League of Legend Keepers: Shadows made its premiere on December 10th. And with that premiere came a lot more than just a movie release. The film is a break from the horror genre norm and a break from director Elizabeth Blake-Thomas’s norm. League of Legend Keepers is to be a film trilogy and is essentially a “horror film for children” in which the lead characters search for an ancient pendant with powers beyond measure. This series is aimed at a much younger audience than just about any other horror film around, targeting viewers 6-12 years old.
The motivation to create this new film series was a very personal one for Elizabeth. As the
mother of a young adult, she wanted to have something for her daughter to watch at Halloween that was age-appropriate. Although she took time out to research it, there just wasn’t anything suitable, with a strong positive message so she decided to write one herself. Talk about a problem solver!
Blake-Thomas takes it one step further. On top of considering the horror needs of children, she has made it a personal mission to support and advocate for women in film. She has gone on record stating her commitment to achieving a 50:50 female to male cast and crew ratio. While not always possible, it is an admirable standard that many other directors should strive for. Blake-Thomas also wrote the script for League of Legend Keepers: Shadows alongside her daughter, Isabella Blake-Thomas, who also stars as the film’s heroine. In the film, Isabella Blake-Thomas portrays a dynamic, courageous, strong female character for young viewers to identify with: not unlike a young ‘female Indiana Jones’ – someone that can ‘save the world’ with the help of her friends and a little creativity!
Beneath the compelling ‘adventure’ story theme, the film is really about having true friendships and showing how, as a team, amazing things can be achieved. The film teaches its audience how to stand up to a bully; not by fighting back, but by believing in yourself and showing that through your actions you can stand up for friends who also might be being bullied. Without giving too much of a spoiler alert, the situation then escalates and it isn’t long before the bullies end up realizing they were wrong.
This is the first of a three-film series for the Legend Keepers. Elizabeth Blake-Thomas promises twists, turns, drama, and laughter for her young audience. The horror genre and its creators continue to push the boundaries and strive for inclusion and representation which makes a strong case for horror being the best genre ever. It’s never too early to start an appreciation for horror films, League of Legend Keepers: Shadows is proof of that.
