Award-winning actress Lisa Surihani gets her spook on in Dendam Orang Mati.
Before accepting her role in the horror flick Dendam Orang Mati, actress Lisa Surihani had to think long and hard about it.
This is because horror films are something she avoids at all costs – to the point where her friends and family members have to trick her if they want her to join them at the cinema.
"I am a scaredy cat," admits Lisa. "I once had a slumber party at my house to watch The Blair Witch Project, I was so scared by the end of it that I had to sleep with my mother."
On Dendam Orang Mati, Lisa plays Lena – a woman who goes into a coma only to wake up and discover she can see things that others can't.
Lisa Surihani is not a fan of the horror genre, but she's up for starring in one.
Here, Lisa lists five things she's learned making a supernatural film:
In character: I rely mostly on my own experiences to convey a character's emotions. Since I don't share any similarity with Lena, I learned every single thing about her, like her backstory, and requested for a two-week workshop period to get into her head space.
Controlling the fear factor: What mitigated the reality of making a horror film was having the crew around.
Darkened state of mind: (Acting coach) Fauziah Nawi told me to switch off my character when the shoot was done for the day. But by day 30 (of 45-day shoot), it was taking a toll on my mood – I wasn't very talkative, and (my husband) Yusry had to take me to spend some time with my nephews and nieces just so I could relax a bit.
Strange things do happen on a horror film set: We were filming near a thick jungle, and one night there was an invasion of flying white ants. I have a phobia of flying bugs, so I was completely immobile when this was happening. The crew switched off all the lights and turned on one light outside to drive them out of the warehouse. There were literally thousands of these ants flying, and they were bigger than the ones in the city. It was terrifying.
Never say never: I don't yearn to do a horror film, but I like to challenge myself through playing different characters.
Related story:
Fizz Fairuz tackles psychological genre with 'Dendam Orang Mati'
Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Movies/News/2014/10/27/Lessons-in-horror-for-Lisa-Suriyani
