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INTERVIEW: Inside ‘The Reckoning’ with Neil Marshall and Charlotte Kirk

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The Reckoning

On February 5, 2021, Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning is set for release in theaters and on VOD and digital. The film, co-written with star Charlotte Kirk, has had quite the journey to the screen.

Set in the 1600s against the backdrop of the plague, The Reckoning focuses on Grace (Kirk), a young widow trying to keep control of her land after the death of her husband. When she rebuffs her landlord’s sexual advances, she finds herself accused of witchcraft, placing her on a path that will change her life and the lives of those around her forever.

In advance of the film’s release Marshall and Kirk sat down with iHorror to discuss the film’s evolution from page to screen.

What kind of story would The Reckoning be?

It all began with the seed of a story brought to their attention by fellow scribe Edward Evers-Swindell who proposed a sort of Witchfinder General film with an ending more like Carrie.  It did not immediately appeal to Marshall, but it was enough for him to begin researching the long and varied history of witch trials in Europe. It was that research that solidified the idea for both Marshall and Kirk and got the creative ball rolling.

Depending on the source, it’s estimated that thousands of women were tortured and executed for witchcraft in Europe. It was up to Charlotte Kirk to bring reality to their suffering.

“If we kept closer to the truth then there was a great story there,” Marshall explained, “and taking an amalgamation of various women and the way they were sort of tortured and tried. Charlotte came up with the idea of not actually having any witches, per se.”

“I could tell Neil was kind of into it but he wasn’t,” Kirk continued. “I said, ‘I know you’re not interested in a lot of women flying around on broomsticks and such but what if there are no witches or if we keep it ambiguous, not on the nose.’ That was when it kind of clicked for us.”

It became important for both of them to write a film that, in its own way, honored the thousands of women who were tortured, tried, and convicted of a crime that did not actually exist. This feeling filled both writers with a sense of responsibility to telling the best story possible to honor those who had lived through this harrowing time in history.

In a way, they wanted to say something not only about that time period, but also that resonate with viewers in the 21st Century.

“Of course, when we made the film,” Marshall said, “we had no idea a plague was coming as well. We shot this in 2019 so we had no clue, but that angle has made it seem more relevant as well.”

The Reckoning Plague Doctors

Plague doctors and victims serve as a harrowing backdrop to The Reckoning.

Armed with their research, the two sat down to write the script, a process that they approached from entirely different directions. Kirk says that the varied approaches ultimately enriched the storytelling however, and also led to her starring in the film, though Marshall pointed out that he knew she would star in The Reckoning in the same way he knew that he would direct it.

“The great thing about writing is that I was looking at it from an actor’s point of view and Neil was looking at it from a director’s point of view,” Kirk explained. “It was just a great collaboration. I’m very left field from Neil while writing.”

“Obviously I have a lot of horror baggage I’m bringing to the piece and Grace was just kind of dipping her toes in horror for the first time,” the director whose previous work includes The Descent and Dog Soldiers among others said. “She brought a lot of ideas that were outside the box. She would take notions of typical horror and turn them on their heads without thinking about it. It was one of those fun writing experiences.”

Finding unexpected parallels between 1665 and 2021…

Still there is a huge gap between writing these harrowing scenes and playing them, and Kirk admits that it could be exhausting operating at an emotional 10 every single day and again, largely due to the responsibility of playing a character like Grace.

She’s a woman who stood up and said no when men tried to take her land and force her into the status quo as the dutiful and submissive woman. It’s a theme as relevant today as in 1665, a fact that is not lost on either of them.

“The villains were both examples of the abuse of power whether it’s the power of wealth or the power of religion, but that’s what they are. They’re bullies,” Marshall said.

“What’s changed in that world? Nothing,” Kirk continued. “Men are still very powerful; they’re in that position. It just is. Not only that but you have the whole religion thing. Someone mentioned the other day, ‘I don’t want to wear the mask because that’s the devil’s work.’ That’s something that someone would have said in 1665! It’s like, where have we come from in society?”

