Halifax actor’s new film premiering at renowned horror festival

Nick Smyth grew up watching classic horror movies, and now he’s preparing to show audiences his own frightening character in a chilling home invasion film

HALIFAXtoday \  Jordan Parker

Halifax actor Nick Smyth grew up watching classic horror movies, and now he’s preparing to show audiences his own frightening character in a chilling home invasion film.

His film Motherly – from the director responsible for helming Netflix’s Canadian-produced serial killer show Slasher – will have its world premiere at the Fright Fest Film Festival in London, U.K. at the month’s end.

“It really was an intense little flick to make. Motherly is a home invasion film about a mother and daughter on an isolated farm,” said Smyth.

“My character and his wife break in with revenge on their minds. They think the inhabitants had something to do with the disappearance of their daughter. Things get crazy from that point on.”

Smyth is coming off career-best work in Raven Banner Productions horror tilt For The Sake Of Vicious, which premiered to rave reviews at Montreal’s Fantasia 2020 festival last September.

He says his work in that film – and the festival showings that allowed the film to be seen widely audiences – led to his role here.

“The producer of Vicious really believes in me. They’re a champion of mine. Everyone was really happy with how Vicious turned out. This film came up through the same producer, and they went to bat for me,” he said.

It’s helmed and co-written by acclaimed genre maestro Craig David Wallace, who has also done work on Murdoch Mysteries and both the TV series and subsequent film for Todd and the Book Of Pure Evil.

“I met with Craig, and he’s just an incredible director in the horror genre. He’s such a pro and amazing at what he does,” said Smyth. “We had a meeting, I read for him, and then I booked the part. I’m so excited about this project.”

Along with the part came some trials and tribulations, as COVID-19 hit smack dab in the middle of filming.

“Everything was going great, and we got hit with the lockdown. It was a challenge. We were in the middle of nowhere on a farm three hours outside of Toronto,” he said.

“The pandemic took a turn for the worse in March of 2020, and our producer said if anyone had to leave for health or family reasons, they wouldn’t be judged.”

Not a single crew member left, and they did the lion’s share of the film during lockdown.

“We only had a few things left when production shut down. We got it all done down the road. Even most of the post-production was done during COVID-19,” he said.

“It was so interesting to continue filming during this pandemic. We didn’t know what it was – no one did. It was intense to try not to think about it and focus on work.”

Smyth says his character in the film is even more troubled than the one he played in For The Sake Of Vicious.

“There is a heaviness to my character in Motherly. This is an emotional one, and my character is dealing with family drama and loss,” he said. “These difficult situations are driving him to do the things he’s doing.

He’s best known for Street Cents and doing years of 7/11 ads on TSN, and is happy to be doing some other kinds of work.

“For the last two years, this has been totally different. I just finished a TV movie called Trouble In Suburbia, and that one is intense too,” he said.

“The last three characters I’ve played are just very damaged individuals, and doing it has been heavy, emotionally draining, but worth it.”

Doing these genre roles fulfills a lifelong dream for Smyth, a self-professed horror movie lover.

“This is a new niche I’m wedging myself in, and I love it. I didn’t see it coming, but I love horror movies so much,” he said.

“Growing up in Cole Harbour, I spent a lot of time in my basement watching horror movies, and they always fascinated me. I was 12 when I first saw The Exorcist, and it scared the crap out of me. It was a defining moment.”

Smyth is excited for the reopening of theatres, which will give Motherly a chance to play on big screens that the streaming Vicious didn’t have due to the pandemic.

“I’m a big theatre person. I have only seen one film during things opening up, and it was Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. It’s just incredible to see movies in that atmosphere,” he said.

“With Vicious, it was all online. But with festivals going to hybrid or in-person, it will be amazing to get films in front of real audiences. It’s a great time.”

He’s excited for the premiere of Motherly in London, and although he can’t attend, he’s happy that some will have the experience.

“Travel is still really tough right now. But this festival is known for launching some incredible films from that platform,” he said.

“I’m just really excited for people to see this film. I’m proud of it and I really hope people enjoy it.”