Criminal Audition

Last updated

Criminal Audition
Criminal Audition Official Film Poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed bySamuel Gridley
Written by
  • Luke Kaile
  • Samuel Gridley
Produced by
  • Nathaniel Francis
  • Samuel Gridley
  • Luke Kaile
  • Luke Mordue
Starring
CinematographyRichard Osborne
Edited byMike Pike
Music by
  • Al Anderson
  • Asa Bennett
Production
companies
Blood & Tweed
Mordue Pictures
Muzzle the Pig
Release date
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Criminal Audition is a 2019 British thriller horror film written by Luke Kaile and Samuel Gridley, and directed by Gridley in his feature film debut. [1] The film stars Kaile, Rich Keeble, Rebecca Calienda and Noeleen Comiskey.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the London FrightFest Film Festival on 24 August 2019. [2]

Synopsis

An ex-lawyer, William (Rich Keeble) and his team consisting of Ryan (Luke Kaile), Moe (Scott Samain) and Adeline (Angela Peters), run an underworld service providing fake criminals to take on other people's crimes. But a new dangerous client, Ms M (Noeleen Comiskey) turns their world upside down as they face lies, deceit and murder over the course of one night.

Plot

An underground organization which helps free paying criminals helps out yet another client; Miss M. William, Adeline, Moe, and Ryan are founders of this organization, Ryan being an expert as he was used in a trial before joining. At the beginning of the film, we see that members of this underground organization have put together a total of 3 potential candidates (supposed to be 4 but one is missing) for the murder case they are covering. Each candidate is blinded by sacks and bound in handcuffs linked to one another in a chain. They are to undergo a series of tests to figure out which of the 3 fits the profile and will be convicted for this case.

The client in question, Miss M, appears with her assistant Morris to shake things up and to make sure that her money is being well spent to cover her tracks. After interfering with several of the procedures the organization has, Miss M, ends up killing P after he refused to bash someone’s head in like she asked. Ryan who is becoming fed up with the interference and brutality of the client tries to free another candidate. Morris sees this and promptly drugs and strangles the candidate before they have a chance to fight back.

It’s down to two candidates now, L and J. Miss M test them on how to hide the body and despite the impressive answer J gave, L is declared the winner based on Ryan’s reaction. Miss M changes the game after this “victory” for L. She decides to choose Ryan as a candidate based on a deal William had made prior to a threat she made against him. Ryan— who wants out of this deal, is baffled and tries to convince the duo otherwise but is knocked out.

The true motive behind Miss M and Morris’ involvement is based on the case Ryan had confessed to before joining the team. The victim of the said case had been her sister and a dear friend of Morris, they were unhappy to find out that justice had actually not been served and are looking for revenge. Their plan to torture and kill all members of the team had been short-lived as Ryan was able to slit the throat of Morris before he was able to torture him. L and Ryan find and shoot Miss M after she doused William and Adeline in gas. William tries to persuade Ryan to free him and to take the money, but Ryan and L leave the pair tied up. The film ends with L and Ryan escaping with the money, an unspoken bond between the two now.

Cast

Production

Development

The film originally started as a play written by Kaile in 2009 after he finished college. He entered film writing competitions for practice and continued to write. Criminal Audition was the script that was to be adapted to the stage and once Kaile saw the potential in it, he decided to expand it into a film. He spoke with members of the audience and saw their enthusiasm, realizing that this story is one that could be rooted in the real world as well. That was enough for Kaile and soon brought the play to Gridley to develop it into the final screenplay over the following years. [2]

Soon after, Muzzle the Pig and Blood & Tweed joined forces with British production company Mordue Pictures to help finally bring the film to fruition.

Principal photography began in October 2017 and took place at the Network Theatre in Waterloo, London, over a period of 15 days.

The official trailer was released on 5 July 2019.

