Jacob Sanders (IIE ) - Adam, first off, congrats on the film.

Adam Green (AG) - Thanks. It's been a long, hard journey getting it made and to the big screen. If it turns out to be financial success for the people who stand to profit off of it now- I wouldn't be surprised if the “HATCHET - E! True Hollywood Story” special is not far behind. It's an amazing story.

IIE - When did you know that you wanted to be a filmmaker?

AG - I knew when I was 8 years old. I saw E.T. and just couldn't get over it. I STILL can't get over it. As much as I was totally into the other great films of that time (STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, GOONIES, etc)…there was something about the story telling in E.T. that was so magical- it sort of changed my life. I believed in that rubber puppet then- and I still believe in him now.

It was the first movie I ever got to see twice in the theater when I was a kid. My family didn't really have the money to take everyone to the movies all the time- so movies were always just a summer thing for us. I'd get to go twice, maybe three times a summer. And that summer I decided to see E.T. a second time instead of seeing something else.

Growing up I used to “perform” at the dinner table to get attention. My father was the football coach and my brother was this all-star football player bench pressing 400 pounds and winning all kinds of football acclaim. The only way I could ever work myself into the conversations was by trying to tell jokes. It all sort of jumbled together from there.

Doing the plays, playing in a band, writing, acting, doing stand-up, making short films…and this is kind of the grand culmination of all of that. The best part is that my Dad, who used to only say, “Stop laughing, you're encouraging him!” at the dinner table… now laughs harder than anybody at my stuff. He's one of my biggest fans- it's great.

IIE - Who/what were your inspirations?

AG - My three greatest inspirations growing up were Steven Spielberg, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, and (of course) my parents. I know it almost gets cliché to cite Spielberg since he's pretty much the God of cinema- but it's true.

I know some directors who purposely try and NOT cite Spielberg so that they can seem different. But he's everything I could only hope to be, both as an artist and a human being. I rip him off daily and will continue to do so until the day I stop making films.

The Dee Snider angle is much more personal. Around the same age that I saw E.T.- Twisted Sister broke out on MTV with their video for “We're Not Gonna Take It”. When I got the tape, I listened to it until it broke…and then I buried it in the back yard.

Whereas everyone at that time was singing about sex, drugs, and rock n roll…here comes this guy that is so outlandish and so much further above everyone else both intellectually and musically. What I learned from those Twisted Sister records is that you can do anything you want to do as long as you don't give up.

You are what you say you are and nobody can ever take that away from you or try and change you. No one can ever stop you or put you down. Not a parent, a teacher, a cop, a politician, a priest…no one. And circumstances can be over come if you keep a level head and don't give up. I'm just an average kid from suburban New England .

I had no ties into Hollywood , no connections, and no financial help. But I found a way to make it happen. I credit those records for helping shape my ambition at an early age and I still blast side 1 of “Stay Hungry” on my way to big studio meetings.

And my parents taught me how to be a good person and have a solid work ethic. My Dad worked 3 jobs- 7 days a week for almost 20 years so that my family could live well. My Mom worked 2 different teaching jobs as well. But the thing about my Dad is that he NEVER complained. He did what he had to do and that was it.

 

IIE - Your feature HATCHET, which will be in theaters September 7 th , seems very unique and interesting. Where did the idea of the story originate?

AG - Oddly enough- it all started that same summer when I was 8 years old. I came up with the tale of a guy named “HATCHETFACE” at summer camp- and it stuck with me. To make a long story short, the counselors told us to stay away from this one cabin or else HATCHETFACE would get us…but that was all they had to their story.

They just wanted to scare us away from where they partied after hours. Now, my older brother was already into his ‘slasher film' phase and he had shown me the old Halloweens and Friday the 13 th s, etc. So that night- I busted out this crazy story about who HATCHETFACE was and scared the shit out of the other kids. Some of them got really upset and started crying…so in the morning there was talk of calling my parents and sending me home from camp.

Yet another example of me telling stories in order to command the room and get attention. I probably did it because those other kids were all better at sports than me and I wanted to get back at them. They actually CRIED. Yeah, go throw your balls around, pussies. Haha!

25 years later, I was on the set of HATCHET watching the villain I had invented as a child slash people to shreds. Critics are calling VICTOR CROWLEY the next icon of horror. It's crazy how life works.

 

What drove you to develop this idea?

AG - Plain and simple- I wanted to make the horror movie that I wanted to see. And this was the idea to do it with. The horror genre is in a downward spiral and it has been for the past few years. It's nothing new- it goes in cycles and this happens every decade…. So what I'm saying hear isn't exactly “new”. But how disgusting is it that the studios are only offering us remakes and PG-13 bullshit?

And why are there no more villains? Where did the Bogeymen go? And don't say- “people aren't into the Bogeyman anymore.” The Bogeyman has always existed and he always WILL exist. Am I supposed to be entertained because someone is in pain and being tortured in front of me? Am I supposed to have a good time watching a woman get raped? What is this shit?