For better or worse, it is those very parallels that make The Reckoning such an emotional and terrifying force during a viewing, and is no little part of why the film has been winning awards at festivals for the last year, including taking home the prize for Best Feature at the 2020 iHorror Film Festival.

You can see The Reckoning tomorrow, February 5, 2021, in select theaters and on VOD and digital! Take a look at the trailer and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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Michael Keaton Raves About “Beetlejuice” Sequel: A Beautiful and Emotional Return to the Netherworld

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After more than three decades since the original “Beetlejuice” film took audiences by storm with its unique blend of comedy, horror, and whimsy, Michael Keaton has given fans a reason to eagerly anticipate the sequel. In a recent interview, Keaton shared his thoughts on an early cut of the upcoming “Beetlejuice” sequel, and his words have only added to the growing excitement surrounding the film’s release.

Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice

Keaton, reprising his iconic role as the mischievous and eccentric ghost, Beetlejuice, described the sequel as “beautiful”, a term that encapsulates not only the visual aspects of the film but its emotional depth as well. “It is really good. And beautiful. Beautiful, you know, physically. You know what I mean? The other one was so fun and exciting visually. It’s all that, but really kind of beautiful and interestingly emotional here and there. I wasn’t ready for that, you know. Yeah, it’s great,” Keaton remarked during his appearance on The Jess Cagle Show.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Keaton’s praise did not stop at the film’s visual and emotional appeal. He also lauded the performances of both returning and new cast members, signaling a dynamic ensemble that is sure to please fans. “It’s great and the cast, I mean, Catherine [O’Hara], if you thought she was funny last time, double it. She’s so funny and Justin Theroux is like, I mean, come on,” Keaton enthused. O’Hara returns as Delia Deetz, while Theroux joins the cast in a yet-to-be-disclosed role. The sequel also introduces Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s wife, and Willem Dafoe as a dead B movie actor, adding new layers to the beloved universe.

“It’s just so fun and I’ve seen it now, I’m gonna see it again after a couple little tweaks in the editing room and I confidently say this thing is great,” Keaton shared. The journey from the original “Beetlejuice” to its sequel has been a long one, but if Keaton’s early rave is anything to go by, it will have been worth the wait. Showtime for the sequel is set for September 6th.

Beetlejuice

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‘The Unknown’ From Willy Wonka Event is Getting a Horror Movie

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Not since the Fyre Festival has an event been so lambasted online as Glasgow, Scotland’s Willy Wonka Experience. In case you haven’t heard about it, it was a children’s spectacular that celebrated Roald Dahl’s offbeat chocolatier by taking families through a themed space that felt like his magical factory. Only, thanks to cellphone cameras and social testimony, it was actually a sparsely decorated warehouse filled with flimsy set designs that looked like they were bought on Temu.

The famous disgruntled Oompa Loompa is now a meme and several hired actors have spoken out about the inelegant party. But one character seems to have come out on top, The Unknown, the mirror-masked emotionless villain who appears from behind a mirror, terrifying younger attendees. The actor who played Wonka, at the event, Paul Conell, recites his script and gives some backstory to this frightening entity.

“The bit that got me was where I had to say, ‘There is a man we don’t know his name. We know him as the Unknown. This Unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls,'” Conell told Business Insider. “It was terrifying for the kids. Is he an evil man who makes chocolate or is the chocolate itself evil?”

Despite the sour affair, something sweet may come out of it. Bloody Disgusting has reported that a horror movie is being made based on The Unknown and may get a release as early as this year.

The horror publication quotes Kaledonia Pictures: “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie. Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.”

@katsukiluvrr evil chicolate maker who lives in the walls from willies chocolate experience in glasgow x #glasgow #willywonka #wonkaglasgow #scottish #wonka #theunknown #fyp #trending #foryou ♬ its the unknown – mol💌

They add, “We are excited to begin production and look forward to sharing more with you as soon as possible. We are actually only a few miles from the event, so it is quite surreal to see Glasgow all over social media, worldwide.”

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