Connect with us

News

INTERVIEW: Keegan Connor Tracy on the Horrors of ‘Z’

Published

on

Keegan Connor Tracy

Keegan Connor Tracy found something irresistible in Z, a horror film co-written by Brandon Christensen (Still/Born) and Colin Minihan (Grave Encounters) with Christensen also directing, and she sat down this week to discuss the film with iHorror in advance of its release on DVD on September 1, 2020.

She was at home when she got the call from her agent about the film telling her there was no money involved, but she needed to read the script.

“Sometimes when I get things something will pique my interest and other things won’t that might appeal to something else,” she explained. “I have to see something in it, you know, if I was going to be away from my kids for a month and do it for no money. I saw some place that I could go as an actor that was really going to challenge me. I saw a psychological journey that this woman was going to go on and I wanted to challenge myself. So, I was in.”

That psychological journey was a natural fit for the actress who has a degree in psychology, and as she dug into the script, she had to set aside the more fantastical aspects of the film and look at the character she was playing and ground the role in something from the real world.

Z tells the story of a woman and her husband whose lives are turned upside down when their son’s imaginary friend is suddenly terrifyingly real. More than that, there is a real metaphor here not only for mental illness but also in generational, hereditary mental illness and how it affects entire families.

“While I’m the first person to call up magic in everything I write and the work that I’ve done as an actor, I have to have a basis for why she was doing the things that she did,” Tracy pointed out. “For me, I came up with schizophrenia based on the research that I’ve done. It is sometimes hereditary so it made a lot of sense to me. Sometimes I would say to Brandon, ‘Okay, wait, is Z real or not? Okay, it doesn’t matter.’ Even if he’s not real but she thinks he’s real, it might as well be real and how do I ground that?”

The realness of her performance in the film and the grounding she brings to it makes the scares all the more intense as Z becomes more and more a menace in the family’s lives, and Tracy said she had a wonderful time observing audiences watch the film and react to those elements when it was making its way through various festivals last year.

It was one of the first times she had experienced the festival circuit, and certainly the first time she had attended horror genre festivals despite her appearance in numerous genre films.

“Sitting in the audience and watching them experience that build up of tension and then the jump scare where they would laugh and scream,” she said. “The way that people would laugh afterward. I realized that’s what they were after, right? They want that release after. Kind of like when you get off the roller coaster and you’re like laughing and in a great mood even though you wanted to pee your pants while you were on it. It’s that part that makes you say, that was great.”

There are plenty of screams to be found in Z. The film has been available on Shudder previously but non-subscribers will have their chance to bring the terror home September 1, 2020 when the film hits VOD and physical media.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

Published

on

beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

on

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

on

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading