Robert Eggers, director of the Sundance hit The Witch, engaged with his audience in an insightful forum that happened on Reddit yesterday. The thread—titled “I’m Robert Eggers, writer/director of THE WITCH – AMA!“—generated approximately a hundred questions, most of which were about horror, witchcraft, and of course, Black Phillip.
Eggers responded to these questions quite generously. Here are some highlights.
Ralph Ineson in The Witch. Photo via A24.
A prerequisite for the cast, in turns out, is their familiarity with the dialect (1700’s Essex?) used in the film. He goes on: “I only cast actors who could do the language with no effort (even the little kids) in the first audition. If I had to teach them it would have felt artificial.”
When asked about his works’ settings, Eggers seems adamant about doing more period films, but not all necessarily horror films: “Horror: yes – but I have some non-horror in the works. Nothing modern at this time speaks to me. I find everyday life boring.”
Robert Eggers. Director, The Witch (2015).
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Eggers is later asked for any advice he would give aspiring filmmakers. He gives a B.S.-free answer: “Work 1000 times harder than you could imagine. Never give up. Make close relationships. It’s not about schmoozing, or contacts, but real relationships. It’s about finding people you want to collaborate with, want to work with again and agin, and want to recommend for jobs because you respect them and their work. Build a supportive community.”
Black Phillip in The Witch. Photo via A24.
Perhaps the most important part of the thread: Black Phillip, the fiendish ram featured in the film, is a primaddona on set. “He just wasn’t really trained the way all the other animals were so he was a nightmare,” Eggers confesses. “Truly, almost impossible every day. He never ever cooperated. But I don’t blame him for not caring about my film. He was just trying to be a goat. Our editor Louise Ford really saved the day in crafting a performance for him. I’m glad he was a real goat and not CG, even with all the torment.”
The Witch is as-yet-unconfirmed for a Philippine release, but a film distributor already has secured screening rights for it. Check out the film’s trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo2OTEbz-jU
