Director Christopher Smith is well-versed in the horror genre, having helmed such psychologically spine-tingling movies as 2004's Creep (not to be confused with the 2015 movie of the same name), Severance, Triangle, and Black Death. His latest horror movie The Banishing debuted in the U.K. earlier this year, and American viewers can now also see it on home media and streaming services.

The film follows a reverend named Linus (John Heffernan), who moves with his wife Marianne (Jessica Brown Findlay) and daughter Adelaide (Anya McKenna-Bruce) into the Borley Rectory, infamous for its purportedly deep demonic presence. Unfortunately, the struggles within the family and Linus' faith are a recipe for a haunted disaster in such a foreboding location. Under the direction of Smith, The Banishing is a psychological plunge into paranoia and madness.

RELATED: Is Shudder Worth Buying For Horror Movie Fans?

We speak to Christopher Smith on the making of The Banishing, the challenges of filming the movie on a shoe-string budget, and some of his horror movies influences on the film.

Screen Rant: How did The Banishing come about? 

Christopher Smith: I was trying to get another film off the ground for a couple of years, and I was doing some TV work in the meantime, and it was a bigger budget, but we just couldn't get the script quite there. That was when I saw the script for The Banishing, and it was a very evocative horror movie in the sense that it was built around the true story of Harry Price. It kind of grew to show more of the horror within the relationship, the way the husband is with the wife, and it continued to evolve from the sort of standard love story to something that's in the shadows of the relationship. Later on, Sean Harris got involved, and I'd worked with Jessica Brown Findlay in the past and knew she'd be perfect for it.

What was the experience like of making The Banishing?

Christopher Smith: Well, it was difficult, because we were overreaching budget-wise with what we had versus what we needed for a period film, so we were always kind of up against the clock. The hardest thing of filmmaking is time, and in a way, it became very specific. We knew exactly the shots we needed and we didn't shoot anything other than that. So, it was quite a bit disciplined.

How was making the film different from other movies you've made in the past? 

Christopher Smith: I think the main thing was trying to bring something that fit into the psychology of the characters, and something that allows us to kind of show the fragile side of her [Marianne's] brain.

The Banishing movie pic

With what you said about time being your biggest challenge, were budgetary resources also a challenge on The Banishing?

Christopher Smith: Yeah, it was a very low-budget film. It was about $2 million, but we were fortunate that we found a mansion that we could use rather than having to move locations all the time. It teaches you the lesson that some have said of "When there's an emergency in the world, the thing you should send is a production crew" because we're very resourceful of using what we have.

That's the thing I'm most proud of in the movie, that we managed to create something that had a bigger feel than what we had money for.

What stood out to you the most about the making of The Banishing

Christopher Smith: In terms of the production process, it was harder in many ways, because we were working on a 24-day schedule. Compared to Triangle, that was 44 days, so you've got no air to breathe. If you drop something or there's something that doesn't work, you're shooting from the hip, so creatively, we were under a lot more pressure to keep the quality the same in terms of lighting and dollies and Steadicam shots that we didn't have the budget for and how we can resourcefully do alternatives. So, that was a big takeaway for me in terms of the production.

What would you say were your big influences in the making of the film? 

Christopher Smith: Well, you look at a lot of ghost stories, but I also wanted to show the horror within the relationship, so The Shining was an influence for me, in terms of the psychology of the character. Then also, the book Remains of the Day was also an influence.

NEXT: Shudder Vs. Netflix: Which Streaming Service Has The Best 2021 Horror Movies

The Banishing is now on digital, On Demand, and VOD platforms.