With an MA in History and a PhD in Ancient History, actor/director/screenwriter/producer Miles Doleac has always been an impassioned advocate of imbuing his thirst for days of yore knowledge in his projects. And his latest film, Demigod is no exception, spinning a terrifying riff on the Gaelic god of beasts and wild places, Cernunnos.
Directed and co-written by Doleac (alongside Michael Donovan Horn), the film stars Rachel Nichols (Continuum, Star Trek) as Robin Murphy, a woman who returns to Germany’s Black Forest with her husband (Yohance Myles) upon learning that her huntsman grandfather has died and left her all his worldly possessions. Once they reach her grandfather’s cabin deep in the woods, a terrifying secret forces her to reckon with her family’s past and a mysterious ritual she thought was the stuff of fairy tales.
With Demigod out now through Gravitas Ventures, SCREAM sat down with both Doleac and Nichols to discuss the genesis behind crafting a tale surrounding the Cernunnos myth and how the entire team soon overcame their apprehension about returning to work after lockdown.
Words: Howard Gorman