A24’s The Front Room is a marriage of fairytale tropes like the evil stepmother with the horror fare of religious zealotry that can turn bloody. The Front Room follows Belinda—played by Brandy Norwood in her first return to horror since I Still Know What You Did Last Summer—who is expecting a baby with her spouse Norman (Andrew Burlap). Things aren’t quite what Belinda wants them to be in terms of work and getting their house ready for their bundle of joy. And it gets much, much worse when Norman’s estranged (and racist) stepmom Solange (Kathryn Hunter) moves in and begins to cause a ton of trouble. We spoke to Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter about The Front Room‘s themes, character building, and more.
Nerdist: This question is for both of you. When you first got the script for The Front Room, what aspects of the film made you want to be a part of it?
Brandy Norwood: I thought the script was amazing and I loved my character. I felt like it was a role that could really push me and expand my acting, and I wanted to see if I could pull something like that off. And I haven’t been into the horror genre in a long time, so I thought that it was a perfect way to get back into it.
Kathryn Hunter: When my agent said “It’s a horror movie,” I went, “Oh, no.” Then I read it and it kind of escaped all the clichés of horror. It’s a story about family, about social, political, and racial issues. The horror is vested in those things rather than slashing off noses and fingers. This is an adaptation of the original Susan Hill story, which is itself wonderful, but what [directors/writers] Max and Sam [Eggers] have achieved in the adaptation is really brilliant… I think their work is absolutely astonishing. The characters are so detailed… I mean, Solange just leapt off the page.
The characters are absolutely engaging. Brandy, you mentioned that The Front Room is your first time returning to horror in a really long time. What was this experience like, especially playing someone who is so starkly different from Karla Wilson in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer?
Norwood: I did a lot of work on my role. I worked with [an acting] coach and I was surrounded by an amazing cast. I feel like Kathryn Hunter brought out the best in me! I never knew what she was going to do in any particular part of the scenes, so I had to stay on my toes and react and stay very present. And Sam and Max [Eggers] made the environment and the atmosphere a place where I can feel free to try to do different things.
Absolutely. I find Solange to be so chilling, Kathryn. I know you build a character from what’s on the script page, but where else did you draw from when creating her persona?
Hunter: Max and Sam shared that their grandfather came to stay with them when they were in their teens. And so a lot was based on that relationship with this person who was suffering from getting old, who was magnificent in some ways, and completely terrifying in other ways. So it was listening to those stories. Throughout my life, I’ve had quite close relationships with older people, too. The whole kind of religious and racist thing was something I had to explore and that was very challenging… It seems, unfortunately, extremely relevant now.
That is a sad truth. There are a lot of relevant themes in this movie, like motherhood and wild religious beliefs. But this film also explores the unequal labor that gets forced upon and expected of women in the household. Can you all talk more about how The Front Room tackles this in a compelling way?
Norwood: Belinda automatically feels as though she has to accommodate Solange and to take care of her, to provide a space for her to feel comfortable. And you find her being manipulated and used, and it is a battle and a fight. In every scene, she’s like “I’m fighting for my life, for my integrity, for my dignity.” She’s trying to not disrespect Solange and make her feel like she is a part of the family.
Hunter: The role of caretaker is taken by Belinda because that’s how she is as a person, but also perhaps because it’s a default position with women. So eventually when Belinda comes to free herself of that and says, “I am a mother, but my vocation is in teaching,” we absolutely salute that and it’s a huge catharsis. Did you feel that liberation?
Yes, absolutely. And that’s not the only catharsis that happens in this film. We get a twist that many won’t necessarily expect. What revelations do you hope fans come away with after seeing that moment and this film?
Norwood: I hope they feel liberated. I hope they enjoy the film and find the horror and comedy in it. I want them to see a strong woman fighting for her life, fighting for her freedom, and fighting for her family and just knowing that she can do anything, but she’s not going to put up with everything.
Indeed. What does The Front Room bring to this very varied and exciting current horror landscape?
Hunter: I think it’s absolutely extraordinary and brilliant the way Max and Sam have calibrated the tone. You get scared and then you’re disarmed because it has resonances with all sorts of family situations that we’ve all been in… I think it is absolutely unique and genius.
When it comes to horror, the Eggers Brothers create those tonal shifts, but it doesn’t feel chaotic or uneven. They just kind of ebb and flow right into each other really well! One more fun question for you, Brandy. Would Karla or Belinda win in a fight?
Norwood: I think Belinda would win! Karla was facing hooks and chains, but Belinda was facing the possession of the Holy Spirit. That’s different.
See if Brandy can proudly proclaim that “The house is mine!” when The Front Room hits theaters on September 6.