The truth of the script: An interview with Harbinger's stars Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott and Gary Webster
- Jack Walters
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Getting to look behind the veil of the silver screen is always a treat, and especially with a multi-faceted production like Shogun Film’s newest release, Harbinger. With a strong dose of the classic Hammer Horror films running through its veins and its background, the film raises countless specters, both metaphorical and, perhaps, actual ones. Instead of a séance, I had the opportunity to interview actors Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott and Gary Webster to learn about how horror history and passionate craft combined to bring a new cult-classic to audiences.
The latest horror film from Shogun Films, Harbinger, tells the story of a serial killer’s survivor, Julia (Sothcott), who is called back to the home where she narrowly escaped by the host of a paranormal Investigation show, Mike Craggs (Webster.) There, they discover the sinister Harbinger, a fortune-telling machine which foretells of a deadly fate for the entire crew. Both Sothcott and Webster are experienced actors with a long line of credits, and from the interview, it’s clear they bring every ounce of craft to the film.
The interview has been mildly edited for clarity.
The Horror Lounge: Harbinger has a strong Hammer Films influence. How did that affect the shooting and production of the film?
Webster: Well for me, I’m of an age to remember the latter Hammer Horror films and to have watched many of the previous ones during the 50s and 60s, so I had a vision of what the end product might be like, but really for an actor what I find is that it’s in the script and the truth of the script, and so it was trying to create a character that would be truthful and believable and all those things that we like to see created in the Hammer Horror films. We knew they were slightly over-the-top, but we believed in every character. I think that was key to it, that kind of tongue-in-cheek, twinkle in the eye [character] but still scared the living daylights out of you. I feel that’s where we were all coming from; that starts from the script. The script had that nice feel to it in that respect. It was strong enough that we knew people were going to die in the end in this movie, and that people were going to get scared of it. I think for me it was always in the script. The end product is great and a fantastic homage, could be cult-status, but it began in the script.
Sothcott: I think the same with the Hammer actors, you know. They’re all really, really good actors. You have to believe in what you’re doing; if you are believable as your character, it doesn’t matter how whacky it is- we’re talking to a bloody puppet- as long as you believe it and you make it feel so that it’s actually happening, then you can take the audience with you, and I think that happens with all the Hammer films. [Harbinger] was shot beautifully and delicately with the blue and the red lighting, had lots of mist in the background, you know the grading on it was fantastic. It had familiar faces just like the Hammer films have, people who are on our TVs and have recognizable faces fin the movies. Carol Ann Ford, the original girl from Doctor Who, what a coup to have her join us. She was absolutely amazing. She’ll be at our DVD signing on the 26th of August in London, so that’s fantastic as well, so that her fans can come and meet her.
Webster: The look had that Roger Corman feel about it as well. As Jeanine says, it had the blues, the reds, with that kind of lighting I always think of The Raven, that vividness in all that, [Harbinger]s an homage to a lot of that.
Sothcott: I don’t know if you remember a horror film called the Wicker Man. It’s one of my favorite horror films, actually, and it’s got Christopher Lee in it with Edward Woodward. [Harbinger] is a bit of an homage to that because [Edward’s] son is the Harbinger in it. Peter Woodward is Henry Decker, so that’s a bit cult-y as well.
The Horror Lounge: Did you watch any Hammer films as preparation for the role, and do you have a favorite Hammer horror film?
Webster: I tend to watch so many films anyway that it’s kinda rooted into my psyche of what sort of style it is. For me, I think I might have caught, just before we started filming, a Peter Cushing movie where they’re on a train going through Siberia, and each [passenger] tells a story, and [Harbinger] had that feel about it because there were six different stories and each of them was going to shake off this mortal coil, so I had to tap into the feel of something I’d seen really before. But I didn’t really do any specific kind of background on it for the character. I like the modernity of [Harbinger.] You see so many of these ghost hunting programs that I thought it was a really smart idea to do it that way as opposed to policemen investigating or whatever. They’re raising the dead, almost, for financial gain, the way it starts; It’s great to play. (Author’s Note: I believe the film referenced is the 1972 Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, starring Peter Cushing and Ursula Howells.)