Casting

The cast was found in a traditional manner, going out to find actors and holding auditions to see who would fit the role best. Kaile who is an actor himself is already in the network and was able to find potential stars through social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram. Seeing as they did casting calls and auditions many years ago before the movie was set to be filmed, a lot of the cast were still on board by the time Criminal Audition was actually made. [3]

Kaile and Gridley were relieved to find that despite the premature casting, they still had actors willing to work with them. They both agree that in future films, they’ll plan the order of things a bit more carefully in case they aren’t as lucky to meet such a flexible cast again. [3]

Filming

Originally, Criminal Audition was supposed to be filmed in 2013 and 2014; however, the filming process did not truly begin until 2017. The filming took place in London in one building over the course of the movie. It was shot in tinted freeze frames in the beginning of the production. The use of VCRs and cassette players also made the setting of the eighties and early nineties come to life. On top of that, the filming of this movie is made to be continuous, almost as if the action never stops over the course of a night, as the intensity grows. [4]

Kaile, in an interview, talked about how responsibilities of filming were equally cast. This led to him hiring two producers, Nathaniel Francis and Luke Mordue, who were major tributes to the making of this movie. Another trademark of Criminal Audition that Kaile touches on is the claustrophobic vibe that can be felt through the screen, which is also a part of why it was decided to be filmed in such a limited setting. [5]

The building Criminal Audition was filmed in is called the Networth Theater underneath the station of Waterloo. This was perfect for the team since they were looking for an actual theater to shoot in. Another important point to the crew’s process was the mistakes made in the past that added to the learning process of making this movie in the best possible way. In this interview, Kaile briefly talked about how before, casting was done too early and this is what gave the creators patience in such a high-paced environment. This was essential to the nine year journey to the release of Criminal Audition. [3]

Music

The soundtrack for the film was composed by Al Anderson and Asa Bennett, who usually collaborate under the name Bůte. The music makes extensive use of sampled sounds (a feature of Bůte‘s music where no traditional instruments or synths are used) but also uses real instruments, notably the use of Baritone guitar and whistling which is reminiscent of Ennio Moriconne’s scores.

The soundtrack was released in October 2020 to coincide with the release of the film.

Reception

Sight & Sound featured the film as one of their "10 Human Horror Highlights" [1] while Entertainment Focus included it in its "10 hidden gems you need to see" list. [6]

In a 4/5 review, Luke Ryan Baldock of The Hollywood News praised the script and the acting, calling the film "a genuinely well-crafted feature that utilises its limitations." [7] In his 3.5/5 review for Entertainment Focus, Pip Ellwood-Hughes stated "while not a perfect film, Criminal Audition is a strong statement of intent from two exciting new faces on the horror circuit." [8]

Release

Criminal Audition was released on Blu-Ray and VOD in the United States and Canada through Gravitas Ventures on October 13, 2020. It was released in the UK digitally, through 101 Films on iTunes, Amazon and Sky Store on October 26, 2020. Criminal Audition made its UK premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema in 2019. Luke Kaile and Samuel Gridley made an appearance at this event along with a few producers from their supporting companies. Mordue Productions, Muzzle the Pig, and Blood & Tweed representatives were also there to see the success of the film they backed. Kaile and Gridley presented their film and gave the audience a little behind the scenes exclusive look into how the film was brought about.

Related Research Articles

Tony Dean Smith is a screenwriter director and editor for film and television.

FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event held in London in late October, and a festival in Glasgow held around February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.

Rich Keeble is a British actor and voiceover artist. He has appeared as a regular on two series of The Emily Atack Show and in television series such as Ghosts,Trying, Ted Lasso, Warren, Doctors, Porters, The Rebel and Birds of a Feather, as well as voice acting for video games including The Lord of the Rings: Gollum,Strange Brigade, Total War: Warhammer and Ancestors Legacy.

<i>The Thompsons</i> 2012 film

The Thompsons is an independent 2012 horror film directed by the Butcher Brothers and produced by Rob Weston and Travis Stevens. It is a sequel to the Butcher Brothers previous film The Hamiltons. It premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 26, 2012.

<i>Black Ops</i> (film) 2019 film

Black Ops, also known as The Ascent or Stairs, is a 2019 independent action horror film directed by Tom Paton.

