Neil Marshall, born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1970, has built a filmography that feels like a love letter to cinema. He has directed war and horror works such as Dog Soldiers and later explored survival horror in The Descent. His range also includes post apocalyptic action in Doomsday and historical epics like Centurion, while in later projects he ventured into superhero territory, including a take on Hellboy released in 2019. His aesthetic for brutality has also made a mark on television, notably in two standout Game of Thrones episodes, Blackwater and The Watchers on the Wall. These elements came up in a conversation held at Sitges where Marshall shared his perspective.
So The Lair is a Neil Marshall movie. That’s what the credits say: a movie, not just a film.
I borrowed the idea from John Badham. That’s the intent behind this project. A movie is not simply a movie, it is something more active. Pure fun. It aims to be explosive, loud and fast rather than aiming to be something conventional.
Shouldn’t more directors simply call their projects movies?
Some films educate, inform or influence lives. I do that occasionally, but this one’s purpose was clear entertainment. It is meant for fans of Frightfest and Sitges, lovers of monster cinema. It exists to entertain an audience that cherishes this kind of filmmaking.
If a director makes only one movie in a career, is survival the theme of that work?
Survival is a central thread in most of Marshall’s work. It asks how humans respond under pressure. The new project is a distant cousin of Dog Soldiers and The Descent, not a sequel but a close continuation of that fixation. It reconnects Marshall with terror, military history and grand siege cinema—drawing inspiration from Rio Bravo, The Alamo, and historical epics that echo Attack on the Outpost.
Some viewers might notice a similarity to Centurion. Is it fair to see echoes of The Descent?
That observation hasn’t been voiced by many. There is a different film that mirrors certain ground level moments: The Fall, with striking parallels in plot twists. A fellow filmmaker and friend, Scott Mann, has openly acknowledged borrowing from Marshall’s premise. Marshall accepts this kind of influence as a compliment, not a headache. Elements of The Descent appear in various places, sometimes in night vision scenes that echo Cloverfield, always seen as a tribute rather than a problem.
Does the work jump between genres or simply shift settings?
The director enjoys navigating multiple genres while carrying a distinct sensibility. He often anchors horror with a strong sense of atmosphere, yet the settings can range from ancient Britain to contemporary danger. The core remains a brutal, visceral style, even when the scenery changes.
There is stark beauty in the depiction of brutal scenes. Are there directors who inspire Marshall with how blood and color are used?
Marshall does not imitate specific creators. Family art influences him alongside cinema and painting. He admires Frank Frazetta for fantasy illustration, and he notes the impact of Red as a color in his visuals. The painterly approach to violence has echoes in Nicolas Roeg and Sam Peckinpah, whose works offer operatic, dramatic bloodshed that Marshall respects and studies.
There seems to be a push for more color in today’s cinema. The Lair is notably vivid. What’s next in color for Marshall?
The project Landing leans into bright palettes. The next gangster feature Duchess will also embrace bold color choices, expanding the visual language even further.
Will a recurring collaboration with an actor and a writer continue across projects?
Not as a fixed rule. There have been collaborations, and there will be further collaborations, but the working relationship won’t be the same on every project.
Was the appointment to direct Game of Thrones about the ability to extract beauty from violence?
It involved several factors. Budget realities, proximity to filming locations, and the crew’s availability played a role. Marshall had just completed Centurion when the opportunity arose. The team joining him for Blackwater often carried over from that project. He contributed his own ideas and, when a request for slowed motion in a pivotal moment appeared, he argued for its inclusion. The result was a memorable sequence that many viewers remember as a highlight of the season.
Aside from Duchess, is there anything you can share?
A sequel to a previous project is in early stages. It is not a direct Descent sequel, though that film’s legacy influences the approach. Three new scenarios are in development including a giallo style thriller, a tense drama set in a traffic jam, and a horror project inspired by The Hills Have Eyes. Three personal series continue as well, one grounded in historical terror. The project Nightshade, focused on a masked vigilante in the 19th century, is shaping up for a November reveal, though details remain officially unconfirmed.