Interviews

Here are some interviews I've conducted with various people involved in the world of horror: from film directors, actors and musicians, to authors, academics and critics...














Popular posts from this blog

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Image
Roger Corman’s cult B-movie tells of Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot), the successful CEO of a large cosmetics company who is dismayed to discover falling sales in her products is because, after 16 years as the face of her beauty brands, she is no longer seen as ‘youthful’ by her customers – or her executives. Desperate to save her reputation and stop plummeting sales, she turns to crackpot scientist Dr Zinthrop (fired from his work at the honey farm for his unorthodox experiments!) who has developed a method of slowing the aging process involving royal jelly extracted from queen wasps (!). He believes that with the right experiments and funding he will eventually be able to reverse the process of aging completely. With its central premise of a middle-aged woman overwhelmed by societal expectations and seeking to stop the aging process so she can maintain her career, youth and beauty - only to have her efforts spectacularly backfire -  The Wasp Woman foreshadows titles such as The Sub...
Read more

Random Creepy Scene #487: Quiet As A Nun

Image
Armchair Thriller was a British television series, broadcast on ITV by Thames in 1978 and 1980. It was essentially a horror/supernatural orientated anthology series that specialised in adapting various spooky novels and stories. It consisted of two weekly 25 minute episodes, usually screened at 8pm on a Tuesday and Thursday evening. I’m too young to remember it, but a recent conversation with several ( ever so slightly) older friends alerted me to one particular episode of the series entitled Quiet as a Nun … Adapted from the 1977 novel of the same name by Antonia Fraser, Quiet as a Nun was a six part dramatisation revolving around Fraser's regular sleuth Jemima Shore, who revisits the convent where she was schooled following the mysterious death of one of the nuns. The nun, Sister Miriam, was a former friend of Jemima’s and she apparently starved herself to death in a ruined tower in the grounds of the convent. Jemima soon learns from the girls at the convent about a myste...
Read more

Interview with Hellbride director Pat Higgins

Image
The latest feature from writer-director Pat Higgins, independent horror-comedy Hellbride, is a supernatural stew of laughs and bloody carnage that mixes rom-com traditions with horror conventions to splattery effect. Tensions mount as a wedding day nears. Unbeknownst to the couple, the engagement ring is cursed - it once belonged to a jilted bride who embarked on a vengeful killing spree - and it brings death and destruction to all who wear it. Included in the mix are an unreliable best man and an eccentric expert on the occult who has been hunting for the cursed ring for years. Bloody chaos and supernatural vengeance ensue...  I caught up with director Pat Higgins to have a chat about his film work, why comedy and horror can work well together, and the trials and tribulations of making a low budget movie. Behind the Couch: How did the story for Hellbride come about? Pat Higgins : Kind of embarrassing to admit, but Hellbride actually grew from a kiss-off line. The very ...
Read more