<i>Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanleys Island of Dr. Moreau</i> 2014 American film

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau is a 2014 American documentary film directed by David Gregory. The film had its world premiere at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 24, 2014, and covers Richard Stanley's experiences while he conceived and developed the project, as well as his time as director for the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau and the aftermath of his departure and the effect it had on the cast, crew, and overall film.

Graham Hughes is a Scottish film director. He is possibly best known for his directorial work on the film A Practical Guide to a Spectacular Suicide.

Noeleen Comiskey is an actress who played the recurring character of Marta Shirovs in EastEnders. Other television roles include Sarah Webb in Casualty, Hayley Nichols in Doctors and Nathalia Volkov in Legends, starring Sean Bean. She has also previously appeared in Law & Order: UK and The Bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Ezban</span> Mexican film director

Isaac Ezban is a Mexican film director, writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the films The Incident, The Similars and Parallel.

<i>The Cleansing Hour</i> 2019 American horror film by Damien LeVeck

The Cleansing Hour is a 2019 horror film directed by Damien LeVeck about a staged televised exorcism that takes a nefarious turn.

There's No Such Thing as Vampires is a 2020 horror film that was directed by Logan Thomas. It is based on a script written by Thomas and Aric Cushing, who also starred.

<i>I Am Lisa</i> 2020 American film

I Am Lisa is a 2020 horror revenge film that was directed by Patrick Rea, based on a script written by Eric Winkler.

Blind is a 2019 horror film that was directed by Marcel Walz, based on a script by Joe Knetter.

<i>The Honeymoon Phase</i> 2019 American film

The Honeymoon Phase is a 2019 sci-fi horror film that was written and directed by Phillip G. Carroll Jr., marking his feature film directorial debut.

<i>Red Snow</i> (2021 film) American horror comedy film

Red Snow is a 2021 American horror comedy film directed by Sean Nichols Lynch. The film stars Dennice Cisneros as a supernatural romance author living in Lake Tahoe who comes into conflict with vampires over the Christmas holidays. The film had its international premiere at London FrightFest on August 26, 2021 and was released on December 28, 2021.

<i>Everybody Dies by the End</i> 2022 film by Ian Tripp and Ryan Schafer

Everybody Dies by the End is a 2022 found footage mockumentary film written by Ian Tripp and directed by Tripp and Ryan Schafer in their feature film debut. The film stars Vinny Curran, Bill Oberst Jr., Brendan Cahalan, Iliyana Apostolova, and Ian Tripp.

Sadistic Intentions, originally known as Sadistic Intent, is a 2018 American horror romance film directed by Eric Pennycoff and starring Jeremy Gardner, Michael Patrick Nicholson and Taylor Zaudtke.

Crabs! is a 2021 American comedy horror film directed by Pierce Berolzheimer, starring Dylan Riley Snyder, Bryce Durfee, Allie Jennings, Jessica Morris, Chase Padgett and Robert Craighead. It is the directorial debut of Berolzheimer.

Here Comes Hell is a 2019 British comedy horror film directed by Jack McHenry, starring Margaret Clunie, Jessica Webber, Tom Bailey, Timothy Renouf, Charlie Robb and Maureen Bennett.

The Drone is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Jordan Rubin, starring Alex Essoe, John Brotherton, Anita Briem, Rex Linn, Neil Sandilands and Simon Rex.

References

  1. 1 2 "Horror gets real: the limits of fantasy at FrightFest 2019 | Sight & Sound". British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 "ARROW VIDEO FRIGHTFEST | CRIMINAL AUDITION". www.frightfest.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Criminal Audition - Frightfest 2019 Interview". YouTube. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  4. Antbit. "Criminal Audition (2019)". Projected Figures. SiFiNow. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  5. Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (2 August 2019). "Arrow Video FrightFest 2019 interview: Luke Kaile opens up about taking Criminal Audition from stage to screen". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  6. "Arrow Video FrightFest 2019: 10 hidden gems you need to see". Entertainment Focus. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  7. Baldock, Luke Ryan. "'Criminal Audition' Review: Dir. Samuel Gridley [Frightfest 2019] | THN" . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  8. "Arrow Video FrightFest 2019: Criminal Audition review". Entertainment Focus. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.