Living amidst the lonely and barren hills, Maud is content to provide and rely on solely upon herself. Still coming to terms with the death of her abusive mother, she refuses visitors and confines herself to her house. 

When Maud’s prayer beads go missing, she is happy to dismiss the disappearance but as the strange happenings go from bad to worse, Maud is left with no choice but to confront the spirit hiding in the shadows of her home.

Maud performs a ritual to untether the spirit and set it free, but just as she believes she has cast away her maleficent mother, Maud realises that the trauma left behind after death may be something she must always live with.

Lucy Rose, the writer / director of the film was inspired by her own experiences growing up in Cumbria. “The most memorable part of my childhood was spent being transported by the rural landscape I lived in. I credit that largely to the folktales that were at the very core of the rural place I lived. Everyone was superstitious, to the point of madness. From the giants, to the witch who lived in the boat house, to the Croglin Vampire and to the ghosts that linger, tethered to the moors, everyone believed in something. She Lives Alone is my love letter to the imagination and fear that the landscape conjured in my childhood. It stirred something chilling as I’d stay up and read ghost stories in my bed all night and wonder, as I looked in the shadows, if perhaps a ghost was watching me.”

Far from being a simple ghost story, She Lives Alone touches on issues of trauma and survival. As Lucy explains, “That is the biggest truth of this film because trauma lingers. It stays forever, we just learn to live with it. We persevere.”

The film stars Rachel Teate (Wolfblood, The Dumping Ground) in the role of Maud, alongside newcomer Lauryn Elise in the role of Eleanor. Karen Littlejohn plays the role of Maud’s mother.

“From my first reading of the script, I was so intrigued by the story and Maud in particular.” Rachel explained. “I made extensive notes and questioned Lucy a lot during the audition process and really enjoyed putting my vision of Maud across for consideration. Developing it further with Lucy was such a special process; she gave me the opportunity to breathe, ask questions and find Maud in my own time in such a supportive way. It enabled me to find an instinct for the character.”

Production was supported by the BFI Network, and took place in early February 2020. The crew were all local to the North East, once again showcasing the depth and breadth of talent in the region. “This was an opportunity for us to work with some of the most talented and promising rising stars of the industry. Lizzie Gilholme (cinematographer) Poppy Hall (production design) and Maddy Williams (costume) did an incredible job of bringing Lucy’s vision for the film to life. The teams they brought with them were some of the hardest working people we’ve had on a film and you can see the result of that hard work in the finished film”, says producer Maria Caruana Galizia.

Post Production was an entirely new experience as the country entered lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our editor Chris Cronin was based in Leeds, our sound designer / composer Die Hexen in Northern Ireland, our sound mixer Philip Quinton was in Teesside and our colourist Lucie Barbier was in New York. Thankfully we were able to keep working and finish the film.

The film will begin its festival run in the winter of 2020.