Your upcoming movie Abyzou: Taker of Children - in a few
words, what is it about?
Abyzou: Taker of Children is about a young pregnant woman who is
possessed by a demon that wants to give birth through her. Abyzou: Taker of Children
is based on a demon from Hebrew folklore - care to elaborate for a bit,
and how close do you intend to remain to your source material? The
demon Abyzou is unable to give birth to children of her own, so she curses
those who can. We have embellished some of the mythology to fit our story
but use a lot of her mythology to influence our deaths in the film. Other
sources of inspiration when writing Abyzou: Taker of Children? Another
source of inspiration was a recurring nightmare I have had since a very
young age. I see an old, evil-looking woman floating toward toward me. She
reaches out at me and I try to scream. No sound comes, out but I'll be
screaming for real in my sleep. I later found out that many people with
sleep disorders have a very similar dream, so we incorporated nightmares
into the film, which fits nicely because according to mythology Abyzou
never sleeps. Do
talk about Abyzou: Taker of Children's approach to horror (as in
suspense vs sudden shocks, atmosphere vs all-out gore)? We're
definitely going for suspense and creepy atmosphere, but the film does
have a healthy amount of gore. I look at it as a hybrid of a paranormal
film and monster movie.
From
what I know, you're doing the special effects on Abyzou: Taker of
Children yourself - so could you give us a few teasers of what to
expect? I don't usually like to do make-up on my films, as
it takes a lot of time, but it is allowing me to do some things
effects-wise that I don't get the opportunity to do on other films - like
the fetus dropping in the proof-of-concept trailer. We also have a really
nice looking effect where an actress gets her heart ripped out of her
chest! What can you tell us about the film's intended
overall look and feel? For this film, practical is the
theme. We are really focusing on practical effects and using a great deal
of practical lights as well. We want a modern horror look whiling
remaining true to some classic horror styles. Anything you can tell us about
your key cast yet, and why exactly these people?
Topher Hansson |
The cast
is incredible! Topher Hansson is our leading male, and he had auditioned for
me a couple years back for another part. While writing the role of Dylan,
he was the only actor I could picture playing him. Luckily, he really
enjoyed the script and accepted the role, which he is nailing. The
character is a funny, compassionate character who has to find a lot of
inner strength throughout the film. Zeeva Halpern was cast as the lead
Hailee, because she has this natural innocence about her. She really
showed talent and dedication in my previous feature, Blood Pi. Playing a
possessed character is not the easiest of roles, but she is definitely
stepping up to challenge. We also have an amazing supporting cast of
actors I love working with: Anacaren Delgado, Jamie Dufault, Jackie
Fabian, and of course Abyzou herself, Sissy O'Harra. You've
recently run a fundraiser for Abyzou: Taker of Children, right?So do talk about your campaign for a
bit, and with the budget raised, what's the schedule? And even if it might be waaay too early
to ask, any idea when and where the film might be released yet? Thankfully, we
have completed our Kickstarter campaign and it was a success! It really
means so much that the horror community is behind us. We
actually started production before the campaign launched, as we were
really raising finishing funds for the film. In the past, I have announced
release dates far too early so we are holding off on that for now. We
really want to make sure we get this film as good as possible. Any
future projects beyond Abyzou: Taker of Children you'd like to
share?
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Alex DiVincenzo [Alex
DiVincenzo interview - click here] and I have a big year planned! This
week we go into production on a short film that will be shown at a
fundraising event for a horror fan who will be undergoing brain surgery.
We also have two other features in the works as well as a series of short
films. Your/your movie's website, Facebook, Kickstarter,
whatever else? You can find Abyzou: Taker of Children on
Facebook at
http://facebook.com/AbyzouTakerOfChildren.
You can also watch the proof-of-concept trailer we shot prior to
production on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L09_WjVoG2k.
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? My previous two features as
director will be coming out this year, so keep an eye out for Dead Bounty
and Blood Pi! Thanks!
Thanks for the
interview!
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