“From a horror perspective, I find there are so many strange and odd stories and trends that bubble up in strange corners of the internet that are ripe for the screen, and if we tried to turn each one into a movie, we’d fall well short,” Deadhouse Dark creator, director and writer Enzo Tedeschi says.
It’s been a busy couple of months for Tedeschi, who will appear at Supanova in Melbourne this weekend for a Q&A panel alongside co-producer Rachele Wiggins, following the series’ premiere via Shudder at the end of April.
Enzo Tedeschi on the set of ‘Deadhouse Dark’
“Deadhouse Dark is an anthology of loosely connected horror stories that take their inspiration from recent online or social trends, like the popularity of dashcam footage, or dark web mystery boxes, or even online dating and Insta-fame,” he explains.
Produced under Tedeschi’s production company, Deadhouse Films, with support from Screen Australia, Screen Queensland and Silent Assassin Films, Deadhouse Dark was successfully showcased at Gold Coast Festival this year alongside a panel at Supanova Gold Coast.
“I’ve always loved anthology storytelling – everything from Creepshow to The Twilight Zone to Black Mirror, and the format lends itself to working with many talented directors and writers,” he says.
Despite the joys and the positive energy of collaboration, Tedeschi does note the challenges that came with finding the balance of keeping the uniqueness of the directional voice and the voice created for the overall series.
“It’s a tricky balance, but on the whole, I believe we landed on the right side of that equation. And we also kept the same crew across the series as much as we were able, so while that helped create a unification across the project and kept it feeling like a whole, it was an interesting challenge for the crew, who were swapping out and getting to know new directors every couple of days!”
Tedeschi is excited to return to Supanova this weekend.
“The thing about Supanova is that it’s full of awesome, enthusiastic and quirky people that are a strong reminder of why I got into this business – because essentially I’m a pop culture and movie nerd myself! And to be able to do Supanova and Gold Coast Film Festival at the same weekend? Sheer bliss!”
At the end of it all, Tedeschi just hopes that audiences enjoy the ride of watching Deadhouse Dark.
“That’s always top of the list. I hope it challenges their brains in an interesting way to piece together what might be going on around these stories, not just what’s in them, and perhaps a thought for the real-life events that inspired these tales and what it says about the world we live in. Having said that, the show also works without all that stuff if you just want to sit and be surprised by some creepy stories!”
