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Sinister Seven: Adam Green

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Being left on a bench isn’t much of a premise for a movie, unless that bench is a ski lift chair high above the ground, it’s freezing cold outside, there are hungry animals lurking below and no one will be around to find you for five days. Then it’s the kind of situation that’ll make you soil your ski-pants. Oh, wait, that happens too in Frozen, Adam Green’s new movie about three friends who get left behind on a ski-lift, dangling 80 feet up, due to human error. They face an incoming storm, personal arguments, injury and a pack of wolves. Green (above, on the right) talks about the difficulties making the movie, working with one of his horror heroes and what’s going on with Hatchet 2, the sequel to his retro-styled 2006 slasher movie.

1) There’s a quote comparing Frozen to Jaws, but it’s really much more like Open Water, in terms of people getting left behind to fend for themselves in the elements. Is there a certain situation from your past that sparked the idea for this plot?

When I was growing up I used to ski at these low-rent mountains around Boston. Anyone who’s an avid skier, skis at real mountains; these places were only open on Friday through Sunday because they didn’t have the business to sustain being open during the week. When you went on the chairlift it felt like being on the Ferris wheel at the travelling carnival, where there’d just be this dude smoking a cigarette, throwing you on a chair and sending you up.
The chairlift concept, for anybody who skis, is fairly frightening because everybody knows what happens when it suddenly stops for no reason. It seems like what they should do is say. “OK, everybody, someone fell off at the top” or “We have high winds, we’ll start again momentarily,” but you don’t know why it stopped and when it’s gonna start again. So, I put all that stuff together and thought, “What if it was Sunday night at one of those mountains that I always skied at, that isn’t gonna be open again for five days, and what if just through human error somebody didn’t do his job right and didn’t check to make sure the lift was cleared, and then what would you do?” Then, between fear of heights, fear of freezing to death, fear of isolation, fear of being trapped with somebody you don’t really know all that well, the story just started to write itself.

2) Heights, the weather, the cold, working with animals – you didn’t make it easy on yourself. What was the hardest part of shooting Frozen?

The cold was hard but we were prepared for it. I think the hardest part of shooting it was how do you shoot the actors when they’re speaking on the lift and the lift is actually moving? Once the chair was stuck, we were on a 50-foot crane and could get the camera up to them. But when the chair was moving… Putting a tray on the chair with them, shooting from the chair in front of them or the chair behind them – none of those ideas worked because if you put a tray on the chair with three of them on it, the chair would fall; if we shot it from the chair in front of them, it would be boring as hell. So what we had to do, basically, was hang this cherry picker bucket off the cable in front of them. And then we had two harnesses dangling off the cable for two different cameras to shoot – one getting the coverage of the actors and one getting a three-shot of the chair.
Once our camera crew saw what we built, they refused to go in it, the mountain made us sign all these waivers saying that if we died it wasn’t their fault. I ended up having to shoot it myself because everyone else was too scared to go up, and I’m scared of heights — that’s why I wrote this fucking thing! I’m dangling in front of [the actors] and just to slate the shot I had to get swinging in my harness to hand the slate off to Kevin Zegers, who would slate it for the camera, then I would have to get swinging again to grab it, put it on my belt and start rollin’. It’ll go by for the audience and look effortless, but it was actually the hardest thing to shoot.

3) What was it like having a pack of wolves as co-stars?

The wolves were trained by Paul “Sled” Reynolds, who did Dances with Wolves, Chronicles of Narnia – he’s the wolf guy. And the thing with wolves is that you can never really train a wolf. They’re always gonna be unpredictable, and they mainly operate based on hunger, so if the wolf is hungry and you have food for it, it will kind of listen to you and do what you want. But we had to be very, very safe around the wolves. The crew had to be 400 yards away whenever the wolves were loose; there were all these rules: you can’t look ‘em in the eye, you can’t go near ‘em. I’m an animal lover, so as soon as he brought them out, I wanted to go get pictures with them, wanted to go pet them, but no.
For the scene where Kevin was on the ground and the wolves were surrounding him, I designed the shot so that the camera would be on a track, we’d have one wolf wipe the foreground of the lens, he would be on a chain, and another wolf would cross behind him on a chain. But then Sled said, “These wolves haven’t eaten in four days, they’re not gonna give a shit about Kevin Zegers, they’re gonna want the food that we have on the outside of the electric fence, so we can let them all go in there with him and they won’t even pay attention to him. I was adamant about not doing this, but Kevin wanted to do it. We went for it, and sure enough they did exactly what Sled said they would do, they didn’t go near Kevin, they were running around him. But suddenly, Shadow, which was the black wolf, suddenly turned and went after Kevin. All he wanted was Kevin’s hat, but he walked right up to his face and started sniffing his hat and growling, and Sled’s yelling, “Nobody move! Don’t breathe! Freeze! Freeze!” and they got the wolf off of him, You see in the movie, for about three seconds you see this big black wolf walking up to Kevin Zeger’s face, but then we had to cut because all these trainers jumped into the shot. Kevin didn’t get hurt and we got the shot, it was pretty amazing.

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4) Right now you’re in the middle of shooting Hatchet 2. In what direction are you taking the sequel. For starters, you’ve now got a female lead, played by none other than Danielle Harris.

Danielle is actually playing the same role that Tamara Feldman was playing [in Hatchet]. The movie starts on the same shot that the other one ended on, which is very rewarding because when I ended the first one the way I did, it was with a sequel in mind that we would pick up where we left off, like the original Halloween 2. When we made the decision that we were going to be replacing Tamara, we thought, “Well, do we change the whole story now?” because it’s always weird when you have a new actress playing a pre-established character. But the story was too good and I wasn’t going to change what I had planned on for twenty years because something wasn’t working out with an actress that nobody really cares about. So I called up Danielle and she was totally excited to do it, and so far the fans are even more excited because now they get Danielle Harris.
The movie itself is a lot darker than the first one and way more violent than the first one. In the first one I think we killed seven people on screen, in this one we killed sixteen. Everything’s bigger about it; we had so much more to play with. We had more time. It just feels huge, is the best way to put it, whereas the first one was an independent movie made by a bunch of people who didn’t really know what they were doing. This will bury the first one, which is usually not the case.

5) You’ve also got the guy who made Child’s Play and Fright Night in the cast, Tom Holland. How’d that happen?

For the past few years there have been these Masters of Horror dinners, where guys like Carpenter, Craven, Tom Holland, Dario Argento has been to some of them, and Tobe Hooper, and for whatever reason I got the from these guys that they’d like me to join. So I’ve been going to all these dinners and I’ve gotten to be very friendly with all these guys that I look up to in crazy ways, and Tom Holland is probably the guy I’ve become closest with. I love him as a human being, but, also, Fright Night was one of biggest inspirations behind Hatchet – it was Fright Night and American Werewolf in London. A lot of people that don’t know much about horror go to the Friday the 13th place because it’s a slasher film, but if you look at the tone and the jokes and the style and how it was done, there are complete scenes lifted from American Werewolf, complete lines of dialogue, moments that are completely Fright Night.
When I was getting ready to write this character in Hatchet 2 and he and his wife came over for dinner, I brought it up to him. Tom hadn’t acted in about 25 years and was thrilled to act again and be part of it. He did such a good job – every day everyone was amazed with him. He was by far the oldest one in the cast and he just hung in there and gave everything he had.
It’s just fucking cool to have the guy who created Chucky, who made
Child’s Play, made Fright Night, be part of the Hatchet legacy now. Every day I was geeking out. The first day I had to give him directions I was terrified. I never had that problem with Robert Englund, Tony Todd and Kane Hodder because they’re actors and I’m the director, and as much as I’m a fan, I can shut it off. But to walk up to Tom Holland and tell him how I wanted something to go was really weird. But he just an actor, he never once pulled the director thing on me. He was just happy to be there.

6) Who does he play in the film?

Tom is playing Danielle’s uncle. In the movie, early on, her character, Marybeth, learns that there’s more to the story of Victor Crowley than she’s been told — Why he’s the way he is. Is he a ghost? Is he real? Where does it all come from? What does it have to do with her? — she goes back into the swamp with a bunch of hunters who are being paid to bring back the head of Victor Crowley, and she brings her uncle along as a sort of safety precaution. And also because Reverend Zombie, played by Tony Todd, convinces her that she needs to bring her uncle with her. That’s how Tom Holland ends up in this.

7) Hatchet is a straight up slasher movie, Spiral is a dark drama, Frozen is really more of a thriller and your upcoming film God Only Knows is a romantic comedy. Are particularly careful about picking projects that give you a well-rounded filmography? Do you worried about become stuck in the genre as just a “horror guy”?

