Black Mold (film)

Last updated
Black Mold
Black Mold (2023) poster.jpg
Promotional release poster
Directed byJohn Pata
Written byJohn Pata
Starring
  • Agnes Albright
  • Andrew Bailes
  • Caito Aase
  • Jeremy Holm
Production
companies
  • Head Trauma Productions
  • The Line Film Company
  • Shatterglass Pictures
Release date
  • April 15, 2023 (2023-04-15)(Panic Fest)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Black Mold is a 2023 American psychological horror thriller film written and directed by John Pata. [1] [2] It stars Agnes Albright and Andrew Bailes as a pair of photographers who, while exploring an abandoned building, encounter a squatter (Jeremy Holm) who causes one of the photographers' traumatic memories of her father to resurface. [1] [3]

Contents

Black Mold premiered at the 10th Panic Fest on April 15, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. [1] [3]

Cast

Production

Writing and development

Writer-director John Pata conceived the idea for Black Mold in 2016 while exploring a dilapidated house. [4] At the time, Pata was struggling with depression; he wrote a brief outline for the film, revisiting it and developing it in late 2020, after having attended therapy for his mental health struggles. [4]

Filming

Shooting began in March 2022 in central Illinois, and lasted for about one month. [2] [4]

Release

Black Mold premiered at the 10th Panic Fest on April 15, 2023, at the Screenland Armour theater in Kansas City, Missouri. [1] [3] The film screened at FrightFest in London, England, on August 25, 2023. [5]

Reception

Grace Detwiler of Rue Morgue commended the film for its direction, cinematography, and production design, but criticized its characterization, as well as the execution of its themes. [1] However, Detwiler noted that, "the scares offered up by the film's final third are worthy of the first two acts' slow burn ... when the slow-growing tension finally comes to a head". [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Detwiler, Grace (April 17, 2023). "Panic Fest '23 Movie Review: World Premiere "Black Mold" Will Grow on You". Rue Morgue . Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Melanson, Angel (March 3, 2022). "Exclusive: The Team Behind The Stylist Begins Photography On New Thriller Black Mold". Fangoria . Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Squires, John (April 13, 2023). "The 'Black Mold' Spreads to Panic Fest This Weekend; Watch an Exclusive Clip Here". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Melanson, Angel (April 13, 2023). "Don't Panic: Black Mold Is Coming To Kansas City". Fangoria . Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  5. Gingold, Michael (August 22, 2023). "Exclusive Trailer Reveals a Killer "Black Mold" Problem". Rue Morgue . Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.