Amber Benson as Maya - House of Demons
Regular visitors to AmberBenson.TV may know Amber is starring as Maya in the upcoming horror movie House of Demons. In an exciting first for AmberBenson.TV House of Demons writer and director Patrick Meaney very kindly agreed to an interview with me to tell us all more about House of Demons, working with Amber and much more.
AB.TV: We have been following the development of House of Demons for a while I believe it was originally named Trip House. Why did you decide to change the name? How excited are you that people will soon be able to see the movie?
Patrick: After the movie was acquired for distribution, the distributor was talking to potential buyers, and got some pushback on Trip House, maybe because it’s a little too evocative of drugs? So, they decided to change the title. I’m happy to get the movie out as widely as possible, and thankfully only the title was changed, not any of the film itself.
And I am very excited that people will get a chance to check out the movie. It’s been quite a journey getting to the screen, and I can’t wait for people to get a chance to check it out.
AB.TV Can you tell us a little more about House of Demons and what the audience can expect?
Patrick: House of Demons is a character focused horror movie that centers around four friends who have drifted apart. They travel to a friend’s wedding and are spending the weekend in an isolated cabin that used to be home to a Manson Family like cult that performed strange black magic rituals. As the night goes on, time starts to blur and everyone is forced to confront their darkest secrets and inner demons.
Amber plays Maya, who was one of the founders of the group in the 60s, and is currently in conflict with Frazer, the group’s leader, who she believes is becoming dangerous.
If you like horror stories that focus on characters, I think you’ll really enjoy the movie.
AB.TV As the writer and director what were your inspirations when bringing House of Demons to the screen?
Patrick: I always wanted the film to have a very psychedelic feel and use what movies can do to dive deep into the characters’ subconscious. I wanted to use music and sound design and visuals to make the whole movie feel like a trip through the dark night of the soul. So, I was very inspired by 60s psychedelic music like Pink Floyd in building the feel of the film.
In terms of films, the time bending horror of The Shining, and the multi-character ensemble structure of Magnolia were two big inspirations on the script.
AB.TV As it is a horror movie were there any spooky incidents on set and were any of the cast and crew superstitious?
Patrick: We were shooting in a house in the middle of the forest, and there was no cell service or even a functioning bathroom. When we were shooting some of the darker scenes, people were screaming for their lives, and no one ever seemed to notice. So, it was definitely a little freaky thinking about the fact that if you were really getting murdered, no one would know. It was the perfect environment for a horror movie, since we were so isolated from the normal world.
AB.TV What was your favourite or most memorable moment while filming?
Patrick: One of our days shooting was with Amber, Tiffany Smith, Morgan Peter Brown and Brian Townes shooting 10 pages of material that was all set in one room. So, we shot it as really long 8-10 minute takes from different angles all day. The room we were in was cramped, really hot and didn’t smell great, but it was a really amazing process since we spent the whole day digging deep into the moment with all the actors, and Amber definitely set the tone for the other actors.
I don’t know that it was my favorite moment, but it was one of the most creatively fulfilling for sure.
AB.TV We are an Amber Benson fan site our readers would love to know what was it like to work with Amber?
Patrick: It was definitely exciting getting to work with Amber. I’m a long time Buffy fan, and this was the first time I had worked with someone as an actor whose work I already knew and loved going into the movie. Amber is an amazing actress, and she definitely shares the warmth that many of her characters have on screen.
When the cameras are rolling, she’s totally 100% in the moment and in character, but when the cameras turn off, she can switch to joking and having fun right away. So, the days when we worked with her were some of the most fun and relaxed, despite dealing with a lot of action and some pretty brutal material.
And when we had downtime, she’d be out on the porch writing, which was fun to see.
AB.TV Where will people be able to see House of Demons after it is released on the 6th of February?
Patrick: The movie is going to be available all over the place. It’ll be on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and other digital stores, on demand on all cable systems, and also on DVD on Amazon and at retailers like Wal Mart.
Note: I followed up with Patrick and asked him if House of Demons will be available via video on demand options in the UK. He told us "I believe it’s only going to be available in the US at first, but will make it to other territories soon”. We believe this to be the case with the DVD as well, however Amazon.com will ship the region 1 version to the UKwhich will play on multi region devices. Higher postage costs and in rare cases additional taxes may apply. When it becomes more widely available in the UK we will of course let you know as soon as we can.
AB.TV Where can people find out more about House of Demons?
Patrick: You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram at HouseofDemonsX or HouseofDemonsMovie on Facebook.
And HouseofDemonsMovie.com has a lot of great stuff as well.
I think people who are fans of Amber’s from Buffy will really enjoy the movie. For an independent film, it really helps for people to check out the movie early and spread the word on social media. So, if you do watch and enjoy it, let everyone know so we can go make more!
Patrick has asked me let people know there will be an advanced screening of House of Demons on the 2nd of February. Held at The Los Angeles Film School at 10pm PST. Some of the cast are planning to attend for more details click here.
A big thank you to for his time Patrick and I hope you enjoy this interview. On behalf of AmberBenson.TV I wish him and all the cast and crew every success with House of Demons.
