Posted in: Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Saban Films, Traumatika

Traumatika Director, Co-Writer on Video Game Influence, Casting & More

Director Pierre Tsigaridis and co-writer Maxime Roncon spoke to Bleeding Cool about their latest Saban supernatural horror film, Traumatika.

Writer-director Pierre Tsigaridis and co-writer Maxime Roncon developed a dynamic creative rapport since they worked on 2021's Two Witches. Three years later, they follow up the Saban supernatural folk horror film with Traumatika, which follows a young boy's (Ranen Navat) night terrors that become reality when his mother (Rebekah Kennedy) begins showing signs of demonic possession. What he's about to experience will haunt him for the rest of his life and claim countless lives across generations. The duo spoke to Bleeding Cool about how video games inspired the film, bringing back Two Witches star Kennedy to play Abigail, the mother; casting, and finding Navat after an exhaustive casting process.

Taumatika Director Pierre Tsigaridis and Co-Writer Maxime Roncon on Developing Supernatural Horror Film

What's the inspiration behind 'Traumatika?'

Tsigaridis: The inspiration behind 'Traumatika' is simple: some kid being afraid of a parent, and we wanted to tell it a little differently than traditional horror filmmaking. We were inspired by some POV shots and wanted to give it maybe some video game aspect. We love horror video games like these big franchises now. There's a game I like called 'Granny,' which is a 15-year-old indie game about a kid who is in his house. There's this grandmother figure that's chasing him, and you must escape your grandmother, which is very creepy in a way, but straightforward. That's how we started the idea.

When I saw the film, it reminded me of 'Silent Hill' with its lightning and its mark as a survival horror game.

Tsigaridis: Yeah, for sure, 'Silent Hill' is like a big reference too.

Can you talk about the presence Rebekah has on screen and what initially caught your eye about her when you cast her in 'Two Witches' and why she's perfect for Abigail in 'Traumatika?'

Tsigaridis: Working with Rebekah was a no-brainer, because she trusts us, we had such a good time working with her on 'Two Witches,' not to mention she's a big horror fan too, so she understands the language of horror. She was unafraid and down for whatever. She helped us push the envelope on this, doing a great job interacting with the prosthetic makeup and being physical. She's willing, as I said, to go the extra mile, and some pretty crazy, shocking things, interacting with the other actors, like Sean O'Bryan, who plays the father, John Reed. They're good friends, the two of them, so they were able to create this chemistry for this violent interaction, and we're so grateful for that. She's a star.

Roncon: For sure.

What went into the rest of the casting? Can you talk about what A.J. (Bowen), Susan (Gayle Watts), and (Sean) Whelan brought into production as well?

Tsigaridis: Max, do you want to say something about that, or should I go?

Roncon: Sure. We were super excited about working with A.J. Bowen. We met him when we were promoting our first movie, 'Two Witches,' at GrimFest, and we hit it off instantly. When we're thinking about this movie, we just thought that A. J. would be a great addition to the cast as a great sheriff. Pierre met Susan while shopping at Trader Joe's.

Tsigaridis: It's a very L.A.story [Rancon laughs].

Roncon: Yeah, and she's becoming one of our beloved characters in the movie, and there's also Sean O'Bryan, whom Pierre and I had shot a little comedy skit for. He was part of a little comedy skit that we shot for him a few years ago. We're like, "Oh my God! This guy is a great actor. We were so happy to be able to bring him on because he delivered like crazy punches.

Sean Whelan's in the movie as well. We were stoked by his performance as Steve. His character is a cool little "partner in crime" for John, Abigail's father. With Ranen [Navat] and the kids that are in the movie, who were amazing to work with and gave us some fantastic performances. We cast a little bit longer for the kids, because everybody else fell in place fairly naturally, with our own social network and connections. When we found Randen, we were delighted with his work and performance and super stoked all around.

Traumatika, which also stars Emily Goss, comes to theaters on September 12th.

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