Psychological horror that keeps it’s finger on your pulse to the end.
Following its recent screening at the Manchester Film Festival, Visceral Images brings together a tightly contained psychological story with an equally intense production process. Written and directed by Edward A. Palmer and led by performances from Imogen King and Vishnu Krishnan, the film unfolds over a single night, exploring tension, uncertainty, and shifting dynamics within a confined space.
How did Visceral Images come about?
Edward Palmer: At the beginning of last year we decided, right, enough’s enough — time for number two. I put it out publicly on Instagram that I was doing my second feature so I couldn’t row back on it, because there were a lot of times I’d wanted to do it and was a bit scared. Luckily, producers Jack and Ross came on board and put faith in the project, and it’s turned around pretty quickly. This was our target festival — it’s the best festival I’ve been to — and we’ve got a lot of cast from Manchester or close by, so we thought it’d be a great place to premiere if we were lucky enough to get in.
Vishnu Krishna: Ed’s previous work and his vision drew me in — specifically Hippopotamus, I quite enjoyed his style of filming. We’d first met at a festival in France where short films were premiering, so we’d had time to get to know each other as people. Getting to know someone as a person is usually my first echoing point in understanding a working relationship.
What does a production like this actually look like from the inside?
Edward Palmer: There are quite a lot of similarities between this and my first film in that they’re both centred around one location. I’ve upgraded from a single white room to multiple rooms and some exteriors, which is a nice relief. It was written to be achievable with the money I had available — I basically spent my life savings. More than my life savings, actually, because we had to do pick-ups as you always do.
Vishnu Krishnan: The shoot was about 12 days, primarily at one location. That was a good experience because we really got to be in one space, get used to it, and work collaboratively within it. The story happens over one night, so having that single contained location felt right. It was a very enjoyable shoot.
Imogen King: It was intense. We did night shoots, so it was really gruelling. I got ill in the middle of it, which was a real challenge — acting while still fighting that was crazy. The night shoots make you feel very delirious, and I think in a way that added to the character. Freya is lost in lots of ways, really trying to connect to a sense of self, and the challenges the shoot brought sort of added to that journey.
What are you most proud of looking back?
Edward Palmer: I feel really blessed with the cast. I think they’re all awesome. And our Director Of Photography, Elliot Millson, is phenomenal. He’s 22 years old, four features in, and he not only operated but also pulled focus himself. As you’ll have seen, there are so many extended takes and moving camera — we got two or three takes and that was it — and there’s barely a frame out of focus. For me it feels like a significant step up, and tonight is when I discover if other people agree. Fingers crossed.
What does the road ahead look like for each of you?
Imogen King: At the moment I’m just auditioning and hoping something comes through. It’s all been such a massively quick turnaround. I’m with Independent Talent Group, so hopefully something will come through very soon.
Vishnu Krishnan: I’m producing a feature at the moment with a friend. We’re still in the development phase, trying to bring on board collaborators. I’ve also worked on a short film recently that will come out at some point. This is my second feature, so it’s been a good step forward.
How would you describe Visceral Images to someone coming in blind?
Edward Palmer: It’s a psychological thriller. You’re in the protagonist’s perspective, you know as much as she knows — so there’s a lot of tantalising interest, some tension and mystery. I’m hoping it’s something where you’re sitting there and you think “Oh, OK” — and when you speak to your friend afterwards, they’re asking whose fault you think it was, why you think it happened. The sense of shock at the end is the goal.