Joe
Disclaimer: AmberBenson.TV is not involved in any way with the making of House of Demons. This post is for informational purposes only. We are simply trying to spread the word about another exciting movie starring Amber Benson.
AB.TV: We have been following the development of House of Demons for a while I believe it was originally named Trip House. Why did you decide to change the name? How excited are you that people will soon be able to see the movie?
Patrick: After the movie was acquired for distribution, the distributor was talking to potential buyers, and got some pushback on Trip House, maybe because it’s a little too evocative of drugs? So, they decided to change the title. I’m happy to get the movie out as widely as possible, and thankfully only the title was changed, not any of the film itself.
And I am very excited that people will get a chance to check out the movie. It’s been quite a journey getting to the screen, and I can’t wait for people to get a chance to check it out.
AB.TV Can you tell us a little more about House of Demons and what the audience can expect?
Patrick: House of Demons is a character focused horror movie that centers around four friends who have drifted apart. They travel to a friend’s wedding and are spending the weekend in an isolated cabin that used to be home to a Manson Family like cult that performed strange black magic rituals. As the night goes on, time starts to blur and everyone is forced to confront their darkest secrets and inner demons.
Amber plays Maya, who was one of the founders of the group in the 60s, and is currently in conflict with Frazer, the group’s leader, who she believes is becoming dangerous.
If you like horror stories that focus on characters, I think you’ll really enjoy the movie.
AB.TV As the writer and director what were your inspirations when bringing House of Demons to the screen?
Patrick: I always wanted the film to have a very psychedelic feel and use what movies can do to dive deep into the characters’ subconscious. I wanted to use music and sound design and visuals to make the whole movie feel like a trip through the dark night of the soul. So, I was very inspired by 60s psychedelic music like Pink Floyd in building the feel of the film.
In terms of films, the time bending horror of The Shining, and the multi-character ensemble structure of Magnolia were two big inspirations on the script.
AB.TV As it is a horror movie were there any spooky incidents on set and were any of the cast and crew superstitious?
Patrick: We were shooting in a house in the middle of the forest, and there was no cell service or even a functioning bathroom. When we were shooting some of the darker scenes, people were screaming for their lives, and no one ever seemed to notice. So, it was definitely a little freaky thinking about the fact that if you were really getting murdered, no one would know. It was the perfect environment for a horror movie, since we were so isolated from the normal world.
AB.TV What was your favourite or most memorable moment while filming?
Patrick: One of our days shooting was with Amber, Tiffany Smith, Morgan Peter Brown and Brian Townes shooting 10 pages of material that was all set in one room. So, we shot it as really long 8-10 minute takes from different angles all day. The room we were in was cramped, really hot and didn’t smell great, but it was a really amazing process since we spent the whole day digging deep into the moment with all the actors, and Amber definitely set the tone for the other actors.
I don’t know that it was my favorite moment, but it was one of the most creatively fulfilling for sure.
AB.TV We are an Amber Benson fan site our readers would love to know what was it like to work with Amber?
Patrick: It was definitely exciting getting to work with Amber. I’m a long time Buffy fan, and this was the first time I had worked with someone as an actor whose work I already knew and loved going into the movie. Amber is an amazing actress, and she definitely shares the warmth that many of her characters have on screen.
When the cameras are rolling, she’s totally 100% in the moment and in character, but when the cameras turn off, she can switch to joking and having fun right away. So, the days when we worked with her were some of the most fun and relaxed, despite dealing with a lot of action and some pretty brutal material.
And when we had downtime, she’d be out on the porch writing, which was fun to see.
AB.TV Where will people be able to see House of Demons after it is released on the 6th of February?
Patrick: The movie is going to be available all over the place. It’ll be on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and other digital stores, on demand on all cable systems, and also on DVD on Amazon and at retailers like Wal Mart.
Note: I followed up with Patrick and asked him if House of Demons will be available via video on demand options in the UK. He told us "I believe it’s only going to be available in the US at first, but will make it to other territories soon”. We believe this to be the case with the DVD as well, however Amazon.com will ship the region 1 version to the UKwhich will play on multi region devices. Higher postage costs and in rare cases additional taxes may apply. When it becomes more widely available in the UK we will of course let you know as soon as we can.
AB.TV Where can people find out more about House of Demons?
Patrick: You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram at HouseofDemonsX or HouseofDemonsMovie on Facebook.
And HouseofDemonsMovie.com has a lot of great stuff as well.
I think people who are fans of Amber’s from Buffy will really enjoy the movie. For an independent film, it really helps for people to check out the movie early and spread the word on social media. So, if you do watch and enjoy it, let everyone know so we can go make more!
Patrick has asked me let people know there will be an advanced screening of House of Demons on the 2nd of February. Held at The Los Angeles Film School at 10pm PST. Some of the cast are planning to attend for more details click here.
A big thank you to for his time Patrick and I hope you enjoy this interview. On behalf of AmberBenson.TV I wish him and all the cast and crew every success with House of Demons.
Joe
Disclaimer: AmberBenson.TV is not involved in any way with the making of House of Demons. This post is for informational purposes only. We are simply trying to spread the word about another exciting movie starring Amber Benson.
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