Mark O’Brien on Subverting Horror in 'The Voices of Our Mother'

Note: While we made every effort to clean up the audio from our wireless microphones, there are still a few brief instances of minor static in the interview audio. Thank you for understanding!On this episode of Sean Kelly on Movies Interviews, I sit down with writer, director, and co-star Mark O'Brien to discuss his new psychological horror film, The Voices of Our Mother.Mark breaks down how he subverted classic possession tropes to explore the real-world trauma of dementia, the intense (and fractured) dynamics of sibling estrangement, and what it’s really like to balance acting and directing simultaneously on set.The Voices of Our Mother stars Canadian screen icon Sheila McCarthy and is currently playing in a limited theatrical release. You can catch it on VOD platforms in Canada and streaming internationally on Shudder starting June 19th!If you enjoy these conversations, please make sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast on Spotify!Episode Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:51 How Mark O'Brien Got the Idea for The Voices of Our Mother01:24 Casting Sheila McCarthy01:52 The Voices of Our Mother Using Possession as an Allegory for Dementia02:24 Mark O'Brien on Balancing Directing and Acting02:56 The Sibling Themes in The Voices of Our Mother03:50 Does Mark O'Brien Consider His Character a Villain04:35 The Use of Colour in The Voices of Our Mother05:24 The Voices of Our Mother's Subversion of Possession06:46 A Quick Comment About the Creature Effects07:10 What Does Mark O'Brien Expect Audiences to Take Away from The Voices of Our Mother07:42 "A Horror-Adjacent Family Drama"08:18 Conclusion