26 Things We Learned from ‘The Blackcoat’s Daughter’ Commentary

By Rob Hunter

“I’m not a seventeen-year-old girl.”

Osgood Perkins’ debut feature, February, hit the festival circuit in 2015 to strong reviews, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that the film was actually released. It opened in February under a new title and racked up more positive coverage (including my own review), and now it’s available on Blu-ray/DVD. It’s a creepy little gem that takes its time building atmosphere and dread before unleashing hell, and I highly recommend a pick-up.

Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for…

The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

Commentator: Osgood Perkins (writer/director)

1. He’s always been a big fan of the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. “There was something the simpleness of the drawings, the simplicity of the drawings, and the weird sort of cadence of the writing that always made me so kind of crazy in the best possible way.” He points out Kat (Kiernan Shipka) at the 1:30 mark being dressed as Madeline. The last line of his screenplay mirrors the ending of Madeline with “and that’s all there is.”

2. Many of the interiors are lit solely by the light coming in the window.

3. They shot the film in an agricultural college in Ottawa “on the decline.”

4. Kat’s meeting with the head priest features an empty chair beside her. “I borrowed it — stole it — from Roman Polanski, from Rosemary’s Baby.” It’s the idea of “who’s not pictured.”

5. “I hope you have a fun time in Albany” is Perkins’ favorite line of dialogue he’s written, “in my sweet young life.”

6. People have commented that Rose’s (Lucy Boynton) first appearance reminds them of Twin Peaks. He assumes they mean Sherilyn Fenn’s portrayal of Audrey. “Maybe it’s her haircut.”

7. Boynton used the photo that’s taken for her character’s school portrait when submitting for a rail pass in London.

8. That’s fake brick at the 8:53 mark. “It’s the fakest brick you ever saw. It looks good here, but I promise you it’s foam.”

9. Kat’s piano song was written by Perkins’ brother, Elvis, who also scored the film. He sent the music and a recording to Shipka and didn’t hear her perform it until the day of filming.

10. He doesn’t recall approving Kat’s hair style or even having a conversation about it. “Kiernan just showed up with this hair, and it was the most perfect thing. It has this unbelievably reptilian look to it.”

11. He enjoys the student legend of the “hairless, satanic, lesbian” sisters, and finds it to be fun misdirect.

12. The fake snow is “actually Parmesan cheese” because it’s cheaper. I don’t fully believe this one in part because no one is sticking their tongues out to gobble it up.

13. Joan’s (Emma Roberts) first appearance sees her moving quickly through the frame, and while his preference was for viewers to be unclear as to who it is — to the point that he didn’t want her to turn around and look back towards the camera — he was out-voted. “You’re not making a movie by yourself.”

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