure film from that time that had been forgotten about. We’ve even gone as far to make the whole thing look like a dodgy old faded VHS tape, complete with trailers before hand.
Q. Where there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
We actually added a whole new character in while filming! I don’t want to say too much about that because it’s a ridiculous moment, but it ended up being one of my favourite characters in the film. Also the opening of the film was changed fairly significantly to accommodate the location we ended up shooting in. We went through so many iterations of the script in pre production that changes during filming didn’t feel that bad. If you read the first draft of this film it’s basically unrecognisable from the finished product.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
Mostly the weather! Filming outside on a beach in late winter/early spring is obviously unpredictable, but we survived. Dealing with practical effects in harsh conditions is a challenge as well. I never expected to have to be rushing people through a shot because the blood was turning solid from the cold!
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
The third day of the shoot was one that really stood out. The first couple of days we only had 1 or 2 cast members involved and it was mostly just myself and Alex working behind the camera, which basically felt like many of the shorts we’ve worked on over the years. Then suddenly the third day hit and we had this location booked out for the whole weekend. We had 12-15 cast members, multiple cameras, people dressing sets, script supervising, preparing food. It suddenly all felt like a real film for the first time. We had this ridiculous schedule to get through (I think we had planned 120 shot set ups) and everyone was just working together super hard to get it done. All I could think was, who are these crazy, wonderful people who are letting us put them though this!
Q. The film includes a cameo from independent filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman, what was he like to work with on the film?
We actually have you to thank for that Philip! Last year you covered a short film I made (The Ratman of Southend), and while we were talking I mentioned being a big fan of Lloyd. We’d spoken way before the film went into production about getting him involved somehow but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Then we found out it would on less than 24 hours notice! I remember legging it around Soho trying to find a suitable location to shoot this scene with only about 40 minutes to go! One of the most stressful but fun moments of the entire production for me personally.
Working with him was great, totally professional and just a nice guy to be around. He’s full of so many great stories, I wish we could have spent the whole day just listening to them.
Q. What makes I Scream on the Beach! stand out as something different in the horror genre?
While this film is intended to be a throwback to a certain style of film, we’ve really tried hard to ensure it feels as original as possible. It’s intended to be a light hearted tribute, rather than just ripping off what many fantastic filmmakers have already done.
I think the setting really adds to that. Think about how annoying it would be if you just wanted to go to the local village pub but you’ve got to deal with mad scientists and a black gloved serial killer first?
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
I hope they just have fun with it! We’re massive fans of horror and we made this film for a horror festival audience. Grab a few beers, switch your brain off and enjoy. I think people will have an opinion on the last 20 minutes one way or another…
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
We’re working on a whole bunch of stuff, it’s just a matter of what ends up coming first at this point. We’ve been putting together a horror anthology film that we’re really excited about. I’m working on and off on three different feature scripts at the moment and I know Alex has some plans for some shorts next year.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
You asked me this last year and I said the standard ‘just do it’ so I guess I’ve got to come up with something different this time ha ha. I don’t think people should underestimate how useful the internet is for finding cast and crew. Put your project ideas out there, wherever you can and people will want to get involved. One example of this, I put a random post on Reddit about wishing I could get Goblin to score our low budget horror film, a month later I suddenly got a message from Cœur and we ended up working with him for the next 9 months on this absolutely fantastic soundtrack, the whole experience was so easy because he understood what we were trying to do. It’s easier than it has ever been to find like minded people to collaborate with!
ou can keep up to date with news for ‘I Scream on the Beach! on the following social media Twitter– Facebook – Instagram
I Scream on the Beach will be playing at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 12th January at 20:00 hrs
You can find out more about Horror-on-Sea and purchase tickets for the festival 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!
