BRWC EXCLUSIVE: The Evil Within – Richard Gray Interview

15th April 2014

Batten down the hatches, The Evil Within wants out!

A group of teenagers discover they’re the target of a mysterious force in the new horror film from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Richard Gray (Blinder, The Lookalike). We caught up with Gray to speak about the spooky new release, hitting DVD and VOD May 6, 2014 from Phase 4 Films.

How did the movie come to be?

I was traveling to festivals and markets is the US with Summer Coda. I’d been working with the writers of The Evil Within for about 12 months already. Then I happened to meet Mike Gillespie – producer – in LA at a Coda screening, he asked “what else you got”?”. He read TEW, really clicked with the story, and by chance had a great connection to some real mines up in Washington State! It felt very much “meant to be”. We were very fortunate to have producers Chris Lemole and Benton Morris come onboard, and the cast quickly followed. Filming was an exciting adventure. The amazing backdrops of WA, and the ability of a very small Indy crew to work and build brilliant sets on a tiny budget was a real highlight for me. We had a ball.

Was this your first movie outside of Australia?

Yes indeed. I wanted to make something very different from my first, to explore a different genre and a different style.

Where did you shoot the film?

North Bend, Washington. And the lava tubes under Mount St Helens. Stunning locations, we love WA.

What were you looking for in the main ensemble of actors?

Commitment. We just wanted a team of very talented folk that would give their all and we found it. We all lived together in a tiny little motel and we bonded and had a ball. Everyone was “all in”.

How far does your love of horror go back?

Back to when I was 12. My uncle introduced me to classics like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Exorcist, The Shining and I never was the same again!

What movies influenced The Evil Within?

Lord of The Flies was actually my biggest influence, not for style or look but for the human relationships and what happens to them under extreme pressure and circumstance. I’m not a lover of handheld photography, so we also wanted to achieve a more classical style.

How important is a good story in a scary movie?

It’s everything and it’s also the only way to get quality actors. We sat down every night and every morning with the cast and really tried to hone in one exactly what we were trying to achieve. We try our best to shoot in scene order too, which was very rewarding with this type of story. The cast were so committed it made shooting a dream. I really miss my time up in North Bend, WA.

Have you seen the movie with an audience; how did it go down?

Many times, was brilliant in Melbourne, and most recently in Aruba. Everyone has a different opinion and I find the questions fascinating. I love the open-ended nature of the story. Everyone has a different favorite character and I can’t wait to hear the opinions of a larger audience. Ultimately we wanted to create something a little bit different. I always saw the film as a psychological thriller and a great character piece. it will be interesting to see how she goes.

The Evil Within is out May 6

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