So I got together with an entire crew of people who were with me on this. And it was just…let's show everyone how it's done and let's remind the world why we got into this shit in the first place. Because, guess what? I didn't fall in love with horror because I wanted to see people raped and tortured…or even WORSE…not see any violence at all and only hear loud music cues that are supposed to make me jump. So HATCHET was written and made- with our blood, sweat, and tears.

The goal here was never to re-invent the wheel. It was to bring it back around again in a fresh way. I tried to make a slasher film where witty, fun characters got stuck in an 80's style situation and had to face an unstoppable monster who was going to tear them all to shreds. To me, this movie is everything I like about horror all thrown together. When you see it with a big crowd- they laugh, they scream, they jump, they cheer…

But most of all- they walk out SMILING. Because it was a good time and they got what they came to see. If you're looking to be “disturbed” and “sickened” and you only want to see the next envelope-pushing event in sadistic realism…skip HATCHET. In fact, skip everything I ever make.

HATCHET has better death sequences and better FX than anything else out. But we did it with our hearts in the right place- and that has made all of the difference.

 

IIE - Did you set out to direct it as well, or did that happen later?

AG - I was always going to direct this. It was never even discussed or considered to do it any other way. People always ask, “how did you become a director?” And the answer is… I DIRECTED stuff. So many people come out to Hollywood to BECOME something. No, no, no. BE something. In this day and age there's no reason why you can't make your own short films or shoot scenes that prove that you can do it.

And if you want to break into features and get your first one made- WRITE it. Write something so good that several places want to make it. And then, when you're in that position- the only way you let it be made is if you direct it. If they want it badly enough and if you have the samples to prove that you are a minimal risk…you may get your break.

Before HATCHET I had directed hundreds of low budget cable commercials, 7 short films, and an ultra-low budget feature called COFFEE & DONUTS which wound up going all the way to Hollywood . That's why I felt I should be considered to do this. I could back up my mouth and my ambition at that point. So the folks investing in the film really trusted me.

 

IIE - How did you hook up with ArieScope?

AG - ArieScope Pictures is my production company that I started with my Director of Photography (Will Barratt) ten years ago while we were still shooting cable ads. A decade later- we have 2 feature films coming to theaters (HATCHET and soon after that- SPIRAL) and several more in pre-production. Cory Neal (who produced HATCHET and SPIRAL) is also part of ArieScope Pictures now.

It's funny when you think that this company started as a pipe dream with two cable producers in a shitty office in Malden , Massachusetts . And now we're really doing it and every day we drive to our office on a studio lot in Hollywood . To quote a Marilyn Manson song…”I say it is, and it's true.”



IIE - I understand HATCHET was the last film to be shot in New Orleans before Katrina hit. That has to hold a certain grip on the tone of the film. Do you feel like that tragedy could bring the film more power?

AG - You know there's a lot of director's who are such publicity whores that they would try and play up that angle to get more exposure for their film. The truth of the matter is- yes, we were the last known film to shoot in New Orleans before Katrina hit. But it has no effect on the film- only on the people who worked on it. When the event happened- there was talk amongst the “higher ups” that they wanted a dedication put on the film and I was vehemently opposed.

Some of them even called me heartless. But think about it…what if ‘New York Minute' with the Olsen Twins had put a 9/11 Dedication on their film? How fucking obnoxious would that be? HATCHET is a slasher movie. A swamp monster hacks people into pieces. Really? We need to dedicate that to what is arguably one of the greatest tragedies our country has ever seen? I don't think so.

What we did instead was post links on our website where horror fans could donate to charities that we trusted to help out with the recovery process. We even made donations to the animal shelters down there because most people were not thinking about them during that time. But we didn't glorify it or call attention to what we were doing. We just did what good people do.

Privately, the core group of us who made the film decided right off the bat (in 2003 when we first started this process) that a portion of our proceeds would be going to a specific charity that we chose and do not publicly discuss. It's more along the lines of helping people who share similar issues as our villain did as a child.

 

IIE - How long was it after completion of filming did the storm hit?

AG - Katrina hit a matter of 6-7 weeks or so after we wrapped our New Orleans portion. It was horrible. We had made a lot of friends in the short time we were there- and the city treated us so well. Then you're sitting here at home watching people suffer on TV and you're so helpless. And you go back to work and sit and stare at locations on the movie screen that are now 9 feet under water and it just makes you want to throw up.

But the important part is that the city survived and it will live again. When the film opens on September 7th- we are trying to figure out a way to get me to New Orleans at some point during that opening weekend so I can host a screening there. I hope they cheer and scream and laugh louder than anywhere else in the world. They need it and they deserve it.

IIE - This is an unbelievable cast! Obviously, these actors are well known in horror. How important do you feel it is to have a cast that feels so comfortable working in this genre?

AG - It just sort of ended up that way. I never believed in a million years that I would have all of these icons participating in the movie. But it was an honor because it was as if they were putting their stamp of approval on it and saying “we support what you're doing here”. What better way to try and bring around a forgotten genre again than with some of the folks who built it originally? Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, and Tony Todd were sort of the ‘Jedi Knights' of our set.

