Part 10 of 10
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CHARLES HALL INTRO:
They
have terrorized the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis and Linda Hamilton, and have
walked down the aisle with Uma Thurman. They did battle with a flesh-eating
creature, demon-hunting brothers, and a possessed doll. And they unleashed upon
the world a sadistic serial killer, a vengeful tooth fairy, the deadly Ocularis
Infernum, and a silver-eyed antihero. For them, it’s all in a day’s work.
Over the past few months, I
had the pleasure of interviewing the ten individuals described above. These
‘blood types’ include actors
Courtney Gains (Malachai, Children of the
Corn), Travis Schiffner (Jeepers Creepers II), Elias
Toufexis (Decoys, TV’s Supernatural),
and
Alex Vincent
(Andy Barclay, Child’s Play, Child’s Play 2).
Also in the mix
are actor/former special FX makeup artist
Christopher Nelson (Kill Bill:
Vol. 1 & 2), and actor/stuntman
Christopher Durand (Michael
Myers, Halloween: H20).
Rounding out the pack are scribes
Kieran
Galvin (Feed), Joe Harris (The Tripper, Darkness Falls),
Neal Marshall Stevens (Thir13en Ghosts, Hellraiser: Deader),
and
Ken Wheat (Pitch Black, The Fly II). Together,
they have helped shape our darkest nightmares.
In addition to thanking the participants, I would like to extend special thanks
to John Fallon
and Christopher
Showerman
for their generosity and encouragement. I hope readers enjoy Blood Types
as much as I enjoyed creating it.
HALL: Which horror films, if
any, left a lasting impression on you? Why?
GAINS:
The Exorcist, because I was young, like ten or eleven, and the
effects were cutting edge at the time.
HALL: Psycho, Night
of the Living Dead, The Omen, and other landmark horror films have
been remade in recent years, and there are more remakes in store. In general,
how do you feel about remakes?
GALVIN:
I have mixed opinions on remakes. It’s not very often you see a great one,
probably because the talent involved didn’t create it in the first place.
However, the truth is that films tend to date and audiences are bolder than
twenty years ago, so there is a good argument to say that remaking a film
introduces it to a new audience. This is especially justifiable if a film relies
heavily on special effects because there have been so many improvements in that
sphere over the years.
Having
said that, I watched The Exorcist when it was re-released a couple of
years ago and the spider walk down the stairs was as disturbing to me then as
any time in the past.
Music and
songs can be appropriated and remixed to live again, so, on an intellectual
level, if a new team comes along and remakes a film and in the process adds
another layer to it, then I’m okay with it, because something new is created.
Remaking a film shot for shot, though, is a totally different issue and to me a
fairly pointless exercise in homage.
HALL: What is your fondest
memory of working on Darkness Falls?
HARRIS:
I’ll tell you a quick story about a young writer’s first day in Los Angeles,
ever. His short film, Tooth Fairy, had already impressed the right people
and gotten him hired to write his first screenplay for money. His first feature
was just about to be green-lit and the studio was flying him out to California
for the first time to meet with the execs, producers, director, etc.
He was
thrown into a conference room and listened to ‘notes’ from every direction for
hours, and left the room feeling completely in over his head, not cut out for
this business and wondering just what the fuck he’d gotten into out there in
Hollywood. Finally, exhausted and feeling like he just might not belong, he went
out to the parking lot off Olympic Boulevard and discovered his rental car had
been towed. First night, now, in Los Angeles, he walked two miles in the rain to
bail the car out, got back to the hotel, probably had a few drinks, punched the
wall a couple of times and, finally, eventually got back to work.
Probably
not the sexy, splashy tale you were hoping for…It was fucking pouring rain that
day too, in L.A… first time in goddamn months, just to welcome me to the
business… but it taught me a lot of things.
Honestly,
the excitement of it not being just my first movie, but the director, Jonathan
Liebesman, and most of the producers, as well, is a good memory. Hell,
Revolution Studios hadn’t even released their first film yet when I was given an
office to write in at the end of the building. Opening #1 that weekend might be
an even better one. That was fun.
HALL: If you were given a
chance to do it over, is there a moment or a period in your film career that you
would revisit, revise, or perhaps change altogether?
NELSON:
I would have actively pursued acting at a much younger age. Although I do
not regret the amount of knowledge I have learned over the years. It was and is
the best and only film school.
HALL: What was the last horror
film you saw in a theater? What was the last horror DVD you rented or purchased?
Did the films live up to your expectations?
SCHIFFNER [circa June 2006]: The last horror film I saw in the theater was
The Ring. After that, I vowed never to watch another horror movie on the
big screen because I couldn’t friggin’ sleep for two days. The last horror film
I rented was Saw II, only because I didn’t have the balls to rent
Hostel. I heard that was some freaky stuff.
HALL: Horror fans are famously
loyal. Could you tell us about some of the more interesting fan correspondence
you’ve received? Have there been any memorable festival or convention
encounters?
STEVENS: To be honest, I haven’t really received much in the way of fan
correspondence. The last convention I attended was the Annual Horror Writers’
Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, and I was on a panel with Harlan
Ellison and Mick Garris and David Morrell and a bunch of other great people and
that, obviously, was a lot of fun.
HALL: The range of horror
films–from the psychological suspense of Rosemary’s Baby to the visceral
terror of Hostel–is evidence that different things scare different
filmgoers. What scares you?
TOUFEXIS: Satan. Anything with the devil and possessions and stuff like
that. It’s when you watch a movie and place yourself in that situation and there
is nothing you would be able to do. That’s when it’s scary to me. My favorite
horror movies are zombie movies, but I love them because I get to say, “Oh, if
that was me I’d…” But with possession and satanic stuff, like The Exorcist.
Eeep. I’m doomed. It keeps me up at night holding a cross and sleeping on a holy
water-bed.
HALL: Which single horror film
do you consider the most underappreciated or misunderstood? Why?
VINCENT: I really don’t have a good answer for this one.
HALL: Tell us something about
yourself that we don’t already know and may be surprised to learn.
WHEAT:
On paper I’ve killed hundreds…no, I guess it’s well into the thousands if you
count them all. I’ve sliced, diced, burned, boiled, blasted, baked, and blown up
the guilty and the innocent. Men, women, children, teens, tweens, pets, snakes,
ghosts, aliens, mutants, Ewoks, and Sasquatches. (I’ve always regretted that
our Bigfoot mega action/horror script Shadow Walkers was never made.
It’s one of my faves, and maybe someday some studio will realize that a big
budget, straight-out thriller exploration of this classic mythology can
transcend the clichés.)
My surprise isn’t very
surprising now that I think about it. In fact, I bet it’s not at all uncommon
among horror writers. But in spite of my sometimes-murderous mind, I’m as
mild-mannered a person as you’d be likely to meet.
HALL: What’s next for
Christopher Durand?
DURAND:
I am currently in development of my own horror series. The script is done
and the funding is being hammered out.
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ARROW NOTE: Big
thanks to Charles Hall for this finer than red wine on white lace contribution
to AITH!
