Screamfest Ambassador Dominic Monaghan on His Love of Horror
Staci Layne Wilson
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While one usually thinks of hairy hobbit feet (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) or a deserted island (“Lost”) when they hear the name Dominic Monaghan, the busy actor has managed to squeeze a few horror flicks into his curriculum vitae. He played a ghoulish graverobber in I Sell the Dead (2008), and he was a cruel captor in the dark thriller Pet (2016). This year, he’s not in any new scary movies, but he is touting them as the official ambassador of Screamfest 2017.
“I am extremely honored to serve as this year’s Screamfest ambassador,” said Monaghan. “I applaud Screamfest and its Founder and Festival Director Rachel Belofsky for embracing the work of filmmakers and actors in the horror genre. I’m a big fan of this space, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of a fest that truly acknowledges unique and creative work.”
Dominic Monaghan in I Sell The Dead
When we caught up with Monaghan the other day, we asked: Why him? “I think I’ve made it pretty clear over the years that I’m a massive horror fan. I’m always talking about movies of all kinds in interviews, I’m always talking about filmmakers, and how it is one of the artforms I’ve exposed myself to all my life,” he said. “I mean, I’m a big music fan, I’m a big fan of art, and all, but I usually average watching one movie a day – certainly on my days off, I spend a lot of time watching movies. So, I think Screamfest just knew that I love movies and os they reached out, and I was happy to do it.”
So, what does a duty like this entail? Shaking hands and using babies as human-shields a lá The Dead Zone? Or will he be made to sweep up strewn popcorn bits after the “terror in the aisles” is all over at the TLC Chinese Theater? “The job involves having people gain as much awareness about the film festival as possible,” he told us. “It begins on October 10th and closes on October 19th and there’s a whole bunch of different ways each night, and there are some free screenings too. This is a great way for fans to see the new up and coming filmmakers, writers, directors, and actors because these genres of scary movies, thrillers, and horror is important. The thing this genre does, and has for a long time now, is to give young filmmakers a way to cut their teeth and make movies. Horror has traditionally been a great way to find out who’s going to be the next big player in five or ten years.”
While Monaghan hasn’t seen any of the Screamfest official selections just yet, he did say, “My favorite horror film in recent years, well one of my favorites, is ‘It Follows’. Then going back a bit, ‘Let the Right One In’, the Swedish vampire movie. That was a fantastic film.” Incidentally, it played at Screamfest in 2008. “I thought ‘Get Out’ was really interesting too. Because you know, boyfriend and girlfriend meet, fall in love, go out to meet her parents for the first time, and you don’t really see where the horror element is going to come in at first, but then the movie shifts. So, I watch a lot of movies and there have been a lot of standout horror movies in recent years. European horror has really shaken me. ‘A Serbian Film’ was pretty shocking.”
He said what he loves about horror is the freedom it allows. “In recent years, I’ve been watching filmmakers coming up in all kinds of genres, and I like the fact that now you can go back and forth in all genres. You know, you make a horror film, then you make a drama, and then you make a historical epic, and then back to horror.”
When Monaghan took the ambassador gig, he thought he’d be able to partake in all the festivities, but… “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to the festival. I’ll be filming in Sydney, Australia.” He said, please – go ahead and have fun without him! “What I love about these festivals is, you can really mix and mingle with the filmmakers and the actors.” He says the atmosphere is just very calm and everyone who goes, whether they are on the screen or watching it, they love movies. “You get to have a one-on-one experience with the filmmakers, have drink, and talk about it. It’s a great opportunity to break through that wall, and that’s what Screamfest does.”
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