Sothcott: That movie you’re talking about, Gary, is a really good shout[-out]. I remember seeing that as well because [the passengers] were all given a card each with their fate, just like the Harbinger. It was pretty good, yeah. As I said, I think The Wicker Man is one of my favorite horrors. I also like Ian Ogilvy when he’s riding a horse, it’s very bleak. I love Ian, and he’s done the Hammer films, and I’ve worked with him in two movies prior to this, so anything he did, I’ll watch. (Author’s Note: No one could recall the title of the film at the time of the interview, but I believe it’s The Witchfinder General)
Webster: We also had the television series over here that was Hammer House of Horror which was on for an hour every Saturday night, and they would condense it. Then we had Towers of the Unexpected. It’s all kind of those cut-outs where they go in with one idea, and then horror or tragedy takes it away. We’ve had it good over here, as well as North America, so that genre is sort of steeped in our psyche as well.
Sothcott: We [Jeanine and her husband, Shogun co-founder Johnathan Sothcott] often watch those old horror movies, and there was one that I saw in the early 80s, and Johnathan’s really good about getting me any one I remember; I go ‘I remember seeing this movie, could we get it?’ He always tries to surprise me. This one we saw a few weeks ago and it’s called ‘Child’s Play.’
Webster: Brilliant!
Sothcott: So, you remember it? I loved that movie. That gives me nightmares! Go and buy it, it’s so good.
Webster: Is that with Chucky, the doll?
Sothcott: No, no, no, this one was about this family, and this girl’s got a doll house, and when she arranges the dolls, things happen, and when she shuts it, the characters are actually in the house. What happens is one day she puts a sweetie [Author’s Note: A ‘sweetie’ means a candy or sweet] on top of the house when it’s very hot, and it melts on the house, but it’s actually happening to the characters, so this hot, almost tar comes down over them. It’s really clever. She [the girl] is actually dictating what happens to this family. Do you remember it, Gary?
Webster: Yes, I do remember that. I think it was on Hammer House of Horrors.
The Horror Lounge: I’ll have to look for that one. So, are there any plans for a sequel to Harbinger?
Sothcott: Well, we’re going to have to see how well it does. If people want a sequel, then it’s definitely open for that. So, let’s see.
Webster: I’m very much hoping for “Mike Craggs: The Early Years”
Sothcott: Oh, he wants a prequel, of course.
Webster: I don’t hold out much hope for that one, though. I’ll be on my death bed, probably.
The Horror Lounge: I noticed the film uses primarily a single setting for the majority of the film. Can you tell me about the specific house was used?
Sothcott: Yes, because it’s a haunted house. It’s an actual haunted house. So the guy, when we went to review to shoot there, he said ‘well look, I’ve got to say it is actually haunted, so just be careful.’ Some people got quite nervous on set. They do lots of music videos there. We were in there one day, and there was Johnathan and myself were there. We could hear people walking up and down, bells ringing. It’s actually quite scary being in there. We were all “method” at this point, because we were like “agggh’ all the time.
The Horror Lounge: Oh, there’s a novel in that story.
Webster: The making of Harbinger, the documentary.
Sothcott: No one really wanted to be on their own, and nobody really wanted to be in the room on their own, so we kind of stayed with one another, even like bathroom breaks and stuff on set. I’d say ‘Oh, come and wait outside, I’m nervous.’ We were all nervous, we were all the same.
The Horror Lounge: So this one is more for Mrs. Sothcott, but having previously run a theatre company in London, have you been able to bring any techniques or methods from it to Harbinger?
Sothcott: Yeah, I mean some of it is quite stage play-like. When we have that scene outside, Gary, you know I thought that was really lovely, actually, almost like it could be one. I think Harbinger would make a really good play. It’s very contained, and I think the way we did that one scene outside by the pond, that was almost stage play. Gary does a lot of theater, too; I used to, years ago. This one is a nice contained film, isn’t it, so it does have the feel, and I think the performances are quite theatrical. When Peter Woodward is around and we’re having that fight in the basement, almost like a dance. That’s quite stage-like, and I know he does a lot of stage fighting, he does all the choreography for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well. He’s very good at things like that.
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