Tom Atkinson Interview: 'The 10 Pound Horror Film'

by Spencer Haines
(UK)

The 10 Pound Horror Film is the world's first fan-funded horror film. Could this mark the long awaited return to good horror filmmaking in Britain?

Throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Hammer Studios led the way with a uniquely British style of horror film. However, with a few notable exceptions, British horror has stumbled in the wilderness for nearly three decades. Films have not been made in the same numbers nor so recognizably British.

Now two British filmmakers - Tom Atkinson and Luke Dormehl - hope to reverse that trend. They have started a new project called The 10 Pound Horror Film. The idea is that members of the public contribute £10 ($15 approximately) to fund an independent British horror film. In return, they get behind-the-scenes photos and videos, forums, and a personalized frame of the film. So far, this approach has won support from horror icons such as John Landis, Kane Hodder, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

This is the first ever fan-based horror film, and was worth taking a look at. Plenty of information can be already be found on the company's website (address at the end of this article) but I wanted to know more about the directors taking on this challenge. I contacted Tom Atkinson to find out more.

Q. What do you think of the state of British horror films at the moment?

Some good films have come out of the UK in recent years that have used definitive British settings and characters, but there is a trend towards trendy Americanized formats that leave little to the imagination. I think there is a gap in the market for challenging original horror films that take the audience on an unpredictable journey into their own fears.

Q. You say you would like to bring back British horror. Why do you think it disappeared and what qualities are you hoping to return to?

There is little challenge in most modern horror films. Hammer pushed the boundaries of acceptable cinema at the time with flair and wit managing, despite low budgets, to produce some very innovative films that still stand up today. There is no need to underestimate the horror audience, as given the right film they do appreciate subtlety and complexity, just look at Ridley Scott's Alien for example.

Q. Why choose the 10 Pound method of funding? Do you think that funding groups such as the British Film Institute and UK Film Council do not take the horror genre seriously enough?

I think Horror in the UK is bracketed as genre film, which I know receives a targeted allocation of production funding but it strikes me a odd that British Rom Coms and Period films which are just as easily bracketed as genre pieces are championed over and above all other formats we produce in the UK when this country has such a rich heritage in horror. I am not, however opposed to working with such funding bodies at all, and in fact am producing Hairy Hands, a Horror Short for South West Screen which draws upon this rich heritage and mythology I think is so valuable to British Horror. They have proved extremely supportive and I believe such institutions play a vital role in supporting the UK's film industry.

The decision to produce The 10 Pound Horror Film was made to reconnect the audience with the filmmaking process in a truly modern web- based production outside of such limiting labels. I want The 10 Pound Horror Film to be accessible and inclusive as no other film has ever been, drawing talent and inspiration from its members to produce a film for the audience by the audience.

Q. What level of support have you received from the public?

The support so far has been tremendous and we have members from all over the world who are drawn to British Horror by this country's legacy of films. We have all sorts of talented people joining us daily to make this project happen and I am overjoyed to see such a response over the web. People really are accepting of the production's aims and we want to hear from anyone out there who wants to work in filmmaking and has some specific skills to offer us. So far we have composers, artists, writers and fans who all have something to contribute to the film. That's what it is all about!

Q. You said that you wanted your film to be a socially relevant horror, picking apart the psyche of the 21st century. This suggests that the film will be dealing with real people and issues, and probably isn't your run-of-the-mill zombie/vampire/ghost flick? Do you think enough filmmakers are taking this approach?

I think the zombie film has been incredibly relevant as a social critique in the past with the ground breaking Romero films, which held up a mirror to humanity and questioned our own monstrosity. These days, though, Zombie films are experiencing a fantastic amount of mainstream interest and this means they are a bit overused and lose their impact. They become, as you describe it, run of the mill. All horror is socially relevant but I think the interesting route to take in the 21st century is to look at the environment we have built around us and what we have turned into, more clearly examining the threat from within as opposed to the threat from without.

Q. You received good reviews for Roy and The Pantomime. What made you want to change direction and move to horror?

I admire filmmakers such as Werner Herzog who have transcended brackets and genre labeling. I believe that there is an intrinsic link between the kind of observation and critique necessary to produce insightful documentaries and the cutting social vision that makes for remarkable horror. I don't think the two genres are mutually exclusive at all.

Tom Atkinson answered the above questions on July 22, 2009

Initial interest in this project has been huge, and the teaser trailer has had over 74,000 hits on youtube. However, the youtube video blogs 01 & 02 will be more interesting to the average BHM freak and worth taking a look at.

Due to the project being fairly new, I cannot give details yet on the plot or release date. However, this gives an opportunity to get involved in the film's early stages. If there are any writers, actors or musicians that want to get involved then Atkinson and Dormehl would be happy to hear from you.

I can't say for sure how this project will eventually pan out, but their love of the genre is more than apparent, and personally, anything that could kick-start British horror is definitely getting my support.

Visit the site at http://www.the10poundhorrorfilm.com

Visit video blog 01 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg2pPnypYa8

Visit video blog 02 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSCnb7u9QGs