Did you watch Hammer films growing up?
Severin Fiala:Of course.
We were so excited.
I mean we hoped so much that the script wouldnt suck because we got many, many scripts.
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You also wanted to do some work on it yourselves.
Did it change a lot as you worked on it?
Veronika Franz:I mean it was very playful, which is what we kind of connected to.
We are also not so much into dialogue.
We always tried to find the scene where nobody would talk instead of having dialogue.
So one of our goals would be a silent movie actually one day [Laughs].
So this is very kind of specific and no screenwriter can fulfill this kind of expectations.
Riley, did you watchGoodnight Mommyand then execute the other way in horror?
It just seemed like it would be an interesting experience.
What attracted you to this script when you saw it and to this character of Grace?
I dont know what that is.
Thats the part that doesnt really make sense.
Thats how I like to work.
And so when I read this, I was excited that I wasnt totally sure where it was going.
And then second of all, she was just obviously a very complicated person.
That felt challenging to me and like something that I wanted to do.
Riley Keough:Well, I struggle with anxiety every day, so it kind of depends.
It gets triggered by random stuff, I dont even know.
Did you do any research into the psychology of cult members and cult membership?
Riley Keough:They had a list of films to watch and specific groups to look into.
And I watched a bunch of documentaries.
I spoke with some people who had similar experiences and I just read as much as I could.
So I watched documentaries and did as much as I could.
What were the qualities that Riley brought from the perspective of a director?
You shot everything in a real lodge.
Can you talk a little bit about the benefits of doing that?
We tried to make it as real as possible.
So they built this weird house and we saw that and we felt we needed to include this.
So we need to find a way of having it in our film.
We like when they are there, and they dont pretend.
They are there at the moment.
And I think Riley is really great at that.
She and the kids shared this in the moment thing.
Actually we havent experienced it in Austria, at that level of quality or that perfection.
Riley Keough:Its an easy thing to do when theres nothing around you.
Actors by their nature have to be open to each other.
Riley Keough:So much easier and so much more fun.
Thats so fun to work with.
Its spontaneous, and things might not happen the way they just happened on the previous take.
And thats where I have the most fun.
So yeah, children, animals, dogs, non-professional actors.
Severin Fiala:People say in film school never shoot with kids and with animals.
Riley Keough:And its the most fun.
Severin Fiala:The opposite is true.
Veronika Franz:Because you get something you dont expect.
Those are true moments you’re able to get and I think cinema and film is about that.
And thats seducing people to watch something they would normally close their eyes from.
Thats what we like.
Veronika Franz:I think the really great horror movies, they are like that actually.
So they address fears and make them universal, because people share fears.
I think if you talk to people about what theyre afraid of, its very similar.
I think its the same thing with Disney movies.
Its a total drastic change from reality.
Its kind of a good way to escape.
The Lodgeis out in theaters this Friday, Feb. 7.
