Movies

Lucy Martin on Working During the Pandemic in ‘The Seed’

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2022

The Seed is an off kilter cosmic horror film centering on three social media-obsessed women and an uninvited guest on their Mojave Desert vacation. The film premiered on Shudder last week and we got to catch up with Lucy Martin (Vikings), one of its stars.

Martin plays Deirdre, the Insta-famous bossy socialite who can’t catch a break on her getaway weekend that was supposed to grow her following. While she is a privileged rich white girl stereotype, Martin’s performance made the role much more dynamic and entertaining. We sat down with her to discuss this film behind the scenes and how she helped create her character.

*This interview contains light spoilers for the film The Seed*

Photo Credit: Shudder

Bri Spieldenner: What was your favorite part of filming The Seed?

Lucy Martin: My first day. Yeah, I think it was the opening, which is actually the first scene of the film of us actually entering the house. You know, you get that first day of school feeling. And fresh new character. Yeah, it was a beautiful day.

BS: I didn’t realize that you were British. So it’s interesting, considering that I know you from your character in the movie, which I really loved. And I thought that you were a very stereotypical American character. So it’s surprising to hear that you’re actually British.

Lucy Martin: Oh, that’s good. Yay.

BS: On the subject. So your character in The Seed, I found the character written to be kind of stuck up, kind of like a rich white girl type. But at the same time, I feel that your acting brought the character to a different level and made your character really engaging to me? Do you think that your character was written as more one dimensional? Because your character was kind of unsympathetic. But at the same time, I felt that it was very entertaining, how was that compared to the script?

Lucy Martin: That’s very nice of you to say. I suppose that it’s like when you read anything, like any script or any character when you’re developing them? Everyone reads something in a different way. And I actually worked quite a lot to make her more, what’s the word? I guess everyone’s got good and bad, right. So I worked to make it so that she was more human, not human, but just have some earthy tones in there, as well as everything else. There were parts of her that I actually liked. She was a hustler. She obviously was where she got to. I think there was a lot of dialogue there for me to work with. I was given a good opportunity to delve in and create something.

BS: Awesome. This was your first kind of horror role. So how was that experience working in a horror movie for the first time, do you think that you’ll do more horror? Or do you kind of work on a per project basis?

Lucy Martin: Variation is a beautiful thing. And I guess it’s what sort of captures you at the time. I’d definitely do horror again, I really loved it. It was great fun. It’s funny, because you actually have such a laugh doing it, you know, with the whole crew and the whole team. Everyone gets really close. And, like on any set, it’s a really intense period of time, but it’s short. And there’s something that I really enjoy about that. I’d do it again.

Lucy Martin as Deidre – Photo Credit: Shudder

BS: I also noticed, since there’s mainly three characters, and you’re all in one single location. So was it a pretty small crew? Or was it a typical production for you?

LM: No, it was a small crew. And it was also during the summer of COVID. It lifted for a while, maybe like three or four months. And in that time, we flew to Malta, so it was in that really short period. And by the time I got back then after a month went back down into lockdown. So yeah, it was a small crew. But a lot of that was because of COVID regulations. It was actually so impressive, like what they managed to achieve, considering what was going on at the time.

BS: Was The Seed filmed entirely in Malta?

LM: Yeah. Oh, actually, there was a there are a few scenes like in the alien sex scenes that were actually filmed in London. So they were filmed after. But the majority of the film was all filmed in Malta.

BS: Nice. Do you have a memorable moment from the set of The Seed?

LM: I have so many. I mean, it was a crazy film. Something that really sticks in my head actually is running through the desert, near the cliffs in Malta, with a pregnancy-like Alien belly and a crazy arm and being put covered in this black goo, which made was made of maple syrup and fake blood and black dye, and basically being chased by flies. It was so funny. But yeah, that’s a real memorable moment for me.

Photo Credit: Shudder

BS: On that subject. I definitely enjoyed the special effects in this film. And I was wondering what it was like, from your perspective, since you were often covered in them, especially like the goo that you just described, that doesn’t sound very pleasant to be covered in maple syrup.

LM: It was alright, I didn’t mind it too much to be honest. I’m not bothered by much. So that’s probably a good thing doing the job I do.

BS: What were the special effects like for the alien sex scene?

LM: A lot was done creatively from behind the camera and in post, so it was actually a lot to do with lighting and smoke machines, you know, smoke and mirrors. It really was.

BS: Another thing that I really liked about your character was your makeup. So is that something that you did? Or was that a makeup artist?

LM: It was a makeup team. They were very open in ideas. So I did a lot of research and we kind of developed it, it was all quite specific for Deirdre because I think that was quite an important thing for her. That was her way of expressing herself. So yeah, but it was fun. It was a lot of makeup every day. They did an amazing job.

BS: It looked fantastic. What was the dynamic like between the three main actors?

LM: I had the best experience with them. I think the three of us got on pretty well, so it kind of made it. I couldn’t have probably done the job in that sort of close proximity and living together and filming together if not. They sort of became like family. It was lovely. Yeah.

The Seed is available on Shudder as an original. Check out the trailer below.

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Jacob Davison

Everything old is new again.

On Halloween 1998, the local news of Northern Ireland decide to do a special live report from an allegedly haunted house in Belfast. Hosted by local personality Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) and popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) they intend to look at the supernatural forces disturbing the current family living there. With legends and folklore abound, is there an actual spirit curse in the building or something far more insidious at work?

Presented as a series of found footage from a long forgotten broadcast, Haunted Ulster Live follows similar formats and premises as Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special with a news crew investigating the supernatural for big ratings only to get in over their heads. And while the plot has certainly been done before, director Dominic O’Neill’s 90’s set tale of local access horror manages to stand out on its own ghastly feet. The dynamic between Gerry and Michelle is most prominent, with him being an experienced broadcaster who thinks this production is beneath him and Michelle being fresh blood who is considerably annoyed at being presented as costumed eye candy. This builds as the events within and around the domicile becomes too much to ignore as anything less than the real deal.

The cast of characters is rounded out by the McKillen family who have been dealing with the haunting for some time and how it’s had an effect on them. Experts are brought in to help explain the situation including the paranormal investigator Robert (Dave Fleming) and the psychic Sarah (Antoinette Morelli) who bring their own perspectives and angles to the haunting. A long and colorful history is established about the house, with Robert discussing how it used to be the site of an ancient ceremonial stone, the center of leylines, and how it was possibly possessed by the ghost of a former owner named Mr. Newell. And local legends abound about a nefarious spirit named Blackfoot Jack that would leave trails of dark footprints in his wake. It’s a fun twist having multiple potential explanations for the site’s strange occurrences instead of one end-all be-all source. Especially as the events unfold and the investigators try to discover the truth.

At its 79 minute timelength, and the encompassing broadcast, it’s a bit of a slow burn as the characters and lore is established. Between some news interruptions and behind the scenes footage, the action is mostly focused on Gerry and Michelle and the build up to their actual encounters with forces beyond their comprehension. I will give kudos that it went places I didn’t expect, leading to a surprisingly poignant and spiritually horrifying third act.

So, while Haunted Ulster Live isn’t exactly trendsetting, it definitely follows in the footsteps of similar found footage and broadcast horror films to walk its own path. Making for an entertaining and compact piece of mockumentary. If you’re a fan of the sub-genres, Haunted Ulster Live is well worth a watch.