INT: Philip Adrian Booth

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

The
Arrow interviews Philip Adrian Booth

Haven’t heard of
DEATH
TUNNEL yet? Get ready cause this little flash madness
ditty not only got picked up by SONY in terms of distribution but
will be an Official Selection at this year’s SCREAMFEST (On
Oct 17th 2005 at 9.30.pm at the LOEWS CINEMA). I got the chance to
exchange punches with hipster director Phillip Adrian Booth and
here’s what he had to say about the film, its true story tag, it
potential sequel and more!

What is your
favorite horror movie?

The Spanish/English Co. productions in the early seventies were very
inspiring, “The Conqueror Worm” Ken Russels’s “The Devils” Elias
J. Mihage’s “Begotten” was extremely disturbing, and of course the
original “The Haunting” and more currently Jacob’s Ladder and The
Shining!That’s more than one isn’t it? Sorry

What ís your background as a filmmaker?

Being scared to Death off doing anything else! My twin brother
CHRISTOPHER SAINT BOOTH (Producer of Death Tunnel) and I found a
script on a set one day, we were working as PA’s at that time, we
said “hell we can do this! “

I also worked as a digital compositor and editor on the TV shows
XENA and also Hercules, I picked up a film camera when I was
directing “Immortal,” a 92′ Cannes Festival Winner and I said to
the camera assistant , “Show me how to use this thing, mate”. He
did, ever since I’ve shot everything we work on! I love the art of
cinematography!

What was it about the true story of the Kentucky hospital
incident in 1910 that moved you enough to want to make a film around
it?

Our other Producer SHANE DAX TAYLOR, as a boy was dared to spend the
night there, it’s a local initiation to prove your bravery! He
brought the idea to us at TWINTALK Entertainment and we all said.
“My god, there must be some skeletons in that closet! After flying
out to the Sanatorium, we were in shock when we saw the place. This
was the real thing. After hearing about the history, tragedies and
the haunting of the FIVE FLOORS of this massive monument to pain,
Chris, Shane and I thought this is our next movie!

How much of a true story is Death Tunnel when taking into account
the actual events that inspired it?

This is a great question, Even though the movie is completed, we
still have people writing and sending in letters and photos from
their grand parents, actual patients and historians, validating the
realism of the events. The script was written about the ACTUAL
EVENTS, The SUICIDES, The HAUNTING, The FIVE GIRLS dared to spend
the night, The PREGNANT NURSE, and most of The DEATH TUNNEL, where
so may corpses were transported out secretly, masked under the
assumption of them being cured!

Let me share an exciting dose of reality shock, On the web do a
search for, for Wavery Hills Sanatorium and help yourself to shiver
fest! This a Fantastic story and it is Based on True Events Like
any entertaining movie, things were made more colorful, and as
typical as it may seem, without the commercial element of FIVE GIRLS
dressed only in alluring European nighties I’m not sure we would
have been picked up by SONY PICTURES.

How would you describe the
casting process for the picture? Easy flow or arduous?

We had a great casting agent, GREG DEHN, so we had a lot of talent to choose
from. It was hard to find good looks, charisma and acting ability, but I
have to say our cast can act and that’s the bottom line!

The Official Website claims that you’ve recorded and filmed real
poltergeists that were then edited into the finished film? Care to
elaborate on that?

Seventy Five percent of all the Haunting sound effects are made from the
Actual EVPs recorded and authenticated by the LGHS – LOUISVILLE GHOST
HUNTER SOCIETY. These were recorded in the Operating Room, the Death
Tunnel, the Solarium and Cafeteria in the Sanatorium.

Actual spectral faces appear within the shadows and fog, particularly on the
hanging scene. If you freeze the frame you will see a face appear and the
next frame it is gone. Keep in mind we actually filmed on the floors where
there tragedies actually happened. Actress, ANNIE BURGSTEDE actually stood
on the edge of the Five story tower, where the real nurse jumped from!

This is all documented in the documentary SPOOKED, THE GHOSTS OF WAVERLY
HILLS, we decided we had to do a documentary to help tell this incredible
experience check out www.spooked.org

You shot the film in the actual hospital where the deaths happened.
Spirits aside, what kind of obstacles, if any, did you encounter due to
shooting in that location?

Well, Keep camera batteries from going dead all the time, even if they were
fully charged! We had to bring in four 10 ton grips trucks and over 80,000
watts of HMI s to light the Sanatorium. There was no power there at all, so
three large Generators had to be trucked up there. And then we had
lightning storms and the inevitable, people got frightened and unsettled. It
was hard looking at girls in just nighties for three weeks!

Where is Death Tunnel at distribution wise? I heard SONY nabbed it; what
kind of distribution are we looking at? STD? Theatrical?

Yes John, SONY PICTURES had picked up worldwide rights and the theatrical
option is viable

What’ s next on your plate as a screenwriter/director? Any projects lined
up?

Sleep, Chris and I have had offers to make a comic book based movie, “Vampyre
Huntress” Also we have the horror movie “SHADOWBOX “coming out early next
year.


www.shadowboxmovie.com

Is there talk of a
Death Tunnel sequel? And if it would happen, would you be hip to tackling
it?

Have you been talking to SONY? As James Bond once said, “Never Say Never”

What was the first drink that you consumed at the Death Tunnel wrap
party?

A good Kentucky Bourbon, Maker’s Mark of course!

NICE!
Great drink!

I’d
like to thank Philip for killing on teh site and for the
gorgeous macabre eye candy that was Death Tunnel. Looking forward to
see where and how far this “little movie that could” will go! Keep
kicking man!

READ THE ARROW’S REVIEW OF DEATH TUNNEL HERE

VISIT
THE OFFICIAL DEATH TUNNEL SITE HERE