House of Darkness is currently available On Demand and Digital as of September 13th. The horror film is both written and directed by Neil LaBute and centers around a man who gets much more than he bargained for after taking his date back to her secluded estate.
The film stars Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers, New Girl), Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, Blue Crush), Gia Crovatin (I Feel Pretty), and Lucy Walters (Tesla).
Actress Lucy Walters chats with Screen Rant about how she got involved in the chamber piece and her love for indie films.
Screen Rant: I really enjoyed this film. I’m big into horror and I love chamber pieces, as well, so I enjoyed it a lot.
Lucy Walters: I guess in the time of pandemic, those are big right now, aren’t they? Because it’s what we could shoot. You can’t have huge casts. It’s too much of a COVID risk. And so there is something real. I love an intimate chamber piece, especially in the horror genre. You’re right. There’s just a tension that you can bring to it. And also, it feels very theater, and I come from that. So it is a love of mine.
Screen Rant: I was going to ask you about that because one of your cast mates had mentioned that you filmed this around COVID. Given the setting and the proximity, how was being on set?
Lucy Walters: It’s so funny to think back on because part of the thrill of the vampire genre is the sexiness. It’s like all about the skin and I just feel like the pandemic was completely the opposite. It just felt like it was so devoid of sexiness or intimacy, or touch, or any of these things that these films kind of are about. And so I think that was kind of one of the draws of it. It was like, “Yes! Yes! We’re hungry for this skin contact.” And I also think that the film itself is, of course, turning that upside down. And the production itself is very—we were quite isolated. Thankfully, they took COVID very seriously. They were all night shoots and that kind of messes with your head anyway.
And we’re all very, very separate from each other—quite isolated. And that also messes with your head. So, in some ways, it’s like the most sterile and least sexy atmosphere. But there’s something just so surreal about the conditions that make for something very interesting. I think part of what makes the movie really pop is just how much palpable chemistry there is between Justin and Kate and that tension of like, “Are we f*cking with each other?” The image for me is always like a cat playing with its food or something. These women have been around forever. They’re slightly bored. They definitely have a bone to pick. And so there’s simmering rage, but there’s also just play. I just think it’s a really interesting genre.
Screen Rant: Yeah, and like you were saying, I really loved the way that they were kind of toying with him throughout. I thought that was fun. It made it pretty eerie as well, which is really cool.
Lucy Walters: Totally. Obviously, in a post Me Too world, everybody is going back and looking at these archetypes and tropes. It was a little bit more of a critical eye and I think that Neil is very careful to sort of tee up for us a lot of complicated dynamics. But I just think he’s careful to not have a didactic message, at the end of the day. I think there is no clear villain. Everyone’s a little gray.
Screen Rant: Yes, for sure.
Lucy Walters: I think it’s important that Justin’s character, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t that sh*tty of a dude. It’s all relative, right? I guess I like that there’s so much tension, but you don’t really know where your sympathies lie. It’s not clear cut, and I think that’s sort of captured visually. I think Dan Katz, the DP, has done a good job in the whole thing with like, “What’s real? What’s not?” It’s kind of in that beautifully lit Dark Shadows world sort of thematically and also visually.
Screen Rant: You also shot this in a castle, which I did not realize initially. I was blown away. How was working there?
Lucy Walters: To me, that sort of sums it all up in a way. There’s just something so perfectly post-modern about that architecture, because it’s new. It was constructed somewhat recently, and obviously, it’s meant to have the grandeur and stuff of a castle from wherever. And so there was just something kind of perfect about that, and especially this story, which we’ve seen a million versions of. It is classic and timeless and Gothic, but there’s also a very modern take on it. And something about the castle, you know, “castle,” perfectly encapsulated that. It’s both very new and also old and timeless at the same time. It was like a mash-up of all of these things where you’re just left with a little bit of a headscratch.
Screen Rant: And that was in Arkansas, right? That’s where you filmed?
Lucy Walters: In Arkansas! That’s the punchline I missed! Yes! In the middle of the Ozarks. I was on board just because I’ve always wanted to go, which is beautiful by the way—the Ozarks. I did a lot of hiking. We filmed all nights and I don’t know how to sleep in the day. So I did a lot of hiking and it’s a beautiful part of the country. And I think that sort of adds to it too. Not only is it this weird COVID time, but also you’re just all working on no sleep. Like odd hours, and there’s just something very surreal about losing your mind in that world. What’s real? What’s not real?
Screen Rant: That’s the best part of any horror movie, honestly. The confusion is the draw.
Lucy Walters: Totally!
Screen Rant: Lastly, with this movie coming out this month, do you have any other upcoming projects that you’re excited for?
Lucy Walters: I just live for indie film and I worry about the future of it. But it is truly where I’m happiest. And you said it best—there’s just something so satisfying about a chamber piece. I am going next week to film a small film upstate called The Snare, directed by Merlin Camozzi. And I just think it’s a really dark…it’s not horror, but it’s so horrific. It’s just the horror of everyday life—living in poverty. It’s a beautiful film, and I’m really excited for that. And, again, it’s that sort of slow-pace tension that seems to be the world that I like to live in. That is where I seem to find the most satisfaction in my work life.
House of Darkness Synopsis
After meeting at a local bar, a man accompanies a beautiful and mysterious woman back to her luxurious and secluded estate. However, he soon gets more than he bargained for when their playful flirtation turns into something sinister.
Check out our other House of Darkness interview with star Gia Crovatin and filmmaker Neil LaBute.
House of Darkness hits On Demand and Digital September 13th.