How ‘Shadowland’ Filmmakers Pivoted After Richard Stanley Allegations

Documentary “Shadowland” – which has its world premiere at Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest on Oct. 5 – was supposed to be a “happy story” set in the French Pyrenees, a place known for its mysteries.

Embracing magic and witchcraft, spiritual “seekers” from all paths of life settle there, hoping to find the greatest treasure – the Holy Grail – or experience supernatural encounters.

One of those was cult director Richard Stanley, who claimed he saw local deity the White Lady, earning the respect of the close-knit community. As well as being a long-time resident of the area, Stanley also worked as a tour guide there.

Stanley made his name with horror films like “Hardware” and “Dust Devil,” but after he was fired from “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, he took a 20-plus year break from feature filmmaking before returning with 2019’s “Color Out of Space,” starring Nicolas Cage.

Watch an exclusive clip from “Shadowland” below.

Kalle Kinnunen, co-writer and producer of “Shadowland,” says: “The film we set out to make in early 2021 was about ‘the Zone,’ as [Stanley] calls the region, and people [seeking healing] in that world of magic and make-believe.”

During the crew’s first shooting trip, allegations were posted in a blog written by Scarlett Amaris, Stanley’s former partner, accusing him of domestic violence, assault and battery, allegations which he strongly refutes, citing a court case in France that he says supports his version of events. The accusations were covered in depth in an article by the Daily Beast in January 2023.

Instead of shelving the project, the team – hailing from Finland – decided to confront him. The allegations “turned him into the [film’s] antagonist,” Kinnunen says.

“After knowing him for so many years, we wanted to shoot another interview on the spot. That’s when everything turned upside down,” adds director Otso Tiainen. “We had planned a documentary about how this place heals broken souls and gave him the power to make his comeback. Instead, he was the absolute opposite of the noble and humble knight that had been touched by the White Lady.”

“It’s really difficult to talk about this process since it’s just insane,” Kinnunen says. “Richard Stanley is a master of self-mythologizing. He has re-invented himself at least three times: first as the underdog hero, fired off ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ in 1995. A young wunderkind director who lost his Hollywood career to become an anti-establishment genius, always in search of a new production. In reality, he was a tourist guide in the Montségur region. He had, very conveniently, a supernatural experience at a castle.”

Initially, Stanley’s accusers didn’t want to talk to the duo. “No wonder. It looked like we’d been making a documentary inside Stanley’s sphere,” says Kinnunen.

“While we waited, in vain, for the legal process to conclude, we managed to establish trust with his most outspoken accuser [Amaris]. Then we spoke with other ex-partners. We realized that the story arc of the seekers in the film is also our arc. We wanted to love the region, and we still do, but we almost became myth-makers and enablers in service of Richard Stanley.”

Stanley, who is from South Africa, tells Variety, “The legal battle against my internet accusers came to trial in 2022 when the high court in Carcassonne, France, my adopted homeland, found I had no case to answer. The vindictive charges laid against me were found to be without evidence or merit.”

He adds, “Two feature projects and a popular television series were canceled because of their actions, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in potential revenue.”

Stanley’s press statement is published in full here.

At the time of writing, he hadn’t seen the finished film.

As a “fun-filled trip to the south of France” turned into arduous eight-year journey, Kinnunen – a film journalist and critic for 25 years – and Tiainen, a self-taught filmmaker behind doc series “Sami Yaffa – Sound Tracker,” set out to explore themes of “loss, searching, faith, confusion, the inescapable nature of secrets and the responsibility that comes with power.”

Then there were all the legends associated with the place.

“Montségur is said to be the Grail castle, Rennes-les-Chateau has the key to finding the Ark of the Covenant and there is an underground UFO base in the area. Even Mary Magdalene is said to have fled to the Pyrenees after the crucifixion of Jesus,” says Tiainen.

Kinnunen adds: “The region was a major center for Catharism, a Christian movement that opposed the Pope and the kings of France in the 13th century. People project whatever they want onto this rebellious religion. The Cathars are good for history buffs, occultists, New Agers and hippies alike.”

They all keep gathering there, forming friendships and looking for deeper meanings. From priestess Anaiya, sorcerer Uranie to “chaos magician” Iranon.

“I believe it’s a spiritual film, but not in the traditional sense,” says Tiainen.

“My interest has always been in marginalized individuals and the fringes of society. I saw intriguing characters and a common thread: a shared trauma. Many of them have experienced something that has distanced them from mainstream values like money, career and family. When you lose everything and start anew, faith can become a beacon.”

You can also turn to cinema and pop culture. The seekers write their own legends, says Kinnunen, and they often reach for well-known stories.

“They love ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ as much as they love Arthurian legends or cryptic local mysteries. In this region, your everyday life can be a mixture of ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and a Dario Argento film.”

In Stanley, that link with the world of movies and pop culture continues, albeit not in the way that the “Shadowland” team had originally envisaged.

Sam Lake exec produces “Shadowland” alongside Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari of Helsinki-based Bufo, recently behind Aki Kaurismäki’s smash “Fallen Leaves.”