Child’s play
Truro actress Kossatz appears in chilling new film
Rena Kossatz is hoping people are in the mood for a good scare and will come to see her in a new film, The Child Remains.
Rena Kossatz is hoping people will be brave and come out to see her in a recently released horror film.
Kossatz, who grew up in Truro, plays the librarian in ‘ The Child Remains,’ which was inspired by the story of the Butterbox Babies.
“This is my first horror film, and my first full-length feature, and it’s especially scary because it’s something based in reality,” she said. “It’s scary, gripping, disturbing and suspenseful.”
Kossatz was working as the director of marketing for Ship’s Company Theatre when she became interested in acting.
“I first encountered Michael Melski (writer, director and coproducer of The Child Remains) when we premiered a play of his, and that’s where my interest was piqued,” she said. “It became clear to me, as I was promoting, that I wanted to get inside the work.”
She spent some time at Neptune Theatre, and has done stage work and short films, and had some television roles. She currently lives in the Bass River area, and does most of her work in Halifax.
“I love the opportunity to delve into a piece of work and really examine what the character represents, and find a way into that character,” said Kossatz. “The process is very exciting.
“My scene in this isn’t terribly horrific. I play the librarian, who the lead actors come into contact with when they’re trying to explore events. My character is one of resistance, and the scene was filmed at the library, that used to be a chapel, on the premises of Kings Edgehill. It’s a large old building with great weight.”
The film was shot in Windsor and Elmsdale, and has been shown at film festivals around the world. It recently opened in Halifax and comes to the screen in Truro on Friday at the Cineplex in Millbrook, beginning at 7 p.m.
The movie is about a couple who decide to spend a weekend at a secluded inn, but learn the building was formerly a maternity home where unwanted babies were killed. Their weekend is then filled with terror.
The film also includes Suzanne Clément, Allan Hawco, Shelley Thompson , Geza Kovacs, Martha Irving, Lesley Smith and Glenn Lefchak. Michael Melski is the writer and director, and he and Craig Cameron are the producers.
The release of the film coincides with an increased interest in horror movies.
“I’d encourage people to come and see this Nova Scotia born and grown film,” said Kossatz. “It’s a testament to what Nova Scotia film can be, and people in Truro are among the first to view it.”