INTERVIEW: STATEN COUSINS ROE AND ACTRESS, POPPY ROE KEY US IN ON A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE by Craig Draheim Described as “Sightseers meets Thelma and Louise” (Deborah Haywood, Pin Cushion), A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life is written and directed by Staten Cousins Roe (This Way Out) and produced by Forward Motion Pictures – a multi award-winning production company run by husband and wife team Staten Cousins Roe and Poppy Roe, who have just been longlisted as ‘Breakthrough Producers’ for the 2019 BIFAs. A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life follows Lou Farnt (Katie Brayben): a 30-something, self-help addict who wants nothing more than to escape her overly controlling mother and the dead-end seaside town where she grew up. So when strange and strikingly confident new life coach Val (Poppy Roe) suddenly arrives on the scene and invites her on a road trip of alternative therapies, Lou finds the perfect opportunity to leave, and the perfect person to become. Unfortunately for Lou, Val’s a serial killer. A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life is guaranteed to satisfy the self-help generation, and the modern human’s blood lust. HOW’D THE SUCCESS OF YOUR SHORT FILM (THIS WAY OUT) LEAD INTO A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE? STATEN COUSINS ROE: “I think they’re (This Way Out and A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life) very connected. When we made This Way Out it was very similar to the process where we crowd-funded the money and shot it in our flat with a crack team of people made up of friends and recommendations. Katie (Brayben) and Poppy had been friends since drama school and done theatre together as well.” POPPY ROE: “Staten, got the initial idea for the short because we (Katie and them) were having a cup of tea together and discussing the idea of euthanasia not being very funny.” STATEN: “And we thought, ‘there’s a hit comedy right there.’ But underneath the hood of that is a satirical element towards the target-driven society that we’re in with a jet-black, dark comedy edge. That went out into the world and we were very lucky to do 30-some festivals and it received a lovely reception, which led to a number of meetings with sizable film companies. But after I came out of one of them, I had this gut-reaction of wanting to do our first feature film the same way.”
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