The Moogai Interview: Using Horror to Explore This Dark Time in Australia's Past
7Jon Bell's feature directorial debut, The Moogai, is a boogeyman movie, but it's one that roots itself in truth. Bell uses the horror genre to explore the Stolen Generations, children of Australian Aboriginal descent who were taken from their families by government agencies and church missions.
Adapted from his short film of the same name, The Moogai sees Shari Sebbens and Meyne Wyatt return to the roles of Sarah and Fergus, respectively. They're a young Aboriginal couple who have their second child. Trouble is, soon after the birth of that baby, Sarah becomes convinced that she's seeing a malevolent spirit, one she thinks is trying to take her child. While Fergus is eager to support his wife, he can't see the entity himself, so begins to wonder, is there truly a threatening spirit in their home or is it Sarah herself putting the safety of their family at risk?
While in Park City for The Moogai's world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Sebbens, Wyatt and Bella Heathcote took the time to stop by the Collider interview studio brought to you by Film.io to discuss their experience making the movie. Heathcote pinpoints what keeps her coming back to the horror genre, Sebbens and Wyatt touch on the similarities and differences between the Moogai short film and feature film, and all three reveal the iconic horror franchise they'd most like to join.
Hear it all straight from Sebbens, Wyatt and Heathcote in this interview!
#interview #sundance #filmmaking #horrorstories #australia
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