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Fantasia 2019: Interview with ‘Harpoon’ Star Munro Chambers

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Harpoon Munro Chambers

Harpoon is part of the official selection of the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival, running in Montreal, Quebec. I had the chance to talk with one of the stars of the film, Munro Chambers (Turbo Kid, Knuckleball) about the film, his character, and the human condition.

You can keep an eye out for a full film review, and click here to read my interview with Harpoon‘s writer/director, Rob Grant.


Kelly McNeely: From what I understand, you guys had three days of rehearsal to work on the film before you started. What was that process like and how did that help?

Munro Chambers: It was huge. Because it’s such an intimate film and such a small cast, I think those three days were crucial just to really hammer out the details of the three characters’ history, and just our chemistry of being three best friends who’ve known each other for years, and all of their dirty laundry which they get out on this boat during this crazy ride of a film.

You really need to know how to make each other tick, and it was a lot of fun to find out that with Christopher and Rob, to kind of just play around and talk about certain situations and how we think each other would be, and really identify each character’s faults.

KM: Do you feel like you really got to live in Jonah a bit, or was that a very different character for you? 

MC: I’ve played characters similar to him. What I loved about the script – without giving too much away – is each character has a surface identity that is very evident as you view the film, and they kind of reveal their true colors as it goes on.

The first reveal of Jonah is the smart one, the weak one physically. Emily has all the heart and all the compassion, and Christopher Gray’s character, he has all the rage and the anger, he has all the strength. And as you see the film progress, you really see who they truly are as people. As you kind of strip away all this surface stuff that they’re putting on or that the world is projecting on them. It was really interesting to read. 

KM: As you were saying, again, the characters are really fantastic and really in-depth, did you think that any of the characters were really kind of the “bad guy”? Was it all of them? They’re very complex characters who do some terrible things, right?

MC: I think they all take their turn, I think it really shows the human condition that anyone’s capable of anything, and it doesn’t matter who you are, and that’s kind of what they’re alluding to with all these characters is that throughout the film you may tag this person as the villain right off the top, and then halfway through, like “well it could be this person”, and then later “well maybe it’s THIS person!”.

It’s very, very interesting how Rob set it up, Rob and Mike Peterson, how they set it up. And that’s what made it fun for us. We each got to take turns playing multiple versions of these characters in a different storyline – they weren’t in a different film. And with how they shot it, it feels like almost four or five different genres packed into one film. And that made it really exciting for us to really play and get creative with all of our years of experience trying to flex those muscles, which was just such a joy.

via Fantasia Fest

KM: I know you filmed the interiors in order, it kind of ends up coming out a little bit like a stage play, doesn’t it?

MC: Well that’s exactly it. That’s why the three days were even that much more important because it’s just continuous. I think Rob really pegged it out to be some kind of Seinfeld episode because all the characters in Seinfeld are never really good people, but they somehow make it work within their friendship and it kind of blows up every once and awhile. But it really is a little bit of a stage play, and you could actually play it that way, especially because it’s so intimate a setting. 

KM: It would be really interesting to see on stage, I think. It’d be a very complex one to do. I know you filmed in Calgary in the winter. As a fellow Canadian, how was that terrible weather when you’re trying to be tropical?

MC: It was alright. I’ve filmed in Alberta before, I did Knuckleball in Edmonton, so that was one of my first experiences there. We actually got lucky that it wasn’t that bad. But it was really nice, we got to brave that cold together.

Chris is from New York, and Emily lives in LA but she’s from Minnesota. So we all knew what the cold was like. We had to kind of play like we were in Florida or some sunny place until we got to Belize. But it wasn’t bad. I love that – working here in Canada – although in this film we didn’t get to showcase the amazing scenery, you know, the places here. But I love filming in Canada.

KM: I love that there’s so much going on in Canada, film-wise. It’s fantastic that they’re really expanding the industry. There’s so much happening here now, which is great.

MC: It’s huge! It’s the best. It’s great!

via Fantasia Fest

KM: When filming the interiors – again, filming in order – how did that kind of help with the progression of how everything goes – without saying too much? 

MC: It makes it easier. You have a reference to the atmosphere and the feel for each character, where we were with the highs and lows, and just little technical things shot-wise and theme-wise as we progress. And that’s what was really really nice when we were doing, you know, part comedy, part horror, part drama, part thriller, we really had to pick our punches there.

It’s always great when you get to do shots in order because you never get to! But like you said, Rob really wanted to make sure it happened that way, that we got the sense that ok, we’re going to have this as chronologically as we can. Just in case you miss something if you go to the very end of the film and then things don’t make sense at the beginning. 

KM: Those themes that you’re touching on, with friendship and betrayal, everyone’s kind of pushed to their limit. Why do you think as people we’re so fascinated by stories of this dark, depraved side of humanity?

MC: It’s been debated so much over the years, you know, good and evil. There are good people and bad people, and like “I would never do this, I would never do that, I love this person to death, I would never say anything bad about them!”. And I think it’s just showing the human condition in its rawest form.

It’s exaggerated, of course, and turned into a film, but it’s the perfect – in my mind – the perfect way to turn on your best friends in a confined area and air your dirty laundry. It’s an exaggerated version of what you’d do to them. I think it’s really great to see that, it’s almost as if anybody is capable of anything.

Even the people who seem like the villain or seem like a dark person or a mean person or an evil person, it’s not who they seem. So someone may look innocent and the hero, but they may have some dirty laundry behind them that’s actually not very good, but there’s also people that on the surface they seem one way but they’re not, and they’re the heart of their own storyline. It shows both sides, both colors of the human condition I think.

KM: And I think there’s something within these characters that we can all recognize within ourselves as well. There’s characteristics, there’s traits, like “oh yeah I’ve probably thought this” or “I’ve probably done that at some point”

MC: Yeah I hope so. There’s a couple that you hope you don’t! There’s a couple like “well, I don’t wanna be that one”. But I still think you can have it very exaggerated, but on the surface level it’s kind of a little Houdini trick we play. Which I think is nice.

Harpoon Rob Grant

via Fantasia Fest

KM: When you first got the script, what brought you into the project or drew your attention to it and make you really go, like, “oh I wanna do this one”?

MC: It was when Mike Peterson sent me the script and said “look at Jonah”. And when I looked at Jonah I was like “yyyeah!”. I think he’s such a complex character. I feel like a broken record, but, it’s true, I loved his switch.

All the characters have a switch, but I really liked how he seems like this very frail, hyper-intelligent kind of black sheep of his own family character, a guy who is kind of just trying to keep the peace most of the time. And as the story goes on, you really see that there’s something else stilling inside of them, and he’s got a lot of stuff going on that I can get out. 

KM: For audiences, what do you hope that people get out of the movie or that they’re walking away with?

MC: Well I hope they’re shocked! For one. I hope they enjoy the ride. It’s unique and I really think that’s a very, very, very positive thing. Especially in filmmaking today.

You don’t want to do anything cookie-cutter anymore. There’s the cookie cutter recipe that you know is going to work and you put it out there and it’s very straightforward. And I think it’s so interesting when you get to take a very unique script, unique characters, and you kind of mash up genres and say “ok let’s see if this works”. Let’s put all of our talent and our years of experience and knowledge to the test and see what we can create.

We worked really hard on this, I think Rob did a phenomenal job filming it, and Emily is incredible in this, so is Christopher Gray. So you know, I hope they just enjoy the ride and are picking up what we’re putting down. 

Munro will also appear in Riot Girls, directed by Jovanka Vuckovic (XX), which will be screening at Fantasia Fest on July 28. Harpoon is screening at Fantasia Fest on Saturday July 27.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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