Mother monster
Residing in Los Angeles, with his mixed heritage and multi-faceted skills as a filmmaker, Pierre delivers a mix of sun-soaked horror and inherent European elements we would associate with the likes of Bava and Argento. In his latest horror movie, Traumatika, he delivers another assault to the senses after 2021’s Two Witches. Setting out once again to “shock and increase the sensory impact” through a mix of the slasher and the hellbound imagery we would expect from ’80s horror, Pierre employs a multiple first-person point-of-view to immerse the audience in traumatic childhood experiences as Mikey’s mother begins showing signs of demonic possession his night terrors become reality.
Pierre took time out to share some of his influences and how he incorporates those familiar female monsters into his Grimm little tales…
Where did the premise of the film come from?
Max and I were eager to make a film quickly after the release of Two Witches and we wanted to make something doable with a very reasonable budget. So, the original premise was to make a story about a kid being terrified of his possessed mother, in some sort of haunted house setting. We started with a very simple plot and then we expanded this idea by exploring the trauma that this child would experience. We decided to tell the story through a lot of POV shots to immerse the audience as much as possible.
What is it about working in the horror genre you love so much?
I think the horror genre is the most stimulating way of telling stories and making films for me at the moment. I like the fact that in horror films filmmakers deal with primitive emotions. It’s a genre that stimulates the senses a lot, and I find it very entertaining. The horror genre can be very freeing in a way because it allows us to talk about anything just like any drama or a comedy allows us to, but we can give it a supernatural twist and/or we can tell stories in a very extreme way. I think it makes things more exciting and unique.
What are your influences as a filmmaker?
I love the horror genre and I always have ever since I can remember. As a toddler, I used to hide in closets to look for witches and monsters! I would say that my influences within horror are pretty broad. I love movies of all kinds but within the horror genre, I love European horror, especially Italian (Argento, Bava, Fulci etc.) and a lot of people see it as a big influence in my work. But I also love American horror whether it is mainstream classics like The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Scream, The Conjuring, Alien, Drag Me to Hell, The Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or more indie horror such as Hereditary, The Witch, X etc. Going back to European films, I love the German expressionist masterpieces Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and M. I think these films influenced my lighting style tremendously. I also love Spanish horror like Rec and Veronica. Being French, I am also a huge fan of French Extremity films such as Martyrs and High Tension but also older classics like Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visages). Last but not least, I love Asian horror; especially Japanese and Korean films like Audition, Ringu, A Tale of Two Sisters, and Ju-On. I’m a musician as well and I think music and rhythm play an important role in my editing, also using music to set up a mood while writing a script.
“I think the horror genre is
saturated with male monsters
and bogeymen … I’ve always
been more scared by
female characters…”
— Pierre Tsigaridis
With such vast taste in cinema, you seem to wear your influences on your sleeve, especially films from the ’70s and ’80s. What do you feel you bring to your films that lend a modern Tsigaridis twist?
I don’t think I can explain exactly what I bring to the table when it comes to creating a modern twist. I think all of this is subconscious. All I know is that growing up in the ’90s and early 2000s, most of the horror classics were from the ’70s and ’80s. And so, this visual grammar and style of filmmaking from older films was my foundation when it came to approaching the making of a film.
Mommy monster. Abigail (Rebekah Kennedy) makes her presence felt
Both your features so far seem to focus very much on the monstrous femme; specifically, that of the “mother monster”. What is it about this device and representation in horror that fascinates you so much?
I think the horror genre is saturated with male monsters and bogeymen. Everyone is very familiar with Michael Myers, Jason, Freddy etc. Personally, I’ve always been more scared of female characters such as Sadako from Ringu or Reagan from The Exorcist. Overall, I think it’s more fun to explore female villains. I have a lot of ideas for future scripts about very scary and evil male characters, but I feel there’s something even more special about a monstrous evil mother. Obviously, as a society, we tend to always think of the mother figure as something very kind, protective and nurturing so as soon as this figure becomes evil and ominous, people are thrown off, and they get scared! Also, I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with incredible actresses such as Rebekah Kennedy who really played a big part in bringing evil female characters to life.
In light of this female-centric approach, I’m interested to hear about how the ideas are developed with Maxime Rancon.
Things come very naturally because Max and I love the same films. We grew up in the same country at the same time, so we are more than often on the same page when it comes to the stories we want to tell. Ideas for scripts can come from a simple conversation during a phone call… after that, I usually go to my computer and start writing the things we discussed.
Sinister vibes. Is there something worse at play?
There is something extremely uncomfortable about your films — as though your skin is being slowly peeled as you’re watching. Working on everything from the script to the cinematography and editing, I’m interested to hear how much you rely on playing in those avenues when writing the script. For instance, is there a shorthand to your writing knowing how you will capture a mood and particular effects in camera or via an edit?
Well, thank you I’ll take that as a compliment! Since I shoot and edit my own films, I always have a certain camera coverage in mind while writing a script. I think this helps me visualize how the scenes will take shape. As a kid, I remember that the movies that were shocking were always the movies that I would remember the most. I would watch a scene that shocked me and try to understand how it was made and why it was so effective, paying close attention to details to try to figure out what it is that makes people so uncomfortable. Films that leave a strong impact on the audience are the ones I have grown up with and recall the most.
What do you want an audience to take away from watching Traumatika?
I hope they are entertained and frightened, but I also hope the film raises awareness about childhood trauma.
You can follow Pierre on Instagram and stay ups to date with other Rancon Company productions on the their official site.
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