Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Consecration!

Danny Huston makes his return to the horror genre as a priest with mysterious ulterior motives in Consecration. Huston, the Golden Globe-nominated son of Hollywood legend John Huston, has enjoyed a storied career of his own over the past 50 years, particularly in the horror genre and playing villains in various genres. Some of his most notable roles include those of The Axeman in American Horror Story, Ben “The Butcher” Diamond in Magic City, General Ludendorff in Wonder Woman and Marlow in 30 Days of Night, among many others.

Huston stars in Consecration as Father Romero, a priest working in conjunction with a convent on the Isle of Skye and serving as a point of contact for Jena Malone’s Dr. Grace Fario, a doctor who comes to look into the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, at the convent. As Grace continues her investigation, she comes to find Romero may also have had a hand in her brother’s death. Having originally released in theaters and on Shudder in early 2023, Consecration left critics divided on the film’s mixture of its religious horror, ambiguous storytelling and Malone’s performance.

In honor of the movie’s digital debut, ScreenRant interviewed Danny Huston to discuss Consecration. The star opened up about the dark villainous twist uncovered about his character in the film, and his own interpretation of Father Romero’s decisions, while also recalling the genre inspirations he pulled from going into the movie’s production. Huston also offered uncertain, but hopeful, updates on the future of the Horizon: An American Saga franchise and why he’s excited about The Naked Gun revival.

Father Romero’s Shocking Villain Twist Is “Where The Psychological Drama” Lies In Consecration

“It Brings Back His Faith, In A Sense…”

For much of Consecration‘s run, Father Malone presents a kindhearted disposition to Jena Malone’s Grace, offering her all the insight he has and working to help her get information from the secretive nuns at the convent where her brother was killed. However, as the film proceeds, it’s revealed the nuns are working for him directly with whatever dark scheme they are conducting, all of which culminates in the finale, in which they all attempt to lock Grace away in a crypt to prevent her apparent telekinetic powers from being used in the world, despite Grace’s benevolent nature.

In reflecting on this twist, Huston first began by praising the “wonderful” reunion he had with Malone while making the horror film, looking back to when he first met her during the making of 1996’s Bastard Out of Carolina, which was helmed by his Oscar-winning sister Anjelica Huston. Though denoting they didn’t work together on the film, he beamed at Consecration being a full-circle moment for the two, feeling he “saw the beginning of her career” during the acclaimed drama and that it was “great to work with her“.

As for why Father Romero elects to turn on Grace in the film, Huston describes his learning that she is either a demon in human form or an archangel as being “a great epiphany” for the character, as it “brings back his faith“, even if it also means he now has a “dark” plan for her. With much of the film seeing Romero apparently acting as an ally for Grace, Huston recalls that the conversation he and co-writer/director Christopher Smith had for his performance was to simply remember “You want to put her in the box“.

While Romero’s trying to contain the film’s protagonist in a crypt is certainly dark, some are sure to argue in favor of his and the convent’s motivations for trying to keep peace in the world in case Grace proves a malevolent spirit. When asked what his opinions were on Romero’s actions, Huston points out the debate is “where the psychological drama lies” in Consecration, pointing out the movie’s flashbacks to the convent’s medieval days in which “knights in shining armor [were] doing good while they mᴀssacred people“.

“Then, they were seeking their redemption by returning to this tower, and being caught by God, and then their sins being pardoned is sort of an epic mythological story, is it not,” Huston pondered. “Where certain acts of evil can be justified in the name of God.“

Romero’s Death Scene Was Based In Part On Huston’s Suggestions

“…We Were Trying To Figure Out A Dramatic Way For Me To Die.”

After nearly succeeding in sealing her away in the crypt, a rejuvenated Grace instead elects to rise and turn on Romero and the nuns, with one of the golden crosses in the main chapel of the convent coming down and impaling him. It’s further revealed in a montage that the apparent telekinetic means Grace has used to harm or kill others in self-protection has actually been that of her future self going back through time and doing the acts herself, including throwing the golden cross down into Romero.

Looking back on the creation of his death scene, Huston reveals it actually came from his research into the wider religious lore tied to Consecration‘s story, namely that of the Archangel, with most artistic interpretations showing them in the midst of throwing a sword or arrow down onto a foe. Having come across this, the Golden Globe nominee “brought [it] to the director’s attention“, as the two were “trying to figure out a dramatic way for me to die,” Huston said with a chuckle, with Smith ultimately having liked the idea.

