Music and sound house Hook+Line Inc., known for its work for Adidas, G&E, and Volkswagen, has brought Bernardo Castro on board as sr. producer.
“Bernardo is a brilliantly intuitive producer, as he’s not only an exceptional composer, but has worked on projects internationally for some years,” said Hook+Line’s owner Bryan Senti.
Abby Diamond, Hook+Line’s partner and executive producer, added, “We formed a partnership with Free the Work during COVID and they invited us to a virtual postproduction panel where I met Bernardo. I was immediately struck by how inquisitive, smart and engaged he is, and when he sent me his music afterward, I was blown away by his talent.”
Before joining Hook+Line, Castro was an in-house composer and producer for the music production company Trafalgar 13 based out of Barcelona, Spain. He was also working independently on feature film, TV and video games for the likes of Disney and Xbox Studios. He’s a graduate of Berklee College of Music.
“Joining Hook+Line has been a very exciting step forward in my career, and it’s been very humbling and rewarding to be working alongside such a talented and professional team,” said Castro.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More