How filmmakers brought the haunting bedroom scene from 'Rebecca' to life - Entertainment Weekly

This is especially true at the shrine of Rebecca’s bedroom — the site of a key showdown between Mrs.

Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), who strives to keep Rebecca’s spirit alive.

“[It] is the nail in the coffin of her confidence,” says director Ben Wheatley.

With all of that at play, Wheatley and the production team had a tall order for pulling off this scene he describes as the "heart of the book." EW talked to the director, as well as composer Clint Mansell, about crafting this deliciously gothic scene.

Danvers pummels her with memories of Rebecca and how wonderful the times were when she was still alive.

So I was able to bounce off both the performance of Kristin Scott Thomas as Danvers and back to du Maurier's version of the character for inspiration.

Mansell says he also was able to take inspiration from production design, wardrobe, and cinematography since his contributions came much later in the production process.

“How do you show the essence of somebody else?” That’s the challenge Wheatley faced when designing Rebecca’s bedroom, which he was bowled over by after filming on location for seven weeks prior (the set is one of only two in the entire project, not a pre-existing location).

"Our idea was she brought London with her to Manderley, and that’s the most Rebecca room in the whole house.

“There are only two bits of personal contact that Danvers has with her in the film.

But in a film, you see the whole room all the time," he says.

“The whole of the film is a memory box,” says Wheatley.