We interview director Natasha Kermani about her gothic horror film ‘The Dreadful’ which reunites ‘Game of Thrones’ stars Sophie Turner and Kit Harington.
Lionsgate’s The Dreadful, from one of Dread Central’s favorite directors, Natasha Kermani, reunites Game of Thrones stars Sophie Turner and Kit Harington alongside Academy Award–winning actress Marcia Gay Harden. Set in medieval England, the Gothic horror follows Anne and her domineering mother-in-law, Morwen, as they struggle to survive on the outskirts of society. When a man from Anne’s past returns from war, a curse begins to take shape through a mysterious knight and threatens to destroy them all.
We spoke with Kermani about moral ambiguity, fandom, collaboration, and the long road to making The Dreadful, which is available to rent or buy now on VOD.
Kermani’s film explores moral ambiguity, which she sees as essential to storytelling. “I just think it’s real. It’s more authentic to our lives,” she tells me. “The idea of a character being fully good or fully bad just isn’t the reality we live in. There are always gray lines, always ambiguity. Maybe my moral set says what you’re doing is wrong, but I don’t know what’s going on in your life or what led you there.”
The Dreadful also reunites Sophie Turner and Kit Harington, an exciting pairing that inevitably brings Game of Thrones fans into the fold.
“Of course, it’s wonderful that people love them. I loved Game of Thrones too. I’m a fan of the show and their work on it,” Kermani says. But she hopes audiences approach this story with an open mind.
“They’re not playing Sanza and John Snow. They’re playing entirely new characters. The minute you’re in the room with them, John and Sanza are gone. They’re charismatic, alive, fresh, and interesting as the actors they are. I hope people give it a chance and let Kit and Sophie play characters they haven’t played before.”
That built-in fandom found the project early.
“Yes, they found the project early. It’s pretty intense. I’m not going to lie,” she admits. Still, she understands that passion. “I’m also a fan of things. I read comic books, I love horror. I understand that intensity of loving something so much. For me, it’s just hoping they’re happy with the project and that it gives them joy in unexpected ways.”
In his positive review of the film, Associate Editor Chad Collins wrote that “Natasha Kermani’s The Dreadful is insidious, slow-burning Gothic horror and one of the year’s earliest genre delights.” The movie is now available to rent or buy on VOD from Lionsgate.