An in-depth exclusive interview with writer/director RICHARD BATES JR talking about the wonderfully witty, wacky, and Wiccan KING KNIGHT.
Known best for his work in the indie horror genre with films like Excision (2012), Suburban Gothic (2014) and Trash Fire (2016), RICHARD BATES JR has always had a way of presenting stories in a fresh and unique way that adds to the cinematic pantheon. With a patented dark sense of cinematic humor, he taps into the zeitgeist with screams one minute and laughter the next. But now, with KING KNIGHT Bates steps away from the expected horror and into a world of dark comedy laced with romance in a world of Wiccan peace and calm.
Husband and wife, Thorn and Willow, are the high priest and priestess of a coven of witches in a small California community. They are revered by their Wiccan brethren for not only their dedication to their beliefs and the Wiccan way of life, but their wisdom and kindness and sense of community and family. But what happens when Willow unearths a secret from Thorn’s past; a secret that belies the very essence of who Thorn is and the ideals of the life they now share; a past that involves Nautica shirts, cargo pants, pastel colors, and a social-climbing mother? The mind reels as the tarot cards go dark, sending not only Thorn on a journey of self-discovery, but Willow and the entire coven.
Laughs abound from beginning to end thanks to a fresh original story, Bates’ rapier-witted dialogue which is drippingly dark and dry in the hands of an exemplary cast who embrace not only the offbeat story but the style of its telling. Dry, wry, deadpan. A pure delight, the cast boasts the talents of Matthew Gray Gubler and Angela Sarafyan as Thorn and Willow with Nelson Franklin, Emily Chang, Kate Comer, and Andy Milonakis as their friends and fellow covenites, Swati Kapila as a link to Thorn’s past, and veterans Barbara Crampton and Ray Wise as Thorn’s mother and the legendary sorcerer Merlin, respectively.
The comedy is delicious and made even moreso thanks to Shaheen Seth’s cinematography (enhanced by actual Wiccan lenses!), Leigh Poindexter’s production design and Grace Surnow’s exacting set decoration, while editor Brit DeLillo develops a wonderful pacing that celebrates and punctuates a non-traditional comedic timing.
Richard and I dove deep into the magic of KING KNIGHT just days before its world premiere at Fantasia Fest 2021, speaking at length on:
- inspiration for and development of the story
- the importance of lightness and dark dry humor for this film
- casting and performances
- cinematography and developing a visual tonal bandwidth
- using “the right Wiccan lenses” which were sought out by cinematographer Shaheen Seth
- production design and set decoration
- specificity of color
- finding a non-traditional comedic sweet spot in editing
- post-production during pandemic lockdown
- and more!
TAKE A LISTEN. . . . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview July 30, 2021
