Many of the Shetland cast and crew plan to attend the premiere of Wrath of the Gods at the horror festival FrightFest in London on Friday.
But their celebrations have been overshadowed by the sudden death of Justin Hardy last month at the age of 61.
“We all were – still are – looking forward to seeing the finished film,” says John.
“But now it’s not just a celebration of the film, it’s a celebration of Justin and his life. It will be wonderful and sad. A complex mixture of emotions.”
For Lynsey, the film is a testament to the late director.
“It was such a massive risk,” she says.
“So to get to the end of that process, when it’s going to be on a screen, feels a bit miraculous really and it’s so vexing that Justin isn’t going to be there to see what he so passionately wanted to achieve.”
For the Hardy family, it has become a strange tribute to three of their number.
Wrath of The Gods completes Robin Hardy’s Wicker trilogy and is dedicated to Justin’s mother Caroline, who was a secret uncredited executive producer on the original 1973 film.
She died in 1984, aged 51, without knowing that the film she’d backed would go on to be so loved and admired.
“It will be poignant beyond imagining. A sad but celebratory moment,” says Dominic.
“I know that he [Justin] was extremely proud of it being taken by FrightFest.
“Justin’s efforts have brought us all together as a family and helped us harness all our energy.”
