A modern twist on the ghost story, this is what THE FORGOTTEN has been described as, haunting, chilling, horror at its most intense too. It also been described as "kitchen sink realism meets supernatural horror", we bloody love that quote, don't tell anyone but we're going to pinch it from time to time, shush though.
Now here, at Haunted Magazine, we love all things spooky and ghostly, suffice to say that we love nothing better than a good British Ghost Story. Is THE FORGOTTEN one of these, you bet your life it is.
What's also great about it is that this is the directional debut of Oliver Frampton, we caught up with the man behind THE FORGOTTEN.
Oh, and there's 3 DVDs of THE FORGOTTEN on offer too.
Kitchen sink realism meets supernatural horror, that would've made a great tagline, can you describe what that means?
Well, James (co-writer) and Jennifer
(producer) and I felt passionately that the best way to scare people with THE
FORGOTTEN was to craft the experience that felt as real as possible. Our logic
was - the more real it felt, the scarier it would be. By which I mean, the more
it will "get under your skin", as opposed to the more it will
"make you jump". This approach dictated everything from the script
onwards, pacing, the kinds of scares you play, and so on. Everything is
grounded. Fundamentally it means real characters, talking in the way real
people do, responding to events in the way real people respond. One of my
favourite moments is when young Tommy sleeps on a bench outside rather than
going back to his creepy flat.
I've worked on lots of TV shows. Period
dramas, relationship dramas, and - yes - cop shows. I actually really love
investigative storytelling. It's hard to argue with "Silence of the
Lambs"! But I guess where both James and I having experience working on
cop shows really helped was that (even in its most alternative form) horror
tends to centre around some kind of mystery. It may unravel organically, or it
may unravel because a character's tugging at the thread. But it has to unravel
somewhere. We're really proud of how THE FORGOTTEN slowly sheds its layers and
that they're not just plot, they're emotional layers, so you're inexorably
drawn closer and closer to a painful truth. Ultimately we wanted to make a
really scary film that also had something to say.
This is your first stab at being a director and your first foray into film, was it an easy transition from scripting to directing and TV to film, are there many differences?
This is your first stab at being a director and your first foray into film, was it an easy transition from scripting to directing and TV to film, are there many differences?
I suppose it didn't really feel like my
first foray. I've directed loads of shorts before and I've spent lots of time
on sets for the various shows I've worked on, speaking with directors, actors
and technicians. Plus - like a lot people - just been slightly obsessive about
the craft of film-making. Where I enjoyed the process most (and I suppose
retrospectively where I was least experienced) was in really immersing myself
in the heads of the actors. I loved how in talking with, and encouraging, and
pushing, and restraining the individual actors, these characters on the page
suddenly took on life. That was the joy.
Are you a lover of horror and the supernatural, if so, what’s your favourite films?
Are you a lover of horror and the supernatural, if so, what’s your favourite films?
I am indeed a lover of horror. And
there are too many great movies to mention. I suppose if we're talking about
influences on THE FORGOTTEN, I'd have to say Clayton's "The
Innocents", Robert Wise's "The Haunting", a whiff of J-Horror
with Nakata's "Dark Water".
We've also never made any secret of the
fact that with this film we wanted to bring the model of the Victorian literary
ghost-story into the present. These are stories that build slowly, with
sometimes fairly passive lead characters. But they relentlessly build tension
to a sharp climax. We just set ours on an abandoned council estate...
Is British Horror alive and kicking arse, is it up there with the best do you think?
I think the tradition of the ghost
story is synonymous with the UK. Think of the amazing work of MR James, Henry
James, Mary Shelley. Britain is in the DNA of horror, and how it's evolved. And
went you chart through the eras from Hammer classics, to "The
Haunting", to "Don't Look Now", to "28 Days Later" and
more recently... It can be easy to forget that we still consistently contribute
seminal horror films. I loved my producer Jenn's film "The
Borderlands" (2013)! I just hope THE FORGOTTEN contributes to horror
ongoing evolution.
Going back to The Bill, I loved that show, we regularly have the repeats on in the office, is there any chance it will ever come back?
Going back to The Bill, I loved that show, we regularly have the repeats on in the office, is there any chance it will ever come back?
I loved The Bill. You'd have to ask new
Director of Television for ITV, Kevin Lygo - and new Head of Drama, Polly Hill!
The Forgotten has a cast full of British talent, lots of recognisable faces, do you think that’s important when casting a film?
The Forgotten has a cast full of British talent, lots of recognisable faces, do you think that’s important when casting a film?
I'm so, so happy with the cast in this
film. We were really fortunate on THE FORGOTTEN, because we were entirely
independent, to be able to cast exactly who we wanted without outside
pressures. We auditioned for Tommys and Carmens and made offers to Shaun
Dingwall and Lyndsey Marshal. But crucially we could just cast who was best for
the character. I can't tell you how rewarding it is to play the film at
festivals and afterwards hear people talking about the characters by name, as
if they're alive.
Casting Director Daniel Edwards put
together an amazing ensemble for us - with just no weak links. Elarica Johnson
knew her 'Carmen' character inside out, and I think related to her strength and
vulnerability. She gave us hackles just from her audition reading. Clem Tibber
really encapsulated 'Tommys' introverted heroism. And Shaun Dingwall brought
such a quiet, troubled volatility to his 'Mark' - I think he secretly enjoyed
playing his nightmare version of a dad.
What are your plans for the future?
What are your plans for the future?
James Hall and I are currently working
with another production company, writing a bigger-budget supernatural horror
film about 50 Berkeley Square - London's most haunted house.
It's set in the blackout during the blitz and follows a lone 'fire-watcher',
who's locked into the house every night, all on his own, to sits on the top
floor and watch for falling incendiary devices. So definitely watch this space!
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Oliver!!
**COMPETITION TIME**
To bag yourself a copy of THE FORGOTTEN couldn't be easier, all you got to do is to email theforgotten@deadgoodpublishing.com and your entry will be saved, there will also be chances to win on our social media pages. The best of British luck, competition closes 31st of May, winners will be picked at random blah blah blah and all that, you know the small print!!
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