I’m very proud to be a horror guy. One of the things that I say a lot is that you don’t hear about romantic comedy conventions, you don’t hear about fans lining up to meet Hugh Grant at a con where he’s going to sign for them. Horror is very special, the fans are like nothing else, they’re extremely loyal. I only get to do this because of these fans that put me, and I am so grateful for it, I would never turn my back on the genre.
However, I’m not only a horror guy. People that have seen my early shorts know that I’m a comedian and that’s what I like to do. What I respect about my fans is that they switch gears with me.
Spiral is that it’s nothing like Hatchet, and they went along for the ride and enjoyed it, they didn’t hate me for it. Frozen – again, nothing like Spiral or Hatchet – we did screenings of it and there were people in the audience in their “Hatchet Army” T-shirts crying, screaming, laughing.
When I do
God Only Knows eventually, I hope they go out for that too. The cool thing is that I don’t forget where I came from — there are plenty of horror references in this romantic comedy. I can’t say that there are that many romantic comedies that keep winking at the horror fans.

Fisher’s Creature Caption Contest

James Fisher, artist and creator of the witty and morbidly fantastic Disfigures of Speech that appears in each issue of Rue Morgue, is having a cool little contest. Come up with a caption to the drawing he’s posted and you could win a print with your caption as the title. Only five days left to enter for the first one, but Mr. Fisher will be posting a new drawing in need of a cut line on the 13th of every month.

Enter to win a work of art with your own weird words here!

Sinister Seven: Ti West

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There’s a lot of nostalgic love going around for ’80s horror, and the best example is House of the Devil, the latest release from Ti West. Set sometime in the ’80s, it stars Jocelin Donahue (The Burrowers) as Samantha, a broke college girl who takes a babysitting gig at a mansion out in the country, despite her best friend’s protests that it seems like a shady deal. Y’see, once Samantha arrives, the family patriarch, played with creepy aplomb by Tom Noonan (Manhunter), admits that it’s actually his mother – who’s mysteriously shut away in an upstairs bedroom – that needs watching while he and his wife attend a viewing of the lunar eclipse. The film goes from a slow-burn creep-out to outright terrifying, when Samantha realizes there are others in the house.
Like the look of the movie, the pacing is pure ’80s VHS. And then there’s that vintage painted artwork for the poster to seal the retro deal. Oh, and if that isn’t enough to make tapeheads drool, the film is also available in a DVD/VHS bundle. That’s right, you can own this sucker on VHS, in a white clamshell case, with Gorgon Video branding on the tape. (As far as I can tell, it’s only available through Amazon.com, here.]
The prolific West, whose Cabin Fever sequel comes out straight-to-DVD on Feb 16th, answers seven questions for us. Well, he actually answers only about five of them, but, here they are…

1. Name three films that influenced HotD, and how.

There are not really any direct influences. However, The Tenant, The Changeling and Don’t Look Now are always pretty embedded in my subconscious.

2. Why did you want to make this retro-style of film? The story could’ve been set, like, today, so what is it about that golden period that you wanted to recapture?

It is set in the 1980s because that was the height of “satanic panic” in the United States. I don’t think a satanic film would be relevant today; we are no longer afraid of the devil. The time period also offers the benefits of no cell phones, internet and corny self-awareness – all of which are enemies to storytelling.

3.The film harkens back to an early-‘80s video era that you were seemingly too young have been indulging in. Did you have an older brother or irresponsible local video store that let you watch horror movies as a child?

I am an only child, and was never restricted from viewing anything I wanted to see. So I spent a lot of time in the video store and staying up all night watching HBO. I have a pretty intense photographic memory.

4. Ever since Manhunter, Tom Noonan has cemented his reputation for playing creepy so effectively, and here he’s more than unsettling as Mr. Ulman. How did you come to collaborate with him?

I cast him as the “horror host” in my first film, The Roost. I have always been a big fan and he lived right down the street from Glass Eye Pix in New York. One day we just stopped him on the street and gave him the script. He liked it, and after that we just enjoyed working together. I hope to do it again soon; he is a fantastic actor.

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5. We picked The House of the Devil as having the best poster art of 2009, for its awesome retro-video look. Then we received a copy of the film on VHS in a retro clamshell package, with a Gorgon video sticker on it. Whoa! How did you pull that off? How do you even find a place that manufactures VHS these days?

I could tell you…But then I’d have to kill you. [According to the film's P.R. department, the idea was from someone in marketing, but beyond that I couldn't get any info. -Dave]

6. According to the IMDb, you requested to have your name taken off of Cabin Fever 2. So what was the major malfunction?

That’s a really long story. The film was partially re-shot and completely re-edited from what I intended. I don’t feel comfortable taking credit or blame for it because it is no longer my film. It is a product of the producers, editors and executives. So if you like it, thank them.

