Horror Favourites -Zac Locke

The impressive directorial debut From writer-director Zac Locke #FLOAT is out now and we grabbed Zac for a chat about the scary movies that really float his boat.

Young, beautiful and full of life, vlogger Kali and her friends are heading to the river for their annual float, but it’s the first time since their friend overdosed and drowned last year. Their partying turns deadly as a sinister paranormal force plunges them into a life and death struggle forcing them to face their own fears as they turn on each other – and proceed to die one by one.

#FLOAT skillfully plays on classic tropes of ’80s slasher films – beautiful young, selfish people blithely ignore warnings about the dangers awaiting them and then get gruesomely killed off – while employing a modern sensibility.

Below Filmmaker Zac Locke lists his favourite horrors old and new:

“Classic
– A Clockwork Orange: Is this necessarily a horror movie? I’m going to say, “yes,” because (a) it is horrific, and (b) I’ve never been more scared to walk alone at night than after watching this one. It’s the kind of horror that stays with you, and makes you believe that the scariest thing in the world is not ghosts or vampires or zombies, but other human beings. Which is true, by the way.

– The Shining: Could this be the best horror movie ever made? Probably, yes. I can still remember how I felt when the bartender appeared, and I can close my eyes and perfectly picture so many of the images. And that run through the driving snow is some of the best nightmare fuel out there – I know it’s powered mine for the last quarter-century.

– Rosemary’s Baby: Again, not necessarily a horror movie per se (but I know it’s been granted emeritus status). The lighting, the pacing, the acting, it’s all so intentional and showed that horror movies can be high art as well as low (btw, I love both, just please don’t give me anything in the middle). Here’s a plug though: the book is even better. It’s a quick read – do yourself a favor and crack it open.

Modern
– Get Out: Yes, everyone says social critique horror has been around since the seventies. Yes, everyone says it was obvious. Then why didn’t anyone do it like this until Jordan Peele? And make one as fun, insightful, artistic, and scary as he did? It’s hard to remember now, but Get Out wasn’t just the horror zeitgeist, it was THE zeitgeist, and it spanned a whole new spate of horror movies that attacked social issues while also attacking their characters.

– The Vigil: Keith Thomas showed us a foreign world in the center of New York, then disoriented us, and then scared the living be-jeezus out of us. It’s really hard to scare me, but I had to close my eyes (and ears) multiple times on this one. It’s unique, it’s low budget, and it pays off. Not enough people saw this one and I hope they will.

– The Menu: No, I’m not saying that this film is one of the top 3 modern horror movies. And I’m not even saying it’s a horror movie, per se, although you’d be hard-pressed to find a more horrific movie. But the exactness of the set up, the plot, the sets, the acting (Ralph Fiennes FTW!) and of course, the food, gives us as filmmakers something to strive for. Perfection. Which is impossible. But why strive for anything less?”
#FLOAT is out now on VOD and Digital Platforms from XYZ Films