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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!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

7 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.