Wes Anderson would like to direct a horror movie

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I got in on the ground floor of Wes Anderson fandom, renting and loving his debut film BOTTLE ROCKET as soon as it hit VHS back in the day. I've been a faithful viewer ever since. I have to admit, though, that the quirkier and more stylized his films are, the further they drift away from my taste, to the point where THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, his latest film and one of his most highly acclaimed, really wasn't for me. Of all his works, it's the tone and style of BOTTLE ROCKET that I still enjoy the most.

All of Anderson's movies to date have been a mixture of comedy and drama, but once his next project, his second stop-motion animated film, is complete, the filmmaker is considering branching out into other genres, with the top choice being horror.

Speaking at the Rome Film Festival, Anderson said: 

Horror is an area where if a filmmaker really wants to use all the tricks, the techniques to affect your emotions…. With the kind of movies I do, you’re supposed to say is this part supposed to be funny, or is this part supposed to be sad? Well, you say, I don’t know. I’m not sure. This is the way we wanted it. When you make a horror or a thriller, you say you’re supposed to be scared here. You’re supposed to be relieved here. Here we’re explaining something so you know the next part so you’ll be more scared then. I like the idea of the requirements and the obligations of working in a genre like that. I’ve done some scenes like that, but I’d like to do a scary movie.

While there have been parody videos like "The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders" and "The Grand Overlook Hotel" that applied Anderson's style and visuals to horror, it's really tough for me to imagine what a Wes Anderson horror movie might actually be like. Still, it's something that I would love to see, as I'm always interested in watching directors try out different genres, especially when the genre they're wanting to delve into is horror.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Anderson's THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS