30 Days of October: Leigh Janiak, "Honeymoon"
To celebrate the chill of October, for each of the next 30 days, Film Yap writer Joshua Hull will take a look at the best in upcoming horror films, and discuss them with the people who make and watch them. From big-studio horror all the way down to micro-micro-budget films, Joshua will crawl into the crypt with sinister scaremeisters and haunted horror fans to find out what makes them and their films tick.
#1: "Honeymoon" Director Leigh Janiak Synopsis: A newlywed couple sees its lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of their first night.
"Honeymoon" is currently available on demand, in select theaters and on iTunes.
http://www.magnetreleasing.com/honeymoon/
I want to start by asking: Why do you hate honeymoons?
Ha! I don’t hate honeymoons!! I would say that actually I love the idea of them — just a protected time and space for you and one other person, away from real life. I think it’s a lovely idea and perfect for a horror movie.
Where did the initial idea for "Honeymoon" come from?
My writing partner Phil and I have always been interested with the notion of identity and how well you can ever really know another person. I think this was jumping-off point. And then we thought about "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and how that story has been told and retold over and over again and it felt like a good lens with which to approach our idea. So we ended up with this very intimate body snatcher film, where the person you think you know the best turns into someone or something you no longer recognize.
You wrote the film with Phil Graziadei. A lot of writers fall into the trap of “that's already been done so much." Was there any concern about writing another horror film set “in the woods” from yourself or Phil?
Not really. Neither of us was really concerned with reinventing the wheel narratively here. The main focus for "Honeymoon" was just on telling this story of a relationship and how this relationship falls apart, and telling it well. To best explore and exploit this, we wanted to isolate them both in place and time — so a honeymoon in the woods felt like a good way to do that. And also, a cottage in the middle of nowhere is scary, so it didn’t bother me that we’ve seen it done a lot before.
You brought Rose Leslie on to star after seeing her on "Game Of Thrones." What was that casting process like for you?
I had seen Rose on "Downton Abbey," and she had just started on "Game of Thrones" when we were casting. I had read the "Game of Thrones" books, and Ygritte was one of my favorite characters, so when Rose showed up playing her, I was really excited. You know, she didn’t have a lot of screen time at first, but I knew where her character was going and I thought maybe we could seize this opportunity before she really “blew up” as a star. We didn’t have a casting director and Rose didn’t have a U.S. agent yet or anything. I remember emailing my producer Patrick, pitching her and passing along her U.K. agent’s info that I had found on the Internet. He said “great idea” and that he’d call her agent in London the next day, but it all felt like a longshot. I was extremely happy when she responded to the script.
Can we talk about that poster? It's stunning. I'm pretty sure I used the word “beautiful” or “gorgeous” the first time I saw it. I absolutely love the Mondo / alternative poster art most indie films go with these days, but you went with this incredibly striking image of Rose and her face just has this look. It's so good! Can you tell me a little bit about how that poster came to life? I’m so glad you like it! I love that it kind of has that "Under the Skin," starry vibe, you know? Magnolia had created a first poster that was a bit more “traditional horror,” so I was happy when they also made this poster featuring Rose. I wish I could take more credit for it, but other than just emphasizing tonally what I hoped the poster would convey, the design was guided by them.
Do you know what's next for you?
Phil and I are in the process of working on an idea for a limited series. So hopefully we’ll have more news about that soon!
What do you think the future of indie horror/genre filmmaking looks like? I think it’s a really exciting time to be in indie filmmaking, generally. I love movie theaters and seeing a movie on the big screen; there’s nothing like it. But there’s also something amazing about VOD, Netflix, iTunes, etc. Streaming has opened up a whole new audience for indie films that’s not necessarily dependent on a huge marketing budget.
What horror / genre films are you looking forward to seeing most over the next year? Fall is my favorite time of year movie-wise, so there’s a ton of films in every genre I’m looking forward to; I think the film I’m most looking forward to is "Interstellar." I also really want to see "It Follows" and "Alleluia." Both have played at festivals that "Honeymoon" has played at, but I keep missing them!