Seeing a movie in the theater was a big deal for Kate Dailey when she was growing up. It was the reward for good grades, the treat for a job well done.
On Feb. 9, Dailey once again went to the movies. This time, the treat was seeing a film in which she has a lead role and won a best actress award for at the Berlin Indie Film Festival.
“I’m excited. This is sort of the ‘pinch me’ moment,” said Dailey, who plays Madison Neubauer in “The Observance”. A cast and crew screening of the film was Feb. 9 at the Regal Augusta Exchange.
Filmed in Augusta in Spring 2024, it opens nationwide at AMC Theaters on Friday, Feb. 13. Augusta doesn’t have an AMC theater; the closest AMC is in Columbia. Director Rob Hollocks hopes to have a limited run at theaters in Augusta.
“The Observance” is a horror/thriller about Dailey’s character who wakes up after spending five years in a coma to discover her family has been sucked into a cult.
Read More: ‘The Observance’ films in Augusta
“At the beginning of the film, Madison is a little unlikeable. She’s very driven. She can be hard, brittle,” said Dailey.
But she awakens changed. She’s not as brittle, but she’s still as driven, using that powerful energy to fight for her family.
While Monday was the first time Dailey had seen the finished film in a theater, it marked the second time Hollocks had seen it on the big screen. He recently attended a screening in Los Angeles.
“It was amazing to see on the big screen,” he said. “The audience gasped at the right place and laughed at the jokes.”
Although Hollocks, who won best director at the Berlin Indie Film Festival, was familiar with the finished product, seeing it a theater provided a different experience for him.
“The biggest thing was the sound,” he said. “There were things I hadn’t noticed that took my breath away.”
Having a horror film open on Valentine’s weekend might seem odd, but there is a love story under the terror – that of cult leaders Athaliah played by Anna Borchert and Jonah played by Alec James, who received best actor at the International Horror Hotel film festival.
“Their relationship is super healthy. If they weren’t so evil and psychotic, it would be lovely,” said Hollocks.
“The Observance” is the fourth film Hollocks has shot in the Augusta area with producer Amy Bailey and it’s likely not the last. Another one could be filming later this year.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
