I had the pleasure of sitting down with director Glenn McQuaid and legendary actor Alice Krige to talk about their new film, The Restoration at Grayson Manor. The film is a gothic, darkly funny, and unsettling story of a queer son (Chris Colfer) and his domineering mother (Krige), locked in a twisted battle over legacy, identity, and control.
For McQuaid, whose past credits include I Sell the Dead and Tales from Beyond the Pale, the film is both a love letter to melodrama and a deeply personal reflection on queer repression. In our conversation, he spoke about balancing the dangerous tonal shifts of horror, melodrama, and comedy:
“I really wanted to lean into the melodrama of the situation while making sure things didn’t get so unlikable. My inspirations were films like The Lion in Winter—where watching people go at each other’s throats is strangely addictive. At the heart of it, there’s still love in their relationship.”
Krige, who has built an extraordinary career spanning Chariots of Fire, Star Trek: First Contact, and She Will, found her way into Jacqueline Grayson by rooting the character in truth and history:
“Jacqueline had to be absolutely real. Being in that house—built in the 1600s, with its portraits and ghosts—gave me a layer of authenticity. Jacqueline is utterly consumed by ancestry, and the house made that so real for me.”
What makes Grayson Manor sing is the collaboration between McQuaid and his cast. Together, they leaned into the absurdity of the costumes, the grandeur of the setting, and the contradictions at the heart of mother and son. As Krige put it, Jacqueline might rage against her son, but “when push comes to shove, she would give her life for him—even as she contemplates taking it.”
The result is a film that feels at once outrageous and intimate, where gothic thrills, dark humor, and family trauma collide. It’s also proof of why McQuaid continues to be one of indie horror’s most exciting voices, and why Alice Krige remains a performer whose presence elevates everything she touches.
On a personal note, this interview meant a lot to me. Glenn has been part of so many excellent indie horror projects over the years, and Alice is nothing short of a legend. It was especially meaningful that, despite her team initially declining, she went out of her way to join the conversation. That generosity and passion comes through both on screen and off.
Jessie Hobson