Horror movies &stuff Interviews: Director Steven R. Monroe
Director Steven R. Monroe is slowly making a name for himself in the horror genre. Having directed films such as "It Waits", the upcoming "Left in Darkness", and the upcoming "Sasquatch Mountain" (formerly Devil on the Mountain)...Monroe talks with us about "Sasquatch Mountain" (which premiers on SCI-FI this fall), and also what it was like working with genre vet Lance Henriksen.
MR. H:I noticed on your IMDB profile it mentions you
were born in New York, same as me, only I was born
17 years after you (81). Were you also raised in New
York as well?? What are some of the major differences about the big apple now, compared to when you were growing up?
Steven:Yea, I was born in Flushing, Queens, my entire family are New Yorkers but we moved to Australia when I was 6 and then we moved to Los Angeles when I was 7 and a half, so for the most part I am a Los Angelian. But what I do really see as difference is, is that New
York is now a lot cleaner, not for the bad
necessarily, but when I was a kid, the city was pretty
shady in certain parts. I think that tourism had a big
effect on that, no one wanted to hang around 42nd
street back in the late 60's early 70's, now people
flock there in Bermuda shorts during the summer and
see re hashed Broadway plays because "A" list movie
stars are taking all the lead roles and trying to
prove that they can sing and dance. Post 9/11, again,
I think has created another new New York.
MR. H:You seem to be on a horror kick as of late,
you've directed "House of 9", "It Waits" (which was
a pretty good film by the way), "Left in Darkness"
which has yet to be released, and "Sasquatch
Mountain" which is more of a sci-fi/horror mix. Do
you like directing horror films, above directing
other genres of film, do you like it less, or about
the same?
Steven:Well House of 9 was not a horror film, it just
unfortunately was marketed that way, and that is why a
lot of horror fans hate it. It's a psychological
thriller, it is very violent, but it's not a horror
film at all. It is accused of copying Saw II, but were
in production in 2003 just before the original Saw was
even shot, but there is an onslaught of angry Internet
criticism for ripping off Saw 2 which actually was
shot an even longer time after we had finished the
film than the first Saw. It's kind of frustrating
actually that internet film critics did not even do
the homework to find out how long ago House of 9 was
shot before ripping into it and calling it a rip off.
The production info is even listed on the IMBD page,
it was screened at Cannes in May 2004. But sorry, to
answer your question, I just love directing, and I
love all Genre's except Romantic Comedy. I never
thought I would direct horror films, it just kind of
happened. I would love more than anything to do a
really good dramatic film. I believe drama is at the
core of every good film, even if it is a horror film
like the original Halloween, The Shining, The
Exorsist, Texas Chainsaw, or a great thriller like
Rosemary's Baby. Even when there is blood flying
around the room.... That to me is dramatic. It Waits
had it's moments. It was a really tough situation for
me all the way around, but there are some things about
that film that I am proud of.
MR. H:What do you as a director have to do differently
when directing a horror film as opposed to directing
a drama or an action picture?
Steven:I just think you have to have a good respect for the genre and what people want to see, then put your own fingerprint to it and work hard, but to start with, pray that you have a good script to work with, that is really the core of it. Obviously when you do a drama as opposed to a horror film, you don't have to worry about how the prosthetic will look or if the blood gag will work properly, just like you would not have to worry about how many cuts you need, and where to put the cameras to make the stunt as dynamic as possible when you do an action film. But I only look at
directing, as directing, just with different
challenges for different genres and different
projects.
MR. H:"Sasquatch Mountain" is the second film you've
directed Cerina Vincent in, the first being "It
Waits". Is she becoming to you what Samuel L.
Jackson is to Quentin Tarantino, like that one
person you have to include or try to include in any
future projects of yours?
Steven:Yes. I met Cerina on It Waits and immediately knew that she was so much more than just the beauty she is known as. She is a very talented actress that has not had the chance to really show people what she can do. Her dramatic beats are amazing, and her comedic timing fantastic. She is technically smart on the set too. I would love more than anything to, yes, not only continue to work with her the way you described, but mostly to direct her in a dramatic piece. We are working on that. Hopefully soon. You can't ask for a more focused actor than her.
MR. H:Tell us about "Left in darkness" which stars
Monica Keena, and Tim Thomerson. What's it about,
and when can we expect it to be released??
Steven:It's got a September 19th release date with Anchor Bay. It is a supernatural horror film about a college girl named Celia who goes to a huge frat party on her 21st birthday and her date slips her a very large amount of GHB in her beer. She not only gets gang
raped but she overdoses and then wakes up in an
altered state, still in the empty frat house, but the
party is still happening around her which she can see and hear in mirrors, etc... She is therefore trapped
between heaven and hell and has to fight her way to
heaven while being attacked and deceived by creatures
known as "soul eaters" that try and lure her to the
underworld where they drain her life memories as a
kind of feast. Sounds complicated...it is....Monica
is great, and now I have done 3 films with Tim
Thomerson who is just the coolest and also I was big
fan of his comedy when I was a teenager...I may have
just dated myself there.
MR. H:Ok let's get into "Sasquatch Mountain", what
did you set out to accomplish with this particular
film about the legendary Sasquatch??
Steven:Mostly to make an entertaining film that stayed true to the Bigfoot legend as we know it. It was clear to Michael Worth and I from day one that we were not
going to make an altered size, altered looking, and
altered legend Bigfoot film. I find it ridicules some
of the story lines in some of the Bigfoot movies, like
Sasquatch is a serial killer with huge fangs and claws
flying through trees and ripping victims to pieces.
