Romola Garai is a writer, director, and actor, whose directorial debut, “Scrubber,” was nominated for Sundance Best Short Film in 2013. As a performer, her extensive film, TV, and stage credits include work with some of the world’s finest writers and directors, including Sarah Gavron’s “Suffragette,” Joe Wright’s “Attonement,” Francois Ozon’s “Angel,” Lone Scherfig’s “One Day,” and Stephen Poliakoff’s “Glorious 39.” “Amulet” is her feature directorial debut.

“Amulet” will premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 26.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

RG: “Amulet” is a modern-day Gothic horror. A young man, Tomaz, is living down and out in London while attempting to escape from a dark past in which he was a soldier in a unnamed foreign war. An apparently chance encounter with a nun leads him to accept a job working, and living, in a derelict house where a young woman, Magda, lives with her elderly abusive mother.

It’s soon revealed that the mother is some sort of demonic force, and the daughter is in need of rescue. But as Tomaz accepts the role of savior, he must also face his past and accept that what lies within the house is not all it appears to be.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

RG: I knew I wanted to write a container horror. Many of my favorite films are horrors or have a very dark sensibility, and it was my love for the genre and its unique ability to combine aesthetic beauty with pure emotion that made me want to attempt it.

In my view, women’s lives are often “naturally” horrific, as experiences like childbirth and living under patriarchy bring out those raw feelings of dread and terror in us anyway. But I also knew I wanted to do something playful with the genre, exploding or toying with some of the myths that exist in many of these films. And I wanted to write something that would appeal to producers and be small scale enough to attempt on a budget

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

RG: I’m not sure I want people to think so much as feel. I want them to feel shocked, disgusted, maybe even angry. And I’d like it if people felt they could have a sly chuckle too.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

RG: Definitely working with SFX. We had puppets in the film, as well as blood effects and prosthetics. All amazing elements, and I really wanted to rely primarily on SFX, but it was a completely new thing for me. These elements are amazing in their design, but hard to execute well. For example, working out how much blood to suck up the tube so you get the right level of pressure for the squirts! It’s a skill!

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made. 

RG: It was a mix of pre-sales, private equity, and the UK tax credit.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

RG: Watching great films, I guess! Same as everyone. I would say that there have been a few films, especially the ones I saw as a child, that really affected me on a deep level and made me see the power of what cinema is and can be. I guess at some stage you want to emulate that. I have been rewatching a lot of films I first saw as a child with my kids, and I think films I saw then like “The Dark Crystal,” Alfonso Cuarón ‘s”The Little Princess,” and “The Last Unicorn” transported me from my life whilst simultaneously seeing my profoundest emotions echoed back to me. That has never left me.

More recently, the change in the industry that has seen slightly more women directors come through makes you on a practical level think, “Why not me?”

And finally, all the amazing creatives I’ve worked with. Seeing them collaborate, create, and fight for their stories. The incredible privilege it is to tell stories for a living is never lost on them, and yet they see it only as an incentive to break rules, challenge the status quo, and fight for their unique voice and the stories they tell.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

RG: The best advice I got was from a couple of different filmmakers who I know, and who I was asking for advice during the filming and post-production. It was along the lines of, “Try not to care too much about what other people want or think of your film. Listen to and be open to as many notes as you can, but be sure to only respond to the ones that chime with you. In the end, when the film is shot and edited and released into the world, you need to know that whatever it is, masterpiece or total failure, that it is completely yours and your voice. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

This advice is especially important for female filmmakers, because everyone you interact with, usually with the best of intentions, will be trying to do your job for you!

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

RG: I guess it would be a version of the above. Ignore every instinct and societal message of your entire upbringing. It’s not your job to make friends as a director, but to get what you want. This doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole. All the good directors I worked with knew completely what they wanted — and were also wonderful collaborators.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

RG: Just one! That is tough. Claire Denis’ “Trouble Every Day,” which is a masterpiece of genre crossover filmmaking. A brilliant film about marriage and the darkness that lurks at the heart of all relations between men and woman.

W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

RG: A lot. A lot more female voices, of course, which is changing the narratives we tell and evolving how people see themselves and others. And as the gender of the director and crew becomes increasingly unremarkable, it will only lead to more diversity of voices. I think things that happened to me as a young person in the industry would not happen now, at least not in the same way. People are more informed as to how dangerous and corrupt it can be.

But other things, tit quotas and the like, are still around and are linked to audiences and what audiences expect and want from women and actresses. That’s a deeper problem, and as shows that employ those practices get huge critical support and recognition, I wouldn’t really say the conversations have extended far enough. Also, I still think there is a huge amount that has to be done to address the issue of working hours in the industry, and how that impacts people’s external responsibilities, such as childcare. As this is an issue that disproportionately affects women, I think it’s something that we all should be looking at improving.