Little Marvin (‘Them: The Scare’ creator) on why ‘horror gets a bad rap’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Horror gets a bad rap. People don’t talk enough about how deeply human it is,” admits Little Marvin, creator of “Them: The Scare.” In our recent webchat he adds, “I love to see characters that are emotionally complex and that test my allegiances. When I’m already invested in the character and you give me something so unnatural, I’m 1000% in.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Them: The Scare” is the second installment of Amazon Prime Video’s horror anthology series created by Little Marvin. Set in Los Angeles County circa 1991, LAPD Detective Dawn (Deborah Ayorinde) is assigned to a gruesome murder. Luke James plays Edmund, an aspiring actor who appears sensitive but harbors a dark void. Marvin explains, “I endeavored to make something that showed the duality in people. I wanted Edmund to engender a certain level of empathy. If you are terrified by the decisions he’s making and you also felt something for him, then it would work.”
SEELuke James interview: ‘Them: The Scare’
Marvin directed the penultimate episode of the season, ‘One of Us Is Gonna Die Tonight.’ The chilling episode has a square aspect ratio and horrific visions filtered in blood red. For his directorial debut, Marvin reveals, “I always give myself clues visually in the writing. To be on the other side and give myself the frames I imagined was so cathartic. And to direct Pam Grier in the first thing I ever directed was phenomenally a gift. There’s a moment where her character unburdens herself from a lifetime of secrets. It was a couple of pages monologue. I wanted to live that entire moment in a single shot. You could hear a pin drop on the soundstage. I get chills because I will never forget it as long as I live.”
Marvin reflects, “There’s a myriad of definitions of what ‘The Scare’ is to me. Yes, there’s the horror component. There’s also something very emotional about the journey Edmund and Dawn are on. There’s all kinds of layers as to what ‘The Scare actually means. The ambition of it was to pick apart those layers. Get inside of the horror and feel something.”
For Marvin, the scariest moment might be when Edmund goes for an acting audition. The creator confesses, “That’s entirely autobiographical if I’m being very honest. I was that out of work actor for many years. That audition was not a lie! You can imagine me showing up to play a gangbanger and how that would have gone down.”
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