Ghosts, vampires, paranormal experiences and things that go bump in the night—sounds like a recipe for a classic horror film. With writer-director Sean Ellis’ latest film however, ‘The Cursed’ (previously titled ‘Eight For Silver’), the horror comes more so from the facts of the film, not the CGI.
Facts such as a whole village is horrifically wiped out for rightfully claiming land, the fact that children begin to dream about chilling events that transpire just steps away from their home, and the fact that a seemingly perfect family from the outside becomes terrorized by a monstrous being, and one member of said family gets thrust into the horror at its core.
The patriarch of the family unit, Seamus (Alistair Petrie) is partially to blame for the events that unfold, and along with his wife Isabelle (Kelly Reilly), and a werewolf hunter (Boyd Holbrook,) they have to make choices.
Touching on different social issues and shooting in an incredibly evocative style visually, Petrie sat down to discuss what makes ‘The Cursed’ so chilling—without the bells and whistles of typical horror tropes.
What was it about this project that interested you in the first place?
I got an email out of the blue from my agent saying I’m sending a script and have a read…those emails come in with reasonable regularity. The thing that really caught my eye, it had a header saying it’s a film that’s written and directed by Sean Ellis. Sean Ellis had been in my orbit for a few years—I had seen his film ‘Metro Manilo,’ a film I knew nothing about, but I caught it in the cinema when I had some time to kill and I adored it. [When] I discovered ‘Metro Manila’ had been written by Sean Ellis I was completely flummoxed because it was a heist movie set in the Philippines and in the Filipino language…I couldn’t quite square that circle. So, when I read that [this film] was written and directed by Sean Ellis, it was a pretty easy jump to enter into the world of Sean Ellis’ head. He’s a true filmmaker.
Ellis wrote, directed and was involved with the cinematography for ‘The Cursed.’ What were some of the conversations you had with him about his vision, and how was it getting to work with him?
I think first and foremost, as an actor, the first thing you start to talk about is character. Sometimes they see something and then we see something different. What you hope for in that conversation is for the writer—and in this case, the director— to lean towards you and say gosh that’s interesting, I hadn’t thought of that. I think the best writers can get inspired by that, especially when they write something that they didn’t know they were writing… Writers tend to write from some sort of personal, emotional experience, so that’s when things come together and when it is a collaborative conversation.
How did you see your character, Seamus?
There were two aspects really: First and foremost I saw him as an individual, and then the second part to that is the relationship he has with his wife, played by Kelly Reilly. I sort of started with the individual and tried to figure out where he found himself in his life. I think he’s a man who was given a responsibility. Certainly in the UK we have that system where you’re the Lord of the Manor, and then if you have children, the eldest son inherits that whether they want it or not. It’s up to them if they want to run it if they see fit. Oftentimes, that is not the best-suited person.
With Seamus, I felt he inherited this estate and in many ways, it’s not what he would have wanted for his life. But he took on the responsibility and was determined to take it on because that is the right thing to do in his eyes. He is the leader of the community, [and] he makes some horrendous decisions, but I don’t think he’s fundamentally evil at all.
The second part to that is his relationship to Kelly’s character, Isabelle. [Kelly and I] discussed this a lot: They were a couple who met young, they fell in love, and they had children out of love. For whatever reason, they’ve lost each other and they can’t find their way back. That felt [like] a very contemporary human thing that hopefully people will be able to identify with. If they can take a nugget of that, we will be thrilled, because fundamentally with any story there is a human drama.
I’ve always felt that horror films are great vehicles for symbolism and social commentary. Does ‘The Cursed’ follow suit in that?
I think so. Sean talks about how this story comes from writing about and addressing issues with addiction, which I understand. For me, it was about the human side of loss and grief and responsibility and revenge. That’s what I worked on in terms of my character in the story and my relationship with the story. On top of which, you lay the ghastliness and the horror. To your point, I think the horror genre does it really successfully…which is why horror films have done and do so incredibly well. It speaks to audiences and taps into our darkest fears— you know things that go bump in the night. Lets not forget, we’re here to entertain and terrify the hell out of people, so if we can do all of those things successfully then that’s a win.
What’s the atmosphere on set like while working on a horror film?
I remember reading a scene in the movie which is where I’m in my office, it’s late, it’s deserted and there’s a noise—and of course [Seamus] investigates it. It’s the classic audience screaming ‘Don’t go down there you idiot’ [kind of] moment. When I read it, I genuinely wondered is this going to feel really scary? Walking down a corridor late at night and you’re holding a candelabra and it flickers because there’s a cold breeze…But actually, I don’t think I’ve laughed so much on set. And if I achieve anything it’s for the audience to be yelling at me about “going down into the basement.” But there was a lot of levity because we knew we were shooting a beautiful genre beat and a really important part of horror storytelling. We recognized that and celebrated it and that caused a lot of laughter. It was a really happy experience making this movie.
What sets ‘The Cursed’ apart on your eyes?
Primarily the fact it was set on 35 mm film, so it is designed the way it should be—to be viewed on a large scale. Sean’s background is in photography, [and] it was so beautifully made in the way he lights it and the way he creates atmosphere through the use of camera and in-camera effects. He had no desire to rely on CGI, there’s inevitable CGI in any kind of horror film, there has to be. But equally, there was never any desire to pack in as much CGI as possible. Sean is a visual artist, there’s no question and he allows the audience to use their own imagination. It’s a stunning decision.
‘The Cursed’ opens in theaters Feb. 18.
