Director Defends PG-13 GRETEL & HANSEL: “Doesn’t Affect Sophistication of Horror”
Arriving in select markets tonight in advance of a nationwide release tomorrow (January 31st), Gretel & Hansel is the third film from Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House). The filmmaker’s previous efforts aren’t for the faint of heart and Perkins wants genre fans to brace themselves for an impactful experience–despite the film’s PG-13 rating (something that’s seen as a curse to many hardcore horror fans).
“[The rating] doesn’t affect the sophistication of the horror in Gretel & Hansel” Perkins assured me in a recent interview. At the same time, the filmmaker is indeed targeting younger viewers for what may seem a surprising reason. Check out more of our conversation below the film’s synopsis. You can see the trailer for Gretel & Hansel embedded at the top of the article.
Synopsis:
A long time ago in a distant fairytale countryside, a young girl (Sophia Lillis, IT Chapter 2) leads her little brother (Sammy Leakey) into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.
While Gretel & Hansel isn’t likely to disappoint today’s discriminating horror aficionados, Perkins sees the film as something of a primer for the next generation of rabid genre fans:
“This PG-13 film is really quite dark, and the kids who go through this darkness and come out of it will, hopefully, say, ‘Ah! I made it!’ I think that breeds self-importance, self-power, and resilience. And I think these are all great things to have. If a weird little movie like this can do that for a couple of kids who go in thinking, ‘This might be too much’ but come out feeling ‘I’m okay,’ well, I think that’s a win.”
Are you excited to check out Gretel & Hansel? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
