Part 4 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?
TOUFEXIS: There are plenty. All for different reasons. Alien scared
the hell out of me when I was a kid, and then dazzled the hell out of me when I
grew up and watched it for Ridley Scott’s amazing direction. John Carpenter is
probably my all-time favorite horror director. Back in the day, his films were
the greatest. Halloween was great and all, but I’m talking about The
Thing, They Live, and (though I guess it’s not really horror) Big Trouble
in Little China. I’m dying–DYING–to work with John Carpenter. Oh, and John
Landis kicks ass too for An American Werewolf in London and the freaking
Thriller video!
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?
VINCENT: I like the idea of remakes. With the progress the film industry has
made in visual effects, it gives us a chance to see updated versions of films.
However, often remakes fall short of our expectations.
HALL: What is your fondest
memory of working on Pitch Black?
WHEAT:
I’ll share two. One was when I was told it was going into production. But even
better was watching it with an audience for the first time at Harry Knowles’
Butt-Numb-A-Thon in Austin. Its 3 a.m. “World Premiere” woke up the crowd in a
big way, and that spirited response made the experience a whole lot of fun for
me.
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?
DURAND:
I guess that there is always an audition that an actor would love to take
back. For me, the rule of thumb is to make a choice and go for it all out. I
always try to extend myself in my work so that I won’t have any regrets. As
such, I cherish the failures as much as the successes and have really enjoyed
the ride.
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?
GAINS
[circa August 2006]: I just saw The Devil’s Rejects at a sort of
drive-in (outdoor) theater at a convention in Chicago. I thought it was
cool…performance-wise, style-wise, and it wasn’t too gory.
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?
GALVIN:
Nope.
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?
HARRIS: Real life
drama, seriously. Horror movies don’t generally scare me. I wish they did. There
was a woman crying in the theater during The Descent when I saw it. I
wish I had that in me. I can reread Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale
and get pretty fucking scared
though. A movie like
Children of the Corn isn’t scary because there’s a monster in the
cornfield. It’s scary because little kids murder their parents. Republicans
scare me pretty well too. Their policies anyway.
HALL: Which single horror film
do you consider the most underappreciated or misunderstood? Why?
NELSON:
Jacob’s Ladder. I don’t use this term very often, but I think it is
genius. I don’t think the studio or people in general knew how to wrap their
heads around that one. Very misunderstood. I don’t think you or I have enough
time for me to elaborate.
HALL: Tell us something about
yourself that we don’t already know and may be surprised to learn.
SCHIFFNER: I absolutely love to play Dungeons & Dragons. That’s right, and
I’m not talking about the videogame either. The good old-fashioned dice rolling,
soda and potato chips, stay up all night with a group of friends Dungeons &
Dragons. I haven’t played in a while, but if I find a group, you know where I’ll
be. I grew up playing with friends, and it’s one of those things that I still
just really like to do. It also stretches the imagination a bit, which is always
good for actors. You know, I heard that Vin Diesel also plays, so does that make
it okay? Also, people may be surprised to know that I did stand-in work for
Jean-Claude Van Damme on the movie Universal Soldier: The Return.
HALL: What’s next for Neal
Marshall Stevens?
STEVENS: I’m currently working on a couple of projects; one is an
assignment, a story featuring a unique take on a possession story. The other is
an original screenplay that’s just been optioned and has a director attached
and, if all goes right, may go into production sometime this year.
STAY TUNED FOR
PART 5 OF THIS FEATURE -COMING SOON TO THE SITE!
