Monsters can be the ultimate party crashers. At least, that’s what you would learn from Sophie, the main heroine from the recently released Book of Monsters. Released on March 19th, Book of Monsters follows Sophie on the eve of her 18th birthday, during which she and her two best friends are forced to battle five terrifying monsters that were sent to wreak havoc and claim lives. It’s a bloody, brash, and wickedly funny good time that benefits from having a strong, capable heroine at its center.
During promotion for the film, HorrorBuzz was able to speak with Sophie herself, actress Lyndsey Craine, to discuss her experience working on the film and her growing appreciation for the horror genre. Please be advised, this interview may contain spoilers for those who have not seen the film.
HORRORBUZZ: What attracted you to the project?
LYNDSEY CRAINE: One of the big pulls was I’ve worked with Stewart [Sparke] and Paul [Butler] before. So, the minute I heard they were making a feature film, I was obviously very excited. And then when they approached me with the role of Sophie, I just fell in love with the character and the fact that she takes a real journey in the film as well. I love that she starts out quite innocent and she ends up a complete badass. And you know, when they mentioned that she was going to be having a chainsaw. I mean, who could turn that down?
HORRORBUZZ: Absolutely.
CRAINE: Again, it was just cool to have such a strong, dominant female role in there as well. I mean there’s not–, thankfully that is changing now, but to have a female role that’s just kicking ass. It was… Yeah, it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
HORRORBUZZ: How is it playing that kind of role, playing a kick-ass woman?
CRAINE: Yeah, as I said… what I loved was the growth, because I kind of took that growth with her almost because this is actually my first lead role in a feature film. I’d only done short films previously so I’m pretty brand new to the industry. So that’s why it was just really cool to get an experience of playing a timid character, and then one who is a real badass. So, as I said, that’s why I genuinely did take that journey with her because I learned so much while I was on set from the other actors.
HORRORBUZZ: One of the things that really stuck with me was the fact that… there was a lot of care put into the relationships and the actual characters, showing their growth and showing their progression. I wanted to talk to you about how you guys locked down those relationships and made them feel as grounded and real and genuine as they did.
CRAINE: I mean, I’m not sure if you know, it was funded on Kickstarter. So, we had the Kickstarter campaign and then we literally… I think we filmed the actual film about, maybe three or four weeks later, so we didn’t have a lot of prep time in between. But what happened was myself and Michaela [Longden] and Lizzie [Stanton]—who play Mona and Beth—we just bonded so quickly, and we’re all such good friends now. So, it was just so easy to put that chemistry on screen, just because we had it off screen as well. I think we were on set at 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM every day, and we just became like a real family, just the whole cast and crew. So, I think you can really tell when you watch it on screen as well. But yeah, we just… I think we bonded so quickly off-set that it just helped create that on screen as well.
HORRORBUZZ: Were you a horror fan before the film, and if so, what got you into it?
CRAINE: When I was younger, I used to get scared really easily at horror films. So, they weren’t necessarily my first choice when I was younger, but that definitely has changed now. I really enjoy horror films now. I have gone to quite a lot of festivals with Book of Monsters, it’s been amazing seeing all the different types of horror films out there. I think the horror film I used to go for to watch was the Scream films because, I mean, they had a mix of horror and comedy in there, and they were the ones that I loved and used to always watch. I kind of looked at the role of Sidney from Scream for Sophie as well because I feel like—although Scream doesn’t involve any monsters or anything like that—she also takes a journey in her film as well, so I kind of look to her a bit of inspiration for my character. But now I’m definitely watching more horror films. The horror community is awesome, everyone I’ve met has been amazing.
HORRORBUZZ: Speaking of the horror community, what has the audience reaction been like for you at festivals?
CRAINE: It’s been incredible, it genuinely has. I mean, it’s just exceeded all of our expectations. Our film premiered at Fright Fest in London, and it was just the most surreal experience. I mean, the audience: they were clapping, they were cheering, they were having the most fun, and we actually sold out that screening, which was again just incredible. And afterwards, you know, people were wanting to take pictures with us and get our autographs and it was such a surreal experience because it’s kind of my first film. I just felt so lucky to be a part of it all… we went to a festival in Barcelona. We went to New York and Orlando, and all of them have just been absolutely fantastic. And as I said, I’ve just met the most incredible people that I’ve been able to network with and things like that. So yeah, it’s just been amazing, it really has.
HORRORBUZZ: Given the low budget, were there any major challenges you faced during the shoot?
CRAINE: I think one of the things was definitely the time we had to film it. We actually filmed this in 13 days—all the interiors anyway. We shot in 13 days, and we were fortunate enough to film in Prime Studios in Leeds… so I think that was probably our biggest challenge. But everyone just put 100 percent into it, and everyone was just so passionate that I don’t think we really noticed that it was a smaller budget. I think the practical FX was fantastic from DDFX Studios, and it was great working with practical FX because… just being able to visually see what was trying to, you know, kill you really helped the actors’ performances certainly. But yeah, I think we were just all having a lot of fun and I think that was the most important thing for us really. But yeah, we really squeezed out every… every last penny we had!
