Black Sunday Confessions – Daisy Bata and Beth Taylor of ‘Blood Buzz’

Our Five Black Sunday Confessions series continues with Blood Buzz, a sharp and darkly funny sci-fi horror short screening at the Black Sunday Film Festival on Saturday 31st January.

Written and directed by Daisy Bata in her narrative debut, Blood Buzz follows Lianna, a paranoid teenager lost in the Suffolk countryside who is convinced humanity is on the brink of annihilation by climate-mutated, body-snatching mosquitoes. As reality fractures and those around her begin to undermine her version of events, the film spirals into a tense examination of conspiracy thinking, gaslighting, and feminine rage, all while keeping one foot firmly in genre territory.

Inspired by Bata’s background in investigative journalism and her experiences working with libertarians and preppers in the US, the film blends social paranoia with pulpy horror influences, drawing comparisons to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Fly, and apocalypse fiction without surrendering to nihilism. At its centre is a commanding performance from Beth Taylor as Lianna, grounding the film’s escalating madness in something raw, emotional and deeply human.

Ahead of the screening, writer-director Daisy Bata and lead actress Beth Taylor took part in Five Black Sunday Confessions, discussing formative fears, creative instincts, and the monsters that continue to haunt them, both on screen and off.

Daisy Bata, writer-director and Beth Taylor, lead actress

1. Tell us about your film and what brings it to the Black Sunday Film Festival.

Daisy: Bloodbuzz is a sci-fi/horror short about a conspiracy theorist who believes the world is about to be overrun by body snatching “mosquitozoids”. It’s my first film as a writer-director after transitioning from a career in investigative journalism and documentary producing, and was inspired by libertarians and preppers I met working on a documentary for Channel 4 in the US.

Horror fans have said it made them think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Fly and “The Last of Us without the crippling depression” – so hopefully the Black Sunday audience will enjoy it!

Beth: I play Lianna, our conspiracy theorist. For me, Bloodbuzz is a wonderful exploration of gaslighting, and feminine rage.

2. What moment made you realise you wanted to create films, not just watch them?

Beth: I always knew I wanted to act, ever since I was very little. I used to dress up for nursery as a character. One day I was a robot, and would only respond after someone pressed my “button” (a milk lid). I also used to go up to strangers and perform “the muffin man” monologue from Shrek… I was an odd kid!

Daisy: I’ve always known, ever since I realised I wasn’t going to become a vampire slayer like Buffy. I grew up on short film sets and cinema is more of a religion in our family than anything else, but I wanted to go out and live a bit before I felt like I had something to say. Being behind the camera in documentaries first was great preparation, because I worked with such a small team (sometimes just me and one other person) and you get really good at creative problem solving, thinking on your toes and ultimately, storytelling.

3. What was the first film that truly unsettled you?

Daisy: Dead Calm, starring Nicole Kidman. I watched it way too young!

Beth: It’s not a film, but I remeber I found the Dr Who “weeping angels” episode absolutely terrifying, especially as I was quite young. Our neighbour was an elderly lady with lots of statues in her garden, which didn’t help. I decided she must be a witch.

4. Who would be your dream collaborator, living or dead?

Beth: It’s very close between Hayao Miyazaki and Guillermo del Toro. I think they’re both master story tellers, and I’ve always been a huge fan of their work.

Daisy: Nick Cave or Patti Smith – they are both such creative beasts who can do anything, in any medium. I also really want to adapt a Harlan Ellison or William Gibson story.

5. If your worst fear became a film, what would it look like?

Daisy: I don’t really have specific fears, but I have seen the film Threads twice now and I can’t imagine anything more nightmarish than that ending! Maybe The House That Jack Built, the scene with the family in the fields really got me.

Beth: I get a lot of sleep paralysis and night terrors, so ghosts have always both fascinated me, and freaked me out.

Blood Buzz screens at the Black Sunday Film Festival on Saturday 31st January. Keep checking back with Love Horror for more interviews, filmmaker insights and festival coverage as our Five Black Sunday Confessions series continues throughout the weekend.

Blood Buzz trailer