Programming a six film line-up of genre films can be a tough job. With horror such a wide reaching genre such a limited number can make it hard to demonstrate the breadth of what it has to offer. This is exactly the problem facing the FrightFest organisers each year ahead of their one-day Halloween marathon. Luckily, the four directors are pros at the job and always ensure that as many sides to horror are represented as possible. This year’s FrightFest Halloween was no exception, beginning with a documentary before moving onto a period creature feature. With two straight films to start, by the middle of the day it was time to inject some fun, and Mad Heidi was the only choice.
Directed by the duo of Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein, Mad Heidi is a ‘Swissploitation’ film that skewers stereotypical Swiss culture. Starring newcomer Alice Lucy, Mad Heidi’s plot is as follows: Swiss mountain girl Heidi is abducted by brutal government troops and must defend herself and fight a war against a cheese-fueled machinery of hate. It stars Casper Van Dien as the maniacal cheese-mad dictator and is a lot of fun to watch, especially with a crowd.
Although about, and filmed, in Switzerland, Mad Heidi has a large British component to the cast and crew. This of course meant that many of them were in attendance at the FrightFest UK Premiere. All walked the media wall and were kind enough to speak with the team at THN. During their time on the red carpet we spoke with directors Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein, as well as lead actor Alice Lucy and fellow castmates David Schofield and Kel Matsena. Our chats ranged from the inspiration for the movie, views on cheese, first-time features, and fight training. You can watch them all now on the videos below.
Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein
Alice Lucy
Kel Matsena
David Schofield
Mad Heidi screened at FrightFest Halloween 2022.
