News

INTERVIEW: William Ragsdale Talks ‘When We Dance the Music Dies’

Published

4 years ago

December 19, 2019

When We Dance the Music Dies is a bit of a departure for William Ragsdale. The actor first rose to fame in 1985 when he played Charley Brewster, a teenager who discovers his next door neighbor is a vampire, in Fright Night.

Since that time, the actor has worked steadily criss-crossing genre lines on stage, screen and television, but in all that time he’s never quite done anything like this film.

Based loosely on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Elisa Lam mixed with a heavy dose of urban legend, When We Dance the Music Dies focuses on a father’s journey into a strange and unfamiliar landscape as he tries to discover what happened the night that his daughter disappeared.

The film was written and directed by Anthony de Lioncourt (The Protokon), and emerges laden with psychedelic imagery, kaleidoscopic twists and turns, and an ambiguous ending that will leaving you guessing.

In advance of the film’s release, William Ragsdale sat down with iHorror to chat about his experiences working on the film and what drew him to the material.

“My agent sent me a breakdown of the script and I thought, ‘Oh, well, this is interesting,'” Ragsdale explained. “It was such a weird, out-of-the-box kind of piece. I went in to read for it and really connected with them and we ended up being able to make it together. It’s so different from a lot of things that I’ve done but that was just another really good reason to do it.”

Ragsdale was familiar with the baffling disappearance of Lam and he was intrigued by the way that de Lioncourt used that story as a jumping off place to explore something that went beyond what could be explained.

He pointed to the fact that elevators were vulnerable places to begin with. We put ourselves in these tiny boxes suspended by cables and just assume that they will take us where we want to go. Adding a sinister layer on top of that set the actor’s imagination on fire and he was curious to work with de Lioncourt to bring the role to life.

“I suppose there were some similarities to Fright Night and some of the other things I’ve done,” Ragsdale admitted. “The thing that works about it is playing the role as such a real, average person who finds themselves thrust into this unimaginable experience. That’s where the energy for the piece comes from really.”

When it came time to see the finished product, Ragsdale says he was knocked out by the visuals. He had known that de Lioncourt was influenced by some of the pulpy moves from the 70s as well as the supernatural elements of Japanese horror, but seeing them play out was something different entirely.

“I was impressed by it,” the actor said. “I’m a Kubrick fan and there were elements that reminded me of 2001. So much of what goes on today [in film], you know what’s coming next. This, even though I had done the film, the visuals he came up with and these interlude visualizations kind of heightened it for me. It’s surrealism. There’s a bit of Dali in there. It sort of feels like you have to acknowledge letting go of it and see where it will take you.”

Having seen the film, I happen to agree. The visuals and the storytelling will keep you guessing right up to the film’s open ending which Ragsdale said also intrigued him.

“You’re left with all these questions,” he said. “What was this? Where did she go? How did this happen? It’s kind of a mystery. I enjoyed that. I don’t know that I know the answer to it.”

Check out the trailer for When We Dance the Music Dies below!

When We Dance The Music Dies (teaser trailer 1) from s73w1th on Vimeo.

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Movies

’47 Meters Down’ Getting Third Movie Called ‘The Wreck’

Published

4 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadline is reporting that a new 47 Meters Down installment is heading into production, making the shark series a trilogy.

“Series creator Johannes Roberts, and screenwriter Ernest Riera, who wrote the first two films, have co-written the third installment: 47 Meters Down: The Wreck.” Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) will direct.

The first two films were a moderate success, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The second film is titled 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.

^{47 Meters Down}

The plot for The Wreck is detailed by Deadline. They write that it involves a father and daughter trying to repair their relationship by spending time together scuba diving into a sunken ship, “But soon after their descent, their master diver has an accident leaving them alone and unprotected inside the labyrinth of the wreck. As tensions rise and oxygen dwindles, the pair must use their newfound bond to escape the wreck and the relentless barrage of bloodthirsty great white sharks.”

The filmmakers are hoping to present the pitch to the Cannes market with production starting in the fall.

“47 Meters Down: The Wreck is the perfect continuation of our shark-filled franchise,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “This film will once again have moviegoers terrified and on the edge of their seats.”

Johannes Roberts adds, “We can’t wait for audiences to be trapped underwater with us again. 47 Meters Down: The Wreck is going to be the biggest, most-intense film of this franchise.”

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News

‘Wednesday’ Season Two Drops New Teaser Video That Reveals Full Cast

Published

8 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Netflix announced this morning that Wednesday season 2 is finally entering production. Fans have been waiting a long time for more of the creepy icon. Season one of Wednesday premiered in November of 2022.

In our new world of streaming entertainment, it isn’t uncommon for shows to take years to release a new season. If they release another one at all. Even though we will likely have to wait quite a while to see the show, any news is good news.

The new season of Wednesday looks to have an amazing cast. Jenna Ortega (Scream) will be reprising her iconic role as Wednesday. She will be joined by Billie Piper (Scoop), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Noah Taylor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

We will also get to see some of the amazing cast from season one making a return. Wednesday season 2 will feature Catherine-Zeta Jones (Side Effects), Luis Guzman (Genie), Issac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time), and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs).

If all of that star power wasn’t enough, the legendary Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas) will be directing the series. As a cheeky nod from Netflix, this season of Wednesday will be titled Here We Woe Again.

Jenna Ortega Wednesday — Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams

We don’t know much about much about what Wednesday season two will entail. However, Ortega has stated that this season will be more horror focused. “We’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror. It’s really, really exciting because, all throughout the show, while Wednesday does need a little bit of an arc, she never really changes and that’s the wonderful thing about her.”

That’s all the information that we have. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Movies

A24 Reportedly “Pulls Plug” On Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake’ Series

Published

9 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Film studio A24 might not be going forward with its planned Peacock Friday the 13th spinoff called Crystal Lake according to Fridaythe13thfranchise.com. The website quotes entertainment blogger Jeff Sneider who made a statement on his webpage through a subscription paywall.

“I’m hearing that A24 has pulled the plug on Crystal Lake, its planned Peacock series based on the Friday the 13th franchise featuring masked killer Jason Voorhees. Bryan Fuller was due to executive produce the horror series.

It’s unclear whether this is a permanent decision or a temporary one, as A24 had no comment. Perhaps Peacock will help the trades shed more light on this project, which was announced back in 2022.”

Back in January 2023, we reported that some big names were behind this streaming project including Bryan Fuller, Kevin Williamson, and Friday the 13th Part 2 final girl Adrienne King.

“‘Crystal Lake info from Bryan Fuller! They officially start writing in 2 weeks (writers are here in the audience).” tweeted social media writer Eric Goldman who tweeted the info while attending a Friday the 13th 3D screening event in January 2023. “It will have two scores to choose from – a modern one and a classic Harry Manfredini one. Kevin Williamson is writing an episode. Adrienne King will have a recurring role. Yay! Fuller has pitched four seasons for Crystal Lake. Only one officially ordered so far though he notes Peacock would have to pay a pretty hefty penalty if they didn’t order a Season 2. Asked if he can confirm Pamela’s role in the Crystal Lake series, Fuller replied ‘We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters’ (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason there!)'”

Whether or not Peacock is moving forward with the project is unclear and since this news is secondhand information, it still has to be verified which will require Peacock and/or A24 to make an official statement which they have yet to do.

But keep checking back to iHorror for the latest updates to this developing story.

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