In the film, three childhood friends (played by Aselton, Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell) set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls’ weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival.
Aselton directed from a script by Mark Duplass, who is known for films like Baghead and Jeff, Who Lives at Home and has slowly been creeping into the horror-thriller genre.
Shock Till You Drop.com: The thriller genre is lacking female horror directors, so…welcome!
Katie Aselton: There is, but I never thought that would be a point of conversation because I had no idea it was a rarity, but it is. I can’t put my finger onto why. I don’t know. It’s interesting, but I’m happy I got to tell the story that I told.
Shock: Why the decision to tackle this film as your second feature – something drastically different from your feature debut?
Aselton: I don’t know, why not, right? I’m still trying to figure out my voice as a filmmaker and it’s fun to try something different. Freebie was a quiet, intimate relationship movie and I like watching movies like Black Rock. I wanted to challenge myself as an actor and the way to do that as a filmmaker is to create that role for myself.
Shock: How did that push you creatively then because a film like Black Rock has a different foundation than Freebie in terms of pacing, tension, etc.
Aselton: Absolutely. There are rules and regulations for the genre that you have to obey and follow, which is kind of fun. It’s nice to work within that framework, but do it in our own terms which is character-driven, reality-based, truthful and simple. Creating and maintaining suspense is tricky. Keeping the pacing taut is definitely something you don’t have to think about when you’re doing a dramedy. Tension is definitely created in the edit. That being said, Mark wrote a tight script and it was all there. But in the quick cuts of an action scene, it builds on the tension.
Aselton: Thank you, that was the goal. I wanted it to be a throwback to the thrillers of the ’70s that were simple stories with real characters. Characters you can relate to who are extraordinary circumstances. Lake and Kate were so game to take this on. They were awesome to work on this movie and they really jumped in whole hog without questioning me, which is crazy, in my opinion. They were incredibly brave and an emotional support system for me. The only hard thing was when you’re looking for a bathroom in Maine, it was tough because we were all in the woods.
Shock: Was the experience good enough that you’d revisit the thriller genre again?
Aselton: There are all sorts of genres I’d love to figure out. I feel like I’m in college again and I have to figure out my major.
Shock: You mentioned earlier the films of the ’70s. Movies like The Last House on the Left come to mind. For you, what pushes the boundaries in terms of violence against women?
Aselton: For me, it’s about truth and reality. It doesn’t need to be gratuitous or exploitative. I don’t want to shy away from it, but I don’t want to be over-indulgant either.
Stay up to date with the latest horror news by “liking” Shock Till You Drop’s Facebook page and following us on Twitter!