7. You’ve dabbled in several different styles of horror film, so what’s next on the agenda? Tell us about your ghost story, The Haunting in Georgia.

Loose lips sink ships. I don’t like talking about what’s next until it happens. I should have some exciting announcements soon enough…

Danse Macabre

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We often talk about “horror in all its forms” in Rue Morgue, and here’s a great example of how widespread the genre has become.

Roadkill is a dance theatre production by an Aussie trio called Splintergroup, which is currently touring and will hit Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre from February 3rd to 6th. Can’t say I’m much of a theatre or dance guy, but after looking at some of the pics (I’ve posted a few below), I’m intrigued. And damn, look at the pipes on the female member of the group. She could punch that car so hard it would turn into a pile of Hot Wheels. Nice.

Here’s the rundown, according to the website:

A couple stranded in the outback discover the greatest danger isn’t isolation.

This unsettling piece of dance theatre by the trio Splintergroup is a manic ride down the highway of misconceptions about the heart of Australia. A couple is stranded in the outback with a car that won’t start, a phone that doesn’t work and a stranger who seems a little too eager to help them out.

Using unorthodox physicality and intense drama, roadkill is part road movie and part excavation into the urban legends and paranoia that surround the outback – a place where backpackers disappear and the ghosts of original land owners and lost explorers still haunt the bush.

And now some more photos (these ones are by Jeff Busby, the one above is by Tim Page).

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Here’s a video of the performance:

For ticket prices, go here and click on the performance date you’re interested in.

And don’t forget to enter our contest to win tickets.

Hammer Time!

Following their cover art poll for the re-release of Night of the Creeps, Sony is asking you, the Mighty Consumer, to pick you favourite cover for its upcoming Columbia Classics release of Icons of Suspense: Hammer set.

Put yer grubby two cents in here (hit the “Vote” button in the Poll section).

The choices:

1. “Knife Art”

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2. “Phone Art”

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3. “Noose Art”

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Exclusive Pictures from Body Worlds

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Recently, the Rue Crew was invited to visit the Body Worlds exhibit that’s currently on here in Toronto, at the Ontario Science Centre. We’re big fans of Body Worlds and the way in which it marries the artistic and the scientific in order to help us learn about our bodies and, of course, explore our natural morbid curiosities about death and dying. They even allowed me to take exclusive shots (normally there is no photography permitted) in the exhibit, so we could show you what you’re in for.

You’ll see some of those pics below, but first I also want to point out that Centre is hosting a sketch night, which is amazing, not just if you’re an artist interested in, um, boning, up on your anatomy, but want reference material for any artwork or special effects involving the human body coming apart. Imagine how accurate the zombie disemboweling in your indie movie could be if you knew for sure how much sheep intestines to use or where to put the fake the lungs. Har har…

More details:

Inside the Body Worlds exhibition, you will have the opportunity to sketch the exhibit, along with live models. This is an evening of anatomy and art. As an added bonus, we will have instructors at each model station to share their expertise. Join colleagues from the world of art for the Ontario Science Centre’s

*Please note: no easels will be permitted; sketch pads only; approved dry mediums only (no liquids)

Tuesday, February 9
Tuesday, February 16
6:00-8:00 p.m.
& 8:00-10:00 p.m.

Choose your time slot for the exhibition, but you are free to network from 6:00-10:00 p.m.
in the Body Worlds Lounge either before or after your ticketed time. $21 per person. Restricted to ages 19+

Phone: 416-696-1000 and quote promo code XXXX

And now some pictures from Body Worlds…

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Good to See Pumpkinhead’s Still Working

“Ed Harley, you need more bran in your diet!”

(Thanks, Angie!)

Does This Mean I Can Forget Seeing Rob Zombie Films?

“New research suggests we may be able to erase traumatic memories.”

Flesh Roasting Over an Open Fire

The holiday season is over, the tree taken down, knotted Christmas lights return to their basement dwellings and those damned carols have finally ceased to make our ears bleed and tempers flare. That doesn’t make this gingerbread house (err, church?) any less cool, though. Nicholas Daley and friends made this zombie apocalypse interpreted through ginger bread and sweets for an office competition. Check out the link for more pictures and the shocking conclusion of the contest.

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Seriously, how cool is this?

http://www.geekdo.com/t474706/lhread/ast-night-on-earth-gingerbread-house

A few words about Chas. Balun. Rest In Peace.

Here.

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