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

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The Seed Lucy Martin

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*

Shudder The Seed Lucy Martin

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.

The Seed Lucy Martin

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.

The Seed

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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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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New ‘The Watchers’ Trailer Adds More to the Mystery

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Although the trailer is almost double its original, there is still nothing we can glean from The Watchers other than a harbinger parrot who loves to say, “Try not to die.” But what do you expect this is a Shyamalan project, Ishana Night Shyamalan to be exact.

She is the daughter of twist-ending prince director M. Night Shyamalan who also has a movie coming out this year. And just like her father, Ishana is keeping everything mysterious in her movie trailer.

“You can’t see them, but they see everything,” is the tagline for this movie.

They tell us in the synopsis: “The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.”

The Watchers opens theatrically on June 7.

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