News

Writer/Director William McGregor Takes Us Inside the World of ‘Gwen’

Published

5 years ago

August 14, 2019

For William McGregor, the story of Gwen, his new slow-burn thriller began with a student film he made called Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite? ten years ago.

The writer and director had long been fascinated by folklore and fairy tales and he was encouraged by a colleague to explore the region of North Wales along with its folklore, mythology, and history.

When the time was right, that’s exactly what he did.

“I traveled up to North Wales and stayed in a little cottage there and just explored the landscape and read about the history of the space,” McGregor told iHorror in a recent interview. “The fairy tale that I made as a student film very much grew into this film that used the folklore as the inspiration behind it rather than being a fairy tale itself.”

That story became Gwen, a film about a young woman (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) who lives on an isolated farm with her mother Elen (Maxine Peake) and her younger sister Mari (Jodie Innes).

Life is difficult for the three, and becomes even more challenging as Elen falls ill and the mining company who wants their land begins to move against them, firing up their fellow villager’s suspicions.

It’s a film that uses dread as its underscoring emotion and McGregor navigates that perilous landscape beautifully.

“I think that’s been why horror has been most powerful to me and I think that’s why I’ve always liked folklore and horror stories about witchcraft,” he said. “Often it’s just that someone has a different belief than you and you’re afraid of them. I think that’s when horror is most interesting is when the horror is real. It can be visualized by something fantastic or supernatural but it’s representative of a true fear we all have.”

McGregor also recognizes the real boon he had in the cast that was assembled for the film.

Worthington-Cox at only 16 years old had already received a BAFTA nomination for her work in The Enfield Haunting which told the story of a girl possessed by a dark spirit in the home she shared with her mother and siblings. She’s an actress of surprising depth who really understood the who Gwen was and what the film was about.

“And Maxine is an actress that I was a huge fan of,” he explained. “She’s also someone who has an interest in folk tales and folk stories as well as having a slight anti-capitalist perspective and that really worked for the film. It was a lot of like-minded people working together really.”

In the film, the mining company is in control of everything in the village and it was important to McGregor to show how that kind of power can be abusive and corrupting to everything that it touches.

In fact, not even the church was beyond the company’s control and became another tool to use against Gwen and her family.

“If you’re outside of that system, you’re going to be abused,” McGregor pointed out. “We have these independent women who are living alone and maybe one of them has beliefs that are different and more reliant on the land and pagan beliefs. They’re going to be feared and the town was going to try to remove them.”

In truth, audiences are not entirely sure what is actually happening to this family until the final moments of the film, and by that time, McGregor firmly has you in his grasp.

“I think if you’re making a film about dread and a fear of what you don’t understand, it has to be about atmosphere and surviving in that world,” he said. “If you can be disciplined as a filmmaker, you can get inside people’s heads even more.”

McGregor obviously has that discipline, and Gwen is a testament to his dedication as a storyteller and filmmaker.

Gwen will be available in theaters and on demand this Friday, August 16, 2019. Check out the trailer below!

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Movies

’47 Meters Down’ Getting Third Movie Called ‘The Wreck’

Published

6 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadline is reporting that a new 47 Meters Down installment is heading into production, making the shark series a trilogy.

“Series creator Johannes Roberts, and screenwriter Ernest Riera, who wrote the first two films, have co-written the third installment: 47 Meters Down: The Wreck.” Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) will direct.

The first two films were a moderate success, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The second film is titled 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.

^{47 Meters Down}

The plot for The Wreck is detailed by Deadline. They write that it involves a father and daughter trying to repair their relationship by spending time together scuba diving into a sunken ship, “But soon after their descent, their master diver has an accident leaving them alone and unprotected inside the labyrinth of the wreck. As tensions rise and oxygen dwindles, the pair must use their newfound bond to escape the wreck and the relentless barrage of bloodthirsty great white sharks.”

The filmmakers are hoping to present the pitch to the Cannes market with production starting in the fall.

“47 Meters Down: The Wreck is the perfect continuation of our shark-filled franchise,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “This film will once again have moviegoers terrified and on the edge of their seats.”

Johannes Roberts adds, “We can’t wait for audiences to be trapped underwater with us again. 47 Meters Down: The Wreck is going to be the biggest, most-intense film of this franchise.”

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News

‘Wednesday’ Season Two Drops New Teaser Video That Reveals Full Cast

Published

9 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Netflix announced this morning that Wednesday season 2 is finally entering production. Fans have been waiting a long time for more of the creepy icon. Season one of Wednesday premiered in November of 2022.

In our new world of streaming entertainment, it isn’t uncommon for shows to take years to release a new season. If they release another one at all. Even though we will likely have to wait quite a while to see the show, any news is good news.

The new season of Wednesday looks to have an amazing cast. Jenna Ortega (Scream) will be reprising her iconic role as Wednesday. She will be joined by Billie Piper (Scoop), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Noah Taylor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

We will also get to see some of the amazing cast from season one making a return. Wednesday season 2 will feature Catherine-Zeta Jones (Side Effects), Luis Guzman (Genie), Issac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time), and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs).

If all of that star power wasn’t enough, the legendary Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas) will be directing the series. As a cheeky nod from Netflix, this season of Wednesday will be titled Here We Woe Again.

Jenna Ortega Wednesday — Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams

We don’t know much about much about what Wednesday season two will entail. However, Ortega has stated that this season will be more horror focused. “We’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror. It’s really, really exciting because, all throughout the show, while Wednesday does need a little bit of an arc, she never really changes and that’s the wonderful thing about her.”

That’s all the information that we have. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Movies

A24 Reportedly “Pulls Plug” On Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake’ Series

Published

10 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Film studio A24 might not be going forward with its planned Peacock Friday the 13th spinoff called Crystal Lake according to Fridaythe13thfranchise.com. The website quotes entertainment blogger Jeff Sneider who made a statement on his webpage through a subscription paywall.

“I’m hearing that A24 has pulled the plug on Crystal Lake, its planned Peacock series based on the Friday the 13th franchise featuring masked killer Jason Voorhees. Bryan Fuller was due to executive produce the horror series.

It’s unclear whether this is a permanent decision or a temporary one, as A24 had no comment. Perhaps Peacock will help the trades shed more light on this project, which was announced back in 2022.”

Back in January 2023, we reported that some big names were behind this streaming project including Bryan Fuller, Kevin Williamson, and Friday the 13th Part 2 final girl Adrienne King.

“‘Crystal Lake info from Bryan Fuller! They officially start writing in 2 weeks (writers are here in the audience).” tweeted social media writer Eric Goldman who tweeted the info while attending a Friday the 13th 3D screening event in January 2023. “It will have two scores to choose from – a modern one and a classic Harry Manfredini one. Kevin Williamson is writing an episode. Adrienne King will have a recurring role. Yay! Fuller has pitched four seasons for Crystal Lake. Only one officially ordered so far though he notes Peacock would have to pay a pretty hefty penalty if they didn’t order a Season 2. Asked if he can confirm Pamela’s role in the Crystal Lake series, Fuller replied ‘We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters’ (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason there!)'”

Whether or not Peacock is moving forward with the project is unclear and since this news is secondhand information, it still has to be verified which will require Peacock and/or A24 to make an official statement which they have yet to do.

But keep checking back to iHorror for the latest updates to this developing story.

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