HORRORBUZZ: How was it balancing horror and comedy, and how much was scripted versus how much was improvised on set?
CRAINE: I think, with my character, she kind of helps ground the film a little bit, so she doesn’t have as many, kind of comedic lines or anything like that. But a lot of them kind of stuck to the script, but there was a lot of improv as well. So, Julian [Alexander], who plays Brice, he was fantastic at improv! Everyone was just laughing so much, he could just keep going. And I think Stewart, he just kind of kept the camera rolling really because he’d just kind of go off and create his own jokes and things like that. So, it was brilliant to watch. But yeah, I think with my character, certainly, I just kind of kept to the script more, just because as I said, I’m kind of brand new; I’ve never really done improv before, so… But Stewart and Paul were fantastic because they gave us such freedom with our characters, and if we felt like, “Oh, you know, I think our character would react this way,” they’d be like, “Yeah, let’s go for it, let’s try that.”
HORRORBUZZ: Something that is really important to me is that your character was gay, but it wasn’t about the fact that she was gay. It’s part of her, but it’s not all of her. How did you approach that?
CRAINE: I thought it was brilliant, I really did. Because, throughout the script, it’s as you said, it’s not drawn upon in any way. You know, her sexuality doesn’t define who she is. It’s just a part of her. And I think everyone accepts that and I just love that it wasn’t really drawn upon, it was just a part of the world of the film. And yeah, I just thought it was brilliant, and I think it was great to have a lead role in the LGBT community.
HORRORBUZZ: Shifting gears a little, what’s working with Stewart Sparke like?
CRAINE: It’s brilliant. He is such a fantastic person. He’s a brilliant director, he’s just so dedicated and passionate. As I said, because we were only on set for 13 days, you can imagine the schedule was really tight. But he was just so chill throughout the whole thing. You never saw him get stressed out, and I think because he’s got such a great work ethic, everyone wanted to work just as hard, and I certainly wanted to make him proud in my performance. I think this is just the start for him, he’s got a really bright future ahead of him.
HORRORBUZZ: One of the big stars of the film was definitely the book itself. How many versions of the book were there, and were there any monsters in it or pages that we didn’t get to see?
CRAINE: They just had the one book, so we had to be very careful with that book. But… because it was backed on Kickstarter, and one of the things on Kickstarter was the audience got to choose what monsters ended up in the movie. And so, there was a wide variety of monsters to choose from, so there were certainly more monsters in the book.
HORRORBUZZ: Were there any that didn’t get picked that you wanted to see in the movie?
CRAINE: I mean, the gnomes were one that we were hoping for, we were really pleased that the gnomes got picked. But there were some that, I mean, they were all absolutely fantastic drawings. So, I think I was happy with whichever ones got picked.
HORRORBUZZ: It’s amazing because the translation from drawing to the actual creature was incredible.
CRAINE: Yeah, it was crazy because the DDFX, who created the monsters—because we were on such a short time frame—they’d be making, you know, the gnomes or the monsters about five minutes before they were needed on set. So, it was amazing to see them being created and then suddenly being in front of us. It was such a fun experience.
HORRORBUZZ: Did the monsters have any deeper meaning for you and for your character?
CRAINE: I think in the end, obviously they represented the kind of heartbreak that she’d experienced with losing her mom, particularly the monster that she experiences at the end. So, I think that one obviously is the one that she was dreading. I think, in her last moments with her mom, it was that monster. So, I think the other ones obviously were still horrible to experience, but I think that one, in particular, was the one she was nervous to meet. And then when she realizes who that monster is and when she put two and two together and realizes, “You know, I’ve seen these monsters before.” I think it brings a lot of emotion back for her.
HORRORBUZZ: Did you have a favorite monster?
CRAINE: I think, as I said, the gnomes were just hilarious. And I never got to interact with the gnomes on screen, but I certainly saw them off-screen! I think the monster at the end of the movie, obviously it wasn’t my favorite, but I got the most interaction with that one. So that one, and I think the gnomes because they’re just so funny.
HORRORBUZZ: There’s a fun after-credits scene that teases more to come for Sophie. If there was going to be a sequel, what would you want to see?
CRAINE: Oh, that’s interesting! I think, just definitely more kicking ass, just the growth of the three girls as well. I haven’t really thought about that actually. I just kind of got the excitement and I’m hopeful that, you know, obviously I would love there to be a sequel. So, if there is one, I’m definitely in! But yeah, I think more kicking ass. I mean, I just want to handle that chainsaw. Oh, and maybe meeting the gnomes again, that would be quite fine.
HORRORBUZZ: Last question, aside from this, do you have a favorite monster movie?
CRAINE: I loved A Quiet Place recently, could that be classified as a monster movie?
HORRORBUZZ: Yeah, that’s a monster movie.
CRAINE: Yeah, loved that! I thought it was amazing. So, I think, yeah, probably A Quiet Place. It was awesome. I feel like I certainly need to watch more horror films. I kind of want to broaden my horror knowledge.
