The Death of Snow White is an independent fantasy horror film written, produced and directed by Jason Brooks. Presenting an ‘alternative’ version of the classic Grimm fairytale, the film stars Chelsea Edmundson as the Evil Queen. They were both good enough to speak to us recently about the challenges they faced and the fun they had in making the film…
STARBURST: Were you aware of the ‘other’ film that was due to come out around the same sort of time?
Jason Brooks: We were definitely aware of the timing. Originally, the other Snow White film was due to come out a year earlier, but in extending that date, it worked out better for us. But the project came about because of Sanae Loutsis, who played Snow White. Her family thought she’d make a great Snow White – too bad she couldn’t be in that one, so it evolved into us making our own.
How did you come on board, Chelsea? Was it a part you went after, as it looks like you’re having a great time?
Chelsea Edmundson: I had so much fun, the most I’ve had playing any role. I was approached by one of the producers, and after an audition, I got the part.
So, the role allowed you to let loose, to see where you could take it?
CE: Yeah, definitely. It’s very freeing to play a character that’s so extreme. It was fun to play someone with a truly evil soul. I really enjoyed it.
We understand you returned to the Grimm stories, which are quite short in their original form and have been embellished over the years. Was there something in there you felt you had to bring to your film, and equally were there touchpoints from other versions you felt you needed to include to give the audience some familiarity?
JB: I wanted to make sure we hit all the major points, the milestones of the movies that people expect to see, and also want to see. The apple, the kiss… I really wanted to make sure we have all the bits about the heart, where the Queen sends the Huntsman out for it. We changed it a little from the original story, but even the Grimm brothers had various iterations of their story. We wanted to go deeper, so we delved into the lore a little, to define things more and bring more life to it. So, while hitting those milestones, we could add more depth, and in that way, I could tell the story I wanted to see.
For you, Chelsea, did you draw on the original character or was there a particular villain from history that you sought to channel?
CE: I think she was kind of a hybrid of the ones I really like. I’m a huge movie buff, I watch tonnes of movies, and think she became a hybrid of Angelina Jolie from Girl, Interrupted, Angelica Houston in Ever After, and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. All villains I love, and I always wanted to play one so those three were the ones I kept popping in there a little. And the rest is me, as scary as that is to say! [Laughs]
Casting is always important, and you’ve been bold here. You have a lot of characters, and importantly they all feel fleshed out. But the Dwarves were always going to be the key area, especially in the light of the ‘other film’. How was that process?
JB: It was quite difficult. My partner Naomi, who also co-produced and co-wrote the film, her father was a dwarf. A very well-known one who fought for the disability act. So, we knew right away we wanted to put LP actors in the film. The biggest problem was location and availability. Not a lot of LP actors were up in the North West [United States] where we were filming. And this also turned out to be a non-union film, which made it more difficult to find certain actors who were able to participate. So, it was quite the process, but as it turned out, we found a great bunch of actors who all had a great time, and I love them all dearly.
You’ve also been bold, and successful with your use of budget, which we believe was around $750,000. What you see on screen looks expensive, and it looks like practical effects for the most part. Was that always the plan, to push what you could get on screen, to see where you could take it?
JB: I run a special effects company and we knew going in we could bring this to the table. We knew we could do more than your normal independent film. With the Queen, we researched what had been done in the past so everything she does has been done at some point in history. Which is always scarier than make-believe. Also, it’s another way to stand out in this genre. I’ve not seen a Snow White film do this kind of thing, so that was one of the ways.
Was there a particular scene that you found more challenging than others, Chelsea? You get leeches, blood baths…
CE: There were a lot of challenges but they weren’t in the script. The first day was really hard as I wore this metal corset; I couldn’t breathe, my armpits were bleeding…it looks great but was so hard!
For you, Jason, how did it work being in the film as well as wearing your director hat, producer hat, and so on?
JB: I absolutely enjoyed it, but it was difficult, and I’d have to thank my team. Our director of photography Kody Newton stepped in many times when I was on screen, so that helped enormously.
Watching your film, we get elements of Willow and Krull, the sort of heightened fantasy that contains humour and has almost the style of a ‘romp’. Was that style important here?
JB: So glad you asked that, as I grew up on those movies and I love the rollercoaster of having fun moments with fun characters, but then going to dark places. So many movies now choose to stay dark and don’t vary. I like that we had worlds colliding and you see darkness coming to the light side – it’s more like real life.
THE DEATH OF SNOW WHITE is out now in the US.
