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invocation of the sensually gothic |
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3 Films to Die For: Part 3
PENNY DREADFUL |
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The crossroad where paralyzing
phobias meet actualized nightmares
has been the place where many
unforgettable tales of terror
have been told.
From James Stewart's fear of heights
in Hitchcock's Vertigo to William Shatner's fear of flying
in his classic Twilight Zone episode,
when imagined danger meets real
horror, the chemistry can be riveting.
Rachel Miner's performance as
Penny in the tension-filled shocker Penny Dreadful stands alongside
those of Stewart and Shatner,
creating a character so vivid
and real, we become one with her
fear and desperation.
Penny is a young woman traumatized
by the childhood experience of
a violent car crash that claimed
the lives of her parents. In the
process of working past a lingering
and debilitating fear of automobiles
caused by that event, a psychologist
takes her on a road trip to confront
her inner demons.
A chance encounter with a mysterious
hitchhiker begins a series of
nighttime confrontations in which
her holds on sanity and survival
are pushed to the breaking point.
Director Richard Brandes, cinematographer
Joplin Wu and co-stars Mimi Rogers
and Rachel Miner bring their perfectionist
talents to this gem of indie horror.
Brandes felt a keen excitement
about making the most of his story's
potential.
"I'm a huge Hitchcock fan,"
he explains, "so one of the
things that appealed to me about
this story was its Hitchcockian
way of turning the audience's
expectations upside-down and playing
with them."
Adding to the edginess of Penny
Dreadful is it comittment to realism.
Special effects and manufactured
props were decided against whenever
possible, and the major moviemaking
tricks that are employed are so
deftly used as to be invisible.
Filming in and around California's
Big Bear Mountains proved to be
especially effective in terms
of adding a sense of reality,
where high winds and freezing
nights tested the resolve of cast
and crew. Mimi and Rachel survived
the near freezing nights on location
with a small space heater that
they named their "puppy,"
huddled inside of the car in which
their characters become trapped,
though the necessity of realism
and keeping the windows of the
car free of fog made its use possible
only during breaks in filming.
Mimi Rogers recalls how the experience
of filming in the chill of night
in the isolation of their automobile
prison was made entertaining by
the passionate direction of Richard
Brandes. "The crew was all
dressed up like abominable snowmen,
but I remember a lot of Richard
jumping around outside of the
car going, 'it's over here now!'
'Scream!' 'Energy, more energy!'
"
Penny Dreadful maintains its sense
of balancing the real and the
surreal by relating so intimately
with its heroine Penny, who is
constantly beset by the terrors
of her own mental illness and
by the psychosis of her external
attacker.
Rachel describes the effect and
how she internalized Penny's fears,
whether real or imagined.
"The structure of the story
forces an audience to see what's
happening through the eyes of
the characters, where you experience
their fear of the unknown. As
an actor, you play the internal
fear in the same way that you
would if something real was attacking
you, rather than playing it as
someone with mental illness. From
Penny's perspective, everything
she was going through was very
real."
Mimi Rogers was especially attracted
by that aspect of Penny Dreadful.
"There's a lot of psychological
complexity, and I like that. It
defines how the killer seems to
be everywhere and nowhere."
Penny Dreadful is only
the latest thriller in Mimi Rogers'
accomplished and prolific career.
Her roles in suspense and horror
go back to her first major film
role in Someone To Watch Over
Me through the stark apocalyptic
chiller The Rapture to
her part in the werewolf film
Ginger Snaps, with roles
in Tales From The Crypt and The
X Files along the way.
Rogers is particularly fond of
her participation in Ginger
Snaps.
"I love that movie. I called
the mom that I played 'Martha
Stewart on acid,' she was just
so psycho. I loved it. And I had
so much fun putting together her
wardrobe, finding the scottie
dog sweater and pin and hair ornament.
I thought that movie came out
really well, and it was a real
cult hit, especially in Canada
where we made it."
Although roles in horror are only
a part of the acting careers of
both Rogers and Miner, they each
express a love for the genre and
a special appreciation for the
fans of dark fantasy filmmaking.
"A thing that I love about
fans of horror films is that there's
a lot of focus on the actual process
of filmmaking and on the directors.
It's very much about the art and
not just the resulting film,"
says Rachel, with Mimi sharing
an equal respect for the intensity
of the horror fanbase.
The two actors display a great
sense of chemistry onscreen and
they share similar career paths
and attitudes toward their craft.
Not surprisingly, they developed
a warm personal and professional
relationship during the Penny
filming.
Mimi comments on the film and
about her co-star; "We were
all aware from the beginning that
because of the unique nature of
the story, we had to be a lot
more ingenious and creative. We
knew that it was a unique setting,
and this kind of movie lives and
breathes by the quality of the
performances.
If Rachel wasn't as good as she
is, and if audiences didn't care
about her so deeply, the movie
wouldn't be nearly as effective."
Rogers and Miner are quick to
praise director Brandes as well..
Rogers describes her trust in
her director; "Riding the
wave of emotion, being played
by the director on a relaxed set
allows for intense acting, for
letting go. When you have a guide
track, it's like you're an instrument,
you let him play you."
Rachel Miner explains, "Richard
had a very clear vision of what
he wanted. If you feel like you
have to direct yourself, and you
don't know what's wanted, suddenly
you become very self-conscious,
and that's the worst thing you
can do."
The success of the film is revealed
by the reactions of its viewers,
as Executive Producer Anita Sgarro
has observed. "We've noticed
that people grip the seats a lot
during Penny Dreadful because
they're trapped with a fear and
a threat that they can't get away
from."
Richard Brandes relates his favorite
audience description of Penny
Dreadful: "I've had people
describe the fear the movie gives
them as like being trapped inside
of a nightmare that they can't
escape."
PENNY DREADFUL stars:
Rachel Miner ..... Penny Dearborn
Mimi Rogers.......Oriana
Liz Davies .......... Hitchhiker
Tammy Filor ...... Mary Saunders
Mickey Jones .... Eddie
Penny Dreadful is Rated R for
violence/terror, some sexuality
and language.
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Read
part 1 |
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Read
part 2 |
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