Roy Hayes – Living Dead Reviews – LDR) “Hatchet” is getting rave reviews all over the net and I’m really stoked about seeing it. Could you give a brief synopsis and when do you think it’ll be in theaters?
Adam Green – AG)“Hatchet” is an old school slasher film for a smarter and hungrier audience. In the late 70’s and 80’s (the stuff that I grew up on and love the most) we had some great villains to both fear and cheer for. We had lots of wonderful in-camera gore, shocking make-up FX, and a magician’s wizardry to how we were fooled into believing what we were looking at was more than just a bunch of rubber and fake blood. However, admittedly, those films didn’t have too much respect for their audiences in terms of delivering a good script, solid performances, and an intelligent ride. Eventually those movies beat themselves to death. But in the 90’s “Scream’ brought it back around again in a major way because it finally delivered a great script, real actors, and a very witty way of telling an old story. Unfortunately, in the post-“Scream” era, our genre became a launching pad for the WB network teen stars and Hollywood, desperate for that coveted PG-13 rating, took out all of the stuff that made a horror movie a HORROR movie. Nowadays- we are very rarely offered what we crave. It comes in the form of senseless remakes or torture films that pride themselves on ad campaigns claiming each one is “more depraved” than the last one. Look, I love horror films period. From “Halloween” to “Urban Legend” to “Saw” there’s something good in all of them. But “Hatchet” is my love letter to the genre I grew up on- all done my own way. It intentionally has everything you’d expect- but it’s done in a new way in a tone that is uniquely my own. It’s got a fucking GREAT monster villain that will scare the shit out of you, all in-camera FX that actually look good (no CG in this movie), creative death sequences, extreme gore, and gratuitous nudity…all delivered within a story that has nothing but respect for it’s audience’s integrity. It’s funny without spoofing, it’s smart, and it’s extremely well acted. It’s the horror film that I always wanted to see.
The gist is that a haunted swamp tour in the Louisiana bayou (yes, they really do those) goes horribly wrong and one of the local legends turns out to be true. Just when you’re getting to really laugh along with and love the cast- they start going to pieces, literally. After the unbelievable festival run we’ve had and the amazing reviews the film has garnered, there was a heated period of bidding on the film. I’m not allowed to say who got it until they formally announce it- but it’s very exciting as this is not the place that is typically known for big theatrical horror flicks. They tell me to expect to see it in theaters in early 2007- most likely March.
LDR) I recently meet Kane Hodder and thought he was a blast! How was it working with him and was he your first choice for the role?
AG)Kane was the very first actor I met with and I attached him before we even had every last piece of funding in place for the movie. He can play these kinds of roles like no other. I don’t think it takes brilliance for a stunt man to put on a monster suit and chase people around…but the difference with Kane Hodder is that he is an ACTOR who can do his own stunts. He’s not going through the motions- he’s living through them. He brought so much emotion and life to the character of ‘Victor Crowley’ that it’s just floored people. One great thing about “Hatchet” is that we don’t hide him from the audience. When he makes his entrance- it’s right in your face. A lot of slasher films keep the villain in shadows or hidden until the very end. Ours was strong enough that we didn’t have to. The second he comes on screen he commands your respect and you give it to him. And let’s not forget that Kane also plays the role of ‘Mr. Crowley’ in a flashback. He’s a sensitive, caring man and he even has to do a brief scene where he cries on screen. At Austin’s Fantastic Fest- Kane Hodder won the jury prize for ‘Best Actor’ in the festival. So for those who only know him from his ‘Jason” days and think of him as a stunt man…get ready to think again.
LDR) Do you think that Victor Crowley can reach the same iconic status that Michael, Jason, or Freddy has?
AG)Wow. That’s a tough question to answer. Though that is already the early word on the street, I just don’t know. I mean, the film hasn’t even come out yet and critics and fans are calling Victor Crowley the next icon. Harry Knowles from ‘Ain’t It Cool News’ actually said that “Victor Crowley could skull-thrust Jason” which I thought was a riot. We already have offers for action figures, Halloween masks, toys…you name it. However as a horror fan, in my honest opinion, an icon is made over time- not over night. Look, I’ve known Victor Crowley for two decades and I worked for years to get this movie made- so I’m flattered that people look to ‘Crowley’ as a POTENTIAL icon…but we still have a few more years to go before that title can be graciously accepted. I think the horror community is just hungry for a new character to latch on to. If this is it- awesome. But let it be known, I didn’t set out to create the next “icon” or become the guy carrying the torch to keep the American slasher alive. I’m just a dude who made the movie I wanted to see so it’s hard to accept those kinds of accolades.
LDR) You’re getting ready to start on a new film right? What’s it about? Is it another horror film or are you branching out? Can you tell me a little bit about it?
