Connect with us

News

Exclusive: Interview with ‘The Canal’ Director Ivan Kavanagh

Published

on

Ivan Kavanagh’s The Canal was one of the best horror movies of 2014. If you ask me, it was the scariest. You can read my short review here, but just trust me on this. It’s not one you want to let slip by.

It tells the story of a film archivist whose wife is murdered leaving him as the prime suspect in her killing while also taking care of their little boy. Meanwhile, he has discovered through old crime scene footage that another murder took place in his own home in 1902. It’s a fresh ghost story that’s both brutal and downright creepy.

I had the opportunity to pick Kavanagh’s brain about the film and what else he’s up to, so without further ado…

iHorror: I read that you wanted the 1902 footage in The Canal to look like Louis Lumière’s Feeding the Baby. What’s the significance of that particular film? 

Ivan Kavanagh: This film has no significance to The Canal, but it’s just one, for me, that represented perfectly the very particular look that the films from the period had, which is what we sought to recreate in my film. The background details (in this case the trees blowing in the wind) are what makes them look unique. It’s the quality of the movement and the grain structure I think, and I knew we had succeeded when we recreated this look perfectly.

iH: Is the hand-cranked camera in the film the same one you used to film that footage?

IK: Yes, the same one. It’s an amazing camera from 1915 that still works perfectly and, of course, was one of the reasons we could recreate the look of the films from early cinema.

iH: How easy or difficult was it to direct a young child with no acting experience?

IK: Well, once you cast the film correctly, then it isn’t that difficult. The audition process was quite intensive and involved quite a lot of call backs and acting exercises such as complex improvisations and line readings. Calum, who played the little boy, is uniquely talented and way beyond his years as far as intelligence and acting intuition goes.

iH: Do you have kids yourself? If so, did you find that aspect of the subject matter of the film difficult to work on? 

IK: No, not just yet. But I understand the film partly deals with a fear that I imagine all parents must have and I don’t think I will be any exception.

iH: You’ve said in the past that with The Canal, you wanted to fill the film with your own fears. Can you elaborate on those fears in how they pertain to the context of the film?

IK: The best horror films all deal with common, sometimes primal, fears, such as fear of the dark, of violence, of harm coming to a loved one, of realising you don’t really know the person you’re closest to, of knowing we are all capable of both great good and great evil. The way I always thought about it was, if I fill the film with some of my own fears, like some of the ones I mentioned, it’s bound to frighten at least some other people too.

iH: You’ve called the horror genre “unfairly dismissed and neglected”. After all the great horror films to be released over the years, why do you think that still is? 

IK: I’m a fan of cinema in general and I like all types of films. Before The Canal I made two art house films back to back, and so I don’t differentiate between types of films, there’s just films I like and don’t like or I feel I must make. I think many great filmmakers were unfairly neglected (awards wise) because they made films mostly within genre. Hitchcock and Kubrick being the prime example of this. I think it’s because people see genre films as less worthy, because they are about (at least on the surface) less “serious” subjects than art house films or dramas and are generally more commercial too. However the cinematic artistry within the best genre films is a constant inspiration to me and always reawakens my love of cinema. Ingmar Bergman does that for me too, but the older I get, the more my love of Hitchcock, Kubrick, DePalma, Polanski and other great genre filmmakers grows.

iH: I know you’re a fan of the genre and have mentioned films like The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre as having an impact on you. Can you think of any specific horror films from the last few years that have left a significant impression?

IK: There is a film called Soft For Digging, directed by J.T. Petty, that I caught on late night TV a few years ago that really unsettled me. I also really enjoyed Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, which I thought was great fun and had a great ending.

iH: You’ve started writing another psychological horror film. Anything you can tell us about that? 

IK: I want to keep it secret for now. All I’ll say is it’s very different from The Canal and deals with a different type of horror. I also think it’ll be absolutely terrifying and I’m very excited about it.

iH: You’re also working on a horror thriller with another writer? Any details you can share there? 

IK: No, sorry! It’ll have to remain a secret for now as it’s at very early stages.

Kavanagh has also been said to be involved with an unknown television series and a western, but couldn’t talk about those either. All I know is that after The Canal, I’m looking forward to seeing more from him.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Childhood Memories Collide in New Horror Film ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

Published

on

It looks like ITN Studious and Jagged Edge Productions are going the Avengers: Infinity War route with their upcoming film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. From the deranged mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) comes this belligerent mash up of beloved childhood icons.

According to an article out of Variety today, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will consist of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty. All of these iconic figured will be warped into nightmarish versions of their former selves. Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is set to be released upon the world sometime in 2025.

Poohniverse

Actor-producer Scott Chambers (Malevolent) had the following to say about Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains. It’d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, ‘Halloween,’ ‘Scream,’ all of those. Obviously that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and that’s where this film has been born.”

Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will be a part of The Twisted Childhood Universe. Just like the MCU, each character will first get a standalone film. After introductions are made, they will be reunited in an Avengers style film. Although they will be killing off the survivors from the previous films, they won’t be working together.

Chambers describes this as an “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.” And I don’t know what more fans could ask of the studio. This fantastical idea is a huge risk but Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble sounds amazing.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Check back here for more updates on Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 below.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

Blumhouse’s ‘The Wolf Man’ Reboot Kicks Off Production with Leigh Whannell at the Helm

Published

on

Blumhouse Productions has officially commenced filming its reboot of the Universal Monsters legend, “Wolf Man”. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, known for his acclaimed work on “The Invisible Man” (2020), the project promises to breathe new life into the iconic tale. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 25th, marking a new chapter in the storied franchise.

Wolf Man

The journey of a “Wolf Man” reboot began in 2020 when actor Ryan Gosling presented a fresh take on the classic story to Universal. This concept quickly evolved into a screenplay crafted by the talented duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who are known for their work on “Orange Is the New Black,” alongside contributions from Whannell and Corbett Tuck. The narrative is set in contemporary times, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric tension of Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Nightcrawler,” albeit with a distinct supernatural twist.

The film has seen its share of directorial and casting shifts, with Whannell initially signing on to direct in 2020, only to step away and then return to the project after Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance exited. The lead roles have been filled by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom bring significant talent to the screen. Abbott portrays a man whose family faces the terror of a lethal predator, with Garner likely playing his wife, sharing in the familial peril. The storyline also hints at a daughter named Ginger, adding a layer of depth to the family’s harrowing experience.

Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott

This reboot represents a collaboration between Blumhouse and Motel Movies, with Jason Blum producing. Ryan Gosling remains involved as an executive producer, alongside Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner, and Whannell himself. The announcement of the film’s production start was made by Jason Blum, who shared an exciting glimpse of Whannell on set, signaling the beginning of what is hoped to be a memorable addition to the horror genre.

As the “Wolf Man” reboot moves forward, fans and newcomers alike are eager to see how this modern interpretation will pay homage to its roots while offering a fresh and thrilling experience. With a talented cast and crew at the helm, the film is poised to reintroduce the timeless tale of transformation and terror to a new generation.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Games

‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

Published

on

Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Horror Movie Reaction Video