In a market flooded with horror films, it’s easy to assume most are just low-budget productions that fit the industry formula, however, that’s far from the case with the latest from Stevan Mena. Bereavement is the prequel to Mena’s first feature film, Malevolence. Mena actually planned to shoot Malevolence before Bereavement from the very start because Bereavement was just too much for a first feature. That in itself should be enough to prove to you that Bereavement is far from your average studio slasher film; thanks to a great deal of depth, it’s terrifyingly dark and violent.
In Malevolence we were introduced to Martin Bristoll, a six-year-old boy who was snatched up by Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby) and forced to adhere to Graham’s violent nature. Years later, when Martin’s all grown up, he puts his skills to use, terrorizing a group of unsuspecting victims. In Bereavement, we backtrack to get a closer look at exactly what went on between Martin (Spencer List) and Graham in that old dilapidated pig farm. We also meet 17-year-old Allison Miller (Alexandra Daddario) whose curiosity winds up landing her right in the middle of Graham’s torturous teachings.
After plowing through Malevolence on an ultra low budget, emerging successful not only gave Mena the confidence to tackle the meatier part of the story, but it also attracted some top-notch talent, too. In honor of the film’s March 4th release, Mena took the time to tell Shockya all about the transition from Malevolence to Bereavement, about working with his cast, his personal take on the horror genre and much more. Check it all out in the video interview below.
By Perri Nemiroff