For the actual filming of the scene, which appears to use a subtle mix of visual and practical effects, Huston described it as being “quite simple” to put his death scene together, describing it as being “like a bull in a bull fight“. One of the unique challenges he and Smith encountered, however, was “acting with this arrow through my back” and “talking to Jena’s character in that position” and “that condition“, expressing his hope that it lands “to some effect” for viewers.

Huston Turned To 2 Key Genre Classics For Inspiration

He Was Even Able To Include An Easter Egg Nod To One Of Them

With Huston having plenty of experience in the horror genre, he certainly had a variety of reasons for being hooked by Consecration‘s material, though ultimately pointed to two genre classics as being both inspirations and similar to the movie’s tone, those being the iconic 1973 Exorcist adaptation and the 1947 adaptation of the psychological drama Black Narcissus. The Golden Globe nominee recalled seeing the former when he lived in Rome as a child, having “affected me deeply in my youth“, particularly when “a cross fell off a church” in the country at the time of its release and US audiences were similarly overwhelmed by it.

This further led to Huston looking to homage The Exorcist by including “a nod” to Max Von Sydow’s Father Merrin, whom he describes as “an inspiration for me” in general, by getting the exact same pair of spectacles for Father Romero’s costume. “I had the props department find out where those spectacles came from, and they’re NHS, National Health Service, from the ’70s,” Huston shared. “We found a pair, and I was happy to wear them as a nod to The Exorcist.“

With his genre and religious research also seeing him “delving a little bit into the Vatican” as he “met characters that were not unlike Father Romero” when he was young, Huston admits to being “almost fearful in the sense that you don’t want to touch this material“, just in case “you’re struck down by God for doing something sort of blasphemous“. The star does acknowledge that “one can not believe in religion” or “in God“, but that there is nonetheless “this potential that the supernatural exists” and the fear is real making a film like Consecration is “tapping into something“.

There is this inherent fear within us, like, when in doubt, don’t cut it out, in case it’s real. That’s the sentiment that I was drawing from for Romero, and also, by the way, what a joy to work with Janet Suzman, who was fantastic. And Ian Pirie, who I worked with on a film called The Last PH๏τograph. Also, you have that, of course, subplot, which is Jena Malone’s character with Ian Pirie, who plays her father, which is another rather dark part of the film that is unveiled.

Huston Is Very Confident That Horizon: An American Saga Will Get Finished

“There’s No Stopping It.”

Looking beyond the film, one of Huston’s more notable recent projects is that of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga, the four-part Western film franchise that is currently in an unclear state of limbo following the first movie’s disappointing box office run and self-financing from Costner. When asked for a release update on the completed second installment, Chapter 2, Huston confirmed he is also “absolutely bated breath anticipating” an announcement of its wide release, but is still very confident it will happen.

“It’s such a big document, an epic dream of a film,” Huston expressed. “It’s like a steam engine that’s coming at us, and it won’t stop. There’s no stopping it. But it’s working at its own pace.“

Beyond the second film, production on Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 3 infamously stalled amid financial hurdles, with Costner having spent the past year working to acquire more funding to finish the film. While not having heard an update on when production will resume on the threequel, Huston revealed Costner “has got a lot of Chapter 3 in the can“, once again ᴀssuring “there’s no stopping him” and calling him “unbelievable” in the way “this dream of his is coming to life in a spectacular way“.

The Naked Gun Revival Is “Exactly What We Need Right Now”

Huston Also Has Particular Praise For 1 Cast Member

Another major movie Huston has in the near future is that of The Naked Gun, the Liam Neeson-starring revival of the classic police comedy franchise, in which the Golden Globe nominee portrays its central antagonist. Recalling being “absolutely thrilled” when he was first approached for the role, particularly as he felt “Liam playing the character was just perfect“, Huston went on to share particular praise for Pamela Anderson’s performance as the mysterious Beth, in which she is “a vulnerable femme fatale” and finding “her dry delivery beyond funny“.

This praise also extends to the movie as a whole, with Huston teasing that there are “lots of belly laughs” in The Naked Gun, and feeling “it’s exactly what we need right now“. “I’m so looking forward to it coming out, and I hope people enjoy it as much as it’s meant to be enjoyed,” Huston shared. “There’s this wonderful silliness of it all which keeps me laughing and just thinking about it.“

Check out our previous Consecration interview with writer/director Christopher Smith and Jena Malone!