Directed by Spider One and co-written with Krsy Fox, the Tubi Original, Bury The Bride, had its world premiere at Panic Fest in Kansas City, Missouri on April 15th. The horror feature will debut across North America on Friday, April 21st on Tubi and at the Salem Horror Film Fest on Saturday, April 22nd.
Bride-to-be June's (Scout Taylor-Compton) bachelorette getaway turns deadly when her blood-thirsty fiancé and his backwoods friends show up to crash the party. What follows becomes a living nightmare of unholy proportions as June, her sister Sadie and their closest friends fight for their lives and avenge the ones who don’t make it through the night.
Fox is an actress and filmmaker known for Underworld Evolution, Frank, and Allegoria. She began her acting career at a young age before going on to write, direct, and star in the award-winning short What The Spell? and in addition to her work in film, she's a successful musician, fronting the band Knee High Fox. We caught up with Fox at Panic Fest to discuss the feature before its world premiere over the weekend. We discuss what inspired the concept for the tragic love story, Bury The Bride, its score, the characters, horror tropes, and more.
Bury The Bride is a simple slasher with a seemingly straightforward premise that hides a lot beneath its surface.
E.L. King: How did the idea for Bury the Bride originally come about?
Krsy Fox: It’s funny we actually had other projects we were moving forward on but one morning I was in the shower and the basic concept came to me. I told Spider about it and said you know maybe this could be an easy shoot we could squeeze in first and maybe we can write it together? It was something we hadn’t really done a lot and it seemed like fun. Well let me tell you it was not quick or easy, haha but we are so happy this film happened the way it did and we’re so proud of how the movie turned out. A lot of it was pulled from real things like my relationship with my sisters, who I love dearly. Hopefully, we never have to experience the terror the characters in the film did though! It was heavy!
E.L. King: Were there any particular inspirations you had going into the creation of Bury the Bride?
Krsy Fox: I think a lot of it was my relationship and love for my sisters and also I grew up in a small town in Canada so (with the exception of the murder parts) I knew a lot of guys like the ones in this film. Spider I know pulled from real experiences and people as well.
E.L. King: What role did music have to play in Bury the Bride? Were there any particular influences on the score for the film?
Krsy Fox: Music is always a very important part of a film to us both. With Bury The Bride, I started playing around with some ideas with my friend and fellow composer Michelle Carter. We got ahold of the vibe and tone of the film. Some I did by myself, and I also brought in a couple of friends who are amazing musicians and composers for certain moments and scenes in the film that I wanted a fresh perspective on.
Paul Wiley (Terrifier, Terrifier 2 ) wrote some music for a couple of scenes and Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman) co-wrote a song in the shed scene with me. It was also important to Spider and me that the dance scene had a song with the perfect vibe. We licensed a song from a band we both really like called Night Club. We also used some real vintage songs for the opening and closing credits that give a feel for this tragic love story.
E.L. King: There’s a sort of twist that occurs mid-way through the film –– without giving away too much, can you tell us what was the driving force behind this unexpected reveal?
Krsy Fox: Well we talked a lot about the story and how we wanted to make something maybe people haven’t seen before. We threw a lot of ideas out but both agreed to add this extra element to make the film special and much more terrifying. Spider and I are both big fans of films that have elements of surprise and simply having these grungy, dirty dudes trying to murder these women didn’t feel like enough. The real heart of the story is the love of the sisters Sadie (Fox) and June, but we needed one more thing to leave with people.
E.L. King: Bury the Bride includes a large group of women who come together for June’s bachelorette party. How did you come about creating these characters, and were you conscious of avoiding or playing into particular horror archetypes or character tropes?
Krsy Fox: It’s really important to us both that characters have their own voice and really develop in the film. We knew we wanted to have some different dynamics within the women’s relationships which adds conflict, but also we want them to feel real and relatable. We actually had a pretty clear idea early on who we were going to cast for each character which made the writing process a little easier.
The only character we saw a lot of auditions for was Betty, as Katie Ryan was the only actress we hadn’t worked with before. She was the obvious choice as soon as we saw her tape. We definitely didn’t want to fall into a stereotypical character storyline. We wanted the audience to be surprised by the outcome and let the characters grow and make choices based on what they were facing.
E.L. King: There’s quite a lot of sisterhood between the different women in the film. Had you always intended for that to be at the core of Bury the Bride, or did that come naturally while writing the script?
Krsy Fox: Yes that was always the important heart of the film for us both. This film was very personal to write about as I have two sisters I’m very close to. The friendship dynamics of old friends like Sadie and Betty (Katie Ryan), and June and Liz (Rachel Brunner) are something we all have. The new best friend Carmen (Lyndsi LaRose) is of course there to bring levity and also create conflict for June between her oldest and newest friend. I also think the bond between Sadie as the older sister who has more life experience, and her need to protect her little sister and the resentment of June because of that, ultimately makes their relationship and love for each other stronger as the film progresses.
Conversely, there’s also a strong sense of brotherhood between the men of the film –– that brotherhood seems to be built on a kind of survivalist mentality of ‘only the strong survive’ in comparison to the women who, for the most part, try to stick together and survive alongside each other.
E.L. King: Can you speak briefly about how you built these dynamics in comparison?
Krsy Fox: I think the men feeling authentic was very important. I grew up with men like this. They live for hunting and fishing, and drinking on the weekend with their friends. One too many drinks, and you can see them turn. The casting of the men was so important. The actors were absolutely unbelievable. They really understood what they needed to convey. Having these sheltered city women in their environment and them seemingly not having the survival skills the men do make the intensity of the story next level.
E.L. King: Throughout the film, we see Liz reading a book titled "Women, Wolves, and the New World Order." This seems to be a fictional book –– what was the thought behind that particular title?
Krsy Fox: There was a lot of character development and a backstory that went into each character. Spider created that book title and cover because we always felt Liz had to be this intense, serious feminist that never backed down on anything she believed was right. She was such a strong contrast to the Carmen character, and in the end, to see the mutual respect they actually still had for each other was beautiful. Liz is always about women supporting women, and the book title represents her so well.
E.L. King: What I really enjoyed about this film was how the women, even from the start, were very savvy. They call out the creepiness of the place they’re staying as soon as they see it, which makes them feel very relatable and real. Did you go into the creation of the film with the intention of making sure to portray these women as having these typically rare (in horror) survival instincts?
Krsy Fox: We just didn’t want them to feel like helpless victims, but more like real people who were thrown into this impossible circumstance. All the women love June and show it in their own ways. They are trying to support her so they stay, but we talked about real choices these people would make given the situation. Sadie wanted to always come across as this supportive, loving figure that wants to guide her sister without alienating her.
In the end, it backfires, but her heart was in the right place, even if she is a pain in the ass. It was fun to develop and unravel that character. See such an alpha female snap and become the animal side of herself. June resents her sister because she has always been there trying to protect her. She feels smothered. She wants to be free and basically rebels by choosing a man and a life that is the opposite of her sister. In the end, I think she starts to realize and appreciate her sister's love. It was so fun creating these character dynamics.
E.L. King: What do you hope audiences will take away from this film, and how do you hope Bury the Bride will leave them feeling?
Krsy Fox: I just hope they feel how we all felt when we made this film. Having a strong love for the characters and feeling the weight and devastation we did anytime someone had to die. This is a relatable film in so many ways. It’s also exciting, and I have to say the cast did an incredible job. This film was made with actual blood, sweat, and tears, and I think it comes across when you watch it.
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