If you ask writer/director Glenn McQuaid about the deeper meaning of his new horror, The Restoration at Grayson Manor, he’ll explain that it’s about the weight of heteronormative expectations on queer shoulders, and in this case defiantly rebellious queer shoulders.” That, and a pair of severed hands that commit murder of their own accord.
McQuaid’s movie, which receives its world premiere at Fantastic Fest this weekend, is set in the world of those known as the West Brits – the Irish aristocracy that live in a faded world of castles and lineage. Glee star Chris Colfer plays Boyd Grayson, the queer heir to the Grayson estate and, much to the chagrin of his mother (Alice Krige), completely disinterested in providing her with grandchildren who will haunt the halls of Grayson Manor after they are gone. When an accidental double amputation puts a severe crimp on Boyd’s career as a pianist, mother dearest may finally get her wish … but not if his new cybernetic hands have something to say about it.
Before the premiere, McQuaid explained some of the influences on this unique and splendidly soapy horror.
Melodramas
“Growing up as a queer kid in the ‘70s and ‘80s in Ireland, what I turned to was horror but also soap opera and melodrama. … In early conversations (cowriter) Clay McLeod Chapman I said I wanted to make The Lion in Winter of killer hand movies. The Beast With Five Fingers meets The Lion in Winter was scrawled on my wall at one point.
“I love melodrama, but I think the reason that filmmakers steer clear is that it’s hard to get right. If you’re not grounded in the characters, it can fail. The barbed nature of the characters in the piece could also have veered into being insufferable to watch, so there’s a fine line there in making that kind of relationship inclusive and allowing the audience in on it…. The nature of the comedy in the piece is deadpan, so it’s not like we’re laughing at it. And that’s what I love about melodrama over camp is that we’re not really poking fun at this style of movie at all, but really just having fun.”
Art House Icons on TV
“Derek Jarman was formative for me, and Peter Greenaway. I remember turning into Channel 4 and not understanding what it is. I tuned in to The Last of England one time and it’s just two guys fucking at one point. I’m like, ‘I’m not sure what this is but, hey, OK.’
“Melodrama used to be much more prevalent in film. For example, David Lynch’s work leaned into it, Blue Velvet isn’t camp, it’s melodrama. Another influence is Todd Haynes, who clearly draws from television movies: dry, overwrought drama. I love the avenue he’s taken with it, with Poison and Safe, and more recently, May, December.”
The BBC’s Late Night Horror Films
“(My favorite killer hand movie) is probably the most formative one, the one I saw with my dad, The Beast With Five Fingers. BBC 2 ran a series of horror double bills in the late ‘80s, and what was wild about it was that, for the most part, you saw a black-and-white movie and then a color movie. The black and white movies were always a little tamer, so I could handle those but it’s the color ones I could get a little frightened of because I was about five or six at the time. Except one time the first movie was Curse of the Werewolf, and it’s go this credit sequence and its just Oliver Reed’s eye looking back and forward, and I couldn’t handle it.
“I love the subgenres in horror for some reason. I made a graverobbing movie (I Sell the Dead) quite a while ago because I was like, ‘Why are there graverobbing movies? What’s this whole subgenre?’ and tapping into that. Likewise, I think I’ve always just wanted to make a killer hand movie. So why not just throw in some melodrama and some gay sex.”
The Restoration at Grayson Manor
World Premiere
Sunday, Sept. 21, 5:20pm
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 11:10pm
Fantastic Fest 2025 runs Sept. 18-25, Passes and info at fantasticfest.com.
Find all our news, reviews, and interviews at austinchronicle.com/fantastic-fest.