Horror Highlights: DACHRA, SUZANNE’S SATURDAY NIGHT SCARES, F.E.A.R.

New Poster for DACHRA: "Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film DACHRA won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, DACHRA begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.

Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).

Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with a minimalist color palette in Hatem Nechi’s eerie and atmospheric compositions and uncanny long takes, this foggy, isolated hamlet is the creepiest location in recent horror cinema. Daring depths of barbarity—and some seriously scary children—are around every corner.

With superlative craft, first-time director Abdelhamid Bouchnak weaves together North African folklore and the tried-and-true B-movie magic that made his debut a runaway hit in his home country. DACHRA maintains a high level of suspense and sophistication with its carefully calibrated narrative, strong performances, and its genre-expanding ethereal dread.

DACHRA is written and directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, and stars Yasmine Dimassi, Aziz Jbali, Bilel Slatnia, Hela Ayed, Hedi Majri, Rahri Rahali.

DACHRA opens in theatres and virtual cinemas nationwide on Friday, July 9th."

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SUZANNE DELAURENTIIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: "Amazon Prime's SUZANNE'S SATURDAY NIGHT SCARES - much like Peter Vincent's FRIGHT NIGHT! - screens a wide range of older classic horror films with wrap-arounds talking about fun facts and tidbits from behind the scenes. Acclaimed producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis hosts the series, and brings in guests like Morgan Fairchild and Lara Parker.

Tell us about Suzanne's Saturday Night Scares.

It's a show that profiles old classic horror and has special guests that were either in the film, or have starred in similar movies. It's filled with fun facts and trivia and great bloopers at the end. 

How is the show structured?

It has three to four breaks that talk about the film and then a break where we interview a special celebrity guest. 

How many episodes have there been now?

Two episodes are currently on the air on Amazon Prime and Apple TV and we are currently shooting more.

What's ahead for future shows?

We've got a wonderful line up of classics, including some in black and white and some silent films.

Do you have a favorite episode?

I love them all."

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Jimmy Matlosz Breaks Down the Cinematography of F.E.A.R.: "F.E.A.R. (Forget Everything and Run) starring Marci Miller, Jason Tobias, Danny Ruiz, Cece Kelly, Susan Moore Harmon and Justin Dray is available now on VOD. The synopsis for the new post-apocalyptic horror-thriller reads: When a terrifying pathogen is released, one family will fight to save their children against a band of marauders, hellbent on revenge. Below the film’s cinematographer, Jimmy Matlosz, reveals some behind the scenes secrets of how the film was made.

-FEAR falls into the post-apocalyptic survival category. Were there any guidelines you felt you had to follow, cinematography wise, because the film was in this very specific sub-genre?

Ah good question, but more than anything I take a lead from production design and of course screenplay. Otherwise working within the limitations presented to me. So as for following guidelines f genre, I guess I’d say maybe? Meaning, what you see is what I interpreted and agreed to for the look of the film. We did have a few references that Jason put in the pitch deck, but the one that stood out was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, you’d have to tell me if you see that influence in there or not, additionally I’d say John Carpenters The Thing was in my subconscious while shooting, but not as a guideline. I hope that answered your question.

-FEAR is an indie film. If you had a bigger budget to work with, what would you have done different?

If we had more money, that would allow for more time, so I would have taken more time, for myself, but also for the actors and Geoff and Jason the directors and of course special EFX. We all worked at a fever pitch and I wager Geoff and Jason slept for a week at the end, if their day jobs allowed, that is. Overall, I loved applying all the big budget techniques I knew in a small budget way, who knows more time and money could have tainted the magic and serendipity we discovered. Hopefully this film will catapult all of us into a bigger budget, bigger scope film while keeping that intimacy of indie filmmaking.

-FEAR has been compared to A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place: Part 2. What do you think of that comparison?

That’s a huge compliment, since by my estimate our entire budget was probably their lunch budget for one week, literally less than 1% of the entire budget of AQP2. The question of course is the comparison the screenplay or the look? Maybe the producers on A Quiet Place will take notice of what we accomplished?

-In a previous interview you said, “post-apocalyptic is a highly sought-after genre for many DP’s”. Why is this?

