News

Tate Taylor Talks ‘Ma’ and the Joy of Working with Octavia Spencer

Published

5 years ago

August 20, 2019

Tate Taylor isn’t exactly the guy you’d expect to direct a psychological horror thriller like Ma, which makes its debut on digital streaming and VOD platforms today.

The director is probably most associated with films like The Help starring Emma Stone (Zombieland) and for which Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Honestly, though, that’s exactly why he wanted to take on the challenge of Ma, and he sat down with iHorror to chat about the journey from script to screen.

***This interview contains some spoilers for the film. You have been warned!***

Taylor had been hearing from Spencer that she was being offered the same type of roles over and over again, and he admits he was feeling a bit boxed in himself when he found himself chatting with Jason Blum aka the man who built Blumhouse.

“Jason and I are friends and we were talking about what we could possibly work on together,” the director recalled. “He likes to dip his toes into dramatic waters from time to time and he was trying to get a feel for what I wanted to do. So I told him I wanted to do something really, really fucked up. I want to play in that sandbox with all that craziness.”

Blum was surprised but immediately thought of script he had just gotten from Scotty Landes (Workaholics) and he gave it to Taylor to read.

By the time the director had finished reading the script, he was on the phone with his old friend Octavia.

“I told her I’ve got a script and you would be the lead,” he said. “I told her it needed work and then I told her about the story. She said she didn’t even need to read the script. She would do it. So I called Jason and told him I would do it and Octavia was on board.”

Taylor admitted he was ready to “let the wheels come off” and play within the space of the film. He also said that having known Spencer for so long made creating her character so much easier when it came time to roll cameras.

“We were roommates for six years so to call what we have a shorthand is really an understatement,” he said. “What is really comes down to is trust. An actor, even though they have that script, they have to trust the director. We have that.”

What he loved most about Ma was the emotional connection he found with the material, an element that he was grateful did not end up in the trailers for the film.

In Ma, Spencer’s character Sue Ann was mercilessly bullied as a child and in high school and those emotional scars never quite healed. When she makes a connection with some of her bullies’ children years later, something inside her snaps, and she begins doing terrible things.

“This couldn’t just be a slasher with a crazy lady and I decided to really lean into that bullying and the marginalization of certain people and certain cultures,” Taylor explained. “I think a fun tagline for this film would be ‘Be careful who you bully.’ Sadly that’s reflected in society today…Ma is a cautionary tale.”

Taylor also says it was important to him to infuse some humor into the film. The director spent time in the famous Groundlings in Los Angeles when he was first forging his career and he wanted nothing more than to become a cast regular on Saturday Night Live.

It was during this time that he really learned how laughter and humor can amplify even the horror space and as we talked I mentioned that John Carpenter himself had said something the effect of “No wants to laugh more than a horror audience. They need that break in tension to breathe.”

“I think bringing laughter into anything heightens the drama,” he said. “It makes it real and accessible to the audience. Not only was he [Carpenter] right about people needing to laugh, but that laughter becomes an emotion that can heighten the horror.”

Ultimately, Tate Taylor had a great time directing Ma and after seeing the film, I can’t help but hope that he makes his way into the genre more often.

Ma is available today, August 20, 2019, on digital streaming platforms and VOD. Check it out and see if you don’t agree.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

9 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

11 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.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

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

13 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.