Big Pharma has been under the microscope since the pandemic, and especially since the rollout of vaccines. There are many questions regarding their business practices, ethics, and motivations.ian hunt duffy’s double blinds (2023) thus became a very timely horror film, captivating audiences with its terrifying experimental drug concept.
This feature film, which was screened at the Belfast Film Festival, follows a group of people who enroll in a clinical drug trial. A simple double-blind test turns into a morbid survival game due to side effects. Based on the concept of “If you sleep, you die” double blinds ” is a high-stakes thriller now available in select theaters and digital platforms.
independent We interviewed director Ian Hunt-Duffy and actor Pollyanna Mackintosh (The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and vikings: valhalla) Discuss filming at a certain location during the film festival. double blindshow COVID-19 has affected screenwriting, and what you would do if you were given an ultimatum to “sleep or die.”
Indie: First of all, please give us a brief introduction. double blinds? How will this movie get people to go see it??
Ian Hunt-Duffy: “double blinds is a horror-thriller about a drug clinical trial that goes awry. It’s about seven young people who sign up with a pharmaceutical company to test this new drug. One of the side effects of this drug is that at first no one can sleep or feel tired. This lasts for several nights. No one is sleeping. They are fully awake. All the while, drug companies are increasing doses to see what happens. Eventually the effect wears off, they begin to feel tired, one of them falls asleep, and they die. To their horror, the rest of the group realize that if they fall asleep, they too will die.That is a major premise in a sense. double blinds.
This is a high-concept horror movie with a killer hook: if you fall asleep, you die, a rule that cannot be broken. I think it will captivate the audience. That’s something they understand very early on. It’s a one-location horror that I’m a big fan of. He places a group of mismatched characters under one roof, some rough but sympathetic, some living on the fringes, creating a pressure cooker-like environment. It can really create tension, suspense, and horror. If you like horror, if you like thrillers, I think this is for you. ”
Pollyanna McIntosh: “I think Ian put it succinctly. What really struck me when I saw this movie was what I wanted going into making it: beautiful cinematography and , these were characters you could really empathize with. The performances were so real and natural that you felt like you were in their world and were with them. It felt so real, and that’s part of the horror. That’s the best part, when the stakes are as high for you as they are for the people in the movie. There are some good surprises and some good twists, too.”
Indie: Tell us about your character Dr. Burke and the role she plays in the film. double blinds experiment?
afternoon: “She’s in charge of the trial and keeping everything on track. Essentially, she’s a scientist doing the research. She’s trying to figure out that these effects are too much for the people participating in the trial. Unfortunately, this is a double-blind study, so she doesn’t even know what’s going on. She realizes that she’s doing something wrong, but there’s little she can do about it. It’s a complex character. But she’s just trying to get through it, do her job, and keep moving forward. I can’t say too much because what happens with her is part of the fun of playing her. It was really fun and she had some surprises.”
Indie: I really like combining very scientific backgrounds with supernatural dreams. double blinds. What films and media did you consider to achieve that balance and effect?
IHD: “Full of movies! In many ways, this is a love letter to the era of 80s horror movies that I grew up watching. It’s the kind of movie that I’ve always loved. The touchpoint for me is John Carpenter. case (1982). This is my favorite because the characters are trapped in a place and there is a paranoia that turns them against each other. There’s an element of science fiction about what this entity they’re trying to overcome or face. One by one they die and attack each other. alien (1986) would also have been an obvious touchpoint. Cube (1997) is also a horror film with a science fiction setting and limited locations.flat black mirror It has a great atmosphere. It mixes with everyday life and finds fear in it. ”
afternoon: “And the explanation is, black mirror It also brings to the audience. Because whatever creature you’re fighting is essentially capitalism run amok, right? ”
IHD: “That’s true, because the villain is double blinds A very large pharmaceutical company. It is this faceless evil corporation that is running the courts and exploiting the lives of these innocent people for profit. I thought he was the perfect villain for a horror movie. ”
Indie: Speaking of certain locations, there are also a lot of transitions that are very optical illusions. double blinds. As a director, what are the advantages and disadvantages of filming everything within a limited set?
IHD: “I think that’s primarily an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Logistically from a budget standpoint, if you can put things in one place, you don’t have to spend as much time moving them from place to place. It’s an advantage. It’s also great to have everything under one roof. For me, creatively it’s great because with the cinematography and the lighting, you can create atmosphere and atmosphere in one space. We also worked with the art department and production. It allowed everyone, all departments, to work together and focus on creating this unique look and style for the film. Because we had one home base. I think that also creates a kind of claustrophobia and tension in itself, which the actors can also take advantage of.”
afternoon: “It helps to be in a slightly controlled environment during the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s not like there weren’t any COVID-19 situations.”
