'Vivarium': A Refreshing New Take On The Horror Genre!

Who said that a horror movie needs to be dark and gloomy?

In the plastic-like atmosphere of Vivarium, every nightmare is possible. Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots, the movie pushes the limits of madness as a couple tries to escape a suburban house that doesn’t want them to leave.

I had the opportunity to chat with director Lorcan Finnegan and actress Imogen Poots at the premiere of the movie at the Glasgow Film Festival, where they shared their thoughts on the characters, aesthetic and freakishness of the movie –and this is what they had to say!

When asked to define her character in one word, Imogen was confident in her answer: “Resilient. She has to confront a lot of issues and she has to survive some pretty intense circumstances.” Looking at the trailer, we can already see her fierce attitude and strong will as she keeps fighting back over and over. She definitely doesn’t look like the kind of person who just gives up!

She also spoke about her personal interest in horror movies: “I’m also a big fan of The Blob, so original horror and original sort of art form with genre movies.” However, one of the ultimate reasons why this project was intriguing to her was the psychological factor: “Psychological horror is a fantastic genre to explore social issues as well, so it’s not just like gratuitous gore.”

Lorcan Finnegan also told us about the delicate pastel aesthetic that surrounds the action: “With this film, the horror is in the poppy bright kind of way that the place is sold to them, so it’s a contradiction in a way, you know? Like a kind of juxtaposition to make it feel trippy and horrific at the same time.”

The artificial vibe from the neighborhood is definitely an original way of masking the upcoming torments for the young couple, whose mental strength is constantly challenged throughout the movie. But where did his inspiration come from?

“Maybe the films of Roy Anderson in terms of the art direction and lighting for the film,” said Lorcan. He also revealed other titles that worked as a reference for him: Geoff Murphy'sThe Quiet Earth, Teshigahara’sWoman in the dunes, and David Lynch’sLost Highway.

But it looks like this combination of dream-like features was a great influence, since we feel the weirdness that is to come before we can even see it.  We have to agree with the official Twitter account of the Glasgow Film Festival here: Fans of “Black Mirror” will love this one!

Be sure to check out Vivarium when it hit theatres on March 27, 2020!