Fans of practical creature effects can look forward to GINGER, a film seeking financial partners at the Frontières International Co-Production Market during last month’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Writer/directors Dan Gitsham and Sophie Mair (featured above), along with producers Jude Goldrei and Rebecca Wolff, discussed the project with RUE MORGUE at the festival.
“It tells the story of a couple coping with the loss of their unborn child due to a tragic car accident,” Mair explains. “Fast-forward nine months, and Abel, our male lead, has taken a position as head gamekeeper on the North Yorkshire moors. This setting is extremely isolating for him, and the pressure is high as he manages the grouse population—grouse shooting being a very elitist sport. Meanwhile, his wife Grace is left at home in the gamekeeper’s cottage. After the loss of their baby, she experiences early menopause, extinguishing her hopes of having children. In her despair, she wanders onto the moors, where she encounters a parasitic creature named Ginger.”
“It’s a sort of sexy body-horror film,” she continues. “David Cronenberg has been a huge inspiration for us, particularly the erotic elements present in some of his work.”
“We’re big fans of CRASH,” Gitsham adds, “which is so twisted yet strangely arousing at the same time. That’s the vibe we’re aiming for with GINGER: to challenge perceptions and introduce a new kink. We also draw some influence from Andrzej Zulawski’s POSSESSION and Amat Escalante’s THE UNTAMED from Mexico.”
“That film might lean more towards sci-fi, which isn’t the case here,” Wolff notes, “but it certainly feels like a fitting comparison. We believe this is a great time for genre films in the market, as there seems to be a lot of excitement around it.”
“Plus, there’s an element of erotica and sex,” Gitsham adds, “and we want to reintroduce that into films a bit since it’s been somewhat lacking lately.”
“It’s a sex-positive film,” Mair says. “Our intention is not to create something misogynistic or gratuitous but to make a film that has genuine meaning.”
“It’s intricate, provocative, and original, steering clear of the typical clichés found in sex and horror,” Goldrei remarks. “Rebecca and I find it very exciting to collaborate with Sophie and Dan as a couple. Their dual perspectives—male and female—infuse the story with depth. As they write the script and we move into production, that dynamic creates a beneficial push-pull in terms of perspective.”
“They’ve been together for 20 years!” Wolff adds, while Mair interjects, “And we have kids.”
“That we kill off in our movies,” Gitsham quips, eliciting laughter. “We essentially work through our therapy in our scripts.”
“Absolutely,” Mair agrees. “I think the erotic aspects of GINGER are also influenced by Nicolas Roeg’s DON’T LOOK NOW and BAD TIMING.”
For the monstrous elements in GINGER, the team has enlisted Dan Martin, known for his creature and prosthetics work on films by Brandon Cronenberg, Peter Strickland, and Ben Wheatley. “Practical effects are crucial to this film,” Wolff states, “and we’re thrilled to have Dan on board. He’s also great with visual effects, so I envision a blend of practical and digital techniques. Dan and Sophie excel at practical effects; we had impressive ones in their previous short film, THE THING THAT ATE THE BIRDS, so it’s exciting to collaborate with Dan.”
THE THING THAT ATE THE BIRDS screened at 80 festivals and was co-financed by the British Film Institute, with whom the team developed the GINGER script. Gitsham and Mair, along with Goldrei and Wolff (who also produced Dean Puckett’s upcoming folk-horror feature, THE SEVERED SUN), hope to begin filming GINGER in spring 2025. When we spoke with them, their pitch had already garnered some unexpected recognition. “We actually won two awards for the pitch last night,” Goldrei shared. “We weren’t even aware there were awards for the pitches, so that was incredibly exciting!”