At the SXSW premiere for They Will Kill You, director Kirill Sokolov shared with the audience that Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead films were hugely formative on his love of horror and film.
While Raimi’s infectiously demented brand of splatstick is far from the only source of inspiration behind Sokolov’s zany action horror movie, which pulls from anime and spaghetti westerns, it’s most evident in one particularly inspired sequence that involves an innovative use of practical effects, puppetry, and whimsical viscera. Yes, whimsical.
I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s safe to say that a rogue eyeball steals its scenes.
I’ll also add that the horror movie has been rated “R” for “strong bloody violence, gore, language, and brief sexual content/nudity.” As evidenced by the above image from the film.
They Will Kill You unleashes its Satanic splatstick chaos in theaters on March 27, and Bloody Disgusting caught up with the filmmaker ahead of the film’s release to discuss his horror-comedy approach to the stunt-heavy film and how star Zazie Beetz drastically changed how he saw his lead protagonist, Asia.
Watch below.
Kirill Sokolov (Why Don’t You Just Die!) directs from a script co-written with Alex Litvak. The film also stars Myha’la (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Heather Graham, Patricia Aquette, and Tom Felton.
I wrote in my SXSW review, “Sokolov’s striking composition, dedication to carnage-fueled stunts and fight choreography, and an all-too-game cast anchored by a dedicated and fierce Zazie Beetz prevent this slight but energetic crowd-pleaser from careening off the rails.” And, “it’s so brazen and unabashed in its pursuit of cinematic thrills and splatstick chills that it succeeds in its aim, which is to deliver a riotously great time at the theater.”
IT filmmaker Andy Muschietti produces alongside Barbara Muschietti and Dan Kagan. Executive producers include Sokolov, Litvak, Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, and Carl Hampe.
