Top UK FX artist Paul Hyett recently wrapped his directorial debut THE SEASONING HOUSE, a revenge thriller from Sterling Pictures. Read on for an exclusive pic and words on the film.

Set in an unnamed eastern European war zone, the film tells the charming story of Angel, a deaf-mute orphan girl held prisoner in a rundown brothel whose job is to keep the girls in a drugged-out stupor. When she’s not administering narcotics to sex slaves, she’s crawling around between the walls and through hidden passageways, plotting her escape. But when the bastards who murdered her family show up looking for some R & R, she figures she’ll get some payback before getting out for good.

Starring DOG SOLDIERS’ Sean Pertwee and HELLBOY II’s Anna Walton, THE SEASONING HOUSE does not look to be for the faint of heart. “You can expect all sorts of never-before-seen horror setpieces that will shock with their unflinching intensity and style,” producer Michael Riley tells Fango. “We avoid camera trickery and editing cheats for the most part, and show the violence in extended, how-did-they-do-that realism. I can’t go into detail regarding specific moments, as that would be spoiling the surprise, but I can tell you that we went through more than 20 gallons of blood during the making of the film. This is a visually stunning, no-holds-barred descent into true horror. In part hallucinatory, dreamlike and touching, it’s also completely uncompromising and original.”

That said, Riley adds that the movie is more than a bloodbath—it’s just as much a character study and meditation on the evil that men do. “Angel witnesses the most barbaric events perpetrated by the male gender, some of them just ordinary family men. She decides to take action when one of her charges is murdered, and a desperate fight for survival ensues. It’s an intensely claustrophobic, stylish and clever film that keeps the audience guessing right up until the final frame—and beyond. No one will guess the ending. Guaranteed. But despite the intensely shocking moments, the dogged survivalist character of Angel shines through. Her angelic aura pierces through the grimness, and it’s this that propels us with her on her journey to survive The Seasoning House.”

Sounds promising enough. However, do places like the Seasoning House really exist? Riley assures that there is truth behind the movie. “While it’s not based on any specific event,” the producer explains, “nor is it based in any specific country, THE SEASONING HOUSE does portray the very real issue of sex slavery as a backdrop to the adventure of the story. We’re very sensitive to the fact that such places as the Seasoning House have existed and do still exist in countries at war, and that survivors of such horrifying places are among us. The film is bleak, but it is also life-affirming, powerful and alive with tension, with a terrifically strong female lead. Paul and I are interested in telling stories that have one foot in historical fact, with all the concomitant power and attention that that brings, but with another foot firmly in entertainment.”

Though there’s currently no distributor, THE SEASINING HOUSE has wrapped and is in post. “Principal photography officially ended February 25,” Riley says. “No release date has yet been set, but I estimate it to be around Halloween 2012, depending on who picks it up.” Rest assured, FANGORIA will keep you posted on the production’s progress.

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