Mickey Keating has long been making waves within the independent horror genre. His work has been a regular fixture on the international festival circuit for years and his latest project, Offseason, is no exception. The film debuted at 2021’s virtual SXSW festival, before going on to screen at several more across the globe, including the UK’s Arrow Video FrightFest.
Upon receiving a mysterious letter that her mother’s grave site has been vandalised, in Offseason, Marie (Jocelin Donahue) quickly returns to the isolated offshore island where her late mother is buried. When she arrives, she discovers that the island is closing for the offseason with the bridges raised until Spring, leaving her stranded. One strange interaction with the local townspeople after another, Marie soon realises that something is not quite right in this small town. She must unveil the mystery behind her mother’s troubled past in order to make it out alive.
We reviewed Offseason during its premiere at SXSW and commended Keating for his visual style. Offseason has a glorious misty and gloomy aesthetic to it; a thick fog clings to everything seen on screen. Despite being of Keating’s own creation, Offseason manages to feel like an adaptation of a video game and that is a compliment to the film. Keating has managed to capture that uneasy dread induced by horror games like Silent Hill and transposed it onto the screen with excellent results.
Ahead of Offseason’s arrival on Shudder this coming Thursday (10th June), we spoke with Keating to find out a little more about the film’s conception. The conversation covered off the Southern Gothic inspirations, breaking the story into chapters, video game inspiration, and just how much film festivals can help independent films and their creators.
Offseason premieres exclusively on Shudder from 10th June 2022.
