The new psychological horror film Let’s Be Evil focuses on an unusual academy for gifted children, heightened by the use of virtual reality. STARBURST had the pleasure of speaking with lead actors Elizabeth Morris and Elliot James Langridge about this film and other aspects of their career.
STARBURST: Elliot, can you tell us about your character in Let’s Be Evil?
Elliot James Langridge: He’s a bit of a drifter through life. He’s a joke of a person and in a mess. He comes into the programme to change his life as he is a wreck and by the end of the film you do see a change.
You worked with Kara Tointon from Eastenders. You yourself came from Hollyoaks. Is there any contact between the Soap actors from different series?
EJL: Yes. I had never met Kara before this film, except at various Soap-related events like the Soap Awards. It’s great to be in a Soap, but I did need to get away from that. I’d love to do more films, but Hollyoaks was a great experience.
Elizabeth, you co-wrote the story for the film, based on an original concept. What was the inspiration for it and how much did your story remain true to the source material?
Elizabeth Morris: It was an original concept. We met the creator at a party and he brought to myself and Martin Owen (the director).
With the more liberal use of mobile and computer technology, it has become harder to create something that is genuinely scary in horror films, especially with more recent found footage offerings like The Blair Witch Project. What sort of rules did you and others involved with the film set when making it?
EM: We were very keen to do something different. You can see it throughout this film that the virtual reality aspect does make it more immersive and claustrophobic in tone.
Children in horror films are scarier in a scenario like this, as is personified in previous offerings like Village Of The Damned and the more recent The Children, not to mention Damien Thorn in The Omen films. What was it like working with the children on this film?
EM: It was a lot easier than anticipated. We did wonder in light of the logistics how long we could use them for and how much they could shoot. In fact, they were very professional, as well as well-mannered and well looked after. They were discovered at an Academy in Essex.
Who did you use as a role model for your character when you were preparing for the film?
EM: To be honest, because I co-wrote it, I didn’t have any real inspiration, which is what sometimes happens when you create something from scratch. When you receive a script, you use inspiration and imagination and approach it from a different way.
Elliot, you worked on a Harry Potter film – what was your experience of that?
EJL: Great! I was actually on there as a part of the camera crew and ended up getting a small part in the film, but spent two months as a Camera Assistant.
You worked on Primeval and The Bill as well. What were the key lessons you learned from these shows?
EJL: They were my first two acting jobs, I was shy when I started, but bit by bit I got used to being in front of the camera and it was a make or break situation for me.
How does working in low-budget affect your performance?
EJL: It doesn’t affect your performance indirectly. Low budget tends to be quicker and you know that you are only going to be on a shoot for three to four weeks, whereby it is great to walk away from it finished.
Elizabeth, your next film is KUNG FU PRINCESS, which you have also co-written. How has your talent in this area evolved and do you see yourself doing more behind the camera writing in the future?
EM: This is the third script I have worked on with Martin Owen. We write as a duo and KUNG FU PRINCESS is our idea. This gives us complete control and free rein.
You worked with Eric Roberts and Mischa Barton on L.A. SLASHER, which is a film that seems to emphasise the mind-set of reality TV and so-called visible families like The Kardashians. What was it like working with them and do you feel that the reality TV era has reached its peak?
Eric Roberts could be intimidating, but he was an inspiration to work with when you watched him. Mischa Barton was one of the nicest people, with a great sense of humour and also she had just come out of a reality show herself. As far as the Reality TV era goes, I don’t think it has reached it’s peak.
How did the Virtual Reality affect you in terms of its potential and is it something you would like to use more of?
EJL: It’s a very interesting problem, the idea that augmented reality changes the children in the film. When I grew up, we had TV, but nowadays we have phones that do all kinds of things and have a TV built in.to them. It’s scary, but an interesting concept.
EM: No. Absolutely not.
Finally, what are your favourite three horror films?
EJL: The Shining (original 1980 version), I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream.
EM: Stephen King’s It, which I saw when I was four and gave me a phobia about clowns. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Scream.
Let’s Be Evil is available on all VOD platforms now.
