An upcoming filmmaker turning her attention to genre fare, Mary Gallagher initially started her career working on documentary fare before turning her attention to feature-length fare with her new film "Holistay." Now, in honor of the film's release, I talk with her about her early interest in filmmaking, her past projects, and the making of the movie.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, where did you get the urge to go into directing?
Mary Gallagher: I was a former political journalist and I wrote and directed a political documentary, called Electile Dysfunction. I left journalism when the newspaper business waned and I began working on features and then my own projects. It seemed a natural progression to want to direct your own script.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
MG: I like mostly all types of films except slasher, war, and demonic possession movies. I try to watch as many films as possible and appreciate all filmmakers' visions.
I really like Hitchcock films, they are a slow-burn and tell a story.
Another favorite is John Carpenter's Halloween 1 and 2. Like Hitchcock, there was a story behind Michael Myers.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
MG: I prefer the creative side to film. Writing, directing, and casting. However, I also enjoy the producing side because as a producer, you will always have control of your movie and not have to answer to another entity who wants to have the final say.
Me: With the documentary "Electile Dysfunction" early in your career, what tools and skills did you acquire working on this that transferred to feature-film projects?
MG: Patience and organization are paramount in any production. There are many similarities in documentaries and features such as timelines, logistics and locations, distribution, and financing.
There are no scripted actors in documentaries, so sometimes it is challenging in an interview when the subject is not answering the question properly or says something irrelevant to the topic. Then you have to figure it out in the edit process which runs into time and money.
Me: So, this brings us to your newest film 'Holistay.' Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
MG: With a limited budget I was looking for a horror/thriller concept that would work in one location, not uncommon in horror films so I crafted a story about strange things happening in a vacation house between people who didn't know each other.
We shot in my house so I could control the situation and not have to abide by rules and regs in a location rental.
My husband is from Ireland and Ireland is the land of ghosts and goblins. I wanted the story to have some of those elements even though I was shooting in the US. So I included an Irish couple and threw in a Banshee and a Druid for Celtic influence!
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What were you looking for from the cast that helped you settle on them for the role?
MG: I had most of the cast in place before I wrote the script. I knew Steven Martini (Tony) from 2008 when we met in my hometown of Philadelphia where he was screening his film during the Philadelphia International Film Festival. I knew he would make the perfect Tony.
Erin Gavin (Branna) and I have the same agent and we had been talking about doing a film together. Erin is from Ireland and Scotland. Gavin O'Fearraigh (Finn) is from Ireland and lives in the US, I was lucky to get him as he is big in Ireland with Irish dramas in Gaelic. It was important that I had authentic Irish actors for the Finn and Branna roles.
Gabriela Kulaif (Gia) is a Latina actor and is married to Steven Martini so they had a good chemistry.
John Michael Hersey (Druid) is my childhood friend and does off-Broadway in NYC. He is also a musician and did some of the scoring.
Bailee Bob Sveen (Banshee) was cast from Actors in Vegas and is a rising star.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
MG: There was little tension on set despite the tight six-day shoot. All the actors except for Bailee had the treatment and premise a year out and the script for a good four months before we shot in April 2022 so all was clear.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
MG: The second to the last scene involved the pool and no one would get in because it was too cold. I had the pool heater on but it was still not hot enough for the actors.
I had to change the scene to the hot tub at the last minute which was challenging!
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
MG: Holistay is a trilogy so I'm working on Holistay 2 script now for a 2024 shoot!
Stay tuned!
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