"We are 100% open to filming in Russia!"
The creators of the horror film "Bring her back from the Dead", Australian twin directors Danny and Michael Philippou, would like to arrange their tours in Russia, they love our festival films and would not refuse to film Russian literature. The brothers told Izvestia about this on the eve of the release of their film. They are known to fans from the 2022 horror film "Two, Three, Demon, Come!", but for the Western public they are also streamer stars: their channel RackaRacka has about 7 million subscribers and more than a billion views.
"It would be great if we could organize our promotional tour in Russia"
— "Bring Her Back from the Dead" is coming out soon in Russia. Have you ever been to our country? And if not, would you like to visit?
Michael Philippou: We would really like to visit Russia! It would be great if we could organize our promotional tour. We have a large audience in Russia, so if possible, it would be cool to come to you!
Danny Philippou: Let's do it!
— Could you make a film in Russia one day?
Danny Philippou: If it makes sense for the story and characters, we are 100% open to filming in Russia. Russian Russian characters, so if you could come up with a script based on events in your country, perhaps based on Russian literature, we would absolutely like to come to you.
Michael Philippou: Yes, we like to shoot in Australia now. We have an amazing team there, which we have assembled, and we are comfortable working in our homeland. But we are ready to travel!
A scene from the movie "Bring Her Back from the Dead" directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
— Let's talk about your movie. It begins as a social drama, telling the story of a visually impaired girl who is carefully protected from the outside world by her caring older brother. It's only after a while that we realize we're watching horror. Did you consciously strive to combine these genres?
Danny Philippou: Yes, we always try to make our films work as dramas. If you remove all the horror elements, these characters and this world may well exist in a dramatic context. We wanted it to be slow, but it accelerated like a snowball and gradually got out of control.
"We fight a lot on set"
"You're twins. How do you build a dialogue and share responsibilities on set?
Michael Philippou: We fight a lot on set. But in general, we try to share responsibilities. Danny focuses on the main characters, and I deal with the side storylines. Then, in post—production, I worked more with sound and music, and Danny worked with color and visual effects. We have the same general vision, but we can focus on different things. At the same time, we are both 100% in the editing, and we were both on set every day.
A scene from the movie "Bring Her Back from the Dead" directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
— At the same time, you are not only directors, but also very famous YouTube streamers. How did it help you in your film work?
Danny Philippou: Everything we've ever done on YouTube has been a kind of step towards making a movie. In the streams, we were able to experiment with various editing techniques, visual effects, work with makeup, and build our first sets. It always felt like a training ground for us as filmmakers, and it helped us on our journey.
Now there is a new wave of YouTubers who are making strides as directors, and I am sure that, in turn, the next generation of directors will actively dabble in social media.
A scene from the movie "Bring Her Back from the Dead" directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
— Recently, we have seen a surge in the popularity of horror films. What is the reason for this, in your opinion?
Danny Philippou: I like that there's a renewed interest in horror right now. It's not that the horrors had gone away before that, but there really was a certain lull, in the 2000s, for some reason, the studios didn't trust this genre. Although, it seems to me, the audience never got tired of him.
Tarkovsky's Stalker is an incredible film!"
— Do you know any Russian or Soviet horror films?
Michael Philippou: Oh my goodness. Danny watches a lot more movies than I do. So, Danny, come on, answer me. Danny saw everything. What is the name of this movie? There's a father and sons there.
To Danny Philippou: This is my favorite movie, which is not pure horror, but still we adore it. "Return"! We really love "The Return" and "Leviathan". And what other film has this director made? "Dislike"? Yes, we love these movies to death! What's the director's name again?
— Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Danny Philippou: Yes, yes, yes! Exactly. He's one of our favorite directors.
A scene from the film "The Return" directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
— But these are dramas, not horror films.
Danny Philippou: When we develop our horror films, we always combine it with drama. So yes, I would still name these films. "The Return" is a picture in which there is a lot of suspense. And there is death in it.
— Since we're talking about the Russian film festival, I would recall Tarkovsky's "Stalker" — perhaps there is even more suspense and horror. Have you heard about this tape?
Danny Philippou: Of course, of course! There's an amazing show on Shudder (American horror-oriented streaming. — Ed.), where they talk about the creation of "cursed" paintings, and there they talked about Tarkovsky's "Stalker". An incredible movie! And what Russian classic horror would you recommend us to watch?
A scene from the film "Stalker" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
— Well, for example, we had the movie "Viy", an adaptation of Gogol. But since we are talking about Tarkovsky and Zvyagintsev, I will name another Russian festival director, Alexander Sokurov, whom many consider to be Tarkovsky's heir. He has a completely mystical picture "Days of the Eclipse", shot back in the USSR. In a sense, it can also be called horror.
Michael Philippou: Wow! What's the director's name? Dictate it.
— Alexander Sokurov. "Days of the eclipse."
Michael Philippou: (writing) Oh, great, we'll definitely take a look. We are very intrigued! I would like to dive deep into his work.
— There is an opinion that now the most terrible horror is the news on television. What role do you think horror movies play in this situation? Can they "heal" a viewer traumatized by nightmares in real life?
Danny Philippou: You know, we had a few viewers who said that they had lost loved ones some time ago, and watching our film became a kind of therapy for them. I think horror is a fun way to talk about some really dark topics without being too dark. To release some dark thoughts, to get rid of your demons. In fact, any art is an attempt to express oneself, to speak out.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
