As if the horrors of puberty, menopause, childbirth, and a whole host of other things weren’t enough for women to deal with, award-winning director Ashlea Wessel is set to examine even more ferocious issues with her newest film, The Miseries. A feminist spin on a genre-bending concept, The Miseries is in production now in Canada, and FANGORIA is excited to share some exclusive behind the scenes photos from the first week of production.
Directed by Wessel from a script by Sarah Gignac, The Miseries puts a new, terrifying spin on the time loop story as From star Kaelen Ohm finds herself at the whim of a cursed apartment. Forced to relive her trauma over and over, Ohm’s desperate Bree must find a way to escape, all while stricken with grief over the murder of her husband. The film spans “multiple realities, timelines, and genres” as it grapples with the legacies of women throughout history — before, during, and after.
“The Miseries is a fascinating project for me as a filmmaker and as a horror fan,” Wessel says. “This film plays with psychological horror conventions in a way that subverts and celebrates well trodden tropes, while pushing the boundaries of the genre through mind-bending, non-linear storytelling. Thematically, it’s an exploration of human guilt and trauma from a female perspective, investigating how our individual experiences are never just ours. In some way, they're part of a larger shared experience, for better or for worse.”
The new images give us a fun sneak peek at the first week of production, including a couple shots that make it seem like Bree herself might be cursed, as well as a few of Ohm with Wessel, Gignac, and cinematographer Paul Sarossy, and Sarossy in action behind the camera. Filming is set to continue throughout the month in Nova Scotia, and is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada.
“This unique genre blended horror evokes a bone chilling discomfort as it builds on its own constructs to a crescendo that pulls at the heart strings as well as scares you out of your wits,” say producers Becky Parsons and Terry Greenlaw. “This film is sure to be a visual delight with cinematography by multi-award-winning indie superstar Paul Sarossy together with the visionary elegance of popular horror director Ashlea Wessel. We are excited to have discovered such a strong local ensemble cast.”
No release date for The Miseries has been announced, but stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates. Check out the BTS images below:
