News

“Ghost House”: Behind the Scenes with Kevin and Rich Ragsdale

Published

7 years ago

September 1, 2017

When Kevin Ragsdale and his wife had their first child, they decided to take him to Thailand (his wife’s country of origin) to introduce him to the family. Kevin’s brother Rich and Rich’s girlfriend tagged along, and while dealing with considerable jet lag, the two decided to take a walk through the surrounding jungle. Little did they know that their late night stroll would lead to inspiration.

As Rich and his girlfriend continued their trek, they came to a clearing. Around the clearing, they found numerous “retired” ghost houses in various states disarray.

“My first reaction was this is really cool,” Rich laughed. “And then, you know, we’re poking around and it suddenly occurs to me that maybe this is a little stupid!”

You see, ghost houses are an ancient tradition in Southeast Asia. The small, often elaborate structures are placed outside homes and businesses set aside as a sacred space for spirits who might visit the structure. It’s meant to appease those spirits, but to also set up a place to commune with the spirits of nature. They are highly regarded and are literally set on pedestals among the communities.

The repository, a ghost house graveyard as the brothers came to call it, set a fire in their imaginations.

“It was something we’d never seen before in an American horror film,” Kevin pointed out, “but we thought it could be very cool and that American audiences would be open to it.”

Kevin and Rich sat down to flesh out the story and then brought in screenwriters because, as they both admitted, dialogue isn’t their strong suit, and soon their script was complete.

Scout Taylor-Compton and James Landry Hebert with the crew on set of Ghost House.

Aptly named, Ghost House, centers on Julie and Jim, an American couple played by Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween 2) and James Landry Hebert (Super 8, “Westworld”), on a romantic vacation in tropical Thailand. When Julie disturbs an old ghost house, she soon finds herself both haunted and hunted by an angry female spirit.

Now that they had a script, it was time to work for funding which the brothers tell me wasn’t the easiest quest.

“Yeah, it took a while when we’re telling people why don’t you help us fund this movie in Thailand…where you’ll have no control,” Rich explains.

“And it’s halfway around the world,” Kevin piped in.

“Come on,” Rich said, “no one does anything weird with their money in Thailand!”

Behind the Scenes Still provided by Rich Ragsdale

Regardless, the funding was finally secured and casting began in earnest with Taylor-Compton and Hebert coming onto the project rather quickly. The largest question mark for the brothers became casting the Thai cast. They had no idea what the local acting pool was like, and the language barrier presented its own problem, especially for the pivotal character of Gogo, Julie and Jim’s driver and the man who ultimately explains the ghost houses and helps them when things get terrifying.

Their blessing came in Michael S. New. The actor, who is half-Thai, Half-Canadian was perfect for the role that was based on the Ragsdales’ driver on their own fateful trip to Thailand.

Through it all, it seemed that, though it was definitely work getting started, the way things fell together was kismet. Acclaimed make-up and prosthetic designer Vincent Van Dyke set to work designing the phenomenal special effects make-ups for a shoot that was made up of predominantly practical effects.

Meanwhile, Rich, who was already directing the film, set to work composing a glorious score made up of orchestral pieces that paid homage to great classic horror films, synth-style compositions as a nod to the horror scores of John Carpenter, and a mixture of local ethnic Thai musical sounds. When the three come together, they create something that works in ways you cannot imagine, and I, for one, hope the score is released on CD or in download form, as well, for genre fans who love the music as much as the acting.

What’s more, the film spans the gap between East and West beautifully, a fact that Kevin points out ultimately works due to two distinct factors.

“My wife was there constantly,” he says. “I should have given her a producer’s credit on the film. She was really a guiding force.”

And the other factor? The almost entirely Thai crew.

Rich and Kevin Ragsdale perform a Thai ritual to draw blessings on their first day of shooting.

The Ragsdales spent a lot of time talking to the crew about how they made movies and reinforcing that while it wasn’t really a Thai movie, it ultimately wasn’t an American movie either.

“We really wanted it to be an international film,” Rich finally explained.

The formula worked. Ghost House opened at #2 in the Thailand box office and has continued to see that same sort of welcome throughout Southeast Asia in places like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Malaysia.

The Ragsdales’ production company is currently working on a few different projects and if Ghost House is any indication, I think we can expect great things from KNR Productions!

Ghost House is currently available on Video on Demand. Check out the trailer below!

All photos provided courtesy of Rich Ragsdale

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

15 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

16 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

^{Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott}

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

_{Great Movie Ride}

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

_{Alien Romulus}

^{Alien (1979)}

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

News

Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

18 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.