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Boaz Yakin Takes Us Inside ‘Boarding School’

Published

6 years ago

September 6, 2018

In the grand scheme of things, Boaz Yakin is hardly new to the horror game. Once upon a time, he was partners with Eli Roth and Scott Spiegel at Raw Nerve Productions.

The company was responsible for the birth of the Hostel franchise, and had a hand in bringing the Robert Englund and Lin Shaye led remake of 2001 Maniacs.

“The company went away but I always felt like doing a horror movie on my own was something I really needed and wanted to do,” Yakin told iHorror in a recent interview. “I had this idea that embracing the things about yourself that you might be ashamed of and owning them is important. That’s where the idea for Boarding School came from, really.”

The writer and director mined that theme for everything it was worth in bringing the film to life blending genres and creating something rooted in genre archetypes yet somehow greater than its parts.

In the film, twelve year old Jacob (Luke Prael) becomes obsessed with the image of his deceased grandmother. Much to the dismay of his mother and stepfather, he revels in her music, tries on her clothes, and sees the story of her life play out in his head over and over again.

Before long, he finds himself shipped off to a super secretive boarding school with seriously sinister motives, and he has to find that strength within himself to protect himself and his classmates.

“For me, I’ve struggled for a big part of my life with the fact that I have a very strong feminine side,” Yakin explained. “In film, most hero journeys involve finding your father’s sword. I wanted to turn that convention on its head. Jacob doesn’t find power that way. It’s not his father’s sword, but instead his grandmother’s dress that empowers him.”

That’s exactly what he did.

But he was doubly lucky when it came time to cast the film, however, in finding Luke Prael to embody the role of young Jacob, however. The actor was only 12 years old when filming began but he brought a maturity to the role far beyond his years, and Yakin could not have been more impressed with the young man’s performance.

“This was his first movie and he was really raw, but he has this incredibly strong light about him,” the director pointed out. “He also has this very internalized strength. He keeps what he’s feeling very close to him. I like those kinds of performances.”

The director didn’t only find himself lucky in casting Prael, however. He hit a veritable gold mine in securing Tammy Blanchard (Into the Woods) and Will Patton (The Puppet Masters) as the Shermans, the couple running the school.

“When you read the script, there wasn’t much for Tammy’s character to do, but then she showed up on set and suddenly everything she does, every movement, suddenly had this weight to it,” Yakin said. “And then Will, man, one of my favorite things about the film is his performance. He was amazing.”

There was a final piece to the film’s puzzle, however. The sets for the school had to be perfect, but Yakin and the producers were already facing budget constraints. While scouting for locations, the director found exactly what he was looking for only 45 minutes from his home in Manhattan.

The woman who owned the property agreed to filming and soon, Yakin, Prael, and the rest of the cast were ensconced in what Yakin described as something out of a Kubrick film. It also allowed him to pay homage to one of his filmmaking idols.

“With that amazing location, we were able, with a limited lighting kit, to reproduce the look of some of Mario Bava’s classic films,” he enthused. “The reds and blues could be more extreme and impressionistic and it would help raise the tension level of the entire project.”

Yakin’s vision came to startling life in the finished product. It is both terrifying and moving, a rare combination in the genre but one that is most refreshing.

You can see Boarding School in its limited theater release and on VOD right now! Check out the trailer below!

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

1 hour 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.

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Movies

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

Published

3 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.

^{28 Days Later}

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

22 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.