Bionic Buzz® interviewed Australian filmmaker Jayden Creighton over Zoom about his gripping horror-thriller film THE MATRIARCH. Following an acclaimed festival run, including its world premiere at the 2024 Nightmares Film Festival, the film is now being released by Slated Distribution. Available now on Amazon Prime, Apple iTunes and Google Play.
SYNOPSIS: Thirteen-year-old Missy Taylor lives at home with her addicted mother, Annette. When Annette’s boyfriend Trent is released from prison, he takes up residency in the family home. It doesn’t take long for him to set his predatory sights on Missy, forcing her to kill him in a courageous act of self-defence. However, when Annette finds the body, she sides with her lost lover, Missy’s abuser, sparking a terrifying chain of events…
‘The Matriarch’ began as a spec trailer for the 2022 Monster Pictures Pitch Initiative.Entrants were to pitch a film revolving around the theme ‘Mother’ for their chance to win $10,000 in development funding, and a theatrical distribution deal. Hoping to stand out against the competition, Jayden Creighton created a proof of concept trailer, which was shot, edited and scored in the space of two weeks. Although it ultimately didn’t win, it did become a top 20 finalist, giving him the confidence to develop the film further. At the time, Jayden was searching for a contained story that he could tell on a modest budget, which would mark his feature film directorial debut. The idea of a claustrophobic cat-and-mouse thriller excited him, and he went straight to work; completing the script in a matter of months.
Jayden wrote the titular role specifically for Kate Logan, who was the main antagonist of his short film ‘Kinks’. He also recruited Andy Sparnon, who was the antagonist of his film ‘Trespassers’, and Riley Channells, who also starred in ‘Trespassers’. Finding the protagonist of the story was a little more difficult; as the script called for a 13-14 year old actress, who had the talent, maturity and charisma to carry the weight of the film. An open casting call yielded close to a hundred applicants, of which around ten girls submitted self tests. The final four girls were given the opportunity to do a live chemistry read with Kate.
Juliette Greenfield was the underdog in the room; having had no acting experience whatsoever. However, the spark between her and Kate was palpable, and she was given the role the following week. Her runner up, Sami Walker, was offered a small role at the beginning of the film. The original DOP for the trailer was unable to commit to the film due to scheduling conflicts, so Jayden enlisted the help of Matthew Martin, who he had previously worked with on ‘Trespassers’. Like Jayden, Matthew was eager to shoot a feature film, after completing the acclaimed Stan docuseries ‘Dawn of the Dolphins’. Other frequent collaborators Michael Monaco and Michael Drew signed on for post sound and music, while newcomers Henry Ruan, Ziion Carrick, Ryan Musgrave, David Patterson and Joanna Fitch rounded out the rest of the production team.
‘The Matriarch’ was a labour of love for this tiny, but passionate team, who braved the cold winter nights in a small mountain town to make it happen. We could not be more proud of the results, and we can’t wait to show the world its newest horror icon.
About Slated
Slated is the world’s leading platform for packaging and financing independent films. The Matriarch joins recent Slated releases including GLAAD Outstanding Film nominee Summoning Sylvia, The Big Dog, You & I, Bullets, The Black Guelph, Ghosts of the Void, and Midnight Taxi.
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https://get.slated.com/
Interview and video edited by Steve Sievers of Bionic Buzz®