Exploring the “human” side of becoming the walking dead
Frisson Film is finalizing post-production on its horror-comedy Harold’s Going Stiff, the second feature from UK filmmaker Keith Wright (Take me to Your Leader) and we’ve got a look at the film below.
Set in Yorkshire, England, Harold’s Going Stiff tells the tale of Harold Gimble, a pensioner who is slowly becoming zombified from a male only condition called Onset Rigors Disease (ORD). He is assigned a young nurse, Penny, to ease his stiffness and they quickly become good friends. But as their relationship blossoms Harold takes a turn for the worse and soon they are on the run from a group of bloodthirsty vigilantes.
Writer-director Keith Wright believes he has created an original take on the zombie genre. He explains, “Most zombie films are about the battle, which is obviously good fun and we’ve got some of that too, but I was also interested to explore the story from a more humanistic point of view. Our film is centered around Harold, a character who is slowly becoming zombified and we see how that affects his relationship with his close friend Penny. Disease is a horrifying threat, but it can also be the source of great strength and determination in people, and that’s something that lies at the heart of Harold’s Going Stiff.”
Although the film was scripted, Keith wanted to allow room for improvisation on set. “I love improvisation, for me it keeps the shoot exciting, unpredictable and fresh, and it’s where a lot of the films humour comes from. You’ve no idea what might come out of a characters mouth and it adds another layer of realism that I could never have scripted,” Keith says.
Harold’s Going Stiff is due for completion early 2011 and you can watch the award winning two-minute promo at StiffMovie.com.
Source: Shock Till You Drop
