HILL OF DREAMS

Background to the Project

Welsh horror and fantasy author Arthur Machen (3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) drew on mysticism, gothic horror, mythology and relationships with bohemian occultists like A.E Waite to craft masterful stories, some of which were so convincing that they were later reported in the press as fact. His work went on to profoundly influence later writers like HP Lovecraft and Stephan King,

A central theme, even more-so than Lovecraft, was a simultaneous fascination with and repulsion by sexuality and a fear of women. In his writings, women featured as gateways to ecstasy, corruption, horror, and witchcraft.

To Machen, conservative, masculinity-affirming societal structures and expectations of passivity forced on women were the only forces that might hold any hope of survival against the dark and unrestrained forces of nature. Male protaganists put a cap on the horror, often with dead or damaged women in their wake, left maimed by exposure to forces they could not contain or pawns in the pursuit of occult knowledge by male guardians and husbands.

Taking that as a starting point, it seems only fair to confront a man terrified of women and sexuality with what he fears the most.

“ Such forces cannot be named, cannot be spoken, cannot be imagined except under a veil and a symbol, a symbol to the most of us appearing a quaint, poetic fancy, to some a foolish tale. But you and I, at all events, have known something of the terror that may dwell in the secret place of life, manifested under human flesh; that which is without form taking to itself a form.”

The Film

An act of violence against a young woman in the course of an occult experiment leads to unexpected and dangerous consequences.

Filming is planned to begin in Ireland and Scotland this year. The estimated length is between 30 and 45 minutes. Online mentoring by an experienced commercial filmmaker has been obtained for this project. The script, art design and storyboarding is roughly 50% completed.

The film will be shot and edited by myself, with plans for an open-access free distribution over the internet. It is intended to complete principle shooting over a two week period.

The film will utilise infrared cinematography and old-school practical special effects such as cloud tanks, in-camera effects and lighting rather than CGI. It is essentially a horror film, with anti-patriarchy and anti-misogyny themes, plus nudity, violence, and references to alchemy and esotericism. It could be read as equally critical of organized religion, science, and the occult. It’s kind of like a mashup between The Devil Rides Out, A Dark Song, and The Witch

The Stills

In parallel to the film several of the scenes have been designed with prints and portraiture in mind. In the event that prints go into a production run and sell, any residual profit will be shared with the models in the shot, either in monetary form or other mutually agreed upon fashion (such as a gift, a print, or some other suitable compensation).