Posted in: Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies, Shudder | Tagged: Christmas Bloody Christmas, exclusive, interview, Joe Begos, Riley Dandy, rlje films, Sam Delich, shudder

Christmas Bloody Christmas: Sam Delich on Subversions & Chemistry

Australian actor Sam Delich is always looking to go against the grain on the projects he works on. Some of his high-profile American work includes Netflix's Spiderhead and the upcoming Disney+ series Last Days of the Space Age. In Joe Begos' Christmas Bloody Christmas, Delich plays Robbie, the best friend of Tori (Riley Dandy), who's trying to get drunk on Christmas Eve when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and goes on a killing spree through the small town. It's up to her to stop the menace in a battle for survival. The actor spoke to Bleeding Cool about what drew him to the holiday slasher film, how it subverts Christmas, working with Begos, his chemistry with Dandy, and the horror films he grew up on.

How 'Christmas Bloody Christmas' Takes a "Fresh Spin" on Holiday Genre

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Christmas Bloody Christmas?'
Delich: The fact that on the page, it read differently from the typical horror film. The first half of the movie somehow has this buddy romance comedy sort of feel to it. The dialog is very particular and almost bizarre at times, with all music references and things like that. Having that sort of mash-up of 'High Fidelity' meets 'The Terminator' spoke to me.

What do you think the unique appeal is for, like a horror movie taking place on Christmas?
We're inundated during the holiday season with wholesome family romcoms and cutesy Christmas films; taking a fresh spin on the holiday movie genre is always great. There is an adult audience that doesn't want to sit through another happy-go-lucky feel-good tale. Being able to go to the cinema like you would back in the day and watch an old-school slasher film show on a 16-millimeter [film] during the holiday time is awesome.

How do you describe the set Joe ran?
Fast and passionate are the best way to describe it. He had a clear vision, which, unfortunately, not many directors do. Many of them are bound by studio systems, and I found that Joe knew what he wanted. He would allow us to play within that. We'd shoot several types of what was on the page and, in several takes, completely improvised dialog. Giving us that creative freedom, but at the same time, steering it in the right direction made for such a fun dynamic.

Did you grow up watching horror films?
More towards my adult life. I started getting more into horror. The genre is better than ever, with a great mix of slasher and films like 'Hereditary' or 'Midsommar,' for example. I remember, as a young lad, staying up late, turning on the TV, and trying to watch something on there, whether that was 'Friday the 13th' or what have you.

What was the camaraderie like on set with your cast mates?
Terrific! Riley and I got along like a house on fire. We met the day before shooting and were both nervous. The film rested on our dynamic and chemistry, and then if that weren't believable, we'd be in trouble. The greatest thing was we instantly hit it off. [She's] fantastic to work with, talented, and funny. Throughout the film, keeping that energy up is our biggest thing, which is reflected in the movie. We've all gotten feedback that they believe we've been friends for years.

When it comes to stunt work on a project like this, does it kind of take it to another level, given the genre, or does it feel like any other project you worked on?
I've done a few stunts in previous projects, but what was different about this was the atmosphere in which you were doing it. Some of it was remote. We were in the woods in the middle of nowhere, and there were things that I hadn't done. For instance, I was getting dragged to a car windshield, which I had never done before. There are a lot of little technical things, but we had a great stunt department that worked and worked with us, and we learned things you'd never learn, like how to fall properly on a crash mat and things like that were great. Everything was very well rehearsed, and then you get to the camera department, and then once they're set up, you go for it and hope for the best.

RLJE Films Christmas Bloody Christmas, which also stars Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Dora Madison, and Jeremy Gardner, with Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Abraham Benrubi, comes to theaters and streaming on Shudder on December 9th.

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