February has another intriguing horror film for everyone to sink their teeth into, thanks to 20th Century Studios' Psycho Killer, a twisted tale from the same producers behind Barbarian and Weapons (read more about its real-life influences). The film centers on Georgina Campbell's Jane Archer, a detective who witnessed the brutal death of her husband at the hands of a vicious serial killer. With nothing to lose, Jane makes it her sole purpose to track down the man known as the Satanic Slasher (played by James Preston Rogers) across the United States and end his reign of terror forever.
The film is unique in that it feels like a perfect blend of Zodiac meets a gore-tastic slasher romp. It's got plenty of jaw-droppingly violent and gruesome deaths, but it also takes a slow, steady approach to building its villain and the progression of Jane's investigation.
The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Psycho Killer star Georgina Campbell, where the actress broke down her complicated character Jane Archer and how this experience compared to her time on the now iconic horror film Barbarian.
Psycho Killer is playing in theaters. For more horror coverage, be sure to check out how different the ending of The Strangers: Chapter 3 could have been.
Psycho Killer's Georgina Campbell Analyzes Her Complicated Character
"Her Fearlessness Comes Really From the Fact That She Has Nothing to Lose."
- The Direct: "Jane is an incredibly competent detective. What do you think it is about her that makes her as fearless, efficient, and skilled as she is?"
Georgina Campbell: I think with Jane already, she's a trooper. So she's got her base. She knows what to do. She knows what she's doing. And then I think her fearlessness comes really from the fact that she has nothing to lose. At this point, she's lost her husband, that her life, that she's built for herself in this pretty kind of small town is completely crushed. There's nothing left. So I feel like that's what projects her along, is she has nothing left. She has nothing left to lose. So why not throw herself at this problem?
- The Direct: "That answer might also play into the next question, in what you know, on the flip side of that competency and efficiency, what do you think is her biggest weakness? What is her Achilles heel? Her biggest weakness?"
Georgina Campbell: That's an interesting question. I think her biggest weakness [is], perhaps, is not really asking for help. She's kind of stepping out on her own. She has family, she has people that she could turn to, that she doesn't, and she internalizes a lot. And I would imagine that after this all ends, she's got a lot of therapy to work through some of those feelings. She seems like someone who has everything very bottled up inside.
Working With a Terrifying Villain
"He's Such an Intimidating Presence..."
- The Direct: "What was it like filming across from this terrifying psycho killer? Because I think he was a really, really unique villain, and the movie did so much to build him up. And you guys don't have too many scenes together, but what was it like, both being with him in the room, but then also when you have to kind of interact with the idea of him, with the presence of him, and he has to be in the scenes, but not actually, physically be there?
Georgina Campbell: It was great. I really like James [Preston Rogers]. I think he's a great actor. I thought he had such an amazing take on the character. We didn't have that many scenes together, so it was very enjoyable whenever we did get to see each other and got to kind of craft those scenes. Yeah, he's such an intimidating presence, his build, his voice, everything... I really liked getting to work with him.
- The Direct: "You're obviously no stranger to horror, having been in the hit 'Barbarian.' I'm just curious, when it came to filming that movie and this film, how do those experiences compare?"
Georgina Campbell: I mean, [they are] so, so different. I mean, every film is different. I feel like 'Barbarian,' you know, it was a wonderful experience. It was very—everyone was quite green on it. I feel like it was kind of Zach [Creggar's] best movie. And it was a lower budget, and I feel like, yeah, there was, kind of, it felt a little bit more like it was Zach's thing, and he was doing it. This movie was a bit different. Obviously, it's been around for a long time. Andrew [Kevin Walker] has been trying to get it made for many years.
The full interview can be viewed below.