Post Apocalyptic is really distressed Sci-Fi and there is a freedom that comes with the genre, where you can invent and play and put your skills to work regardless of budget. Unlike high tech Sci-Fi, like Blade Runner or Alien, without a budget on films like that you’re quite challenged. With Post Apocalyptic you are often dealing with distressed set design, hair and make-up and with that comes texture, shadows and contrast, much like horror, but for me, it’s as more fun, it doesn’t come with the pitfalls of being pigeon holed in a genre that is saturated and often low budget. I know that’s a tricky answer, and not meant as disrespectful to horror, but consider the careers launched from the Post Apocalyptic genre and the possibilities and places the film could take you, because you were able to express an artistic side and skill set.

-A good portion of the film takes place in the woods. What difficulties come with shooting in this kind of uncontrollable environment?

Well, I live in the woods, semi off grid these days, I love the outdoors and being in the mountains, for me this is home. I also learned a lot in my days working on IMAX films. I can’t speak for the crew though they did kill it on set every day for every set up. Shooting exterior anywhere for any film always puts you up against the elements, from clouds to sun, rain and yes snow. As an example, the scene with Marci and Jason in the barn is in a full snow storm, cut to a scene we did a week later with considerably less snow, you just have to work around it and hope the audience follows and perhaps the editor finds a way to bridge the gap. Even The Revenant had these challenges, you learn from other films very quickly what you can get away with, what the audience will accept. Additionally, with modern technology, like light weight remote heads, it allows a smaller crew to travel and move swiftly to let you move the camera more swiftly so you’re not stuck on a tripod and you can exploit the location more. So yeah, there are some challenges, but they are quelled with a good attitude, preparation and a can do attitude.

-FEAR was Jason Tobias’ directorial debut. Because of this, what sort of fresh approach did he bring to set? Or introduce to you?

The film was written by Jason and Co-directed by Geoff and Jason. They were a dream team to work with, they never disagreed on set and always seemed to be on the same page, ostensibly checking their egos at the door, they very much focused on the acting, blocking and making our day. Jason pulled this whole thing together though and more credit should be stated for all he did, from securing producers Blair and Lucas, to writing the screenplay, finding locations and creating the look of the film through production design, the dude is an amazing artist too! Of course, his acting in the film and yes directing, his energy level could light a city. Geoff brought his skills as well, from previously directing Terrordactyl, to all of his experience in VFX behind the computer. Jason and Geoff were very open minded to my interpretation of scenes based on their blocking, from camera moves to lighting. They gave me a lot of freedom and trust, which was a pleasant experience for so much riding on Jason’s shoulders. So I guess the fresh approach would be trust.

-There are a lot of flashback scenes in the film, to when everything was ok in the world. Did you shoot or light these scenes differently to contrast the world Joe is currently living in?

Absolutely, the current world they live in is cold and lacking hope, the past is reminiscent of better times, warm and inviting. But also, I wanted to make sure the viewer knew that a different time and place were being presented. We discussed black & white or a more neutral look, but I think in the end we had fun with being a bit heavy handed and really showing a contrast. For lighting, I was super lucky to have Arri LED lighting which meant changing color temperature from cool to neutral to warm was super fast, I could also manipulate the color temperature on the camera to give a look for dailies, that hopefully editorial would fall in love with and follow through to the final delivery.

 -How is FEAR different than other films out right now?

Gosh, that is a good question... I guess we will have to see how well it is received and what kind of press we can generate so more people see it. In contrast to other films in the genre, I hope it appeals to a wider range of people, that it’s not so specific to a genre, yet crosses some lines into heartfelt or thought provoking, who knows?

-Are there any horror films that you have seen recently, where the cinematography really stuck out to you? If so, why?

To be honest I watch very few horror films, I know, I know... The ones that come to mind though are Hereditary and Green Room, not necessarily new but beautiful work and both cinematographers have continued on to lens some amazing films. As to why, some of that is intangible, hard to express, it could be the angles, the lighting style or what have you. But if I had to, there is most likely a consistent style throughout the film and a story telling aspect with the lens that opens up the story and doesn’t bring attention to itself as kitschy or self-serving, just damn good work."