ED- The Eerie Digest is very pleased to introduce noted Writer/ Director Adam Green to our legions of readers. Adam your films are the type that thrills our fans the most. What was the factor that led you into film making? We understand that your first works were creating commercials.
AG- When I was eight years old I saw E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL. That day was pretty much the moment I decided that all I wanted to do with my life was make movies. As early as I can remember I was always writing my own original stories, using my Star Wars action figures to recreate scenes, and making my own short films once I was able to get my hands on a video camera in High School. There was just something about how E.T. touched me emotionally where I started pondering how it was that something that I knew was not real could affect me so strongly, and I became infatuated with learning more about how to do that.
ED- What was your first film, and can you tell us something about it?
AG- My first film ever was called STONE COLD CRAZY and it essentially involved a killer hand that chased down and murdered all of my friends who wanted to be in the movie. I made about 8 STONE COLD CRAZY movies but they were really only made to entertain my friends at sleep over’s and stuff. I don’t even know if I still have them anywhere.ED- What inspired you to delve into the genre of horror movies?
AG- I had an older brother who showed me all the great slashers when I was very, very little. I always loved the magic show of the effects and the cool mythology behind each of the villains. Horror is like a drug where once you get a taste of it you kind of become addicted with trying to find that next scare or that obscure film that you somehow have never seen or heard of before. It’s also a very unique genre in that it makes you feel “fear”- something that is not usually part of your real life. You can watch most any other type of movie and feel things that you feel in your daily personal life, but with horror it is pure true escapism. At no point in someone’s real life will they ever be chased through a swamp by a deformed undead madman with a gas powered belt sander, and that is what makes horror such fun to watch and experience.
ED- Your film ‘Hatchet’ is considered ‘The next icon of horror’. Tell us about the film and the story behind it.
AG- The whole story behind HATCHET is told in full detail on the DVD’s special features, but the most interesting aspect of it all is how I came up with the “Victor Crowley” character when I was just a little kid at summer camp. 20-something years later, there I was in a swamp actually making the movie. It’s something every kid dreams of and for me I was able to make it all come true. HATCHET is a fun slasher film in the vein of the great horror films I grew up loving. Films where it was all about fun and over the top cool special effects as opposed to the mean spirited, torture, and disturbing horror of the past decade. I think that’s why the movie became such a huge success. A lot of other horror fans felt the same way that I did and they embraced HATCHET when it came out as if it were finally a movie made for them in the middle of all of the remakes, PG13 horror-light, and torture porn that was coming out at that time.
ED- Tell us all about the cast in this film.
AG- The cast includes Kane Hodder (Jason), Robert Englund (Freddy), and Tony Todd (Candyman) who every horror fan worth their blood splatters knows are the greatest icons of our generation. Surrounding them are a young cast of truly funny and amazingly talented young actors who were all fans of the genre and brought everything they had to the table. Most notable is the lead actor Joel David Moore who went on to star in AVATAR right after HATCHET. I know how to pick ‘em!
ED-What special effects were featured in this film and how did you create them?
AG- All effects were created the old school way, meaning latex and in-camera effects as opposed to cartoonish CGI that most movies use these days. It was nice to see true artists get their work on the screen again rather than something created by a computer that doesn’t even look real. The greatest effect we pulled off was a single shot 360 degree face rip-in-half that had audiences on their feet cheering in the theaters. I don’t think anyone had ever seen anything like it, especially without the use of CGI.
ED- We have learned that a sequel to this film, ‘Hatchet II’ is in production. Please let our readers know more about it.
AG- The sequel starts off right where the first one ended. It is 10X the movie that the first one was and features some of the greatest and most brutal death scenes ever put on film as well as a truly compelling storyline that is much more dramatic and darker than what the first HATCHET movie had. The same people who made the first film all came back to make the sequel, which is rare in this industry. But that just shows how much we love it. It will hit US theaters in September.
ED- You also worked on the films ‘Frozen’ and ‘Spiral’. Can you tell us something about them?
AG- SPIRAL and FROZEN are both vastly different from HATCHET. SPIRAL is an arthouse psychodrama and FROZEN is a dramatic survival thriller. I like to make different kinds of movies and by making those films after HATCHET it made it more comfortable for me to step back into the HATCHET world and make the sequel without the fear of being pigeonholed into just one type of genre. Had I done HATCHET 2 immediately after HATCHET 1, I may have been stuck as just being the “slasher” guy forever. It’s a tough business like that.
ED- It is also rumored that ‘Hatchet III’ and ‘Hatchet IV’ may be lurking around the corner. Can you give us a hint about those possibilities?
AG- They will definitely happen as Victor Crowley has become a force to be reckoned with all over the world. As to what my involvement will be with those projects, it is still too early to say at this point. It will all come down to timing and my availability based on my other projects.
ED- You also acted in films and did some work on television. Tell us about this venue and how it had an effect on your own films.
AG- I believe every director should spend some time in front of the camera because nothing is going to help you communicate better with your actors than actually understanding what they do. Just like every good director should know how to write, light, shoot, and edit… how do you expect to be a good leader if you don’t even understand how to do the positions you are commanding?
ED- Adam, what other projects are you looking towards in the near future?
AG- HATCHET 2 will open in theaters this Fall and then I have a romantic comedy that I’ve been trying to find the time to shoot which should hopefully get off the ground shortly and another horror film set up to roll shortly on the heels of that one. I’m also in the works on two different studio films which I can’t discuss publicly yet.
ED- Adam, you have become one of the most notable names in the cinema today, and in particular the genre of horror films. We thank you for sharing your time with us and hope that you will join us again with news of you newest projects.
Tags: Adam Green, Director
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