Michael I both grew up seeing the famous Patterson
footage, so I wanted to stay real with that, so
Michael made it a protection of territory based thing,
and also I wanted to stay true to what we know
visually with the creature itself.
MR. H:What do you think sets this particular sasquatch
film apart from other previously released sasquatch
movies like "Abominable"?
Steven:Well I think that is pretty much what I described in the last answer. Michael and I just kept the mantra "kept it real".
MR. H:In "Sasquatch Mountain" a group of bank robbers
hide out in the Arinzona Mountains after a heist,
upon which they encounter the aforementioned
sasquatch. The premise is a pretty unusual one, is
the uniqueness of the story one of the things which
attracted you to this project?
Steven:Michael wrote a really tight and entertaining
screenplay. The bank robbers were one of the elements
I was attracted to. Michael really has a good way with
characters, pace, and action. The one thing that I
really made sure we got, was an ending that turned the
table and put our sympathy toward the animal, not the
humans, and you'll have to see the film to get that,
but I think we got it. That also was scripted very
well by Michael. There were several versions of the
end sequence and actually what we ended up with was
one of those really good mistakes that I made work.
MR. H:How bloody can we expect this film to be?? Is it
going to be a stalk and chase type of movie with
little amounts of blood and gore, or will it be a
total bloodbath??
Steven:You know what. It's not really bloody. Sorry. It's suspenseful, it's graphic, there is some blood, but it's not a bloodbath. Like I said, we don't have him ripping and shredding, but he does beat and smash
several people to death, and with a motive. Important
to remember as people get their expectations up about
this film is that it is true to the legend as we know
it. Michael worked closely with a very renowned
Bigfoot expert so we could be accurate. But that is
not to say it will not make horror fans happy. If you
did NOT like "Abominable", or "Sasquatch Hunters" you
will probably really like this. If you liked "Legend
of Boggy Creek", you will probably like this. If you
are a true Bigfoot fan, you will really like this. The
poster says "Believe The Legend", that is perfect for
this film. The opening sequence is kind of our version
of the Patterson footage from the life of Lance
Hendricksen's character, Chase Jackson.
MR. H:One of the things I noticed about his film is
you actually shot it in Arizona which is where the
story takes place. What was it like shooting a movie
there? Because I read that another horror film
currently shooting there the crew had a few problems
with the locals.
Steven:You know, I didn't personally have any problems, I had problems with our own production, but everyone in Flagstaff and Williams Arizona seemed pretty excited we were shooting there. But I was so busy trying to finish the film on our short schedule that I probably did not notice.
MR. H:Are you planning a sequel to "Sasquatch
Mountain"? Or will this film be a one shot deal??
Steven:I would love to. We'll have to see how this one
does, and we'll have to see who wants to finance the
next one, if that comes to life.
MR. H:What was behind your decision to cast Lance
Henriksen into the movie?? What was it like working
with a film veteran like Lance?
Steven:Well his name was put to me by the producers with a few other "names" that I felt were really wrong, and I said "hell yea, let's try to get Lance". He ended up really liking the script so he signed on. Lance was a total pro, and brought so much to the film and his character. He cares about everything and everyone on the film. It's really a joy to deal with him as a director when so many people can just ruin a film with being difficult. He showed up knowing the script and his character, and showed up to work. He enhanced every scene he was in, and enhanced everyone in the scene with him, because he cares. It makes a huge difference. I just wish we had more than one week with him.
MR. H:How did you guys do the monster in this movie??
CGI, creature FX, or did you have an actor in
costume?? Or was it a combination of all three??
Steven:It was a full suit. Wade Rikert built it with a very minimal budget, very minimal, and we basically just studied real pictures and illustrations of Bigfoot, and they built it. It was in several pieces, a main suit like if you were wearing a jump suit and then separate feet and separate hands and a separate head. Tiny Ron was our actor in the suit, he is like 7 foot 4 or bigger. He was a real trooper. But he just took on a bit of primate movements that I wanted, and I
told him to walk just like the Bigfoot in the
Patterson footage, and he became our Sasquatch. I did
not want CG because I felt we would loose the "real"
look I wanted to carry, which as I mentioned before,
really letting the audience see Bigfoot the way we all
have seen it, documentary footage, photos, drawings...If I CG'ed it I could not have the freedom to play with focus and camera movement like I did. And it just would not have flowed the same as a fellow primate. Oops, hope I did not offend the Intelligent Design crowd.
MR. H:Were there any specific modifications made to
the bigfoot creature in your movie?? Did you opt to
change anything about his look, size, or
mannerisms??
Steven:No, wanted to "keep it real". As real as we know from what we know.
MR. H:Ok so you've done some B horror films, are
there any major studio horror films lined up for
Steven Monroe to direct??
Steven:Working on it. Several things in the works, but no offers from major studios yet.
MR. H:Name your ultimate dream project when it comes
to a horror film. Would it be a sequel to one of the
big franchises like "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare
on Elm Street"? What would be your dream cast in the
picture??
Steven:It would not be a sequel. And it would surely not be a remake. Those classics need to be left as they are. I don't care how different the technology is now. I would like it to have the class, originality, and impact of The Exorcist which to this day I believe was one of the greatest films ever made. They just don't make films like that any more. There is a lot of
flash, a lot of FX and a lot of money spent these
days, that all can make people think they are seeing
something awesome. But truth is, The Exorcist had no
CG, no gimmicks, just a great script, great actors and
a GREAT director. Nothing today in my mind, can stand
up to that, no matter how bitchin the trailer is, or
what top Billboard song blasts during the credits. The
Exorcist scared the shit out of people, almost 35
years later still does, and it won Oscars.
End.
| | | |