AG)After “Hatchet” I co-directed a drama called “Spiral” with Joel David Moore (the lead actor in “Hatchet” and one of my most favorite people in the world). It’s a dark but beautifully moody film about a dysfunctional and troubled artist who makes friends with a girl at work and begins painting her. However, as he gets closer and closer with her, there’s something horrific unlocking in his mind about his past. Something he is too psychologically messed up to understand if it really happened or not. We just finished it and it will start screening at film festivals world wide in late winter most likely. But right now I am gearing up to shoot my romantic comedy “God Only Knows” (yes, you heard me right- romantic comedy) which starts shooting in January back in my hometown in New England. It’s a hilarious story of two people who fall in love from opposite religious faiths. What makes it so different from a traditional romantic comedy is that it’s so honest and often very rude. I also think that most romantic comedies are geared towards the LIFETIME audience, where it’s more of a romance with a few little laughs than a true COMEDY. “God Only Knows” is the type of movie your girlfriend will drag you to see, but then you’re gonna wind up laughing your ass off while she’s a little bit shocked by it. And the cast I’ve assembled is friggin SWEET. I can’t wait to announce it in a few more weeks. I have more horror coming down the pipe, but I hope that in the meantime
fans of “Hatchet” can respect that I have many stories to tell and I’m not only a horror filmmaker.
LDR) I’m a huge slasher movie fan and was wondering what your favorite slasher movie is? What do you think about “The Burning” and “Madman” (which are two of my favorites)?
AG)My favorite slasher movie is “Halloween” as it’s the holy grail of slashers in my opinion. It’s truly frightening (come on, the scene where Loomis pulls up to the sanitarium in the rain and all of the crazy people are standing around outside in their hospital gowns??!) and it is perfectly shot and executed. I also feel that as a franchise, the “Halloween” sequels sucked the least. I mean, until Busta Rhymes- the “Halloween” sequels were at least watchable. I had not seen “The Burning” or “Madman” until I was on the festival circuit for “Hatchet” and people kept comparing “Hatchet” to them. I suppose had I seen those back in the day I’d like them more- but it’s really hard to see those movies in this day and age for the first time and get into them. “Madman” especially was tough to get through. I was actually kind of insulted by my friend who said it would be a good double feature with “Hatchet”. But I think when people say that, they just mean “in spirit and set up”- not in the quality of the films. I know when I show someone something like “Mother’s Day” (one of my favorites) they are usually bored and unimpressed and I wind up saying “Well…I guess you had to be there.” With “Madman” and “The Burning” I guess I had to be there and I only wish I had seen them back in the day. I can tell you that in pre-production on “Hatchet” my D.P. and I looked at films like “Friday the 13th 2”, “Shaun Of The Dead”, and “The Exorcist 3” for inspiration. In fact, there’s a scene in “Hatchet” involving a long, long, long locked down wide shot with a moving bush that is ALMOST a direct lift from “The Exorcist 3”.
LDR) What director would you say has influenced you the most in terms of how you direct?
AG)Steven Spielberg. Weird to say since I just did a splatter, gorefest…but I think when you watch “Hatchet” it’s so obvious how much I have been inspired by Spielberg. The way he introduces his characters, the huge score, the timing, and the pacing…he is the master storyteller and everything I strive to be as both an artist and a human being. I saw “E.T.” when I was 8 and I knew I wanted to make films. In fact, I saw “Jurassic Park” 6 times in the theater opening weekend when it came out. I love “Jurassic Park” so much that I had the composer for “Hatchet” (Andy Garfield- amazing composer by the way) base our score off of that one. We’ve seen the creepy, backwoods, few note scores in these slasher movies a million times. I was like “make it BIGGER! LOUDER! FUN! FUN! FUN!!!”
LDR) What do you think of all the remakes being churned out today? Do you think that “Halloween” should be redone?
AG)In all honesty I actually like some of the remakes. “Texas Chainsaw” was well done as was “Dawn of The Dead”. The thing to keep in mind is that there is a whole generation of new kids who are not as attached to the originals as we are and so for them, these remakes are a wonderful experience. For those of us who are purists, we hate seeing what we grew up on changed. But the sad truth is that Hollywood just wants pre-packaged titles, films with recognizable titles that could draw a crowd and be easily promoted to buy that opening weekend triumph of being able to say “The # 1 movie in America is WHEN A STRANGER CALLS!” Remember, at the end of the day- it’s all about money. Hollywood is a business first and foremost. That’s why the BEST original horror films have always been and always will be the independent ones. Those are the ones truly made by fans for fans. The indies do not cater towards statistics, testing, and ‘what else is hot right now’. I can tell you if someone pitched the original “Halloween” nowadays they’d say “no, there’s no torture or creepy Japanese kids crawling across things- it wouldn’t test well.” But a remake? Of course!
I was not happy when I heard that they were remaking “Halloween”…however I have worlds of faith in Rob Zombie. Not because I think his previous work speaks directly to “Halloween”, but because the guy is one of us. He’s not making horror films to make money, he’s making them because he loves them. So my fingers are crossed for him that he gets to do things his way and I support him 100%. He’s up against a tough wall because he knows so many of us are going to walk into that theater with our arms crossed, very skeptical. And you have to love the guy for saying “bring it on” and taking the challenge.
LDR) Personally, I’ve had it with all the PG13 “horror films” the big studios are putting out. What’s happened to the industry that makes it impossible to put out an R rated horror film?
AG)A lot of theaters are very strict and will actually card kids trying to get into “R” rated movies. When I was a kid we were always able to figure out a way to get around that, but apparently kids today are too lazy or retarded to figure it out. So Hollywood gears most horror films to be PG-13 so that they can open up on more screens and get more kids in the door. Again, it’s all about money. Then the DVD can be ‘unrated’ and have a whopping 3 extra seconds of a blood splat or something. Give me a break.
I can respect that there are different levels of horror. For instance, I’m not gonna rip on the “Goosebumps” series for being lame just because it doesn’t scare me. I’m not the audience- children are. So just like “Cannibal Holocaust” is for a certain tier of people…the American sequel to the Japanese horror remake of ‘The Grudge” is for a certain tier of people, too- and that’s fine by me. I just hate when they take a real “R” rated horror film and then change it to be PG-13 just to try and make more money. Or when they design a horror film to be PG-13 just for that reason. Some people like their horror “light” and that’s cool by me. But don’t take something that was intended for guys like me and then water it down just to try and make a few extra bucks. Respect your respective audiences.
I made “Hatchet” so that there is no way to cut it down to PG-13. In fact we’ll be lucky just to get the “R” from what I’m told. So kids… start figuring out how you’re gonna trick an adult to buy your ticket or how you’re gonna sneak in through an exit after the movie starts. If you’re not clever enough to find a way in- you’re not worthy of seeing it in the theater anyway.
LDR) What would be your dream project?
AG)Anything that could make me feel like I did when I first saw “E.T.” I’m constantly looking to find that magical script that I could direct and I’m always thinking of that perfect story I could write that would captivate every child and adult who saw it and make them believe in fairy tales again. But it’s like trying to capture lightning in a bottle and I don’t k
now if it will ever happen.
A more realistic goal is just to get the opportunity to work on a big, big film with a serious budget and not always have to just do the most with the nothing that I have to start with. It’s the same problem that every filmmaker is faced with, I’m not the first, but if you only knew how LITTLE we had to work with on “Hatchet” you’d be amazed that we even finished it, let alone that it actually turned out to be any good. It’s funny when regular movie fans watch something and say “I would have done _____” or “Why didn’t they do ______” or “I didn’t really like the ______” … do you think we’re not thinking the same thing? I still can’t watch “Hatchet” without cringing at all of the things I didn’t get to do that I planned on or all of the things that simply don’t look like how I wanted them to look because we just didn’t have enough time. No filmmaker at any budget level ever looks back at their work and says “Perfect! Wouldn’t change a single thing”. My dream project would be to at least have the chance at getting closer to feeling that way.
I thought of “Hatchet” when I was 8 years old and waited 2 decades to get the chance to make it. So in many ways- I guess you could say this was a dream project, too. Maybe every project is?
LDR) I personally thought that Fangoria’s Chainsaw Awards wasn’t taken as seriously as it should’ve been. What are your thoughts on the show? Were you there?
AG)Yes, I was there. I think for a first time out that they really did a good job with it. Next years will be even better and so on. The spirit was there and I’m sure they learned a lot for what they want to do differently next time. I can say that the after party was one of the best I’ve been to since the party after the premiere for “Old School”. Great food, great atmosphere, and great people.
LDR) What other things are you getting into in 2007?
AG)Well aside from shooting “God Only Knows” in January, I’m looking forward to the releases of “Hatchet” and “Spiral” and the promotional stuff that will come along with both of them. Looking further down the road I already have more projects starting than I can possibly handle. There are 4 different horror things I am presently involved with. 2 are graphic novels that I am attached to write and direct the big screen adaptations of, 1 is a super scary project I have been developing with Sean and Bryan Furst (“The Woods”, “The Matador”), and another is of course “Hatchet 2.” My production company (ArieScope Pictures) is also in talks to produce a horror film or two for some fresh up and coming horror talent that we believe in. Then there’s a comedy that I am developing with Adam Herz and his company (the “American Pie” films), a “drama/comedy” project I am in early talks to do with my childhood hero Dee Snider, and a TV show I am developing that Jack Black and his company are producing. Oh, and I recently just signed on to a really fun side project creating a series of short films for American Eagle Outfitters that will start showing up before movie trailers, in stores, on-line, and on TV next Fall. I’m super excited because I love making short films and AE has been unbelievably cool to work with. It’s not commercials – it’s literally just FUNNY short films that they are producing for their own use. And I am doing it with one of my best friends (Milo Ventimiglia- from “Heros” and “Rocky Balboa”) who is going to direct them.
And maybe I’ll sleep sometime in 2009
Thanks for your time Adam and we all here at HorrorSociety.com and Living Dead Reviews wish you the best!!
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Hatchet Official Website
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Thanks to the fine folks at Living Dead Reviews for this interview. Stay tuned for more from them in the future.
