While Eating Miss Campbell is tearing it up on the festival run, Writer and Director Liam Regan was kind enough to answer a few questions for Positively Horror. Please enjoy the full interview below:
I was a video shop kid, so everytime my mum took me inside the video rental store, I would be summoned to the horror section. Not sure what I was being summoned by, more than likely the gnarly video cover artwork. I remember picking up a rental VHS of A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, and admiring Graham Humphrey's artwork.
What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?
I must have only been around five years old when I was peering down from our staircase, whilst my Mum was watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) the movie disturbed me, and I'll never forget that moment.
Your new film Eating Miss Campbell is going down a treat on the festival circuit at the moment, could you tell us a bit about the film and your inspiration behind it?
Thanks, it seems to be playing festivals all over at the moment, which I'm truly grateful for, especially in Europe, they seem to love screening the film. However, I do love reading the divisive reviews for the movie, the film certainly seems to be splitting audiences down the middle, and for me, the best type of creative endeavours (in any genre) should always strive to do that, especially independent films. I don't want to come off as pretentious by calling the movies that I make as "art", but I truly believe that independent horror/comedy should be provocative, dangerous and most of all... fun!
The UK indie horror scene is absolutely booming with great work from people like Mycho, Charlie Steeds and Dark Rift Horror to name just a few. How does it feel to be part of this great time for UK indie cinema?
I love it! It's such a movement to be reckoned with! And it's also great when film festivals such as FrightFest in London, Dead Northern in York and The Dead of Night Film Festival in Southport champion local and homegrown talent.
You delight as much in the bad reviews as the good for your work, which is a great attitude to have. Did it take time to get to that point or have you always had that mindset?
I'm still wrestling with that attitude, I remember the world premiere of Eating Miss Campbell at FrightFest in London, it was a jam packed sold out screening, everyone laughing and cheering, so the general consensus was that people enjoyed the movie, it was possibly the greatest evening of my life, surrounded by some of my closest friends. I returned back to my hotel room at around 3am the following morning, sitting on the toilet seat, and decided to look at the reviews on Letterboxd and IMDb, which was a HUGE mistake! However, when the online reviewers give you sour lemons, you have no other choice, but to make the sweetest nectar of lemon juice that's ever touched a human being's taste buds!
What is your favourite horror trope?
Hmm, my favourite horror trope? Well, I love horror movies where inanimate objects come to life and kill, so the killer doll sub-genre, which also includes puppets, etc. So the majority of movies from Full Moon Pictures and the Child's Play films too!
What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?
More envelope pushing, and taking risks. I think cinema can be too safe these days, I always tend to gravitate to movies that are no holds barred.
Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?
I'm going to forget someone, but I do wanna shout out Vito Trigo who plays Mr. Sawyer in both My Bloody Banjo and Eating Miss Campbell, the guy is a powerhouse of a performer. I've never met a talent with that much dedication and passion, in bringing a character to life, if I know Vito is in a movie, I'll watch that film, just for his performance alone, he's such a sweetheart of a human being too!
And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?
Right now we're just working the festival circuit and screening Eating Miss Campbell at film festivals worldwide. I'm looking at launching my UK Blu-ray and DVD distribution label next year "Refuse Films", we'll be releasing My Bloody Banjo: Director's Cut domestically, along with a newly acquired feature length movie titled I Need You Dead!
Thank you again to Liam for the great interview. Please check out the link below to keep up to date on his work:
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