INT: Chris Kattan

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

There are several names that have
become synonymous with horror over the years. Carpenter. Craven. Romero. Kattan?
Well maybe not the last one, but actor/comedian Chris Kattan is starring in an
upcoming horror film that just happens to feature my favorite subject; zombies!

The film’s called
UNDEAD OR ALIVE,
and it’s a zombie movie set in the old West. Written and directed by Glasgow
Phillips UNDEAD OR ALIVE tells the comedic tale of two friends who encounter a
horrific adventure. Elmer Winslow (James Denton) is a soldier on the run from
the Union Army, and Luke Budd (Chris Kattan) is a cowboy with a broken heart.
When the two misfits rob the corrupt sheriff of an old west town, they have no
idea that a plague of zombies is sweeping the country, or that Geronimo’s sexy
niece (Navi Rawat) may be their only hope of survival.

Recently I had
the opportunity to talk with the former SNL cast member about his work on
UNDEAD OR ALIVE and also inquire about his views on the genre.

CHRIS KATTAN

Undead or
Alive. Chris Kattan in a horror movie about zombies with a Western theme. This
seems like an incredibly interesting movie. What can you tell me about it?

It was a lot of fun to do.

What drew
you to do a zombie Western movie?

Well I liked that it was a
period piece. I’ve never been a cowboy and I’ve never been in a Western. I liked
the idea of a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with zombies after them. And of
course zombies don’t die so it’s kind of a neat idea. It reminded me of SHAUN OF
THE DEAD a little bit, which is one of my fav’s, but this one being a Western.

So would
you say that this is the American response to SHAUN OF THE DEAD?

I don’t know about that
because this is a Western and SHAUN OF THE DEAD was in the present, but I
think they both have zombies in them.

Are you a big horror
fan? Is this something you’ve wanted to do for a while?

No. I like horror films, but
I’m not like ‘I’m going to do only horror films’, I think that would be not a
good idea for anybody. I’m like anyone else, I’m not a horror buff but I like
good horror movies like anyone else would, you know? I’m not going to sit down
and watch all the LEPRECHAUN movies, but I will see THE EXORCIST
every couple of years.

Now I know
you’ve done some horror movies in the past.THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL remake for
one. You were also a zombie-type character in MONKEY BONE right?

I wasn’t a zombie in it. I was
playing a body with another spirit in it. That was an action comedy that Henry
Selick directed, who also did A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, but that was
a more fun movie as opposed to horror. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL was, I guess
a horror movie, but I did that because of Jeffery Rush and Famke[Janssen], and
it was a good fun cast.

I believe
you were in SANTA’S SLAY as well right? With Bill Goldberg, the wrestler?

You
know I did that as a favor to Brett Ratner because he produced it, but I’ve
never actually seen the movie.

You were
in a movie you’ve never seen?

Yah, I
just shot that scene with Rebecca Gayheart and James Caan, and that was it. Well
I’m only in it for a minute. It’s a cameo is what it is.

What was
it like making this movie? Glasgow Phillips, who directs, seems like he’s a
pretty funny guy. How was it working with him?

It was
great. He was a lot of fun, and he was the script writer. And when the director
has something to do with the writing of the movie it’s always more fun and
easier to do when someone has a direct vision of what they want to put on film.
That’s always a smart thing.

I know
also that you worked with James Denton and Navi Rawat, how was it working with
these two?

James
Denton really put something behind the character, that was really fun to play
off of, and Navi was very sexy and fun to work with. She played an Indian with
attitude!

She plays
Geronimo’s niece right?

Yes and
we all know what Geronimo’s like!

Now that
you mentioned the other characters, what can you tell me about your character
from UNDEAD?

Well I
play the character Luke, you know he’s a cowboy with a heart of gold. He’s a
sweet kid, and he’s very excited about being partners and being a real cowboy.
He’s in love with a whore, but he doesn’t really want to talk about it. But
finally he catches her with another man, it’s kind of something he thought she
would stop doing; being a prostitute. But she just can’t. She’s a whore.

As far as
the movie goes, is it a very serious film, with just comedic undertones or is it
more half and half?

No,
it’s a comedy horror film, like SHAUN OF THE DEAD was. It was funny but
there’s a horror drive to it. So I wouldn’t call it gory or gruesome, I think
it’s scary, but it’s more funny than it is scary.

Now what
was it like doing a Western movie? They’re not made nearly as often as they used
to be. Was that strange being out in the desert being dressed as a cowboy?

No, I
think a lot of people are cowboys in the desert, so I don’t think that was
strange at all. I think it would be strange if I was at THE GAP wearing a cowboy
outfit.

Did it
make you feel “tough” being dressed as a cowboy?

Not in
the shirt I wore. It had flowers on it.

Do you
think that this film will help reinvigorate the Western genre of movies?

I hope
not! (Laughs)

What was a
really memorable scene from the shooting of UNDEAD OR ALIVE. It seems like it
would have been a pretty fun movie to work on.

Yah it
was a lot of fun. What was a memorable scene? I like the scenes with Navi, who
plays the Indian, because she’s cute and I think there are some good scenes
between James and I. I think there is some really funny stuff in there. There are
a few memorable scenes, it’s hard to say which one comes to mind, but I think
there are a number of them. It’s always fun to see me on a horse, because I didn’t
know how to ride a horse very well. But that’s ok because my character didn’t
know how to ride a horse.

Now that
you’ve starred in both comedic and horror roles, do you find that it’s a lot
different preparing for these two types of movies? Is it a different sort of
mentality going into each?

No,
it’s a similar mentality; I think it’s everything around you that’s different.
You don’t really play the horror of it; you play the reality of the scene.
What’s going on around you is what changes.

Are there
some more horror films on the horizon for you?

Not
that I know of, my life is scary as it is. I don’t think I need any more scary
movies.

Now the
film premieres next week in Texas, correct?

South
by Southwest, Austin Texas. A week from now.

Will you
be present at the screening?

I will
be there, yes.

Now is
there anything else we should know about the movie before it hit’s the big
screen?

That
you should know? I think, uh, get ready to be scared and to laugh…America. And
Canada. Oh and all the other countries in the world!

Chris
was great to talk to and told me that if he would have known it was my birthday
the day that we had done the interview he would have sent me a stripper. Now
how’s that for a gift from a stranger! UNDEAD OR ALIVE premiers at the
SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas on Saturday March 10th.

VISIT THE UNDEAD OR ALIVE OFFICIAL SITE HERE