Wicklow, Ireland: October 31, 2018, marked the surprise release of Weird Pretty Pictures latest cinematic outing; In a Stranger’s House. Centered on the strange and horrific goings-on of a man housesitting in the middle of nowhere, the found footage film sets the nerves on edge as the situation gets more and more harrowing.
The sophomore outing for World of Death director Richard Waters, this film focuses almost exclusively on one character and the claustrophobic intensity of the experience he is going through. Bar some brief appearances by other actors, the entire production, from camera work to acting to editing and sound design and release was handled by Richard alone. Speaking about the unique production of In a Stranger’s House, Richard elaborated:
“The film started out as a challenge for myself. After The O’Briens [Waters’ first feature], I’d been burned by a lot of potential opportunities and was needing something to get that fire inside me going again, and this was it. I did the one scene, where strange things happen with a doll, and I was so happy with the results that I decided to just plow on and keep building up this entire film until I had this whole world and something I could stand behind and go ‘Yup, that’s mine’.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love working with others and making films with my regular collaborators, but what happened to me was what happens to a lot of indie filmmakers; you end up sitting around waiting for someone to give you the go-ahead they promise is coming but never follow through on, and you end up wasting your time and energy on pipe dreams. That must have happened with a dozen different projects, so I had to take control! And the fact I love horror and found footage, particularly more realistic and raw films like Blair Witch Project, Creep, The Borderlands and Willow Creek, this became a challenge that became a passion.”
Along with boasting a driving production by one person, the film also features an unbroken 21 minute elaborate take that has to be seen to be believed.
Previous to this, Richard’s work in the horror genre has included his short film Video Nasty, which appeared as a part of Bloody Disgusting’s popular World of Death series and was released to Blu-ray, and his current short film Life’s a Wish and Then You Die is currently doing the festival rounds. Along with producer and collaborator Alison Scarff, he also took part in the inaugural New Blood programme at Frightfest 2017 in London.
In a Stranger’s House is available now worldwide from irishhorrorfilm.com and in the US and UK on Amazon streaming.
Weird Pretty Pictures release this film following the success of their previous feature, Sodium Party, which came out on DVD earlier this year and recently saw the score being released on a highly sought after vinyl by Spun Out Of Control Records. A DVD release of In a Stranger’s House is expected 2019.
Social:
Twitter: @weirdprettypics
Twitter/Insta: @richmwaters
Official: weirdprettypictures.com
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3962471/