IHD: “In fact, one of the actors, Brenock O’Connor, who plays Paul, contracted coronavirus on the second day of filming. He had to isolate for seven days. We were only two days into filming. But we’ve already had to adjust our schedules and give up everything. The schedule was also demanding, and we only had 23 days to shoot. What we were trying to accomplish in those 23 days was a really ambitious project. But again, we were trying to be practical and sensible in that sense by having everything in one place.”
Indy: Did you have time to see the sights of Limerick since you were limited to that one location as an actor?
afternoon: “We once had dinner with the cast, which was a lot of fun. We tried to go somewhere quiet outside with a little space. A nice hotel where we all stayed. We were able to sit at the bar and chat all night. It worked well to bring us all together and bond. We had access to a production/canteen area with outdoor space so it was great at lunch time. People would all be like dead flies in the sun after lunch, and then go back to normal. Everyone was there to work, so it was hard to believe we weren’t away on vacation. There was really no question that we were off-location, but it’s a different thing and it’s fun in its own way.”
Indie: Back to the scientific side. double blindshave you researched the medical tests, steps and steps that go into creating a new drug, and the different types of clinical trials to better understand the story and Dr. Burke’s role?
afternoon: “I didn’t! Fortunately, her intentions and desires are very specific and clear. The details of the test were not very important to me. The fact that it was a double-blind trial There was a lot hidden in my personality anyway. She was always about control and containment. Not just these people and the trial she was planning, but also the ones that would spring up during the trial. As well as about her own feelings and emotions that may have come up. That’s exactly what it was for me. There was no need for the intensive investigation that might have been done in a different situation or in a different role. Again. But I always want to talk to my character about everything in the movie. I can’t really do that because I don’t want to give anything away to the audience!”
Indy: Well, Dr. Burke has a kind of omnipotence and duality to her role. She’s not going to give anything away, but how did you approach her with the bait and switch?
afternoon: “That’s the way I’ve always done it. It’s funny, when I look back at my career, I often play two characters in one character. Even when I’m in disguise, I don’t have a name, I don’t have a way of speaking, The look also changes. It happens very often to me. This was also the case with Swicharoo. I love the horror audience and I know what they enjoy, so I enjoyed it. Ta.
For the last film with Dr. Burke, Ian did a really smart job shooting it. He had the option of using dialogue from her, separating it from her facial expressions, doing it very close or very far away. It’s very creepy when something is far away and you don’t know when it will change. about whether it’s real or not. It was really fun watching the final cut and seeing how it turned out. I thought it was very effective. That’s one of my favorite parts of the movie, and not just because it’s me. This is a true horror movie that changed the style of cinema. It’s always fun to do that in the third act. ”
Indie: I read in another interview that you completed the script during the coronavirus pandemic. While all of that was happening, you were also filming.Did you do something real?–Did the world situation at the time influence or inspire how you approached big pharmaceutical companies and medical testing in the film?
IHD: “This is interesting because it has been in development since 2018. We first started writing the script before COVID-19 hit. Production was scheduled to begin in 2020, or was the goal. Obviously, the coronavirus hit and the world shut down. It’s funny looking back. The term “lockdown” was in the script at the time, but now it has a whole new meaning. Now that vaccines are being produced, everyone is familiar with pharmaceutical companies and drug trials. It gives it a different ring now. It’s a coincidence and gives you an edge. In addition to the coronavirus, there have been several scandals at major pharmaceutical companies, including the opioid epidemic. By the way, this is not a message movie. I’m not picketing big pharmaceutical companies. I think they make good villains in horror movies. I think audiences have come to agree with that over the last few years. ”
Indie: And finally, if you were to find yourself in a lockdown situation with a “sleep or die” dilemma, would you be strong enough to overcome it no matter how long it takes to get out? Or are you just going to give in?
IHD: “I don’t know if I’ll give in, so to speak, but I’ll probably just fall asleep. I have a three-year-old son, so sleep is a must. I don’t always get enough sleep.”
afternoon: “I would like to think that I will run through strong and not get sleepy. I will find a way and let everyone unite and move towards it. For sure, I will not allow anything to happen double blinds It happens with certain things. Well, that was infuriating! But I don’t know how I would react in this situation. I definitely have strong hallucinations and have a bit of a wild time in my head, I think. I hope the desire to keep the group together overcomes that. Scripted dancing is a really good plan to keep you going. I think we probably danced a lot. ”
interview and words Mae Tormata