We’re getting closer to the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah (January 21-28) and I’m incredibly 
excited to hear the forthcoming US reviews for Gerard Johnson’s UK horror-thriller Tony. The film has been selected for a special screening at the festival and if you’ve been paying attention to the press around it, you’ll understand why. Check out the trailer below to find out more. Tony will be released in the US on April 6th on DVD
The film stars Peter Ferdinando in the title role as Tony, along with Ricky Grover, George Russo and Francis Pope. From IMDb:
“A week in the life of a lonely psycho-killer with severe social problems and an unfashionable moustache, Tony is a darkly comic take on the horror/killer genre. Peter Ferdinando plays our eponymous anti-hero as a nervous and misunderstood loser, unemployable and on state funded job-seeker allowance for 20 years, but prone to sudden acts of extreme violence against anyone who might torment him.”
I recently had the opportunity to learn more about the film from director Gerard Johnson.
How did you find Peter Ferdinando for the lead role of Tony?
Peter is actually my cousin and we have made a bunch of shorts before but this was our first feature together. Because we are cousins, we know each other so well so it’s great working together. Tony was actually a short film before we made the feature so we were able to go and do it properly this time with a bit more money.
How long is the short film?
The Tony short is 14 minutes and will be on the DVD with another short Mug. There will also be a commentary by myself, Peter and Dan McCulloch the producer.
I think there’s something really beautiful about the way Tony reaches out to make connections and the fact that he’s a killer doesn’t exclude him from needing someone. Even if it’s just in the moment. Can you talk more about this?
I remember as a child when Dennis Nilsen ( London Serial Killer) got arrested I was fascinated more by the fact that he just wanted company, He would sit and talk to corpses for hours, that image stayed with me for years, there must be a lot of lonely people out there who long for human contact but maybe wouldn’t go to those levels to get it.
From the early reviews I’ve read it seems that London itself is its own character in the film. As anyone living in a city knows there is an undercurrent that bubbles beneath almost every surface. There’s also a rawness that is bold-faced and unavoidable. What are you drawn to more–the things that present themselves unapologetically or the things that are hidden and dark?
A bit of both to be honest but I am very interested in what’s all around us and is not hidden but we just chose to ignore it, what goes on behind closed doors and behind walls really fascinates me and how well do we really know those around us? Especially in big cities.
Is Tony simply a product of his environment? What do you hope we will feel about him as an audience?
He is a product of his environment and maybe if certain things had turned out differently he might not have turned out the way he has, but he has rarely been given a voice or a choice and sooner or later he is going to explode in some way. It’s up to the audience to decide, I really didn’t know which way the audience would take him because he could seem nice one minute and repulsive the next. But it does seem that the audience sides with him a lot… sick bastards.
Is it important to you that Tony is seen as a horror or thriller or…?
I wouldn’t call it a horror film, I think it’s a social realist character study with thriller/horror elements. As much as I love horror films I never set out to make this a horror.
People are seeing shades of American Psycho, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and some Mike Leigh in Tony. Influences?
Alan Clarke is a bigger influence than Mike Leigh, also a director called Ron Peck who did a film called Nighthawks, as well there is a UK documentary from the early 90’s called Summer on the Estate and obviously Henry did have a big influence as did Taxi Driver.
Are you a Matt Johnson fan from way back? How much of the soundtrack is a collaboration? Did you just tell him to run with it?
He is my brother so I like to keep things in the family, we spent a lot of time going over the overall sound of the film and then I would just let him run with it. The soundtrack complements the film completely.
This is your first feature. Any suggestions for other new filmmakers out there?
Try to stay small and personal with what you do, get some trustworthy like minded people and never stop and keep at it, it’s also important to show stuff to people but only listen to constructive criticism. Ignore the rest.
Are you looking forward to Slamdance? Do you get high off the festival vibe or find it taxing?
I’m very much looking forward to it, it’s my first US festival and it’s our US premier so I can’t wait, I’m hoping to get the film seen or talked about as much as possible.
Slamdance Film Festival attendees can see ‘Tony’ on Sunday, January 24 at 10:30 PM and Monday, January 25 at 8 PM. Visit the official website to learn more.
Image: Revolver Entertainment
