'Amulet': Meet Imelda Staunton, Alec Secareanu and the cast of the upcoming modern-day Gothic horror film
‘Amulet’, written and directed by Romola Garai centers around an ex-soldier called Tomaz. Homeless in London, Tomaz has dark secrets that haunt him. So haunted he is by his past, Tomaz sleeps with his hands tied together with duct-tape. One day, a nun, Sister Claire, takes pity on him, and she offers him a place to stay. Tomaz moves into a decaying, derelict old house inhabited by a young woman and her ailing mother. But something is off.
In what Garai calls a “modern-day Gothic horror”, Tomaz soon realizes 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.
This supernatural horror film looks dark and promising. It has all the telltale signs of a good horror film that relies more on the story and the human mind rather than cheap jump scares. But what looks equally promising is the film’s cast. Let’s take a look at the cast members.
Carla Juri as Magda
The 35-year-old Swiss actor is best known for her performances in ‘180°’, ‘Wetlands’, ‘Finsterworld’, and ‘Blade Runner 2049’. She was also famously the protagonist in the music video for Sharon Van Etten’s 2014 ballad, ‘Your Love Is Killing Me’.
Born to a lawyer father and a sculptor mother in Locarno, Switzerland, Juri was raised in Ambrì, a village in the Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino in Switzerland. From 2005 to 2010, she studied theater in Los Angeles and London.
Her first film appearance was in a short film called ‘Midday Room’. In 2011, Juri received the Swiss Film Award for best performance in a supporting role for the 2010 film ‘180°’. She has also won Best Actress for her role in ‘Eine wen iig, dr Dällebach Kari’.
Imelda Staunton as Sister Claire
The 64-year-old British stage and screen actor has had a long career, spanning close to five decades, and barely needs an introduction. One of her most critically acclaimed performances has been that of the titular role in the 2004 drama ‘Vera Drake’. She also received global acclaim for her role as Dolores Umbridge in the ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise. Her other famous film roles include ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the ‘Paddington’ films, ‘Maleficent’, and more.
Staunton was born on January 9, 1956, in Archway, London, as Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton. Her parents were first-generation Catholic immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. She attended La Sainte Union Convent in London. There, she took drama classes, and even starred in school productions of plays, including ‘The Beggar's Opera’.
Staunton attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and graduated in 1976. She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theater Award in 1986 for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ‘A Chorus of Disapproval’ and ‘The Corn is Green’. She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 Queen's New Year Honors List for her services to drama.
Staunton is married to ‘Downton Abbey’ actor Jim Carter. They have a daughter named Bessie Carter.
Alec Secareanu as Tomaz
The 35-year-old Romanian actor is best known for his roles in films like ‘God’s Own Country’, ‘Love Bus: Cinci povesti de dragoste din Bucuresti’, ‘Minte-mã frumos în Centrul Vechi’, ‘Tudo’, and television shows like ‘Pariu cu viata’, ‘Strike Back’, and ‘Baptiste’.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1984, Secareanu did his drama study at the Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography (Universitatea Națională de Artă Teatrală ṣi Cinematografică "I.L.Caragiale", UNATC). He graduated in 2007.
While he has mostly appeared in Romanian films and shows, Secareanu’s first English-language role was in Francis Lee's ‘God's Own Country’. In the critically-acclaimed film, he played a Romanian migrant farmworker Gheorghe, who begins a relationship with a sheep farmer on a farm in Yorkshire
‘Amulet’ will be released on-demand and in limited theaters on July 24.