VOD - Fear of Rain : A great horror thriller movie

By Mulder, 12 february 2021

Fear of Rain is an American psychological thriller film written and directed by Castille Landon and starring Katherine Heigl, Madison Iseman, Israel Broussard, Eugenie Bondurant, and Harry Connick Jr. It was released in the United States on February 12, 2021, by Lionsgate.

In Fear of Rain, writer-director Castille Landon takes on an unusual challenge: a psychological horror-thriller with a central character whose own experiences, senses, and emotions cannot be trusted. Rain’s schizophrenia presents in ways that cause her to experience disturbing hallucinations and hear frightening voices. Every day is a struggle to determine what’s real, and what is the result of her illness.

“I wanted to create an empathetic, layered, and beautiful character in Rain. Rain has a fractured mind, but she is a whole person,” says Landon. The character of Rain is played by Madison Iseman, who “has a captivating way of playing a girl-next-door with an inner life,” says Landon. “There’s something about the way she plays her characters that gives you the sense that there’s more than she’s letting on. For this thriller, where so much depends on what is in Rain’s head, I can’t imagine the role any other way.” “I’ve never seen a character like Rain, much less had the chance to play one before,” says Iseman. “Playing her felt like a chance to make something unique and to get it right. There are so many facets to Rain that make her an exciting challenge to bring to life – this character is definitely one where not everything is revealed right away.” One of the reasons Landon was inspired to write the screenplay is that schizophrenia is so poorly understood by the general public. Stereotypes, outright misconceptions, and inaccurate portrayals in movies and TV shows have led away from a true understanding of the disorder. “I wanted to shatter those stereotypes of persons with serious mental illness as ‘dangerous villains’ and people unworthy of love,” she says.

“Rain was almost entirely influenced by first-person accounts of people living with schizophrenia,” says Landon. “Unreliable narrators are often used for characters with ill intent, but I saw a chance here for a story about a tragic but empowered and likable – l ovable – unreliable narrator, who knows and f ears her own lack of reliability in interpreting her surroundings. It’s sad to not know what is real; it’s horrifying to k now that you don’t know what is real.” Rain is constantly asking herself to help her determine reality from hallucination – Is this possible? Could it exist here? Is anyone else reacting?

The audience will explore and witness firsthand how Rain needs to navigate the complex feelings in her head when Rain’s neighbor, Dani McConnell, is introduced. Dani is a seemingly harmless, quiet teacher, but Rain begins to wonder if she’s hiding a dark secret. When Rain sees shadows in the attic window, she suspects that the lonely woman is hiding a kidnapped child. But Rain isn’t sure if she can trust herself. “Rain starts to wonder aloud if she’s gaslighting herself,” Landon explains.

The role of Dani is portrayed by a brilliant actress, Eugenie Bondurant. “The role of Dani was originally written as Dan, a male character, but when I saw Eugenie, she had such an extraordinary physicality about her… delicate, beautiful, and perhaps deadly?” Landon recalls. “I was immediately transfixed and rewrote the role. Within 48 hours, Dani McConnell was born.” Perhaps the only person Rain can trust is Caleb, a new boy at school who seems to be the one person who doesn’t judge her for her diagnosis. Empathetic, gentle, and kind, Caleb could be just what Rain needs. “He’s into quantum mechanics, he’s fascinated by magic – he feels that he’s different from others, and sees the same in Rain,” says Landon. “But Rain has a lot of experience not being able to trust that someone as open-minded as Caleb truly exists.”

The part is played by Israel Broussard. “I didn’t want Caleb to be the dark and brooding bad boy who rescues the fragile girl,” says Landon. “Israel played him with a warmth and gentleness that makes him a great love interest for a YA film.”

The final key roles are Michelle and John, played by Katherine Heigl and Harry Connick, Jr. “The characters, and the audience, are on an emotional journey together,” says Landon. “Everything they do is seen through Rain’s eyes, so some of the things they do we don’t quite understand until late in the film. Katherine and Harry played the parts with a tremendous amount of loving affection and heartbreaking anguish – as people who desperately want to ease Rain’s troubled mind and are unsure of the best way to do it.”

Ultimately, Landon hopes that the film is an insight into a mind that is not usually presented on film. “ Where many people f eel fear, dread or anxiety in their chest, Rain s ees those emotions as a tactile, physical being,” she says. “The title F ear of Rain encompassed the journeys of all of the characters who are affected by this young person’s severe illness. There is the fear Rain has of herself, knowing she cannot always trust what she sees and hears, and the fear of Rain’s well-being , experienced by her father, her mother and Caleb. There are schoolmates who literally (and unnecessarily) have a fear o f Rain, expressing that fear and uncertainty with inappropriate ostracizing of Rain, rather than with the curiosity and understanding with which Caleb approaches her. "I wanted to make an exciting thriller that would have people on the edge of their seats, and at times watching through their fingers - but I hope, on a larger scale, it challenges audiences to question their way of looking at the world; we don’t all see things in the same ways, as each of our minds function differently."

itw Katherine Heigl and Harry Connick Jr

itw Castille Landon

itw Madison Iseman and Israel Broussard

U.S. Release Date: Digital, On Demand, & Limited Theatrical Release on February 12, 2021; Blu-ray and DVD Release on February 16, 2021

Synopsis :
For teenager Rain Burroughs (Madison Iseman), a diagnosis with schizophrenia means that every day is a struggle as she tries to figure out which of the disturbing images, harrowing voices, and traumatic feelings she experiences are real and which are all in her mind. But when Rain insists against her parents’ (Katherine Heigl and Harry Connick, Jr.) advice that the shadows and cries from her neighbor’s attic are hiding a dark secret, she enlists help from Caleb (Israel Broussard), the charmingly awkward new boy at school – who himself may not be real. Written and directed by Castille Landon (After We Fell, After Ever Happy), Fear of Rain is a terrifying thriller that takes you inside Rain’s mind as she confronts the frightening hallucinations of her imagination to determine whether there is real horror hiding right next door.

Fear of Rain
Written and directed by Castille Landon
Produced by Dori A. Rath, Joseph J. Restaino, Robert Molloy, Joe Riley
Starring Katherine Heigl, Madison Iseman, Israel Broussard, Eugenie Bondurant, Harry Connick Jr.
Music by Jamie Muhoberac
Cinematography : Joshua Reis
Edited by Morgan Halsey
Production company : Zero Gravity Management
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date : February 12, 2021 (United States)
Running time : 104 minutes

Photos : Copyright Lionsgate

(Source : production notes)