Loving Genre Movies: A Conversation with Nick Moran for the release of Don’t Knock Twice
For Jess, life has never been better. A successful American sculptor, she has recently returned to the UK, where she spent much of her troubled youth. Now happily married, wealthy and settled, all that remains to make her life complete is to rebuild her relationship with Chloe, the daughter she was forced to give up nine years ago. So when Chloe agrees to come and live with her, Jess is optimistic that she can make amends and be a good mother once more.
What Jess doesn’t know is that Chloe has not come to stay because she wants to get to know her mother again. She has come because she is scared that a supernatural curse has claimed the life of her boyfriend, Danny, and is now coming for her. Chloe and Danny made the mistake of revisiting an abandoned house, once home to ‘Ginger’, a mysterious old woman said by some to be a witch. Local legend says that if you knock on her door then the vengeful ghost of Ginger will snatch you away to her hellish limbo.
At first Jess puts Chloe’s erratic behaviour down to the trauma of her past and the resentment she still feels for being abandoned. But soon Jess comes to realise that she is all that stands between her daughter and a formidable and terrifying supernatural force. Thrown into a battle for survival, Jess must learn the truth behind the legend of the witch and ultimately make the bravest sacrifice of all and knock on Ginger’s door herself…
In our EXCLUSIVE interview, The Fan Carpet‘s Jessen Aroonachellum spoke to Nick Moran about his character, working with the cast and director and his love of genre films…
Can you tell us about the character and how he relates to the film?
Don’t Knock Twice is a traditional supernatural thriller and, I won’t revel too much but involves a Urban rumour of “Knockdown Ginger”. There is a house where a witch is supposed to live and if you knock on the door twice and you wake the witch and she finds you.
What the director has done is great and has structured the story is a sensible way. As in a decent horror does and in that a mother is trying reconnect with a daughter she hasn’t seen for year. The daughter is the one who knocks on the door and I play the police officer who is trying to find the missing daughter. He get roped into it and becomes victim to it with out ruining it. So, like The Exorcist, and what I do is very straight laced until the end of the film. Yeah, I bring the mother in and interrogate her to find out what happen to the child. It’s very intense. The audience needs to be drawn back to reality so then they can be frighten again. It’s a small role but an important one. I was really pleased how the film turned out. You have to play the role straight and real so it can counter the horror elements of the film.
How was it working with cast?
Well, it was great. Everyone knows Katee Sackhoff is Starbuck for Battlestar Galactica. She’s very energetic and forthright. We got on really well and it was really fun. I think Lucy (Boynton) is a star in the making. She’s amazing. She gonna be a big star. She already got a couple series under her belt. She’s really, really good. I think she can be the next Kira.
I think. She plays 16 in the film but she 21 now. I only had one scenes with her but it’s really nice to see her in the finished film. I always get asked how was that actor to work with in that film you are in but sometimes I don’t know because we don’t have scenes together!
How was working with director?
Well I saw Caradog’s film, The Machine and was impressed and I wanted to work with these people and I’m glad i did.
We got Don’t Knock Twice coming out this year and as well in the States. It’s gotten us excited. Got a film being release on both sides of the Atlantic . That’s an achievement.
Would you like to do more genre movies?
Yes, of course. I was going to do a Sci-Fi movie called “Space Age” which I was going to direct but I couldn’t because I was doing a play in the West End. I want to do my Sci-Fi, it’s a genre I really enjoy. There is something wonderful about genre. I mean, I’ve done Harry Potter and that’s a genre film. Sci-Fi and Fantasy is something I really, really love. Once you sit down and watch them anything can happen. I really want to do “Space Age” as it was a really good script and I want to direct it. However, I’m a few steps away. I do want to do more genre films.
Don’t Knock Twice Film Page | Don’t Knock Twice Review | Caradog W. James Interview
DON’T KNOCK TWICE IS OUT IN CINEMAS TODAY
No Comment