Is there a new genre of horror or a new name for it? The expression continues to spur debates in the horror community over how to categorize films that focus on dramatic elements over gore and jump scares. This type of horror is experiencing a resurgence in both the film industry and at the box office. Recent examples of smash-hits in the elevated horror genre are Ari Aster's Midsommar, Jordan Peele's Get Out, and Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse.
The Twin is a story of a mother, played by Teresa Palmer, who must face her worst nightmare, losing one of her twin sons. When Rachel and her husband move to Finland, they will face evil forces trying to take their child. The Twin marks the English-language debut of writer/director Taneli Mustonen, who also co-wrote the film.
Digital Trends spoke with Mustonen and his wife about the origins of The Twin and their appreciation for the films of Aster.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Your last collaboration was a comedy. Why do you want to go back to horror with The Twin?
What a great question, Taneli Mustonen.
Did we ever leave laughing?
You took a break, then.
That is true. We run the company together. We met at film school. I was studying to be a director while he was studying to be a producer. We took it up from there. 10 years ago, our first film was a family film. He wrote it and I directed it.
To answer your question, we love the movies. My parents used to own a couple of cinemas back in the day and horror and comedies were the best, from a kid's point of view. From the projection room, to see what people were laughing at, or screaming, is what left its mark on me. We have done two horror films, and have been working on many comedy projects.
Lake Bodom was the first horror film from the country in a decade. It's hard to get financing for horror here. Hopefully, it will change. Lake Bodom became what it became. It was hilarious. The film was invited to the festival in South Korea. They said that you can sell your next horror ideas at the film market. We were like, Oh my God! Would you like to join? We get to do another horror film, so we put something up.
What was the inspiration behind The Twin? How did this project start?
We were in a place after Lake Bodom where it traveled well for a small horror film. It was liked by a lot of people in both countries. We went to South by Southwest before the Korean film festival. We needed a concept for a new horror film in order to get to South Korea. We banged our heads into the wall for two weeks at our office because we didn't have one.
We came up with a new idea about twins. Being parents and fathers is what started that. We started talking about what would be the worst thing you could face. Obviously losing a child or having something happen to a child was what I said. It's something that you can't live with as a parent. When you get your first child, there is a worry in your life. I thought that was the beginning of our journey.
We needed to work on a project in Korea. It was huge when we went there. It was like the biggest Asian genre film festival, with all of the local buyers and a lot of filmmakers, horror buyers, and genre specialists from all over the world. We started talking about the story. We had a lot of lines. During the event, it grew to 10 lines. People were asking us questions like, "Is that how the story goes?" It was good. Can you believe that by the end of one week of 20 pitches a day, we won the whole project market? We had to write the script when we came back to Finland, so be careful what you wish for. It was not easy.
A lot of horror films start with the loss of a child. We wanted to make it the story of grief and how you handle it, and not just use it as a setup for the story. The story we wanted to tell was about how that affects your mind and how it really changes you. I believe that was the guiding light throughout the process.
The Twin is an elevated horror. Right now there is a huge renaissance in elevated horror. I watch what Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Jordan Peele are doing. Why do you think this type of horror is popular with the audience?
They are amazing filmmakers.
Taneli Mustonen: I think it comes down to the fact that we come from a country that is pretty much in total darkness for several months. Black Metal was something that originated in the countries of the Nordics. I think it's those kinds of elements and the mythology that we grew up with. We were taught myths and folklore in school, but Christianity is quite young. A lot of them were related to nature.
We joke that Americans are worried about traffic and rush hour when they open the door. We have to worry about wolves, bears, and even dragons. There is a Nordic flair to it. We have a really rich pagan culture with the names Ari and Eggers. It's pretty strange that we live here. We felt compelled when we started writing the project. We dug into the mythology. Our next project of horror deals with the amazing stories we grew up with, told by our parents and ancestors.
It feels very intimate because a lot of the scares are contained in the house. Did you create it this way or did you have to change it?
The story was always very short and we got a bit lucky with the COVID restrictions. It is very much about isolation. It is all about the main character, Rachel. It was always important for us to have a remote, isolated feel. We didn't have to get rid of any huge scenes with a lot of people. It was enjoyable. It was a new experience because we were shooting during the lockdown.
When you take your mask off in the premiere, you suddenly look at the crew, like, "Oh, it's you."
He has a mustache. I didn't know.
It is a return to society.
Taneli Mustonen is absolutely correct.
Teresa Palmer became involved with the project.
That was an amazing adventure. You could write a great script from that. The script took almost two years to finish. My colleagues and friends of horror helped us. We went to many workshops around the world and got feedback and ideas. Our script started circulating. It was crazy. It was a weird time when our agents and managers in L.A. said that it was picking up nicely. We were working on a comedy. We shot the comedy in the same area where The Twin is shot. The architecture and surroundings that we have in Estonia were very close to what we had in the script. Everything clicked in so many ways when it was in the nature and an isolated community.
One day we got a call from Teresa's agent and he told us that she wanted to talk to us.
It was an amazing collaboration on the first day. She was so prepared on the first day. She knew the character better than we did. Everyone in our crew was blown away. It was pure joy. I was watching the film as soon as I said action. I only needed some popcorn.
There is a scene in the film where Rachel is dressed in white and has blood coming from her mouth and stomach. She is thrown into the pond by this group. It is very effective. Is that a religious homage to Rosemary's Baby or The Exorcist?
For sure, Taneli Mustonen. We did a lot of research and dove back into the pagan beliefs that we were taught in school. The internet is a wonderful place where you can find amazing things that nobody told you in school. We had an idea when Ari Aster's Midsommar came out.
By that time, we had written the script. It was kind of funny.
It was an amazing film. We wanted to open that box of what is Black Mass coming from here, and what it could be, with that scene in The Twin. It was crazy. I liked the music that we had. We were listening to all of our favorite black metal bands from the 80s and 90s, like Emperor and Darkthrone. It was all of that.
We wanted to make sure that when people watched this film and went through what Teresa was going through at the Black Mass, they were fully engulfed to believe the same things as she is. Something sinister is happening here. I think that's something that makes the scene so scary and weird.
The Twin will be available on demand and in theaters on May 6.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
