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INTERVIEW: Hulu’s ‘Books of Blood’ Stars Anna Friel and Rafi Gavron

Published

4 years ago

October 6, 2020

Hulu’s Books of Blood premieres this week, and we’re counting down the hours until we can dig into the latest in a long line of adaptations of the Clive Barker’s classic tales.

As the date draws near, iHorror had the opportunity to sit down with stars Anna Friel and Rafi Gavron to talk about their experiences digging into Barker’s terrifying world, and their hopes for the audience experience.

Both stars admitted that while they were familiar with Clive Barker, neither had read The Books of Blood before filming began. They were fresh to the project without preconceived notions for what the story should be beyond writer/director Brannon Braga’s script. It’s an interesting turn of events considering they star in the only segment of the film previously published in the original collections.

Friel takes on the role of skeptic psychologist, Mary, who has her own heart-breaking reasons for studying the paranormal and people who claim to experience it regularly while Gavron plays Simon, a possibly fraudulent psychic medium who unknowingly opens up a terrifying world and pays a horrific price.

It’s the story that opens Barker’s six-volume set and one that embeds itself in the reader’s imagination as they turn every page after it.

“The relationship between these two and the fact that it’s real,” Gavron said. “The fact that there’s a believer involved and a skeptic involved and there’s a manipulator involved. I was really drawn to this story and I do think that one thing I really hope is that this is seen as a story and a drama as well as a horror film because I think that makes everything better. I think if it’s good and it’s believable and hopefully well-acted then we’re looking at a very different sort of movie.”

The film took both actors to some uncomfortable places which began early on in the process of filming, and I always wonder what it is like for actors to dig so deep into those dark interiors.

“I’d ask, what’s it like not to do that,” Friel explained with a laugh. “I need to ask my agents where are the funny scripts? Have you not seen anything with nice and happy fluffy things? If there’s ever a character that’s dark and has to be traumatized the name Anna Friel goes next to it. I’m kind of used to that.”

“For me, I had a fair amount of prep with the makeup because we had to do it initially to do the test and that was mind-blowing and uncomfortable and problematic but we got it right,” Gavron said. “And then, you know, luckily I was able to sit down with Anna, even though it was very brief, but we got on very quickly and that was just great because I had to be naked and I wasn’t comfortable with that. She was so cool with me and just made me feel like I was in a position where I was safe and comfortable and that was everything.”

The pair further lucked out in the filming Books of Blood in that their hotel rooms were next door to each other giving them time to squeeze in bits of rehearsal during shooting.

Sadly, neither actor was able to chat with Barker before or during filming, but they said Braga was an excellent substitute who “channeled” the author’s spirit for them.

With filming finished and the release date looming, the actors say they’ve both had a chance to watch the film and they’re excited for others to see it though they regret it won’t have a release in theaters.

“I like the experience of going to the cinema and everyone gasping and jumping together,” Friel said. “Going back to Jaws and you hear the music coming and it’s this experience that draws us together. I think this type of genre offers that type of opportunity for an audience to connect. It’s a shame because we were meant to have a cinema opening for this but we couldn’t do it because of the pandemic brought all that to a halt. So hopefully everyone can get together online and Twitter and sort of share their experiences that way. Without you guys our jobs don’t exist. Goodness in these times we need entertainment.”

Books of Blood is set to release tomorrow, October 7, 2020, on Hulu. Check out the trailer below and let us know if you’ll be watching!

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

Published

21 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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. “

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Movies

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

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.

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News

Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello