*You may recognize the name Joshua Hull from the successful film, Beverly Lane. Beverly Lane won Joshua a “Best Emerging Filmmaker” award at this year’s Golden Cob Awards. Beverly Lane also appeared on several “Best Indie Film” lists at the end of 2011. J. Travis Grundon is also recognizable as he is quite the accomplished author and screenwriter. His work has been published in Forrest J Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead, the Silven Trumpeter, the Tecumseh Review, Scars, Paracinema, Twisted Dreams and The Monsters Next Door magazine. Travis also wrote one of the screenplays for The Collective Volume 1.
These two talented guys have teamed up to bring you an extraordinary film called Terms, which will begin shooting in June. I recently spoke to Joshua and Travis on the phone and we discussed Terms… sort of. The duo is keeping a lot of details secret, but in the interview they let enough information slip to peak my interest. I think it will peak your interest too. Terms promises to have strong characters, an awesome concept, thought and emotion provoking outcomes, and much more. So, read my interview with Joshua Hull and J. Travis Grundon below. It’s long, but you get to say you learned about the movie here first, exclusively at HorrorSociety.com.
“Like” Terms on Facebook by clicking here.
…on the concept and change of style:
Joshua: [We] sort of got the concept at the tail end of the whole Idiot Gore debacle, when that fell apart. Since Idiot Gore was really along the lines of being horror-comedy as well, similar to Beverly Lane – it had a lot of the same cast members of Beverly [Lane], I got the idea for Terms at the tail end of that whole thing. What really drew me to it was the fact that it was 100% different than Beverly [Lane] and Idiot Gore. There was so much built up hostility and anger behind what happened with that movie that I wanted to do something serious and a complete turn that no one would really expect from a guy who made a movie about sacrificing vaginas. The ideas came up, popped in my head and I ran with it in a matter of three-week. I pitched it to Travis [Grundon] about two days after I got the idea and within three weeks, I think, he had the first draft done. It was a real quick turn around. That’s why I wanted to go completely 100% different in style tone and genre overall.
Why are plot details so slim?
Joshua: The plot… We’re doing our best to dance around the plot. We’ll have to give it away eventually. We’ve already given a little bit out. It’s set in a hospital. It’s based around a group of teenagers who basically have a friendship, they strike a pact together. Things don’t always go as planned with them. It’s hard to give exactly what it’s about without giving the plot away. And we’re trying not to do that because it’s such an original idea that we want to keep that top-secret and keep all the details as thin as possible.
Travis: All of the clues are there. If you sat down and looked at all the pieces, all the little subtle hints… I’m not saying it won’t take a few minutes, but they’re given away.
…on references to other slasher films in Terms:
Travis: Even on the Facebook page it says it’s a drama-slasher, slasher-drama, I forget which order it is when I wrote it. There’s obviously going to be nods to other slashers, sort of ‘see who catches this’ sort of things.
…on filming locations in Terms:
Joshua: It’s one location. That’s the entire location. It’s a four store hospital that we get to shoot in. The entire film takes place in this hospital.
When does Terms gear up for production?
Joshua: We’re going to start shooting in June. We were originally planning on April, but dealing with a few of the casting schedules and dealing with the roles going with the teens; not necessarily that they’re all teens…We don’t want to deal with college schedules or school schedules so we’re just going for summer so we can knock it all out without having to work around school schedules.
What is the biggest stand out quality of this movie?
Travis: Characters. I think this is one of the most character driven horror/slasher films. I’ve talked to other people about working on other things and I’ve watched a lot of horror movies. I think people are going to get a hold of the characters because I think that moves the story along. You don’t get to know the characters now in [PG13 Hollywood horror]. I don’t think there’s a single throwaway character. I don’t think there’s one throwaway character. Even people who are in it for five seconds pretty much have some sort of pivotal role [that is] very intricate to the story.
Joshua: I 100% agree with the characters aspect because that’s the thing we set out to do. We wanted to make a very character driven film, first off.
…to clear up the hospital situation:
Joshua: It’s actually not an abandoned mental hospital; [Terms] is set in a working hospital. These are all patients in a hospital so that adds a little bit to it. In real life it’s an empty hospital. They left everything in this hospital. All the pieces of the real life hospital are there; but it’s a real life working medical facility in the film.
…on viewer reactions:
Joshua: It’s going to shock people. It’s definitely going to surprise people. There’s going to be some offended people, but we expect that. It’s fine. I may be giving too much away now.
Travis: You definitely won’t be able to unwatch it and forget you saw it.
…on turning Terms into a book:
Travis: I took the script and fleshed it out more into a novel and I’m going to try and coincide that with the release of the movie. It took about a week. I wasn’t doing anything else but that and hanging out with my kid. I don’t mess around when I set my mind to do something.
…on confidence with the script:
Joshua: I was very caught off guard with how quick I got the script. Travis [Grundon] told me it would be very quick, but I did not expect how quickly that it happened. We went from a three line pitch to preproduction in less than a month; it was that good of a script that I felt 100% confident just moving forward and going off of that script. We’re doing a rewrite, but his script is the final script. There are some changes here and there, but I was very surprised, but very excited and happy about it.
…on whether the Beverly Lane audience will love Terms:
Joshua: I’m hoping and throwing the deck at that like, “Come on. You guys liked the last one.” I learned a lot with Beverly [Lane] – how not to do [something], what to do, etc. We skipped distribution with Beverly [Lane]. We had some opportunities, but we chose to self distribute. I will not do that again, ever. I think that’s really hampered getting the movie out there more. We only have such a reach with our fan base and the fan page and everything. [We’re] really placing a lot of hope and aspiration with this film on concept. I think the concept alone will attract distributors. I think it’s going to be out to more people. I do think the success of Beverly [Lane] will help this get made a lot easier than Idiot Gore. A big difference between the two films is the budget size of both films and the cast that we were going after for that and the cast we’re going after for this. We’re not going for any real known people. I’ve said it time and time again, the concept is the star of Terms, not the cast. The cast will bring it to life and they’re going to knock it out of the park, but everything is going to be based off the concept.
Does the title have anything to do with the plot?
Joshua: Multiple… It’s called Terms for multiple reasons.
Travis: I think it’s three reasons, actually.
Joshua: Yeah. One I can say is the terms of the pact that they make. That would be one. Can you give away one, Travis, without giving away anything?
Travis: I don’t know what to say.
Joshua: It’s very clear-cut once [it’s out] and it’s kind of shitty to just not really tell the plot right now because I know it leaves you in the dark sort of. We can’t really reveal what the true title reference is yet because that will literally give the entire movie away.
…are the characters already dead?
Joshua: [laughs] No, the characters are not dead.
Travis: I think it might be safe to say that a lot of the movie deals with coming to terms.
…so the characters aren’t dead and coming to terms with the situation?
Travis: I can’t confirm or deny that. [laughs]
…on genre points in Terms:
Joshua: We’re bringing Asian horror to the Midwest. I will say that. The film has a very Asian horror feel to it. I think that’s pretty safe to say.
Travis: Not in the long black-haired girl in the well sort of way…
Joshua: In that kind of extreme concept… One of the biggest influences on the film is Battle Royale. Not a huge influence, but that was how I pitched it was Battle Royale meets The Breakfast Club. Travis summed it up in terms of Girl Interrupted meets A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warrior.
Travis: Those references say a lot, I think. People who have seen all four films, put the pieces together. And I’m perfectly fine being cryptic.
Are there any aspects of the film that are definitely locked in?
Joshua: We’ll be releasing stills. We have an onset photographer who’s already brainstorming ideas and effects and some stuff we’re going to do like giveaways. We’ll have clues to certain things where you can get clues to pieces of the puzzle. It’s going to be a very interactive preproduction/production phase even going into postproduction. I want people to feel involved with the production phase of the film. As far as for sures, we’re shooting in the hospital. That’s going to be fun to have this four story hospital at our disposal. Some of the cast and crew that we have are pretty phenomenal. [I’m] really looking forward to working with the returning Beverly [Lane] cast and the casting process with the rest of these characters.
Can we look forward to cameos from you two?
Joshua: I will not because I don’t put myself on camera. I have this weird phobia whenever I’m on my camera. We haven’t talked about it, but I’d like a little cameo by Travis on there. I think it would be fun.
Travis: I don’t know. I’ve got a face for radio.
Joshua: I will not be; yet to be determined for Travis.
…on special feature ideas?
Travis: There will be a lot of special features stuff with what we talked about.
Joshua: We’re planning a pretty heavy behind the scenes documentary that we will start from day one. It will start with the casting call and go all the way to the end. It will be pretty in-depth.
…on fan responses so far:
Travis: All the social media interactions with it and the contests. And the subtle hint dropping and things like that. It really feels like people are jumping on this already and are really interested with this whole buzz. Just kind of pulling them with us and when we finally get them to where we’re pulling them they’ll be like, ”Ooooh.” They’ll be really happy or really pissed at us.
…on expected fan reactions to Terms:
Joshua: My favorite thing so far is telling people to like the page and they like it having no idea what they’re liking. I feel so dirty sometimes because the people I know who are liking this movie – I can’t wait to see their face when this thing comes out. They have no idea what they’re liking. They have no idea what they’re getting themselves into essentially.
Travis: A lot of people I know who are liking it and sharing it, I’m thinking, “Oh man you’re in for a surprise.”
Is it that bad?
Travis: It’s not. I wouldn’t say it’s Human Centipede or [something], but it’s sure as Hell thought-provoking.
Joshua: It’s definitely going to raise some eyebrows. There’s definitely going to be some controversy. I think there will be. I don’t know how Travis feels about that. I think there will specifically be some groups who will be offended, but it’s not like we’re making the movie just to raise eyebrows. We’re both 100%, 200% passionate about this idea and want to get it out there mainly because we love the idea so much that if you don’t like it that’s fine; we’ll watch the movie over and over again. It’s going to raise some eyebrows, it’s not for everybody. I think it will be one of those movies that really catches on.
Travis: I don’t think it’s going to be the sort of thing where people are throwing up. The people who get pissed off need to put their big boy or big girl pants on and just realize – it’s life.
Joshua: It’s life. It’s based off a real… It hits home, really. It hits home for some people. The best horror films are the ones that hit you, that make you feel something. The horror films that stir up and cause reaction are the ones that did something right. This one is drama first and really character driven built off of the drama and built off the characters and then we just throw blood on top of that.
Travis: It’s all 100% realistic in my opinion. There isn’t supernatural phenomenal woooo… It’s relatable even if you’re not in the same boat. People can still be like, “Oh, I never thought of that. That could happen.”
Joshua: Anybody who watches this film knows somebody who is going through something similar to this movie. I cannot say who it will most likely offend because it will give tons of stuff away.
Travis: Fair minded people will be offended.
Joshua: I cannot say the groups, but I will say Travis and I, and we’re the two behind it, we know people who have gone through some of the stuff. So if we can do it, everyone else can do it – get through it. I cannot reveal who will be a little offended or pissed off.
Travis: I know one person who I thought would be pissed off. I was talking to them about it, bouncing ideas, and they actually weren’t pissed off.
Joshua: I think people will understand. I know we’re still kind of giving you the run around.
…more on the puzzle aspect of plot reveal:
Joshua: It’s all part of the puzzle. If you read long enough into our responses, you might be able to start piecing things together here and there.
Travis: Not too sound like a whore, but if you follow us on Twitter, like the page on Facebook, and everything there, we’re dropping hints that are unbelievable.
Joshua: One of the big, huge plot devices was the hospital. Us dropping that was huge. It was like a baby learning to walk for us. Do we want to put that out there or do we wait? We’re both paranoid that people will figure it out. At the same time, it’s exciting and it’s fun to think that people are actually trying to figure out just what the hell the movie is about already and we’re four months, five months away from shooting.
Travis: In a way that’s pretty awesome, too. From the respect that I don’t like when people just tell me everything. I want to be surprised when I go into watching a movie.
Joshua: When we do a screening of this movie, everyone who came to see Beverly [Lane], if they do, they’ll be in for some kind of surprise. And I think that’s the way going to the movies should be. It’s what Travis just said. There’s no reason why I should know everything about The Dark Night Rises six months before it comes out. Does that mean I won’t go see it? No, I’ll be there at midnight. But, we got to get back to the element of surprise and I know the internet has kind of ruined that. JJ Abrams is brilliant at keeping things secret and having that surprise element. And that’s sort of what we’re going towards here, to add that surprise element and have people wanting to know so much about it that they’re willing to like the page, go watch the movie, see the trailer, share the trailer. It’s not that we’re trying to make your job hard, Michael. We’re trying to make our job not so hard.
Travis: I think people who read my stuff know I don’t really pull punches. I don’t make a lot of apologies for anything I write. I write realistically. I like to make people think. I like character driven stuff. I think people will still be surprised by this. It will have all those elements. No punches pulled, character driven, and no apologies and at the same time people are going to like it. Even people who don’t think they’re going to, they’re going to realize, “Oh, I was thinking about this movie the other day.” I was going to use the term sleeper, but in the way it’s not what I mean. It’s going to be one of those movies that you can’t stop thinking about after you watch it. In my opinion, I think it’s going to have a lot of that impact.
Joshua: We’re both fathers. It’s not like we’re heartless bastards. We’re telling the story because we’re passionate about it. I think people are going to like it. I’m excited.
…on free give aways:
Joshua: If you wanted to share the give aways on the page right now that would be awesome. Travis is giving away a copy of his book once we hit 200 fans. Jabb Pictures stepped up and are giving away The Collective v1 and v2 once we hit 250 [fans]. I might give away a copy of Beverly [Lane] once we get to 300 [fans]. It’s a good way to get free stuff with just a simple little like.
*Speaking of the give aways and all the hint dropping online, let me give you the link to the page you need to know. “Like” Terms on Facebook by clicking here. You can also “Follow” Joshua on Twitter here and Travis here. I encourage you to look around. Maybe you’ll discover something. I know I have found something new post-interview… I think? Thank you Joshua and Travis for taking nearly 40 minutes to talk with me about Terms. It was an interesting chat and my interest in Terms has definitely been peaked. Hopefully this will make everyone head on over to Facebook and see what clues they can find.
Also, click here if you want to listen to an MP3 of our conversation.
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