“I think, as far as most films shot during a pandemic in 19 days go, it's one of the better ones,” says Mark Hartley, director of new Australian thriller Girl at the Window.

The horroresque thriller stars Ella Newton (Hulu’s Harrow) as Amy, a teenage girl struggling to cope with the accidental death of her father. With a killer (and eyeball collector) stalking her hometown, she suspects that the mysterious murderer is her mother’s new romantic interest ­(Vince Colosimo) – who also happens to be her neighbour.

Hartley (known for the successful 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood) reunites with producer Antony I Ginnane, whom he collaborated with on the AFCA Award-nominated remake of Ginnane’s 70s Ozploitation classic Patrick almost a decade ago. Other Patrick creatives came onboard Girl at the Window to bring a unique 80s Hitchcockian style to the film, including director of photography Garry Richards. 

“There's an element of lots of voices in Patrick that was stolen from other filmmakers,” Hartley says of drawing inspiration from revered filmmakers to fuel his artistic style. “And I think Girl at the Window is more us [Hartley and Richards] settling down and finding our own style.”

From the old-school, mainstream Hollywood lighting to not shooting anything handheld, the pair’s anti-naturalism is what makes their feature “unlike most Australian films”, according to Hartley.

Split diopter shots are borrowed from Robert Weiss (The Blues Brothers) and Brian De Palma (Scarface). Flavours of Richard Franklin (Roadgames, Psycho II) went into the plotting and scene staging. For the production design and horror aesthetics, the crew looked to Dario Argento (Suspiria). “A Steven Spielberg-style Amblin movie, but directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) – that was our blueprint for the sensibility of the film,” Hartley says.

“It's certainly paying tribute to a lot of stuff that we loved when we were teenagers” – Mark Hartley

The 2017 black comedy slasher film Happy Death Day showed Hartley what authentic female dialogue sounds like. He attributes his funny and likeable teenage girls to co-writer Nicolette Minster. In fact, not anticipating the level of chemistry between Newton and breakout actress Karis Kailani Oka (Lian), he regrets not shooting more scenes with them together.

“I hadn't been on many productions – on any, really ­– where I'd had people my age around,” Ella Newton tells Popcorn Podcast. “And I was nervous about it going in because I was used to being the baby of set with all these adults around.” But she found a friend in her on-screen schoolmate (Oka). Grinning, Newton adds: “Mark always found it hard when we were together because we had too much fun.”

This being the young former Neighbours star’s first feature film and leading role, Newton admits she felt the pressure. But eventually, the excitement of “learning to carry a team” eased the TV actress’s nerves and she was able to bask in the creativity of filmmaking. “They take more time to get a beautiful shot. I care about that.”

Shot in under three weeks during the pandemic in Melbourne, COVID restrictions put a strain on the filmmakers. “The whole shoot was challenging,” Hartley admits. “It takes a lot of the camaraderie out of making a film because you don't get to spend any time with the cast, apart from when you're on set.”

As for Aussie actress (and soon-to-be playwright) Newton, her gratitude for working through the pandemic outshone the loss of a wrap party or on-set mingling. “It was so lucky. I'd been sitting around doing nothing for months, and then this popped up! I really didn't think we would get to film it.”

“The moment you get on set, you're working; the moment you finish, you leave. It was tough” – Mark Hartley

 COVID and budgetary restrictions forced Hartley to make sacrifices. He explains, “There was a decision made early on, primarily by me, whether we shoot the script as it was and it suffers because of it, or we tone everything down and try to accomplish something that we can achieve.” He chose the latter, cutting scenes in a hospital and adrenalin-pumping ambulance chasers.

This, he doesn’t regret: “I only know the film I made, and I'm happy with the film I made.”

Reflecting on what it was like to work with Hollywood star Radha Mitchell (Man on Fire), who plays Amy’s mother Barbara, under such challenging conditions, Newton says, “On close to Radha’s last day, I was sitting opposite her at the lunch tables when she goes, ‘You know, I actually know nothing about you.’ And it was true!”

Fortunately, Newton was able to get to know the Australian acting icon, and she has nothing but praise for her scene partner. “In between takes, she'll be having this really interesting, like, hypothetical conversation with you, and then she switches on. She's a real pro.”

Aside from being drawn to the mystery genre, what attracted Newton to the role of Amy was how her character was written by Minster and co-writer Terence Hammond (Last Dance). “You don't read many scripts that centre themselves around a teenage girl without the girl being sexualised or needing to have a romantic interest.” Instead, Girl at the Window captures the zeitgeist in the way Amy is constantly doubted, questioned and dismissed when she is telling the truth.

Speaking about portraying Amy’s repetitive cycle of being gaslit, Newton confesses, “It is hard. On the days where every scene is you're crying or begging… At the end of the day, you're like, I'm broken.”

But she doesn’t shy away from showcasing the strength of a woman’s intuition. “Women have developed such a strong gut instinct about when things are wrong and when something doesn't feel quite right. We've had to over time because there's a lot of danger out there.” Ultimately, Newton hopes the film encourages women to trust their gut, even when faced with dismissal.

However, on this timely note of female empowerment, Hartley claims he did not set out to produce a social commentary. “We certainly didn't try to make a film that was at all relevant for today. I mean, if anything, it's a throwback,” he says, referring to the film’s elements of homage.

“In a way,” he adds, “I think it plays very well to people who don't really seek out genre or horror films.”

Newton agrees, viewing Girl at the Window as a “fun tale of friendship” that, despite its scary and mature themes, plays “more like an adventure film”.

Still, you might want to check the rating before taking your kids to see this one.

Girl at the Window is in Australian cinemas August 18, 2022