Haunt and play
Having just had its International Premier at FrightFest London, Jill Gevargizian’s Ghost Game delivers an intrusive little horror that taps into a number of 21st-century anxieties. Discovering his girlfriend, Laura, has been secretly taking part in an internet challenge involving breaking into homes and living undetected alongside the residents, Vin wants in on the next adventure. The target? Halton House, an infamously haunted manor that’s just been bought by a new family. Once the thrill-seeking couple enters the house, chilling, unexplained incidents begin to happen. It seems Laura and Vin aren’t the only thing haunting the old manor. As the new owner descends into madness posing a danger to the family, the encounter becomes more than a game and more a battle for their own survival.
What at first seems to play with a lot of conventions, mixes up a number of devices one would expect from both ghosts and games, we are presented with enough twists and interesting turns to keep you hooked right up until the shocking final reveal. Jill took some time to answer a few questions about her latest film…
What is it about working in the horror genre you love so much?
Everything! The actual making of it is so much fun and challenging. It’s like living out a childhood dream.
What are your influences as a filmmaker, within and beyond the realms of cinema and
genre filmmaking?
Life, experience, adventures into the wilderness, taking in art. Being open to seeing what’s out there.
I loved the pair of scissors used at the beginning of Ghost Game. I’m going to assume this is becoming a signature or at least a conscious nod to The Stylist and your skills as a hairdresser.
Actually, it was already in the Ghost Game script before I was involved! It was one of those signs that told me: this project was for me… and one of the shots we replicated from The Stylist. I doubt I’ll have an opportunity to do that in every film, or that it would make sense, but I was very excited to do that.
How were you approached with Adam Cesare’s script?
I was already connected with Adam through another script of his we were working on together a couple of years prior. Ghost Game got greenlit and was looking for a director, so Adam suggested me to the producers, and luckily I already knew one of the executive producers, Ed Sanchez, who was one of the directors of The Blair Witch Project. It was Ed who reached out to me about it but really was a situation of years and years of connections leading to this opportunity! This is why I tell filmmakers to go to as many film festivals as possible and meet people. I met Ed 10 years ago at a festival with my very first short film “Call Girl” and he's been a mentor of sorts since; helped me get an agent and eventually led to this film.
Ready for the game. Laura (Kia Dorsey) surveys her surroundings
How have you found working with other writer’s material on this project?
It’s something I’m very used to. I’ve directed more projects that I haven’t written, than I have. And Adam was very open to me putting my stamp on it.
“This is why I tell Filmmakers to
go to as many film festivals
as possible and meet people.”
— Jill Gevargizian
You seem to have taken a step back from producing on this film. What differences did this make in terms of helping to focus even more on the direction?
As mentioned, I was hired to direct this film by a team of producers. It’s not that I was taking a step back from producing… but it was nice to not be the one who had to figure out where the money came from. Saying all this, on a film this small you end up doing lots of producing either way.
Location, location, location.
I’m fascinated to hear about the location. How long did it take to find the right house and how much prep did it need before filming commenced?
I was brought on the project only two months before we were shooting. They found this house pretty quickly and it was a miracle! Our production designer Jen Davis made the house look incredible! It was completely empty when we got it and she only had two weeks before we started shooting to start putting sets together. It was a dream location for this movie but it was really challenging to rewrite it to match the house as the script was not written for it. I often found myself re-configuring scenes moments before shooting. On films this size, it's not about how much time you need. It's about how much time you have based on the budget, and you just have to make it work!
In the game. Home invasion or real haunting?
What is the most important thing you learned as a filmmaker while shooting Ghost Game?
Oh my, I learned so much from working on this film. But I guess the biggest thing would be to stand up for what I know can and can't be done with the amount of time/money we have. Because I had to make a lot of unnecessary compromises on this film due to the script not being properly edited down for the budget.
What do you want an audience to take away from the film?
I just hope they have a good time watching it!
Follow Jill on Instagram and X. GHOST GAME will be seen next at The Knoxville Horror Fest with announcements about general release at the end of September.
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