Perth-conceived psychological thriller Aversion is returning home after production in the United States, premiering at Luna Cinemas in Leederville on June 28. The 88-minute film, directed by Aaron Kamp and written by Brittany Fenwick, marks a full-circle moment for Perth actor and co-producer Dimitrios Christodoulakis, who plays the main villain, Professor James Gibson.
Plot and Production Journey
The film follows a psychologist who traps six university students in a series of rooms designed around their deepest fears. “It’s a psychological thriller,” Christodoulakis said. “He tells them to arrive at his house, he gasses them, and they basically wake up in rooms, kind of like escape rooms, based on their fears.”
The concept originated in Perth about six years ago, when producer Anthony Chila approached Christodoulakis with the idea. “He conceptualised the idea about six years ago and said ‘Look, I’ve got this film, are you interested? I want you to play the main villain’,” Christodoulakis recalled.
Funding Challenges and US Move
The team initially attempted to raise funding in Perth but struggled to get the project off the ground. “We did a proof of concept, and then we tried getting funding in Perth, but we were unsuccessful,” Christodoulakis said. Chila eventually secured support in the US, enabling production to move forward. “He’s like a Jack Russell, he just stuck with it,” Christodoulakis said.
However, the funding came with a significant change. “They said ‘Good news, bad news. Bad news is, out of the cast, no one else, we want to play the characters’ portrayal, but we still want Dimitrios to play the villain’,” Christodoulakis said.
Filming in St Louis
Christodoulakis was flown to St Louis, Missouri, where filming took place over a tight 13-day schedule. The production stayed in what he believed was a haunted house. “The house was haunted, lights flickering, picture frames in my room,” he said. “At three o’clock in the morning sharp, the picture frame would come off its hinge and start swaying, and it’ll get ice cold. It was terrifying.”
Christodoulakis’s Background
Christodoulakis moved with his family to the US when he was 10 years old, living in New York and later Florida before returning to Perth in 2006. After working as a civil engineer, he pursued acting in 2011. Now, with the film premiering in Perth, he hopes its story will inspire local creatives facing challenges. “I just want the people in Perth to know that it’s not that your wishes and dreams come true,” he said. “If there are challenges, there’s always another mode, another medium, for you to complete your dreams.”
Tickets for the premiere are available online.