Everyone there just had such respect for them and any time that there was a chance to hear a story from one of them- it was a treat. But as far as horror legends go- it wasn't just the cast. John Buechler (who designed our FX) did FX for some of my favorite horror films and also just so happened to be the guy who directed Friday the 13 th VII and discovered Kane Hodder as “Jason”.

Our physical FX master was Lou Carlucci who not only designed the special FX for the original Nightmare On Elm Street (the rotating room anyone??!) but he actually BUILT Freddy Krueger's original glove.

If you were a horror fan- this was the set of all sets to be on. Every night I was floating on clouds no matter how stressed I got. I just kept looking at myself in the mirror and saying, “how is this happening?”. We made the set much more family-like than most sets claim to be by hiring crew based on their personalities and not their list of IMDB credits.

There were some people on board where this was their FIRST time doing the job that they were supposed to do…and they nailed it. Every single person on this crew was part of it. Nobody phoned it in. When a gore gag would go right and I'd start jumping up and down and screaming- even the catering staff would start cheering. We were all in it together. There were a lot of tears on the last night of shooting.

 

IIE - What did you find to be the most memorable part of this film?

AG - Oh, man. There were so many. Making it was one thing- but all of the ups and downs that came afterwards are enough to drive someone crazy. Because the HIGHS are so high…and the LOWS are so low. Remember that this was an independent film and we had a tiny, tiny budget. So the fact that it made it all the way to a nationwide theatrical release- playing up against the huge studio films is just amazing. Every step has been memorable.

But the two I'll share…. first. After our tremendous premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, to an outsider it seemed as though the world was ours for the taking. 5 sold out nights, rave reviews, crowds coming to their feet, standing ovations…what could go wrong for HATCHET, right? Well- the distributors were treating us like a cancer.

I actually had one place tell me that “the film just wasn't depraved enough…it didn't quite GET there”. Another said, “original R-rated horror doesn't perform well anymore”. So they would basically offer us a straight to DVD deal and then ask me to come in and meet about directing a big remake or PG-13 movie for them. Our sales reps- though they'll never admit it- were ready to fold and just accept one of those offers.

But we weren't. So Cory, Will, and I rented out the best theater in LA (the Arclight) and hosted a free screening of HATCHET in Hollywood . Keep in mind, we hadn't been paid in 2 years at this point and what little we had been paid was long gone. So we put it on credit cards and we gambled.

With a posting on the website that said “Free Screening Tonight” that same day…would anyone even show up? The theater held 400 seats and we needed it at least half full if a potential distributor was going to get that this film NEEDS to play in theaters. It's a “crowd” film and it is just not the same at home alone.

Well, that night 735 people showed up. We had to add a second screening and make 335 people stand in line down the sidewalk waiting to get in. And of course, the “suits” all showed up late because that's what they do here. And they couldn't get in! There was a bunch of “do you know who I am's?” and so forth- but too bad.

No suit is more important than one of the kids who got there early to see the movie. So the suits went and stood in line with the horror fans. And that was the night, after experiencing the film the RIGHT way, that the offers suddenly changed and the tide turned. We were going theatrical.

The other most memorable moment was just a few weeks ago when I went to see 28 Weeks Later with a few friends at the world famous Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Biggest screen and sound in LA. The trailers started and they showed Die Hard 4 and Rush Hour 3 and Fantastic Four 2…and then all of a sudden…the HATCHET trailer played! I literally had a seizure in my chair.

I've never heard my heart beat so loud in my life. And when it was over, the crowd applauded and I started trying to text message my friends but my fingers were shaking so badly I couldn't hit the right buttons. I've seen the trailer break since then- and it's not quite the same as seeing it UNEXPECTEDLY. But that was the minute and ten seconds where for the first time in all of this….HATCHET was a real movie to me.

IIE - With the already roaring buzz with HATCHET, one could easily say that this film has already been a success. Where do see it after it's theatrical premiere?

AG - Yes, the film is already a success to us. It got made and it got theatrical distribution. The people who made it are gonna get all of their money back (and then some) before it even COMES OUT, the critics loved it, it won awards, the fans have gone crazy for it…at this point, everything else is just “what happens” next.

We are the under dogs on September 7 th . We don't have a massive marketing campaign like you see for the other films. In fact, I dare say we have none in comparison. We won't be on 3,000 screens like the other movies. No one in Hollywood is expecting HATCHET to even matter.

Not because it's not good- but because they say that there is no audience for this stuff anymore and that original R-rated horror can't perform at the box office like it did years ago. Now it's up to the fans to prove them wrong. It's the fan's fault that our genre is in this position in the first place. By supporting the remakes and PG-13 flicks, we've sent a message to Hollywood that it's what we want. So that's what they're giving us.

Are you sick of remakes? Do you want to see some old school fun shit again and not people being tortured or (even worse) killed off screen? Then now is your chance. HATCHET is one of the last original R-rated horror films scheduled to come out this year. Everything else is a remake or sequel. Don't just sit there and passively let this fade into the night. Get to the theaters and help us bring it back again. It's up to you to support it now and send a big middle finger to Hollywood that says “Guess what? Horror is still alive.”

After whatever happens in theaters happens- it will live on DVD like every other film. As far as all of the talk about “franchise” and “next icon of Horror”…only time will tell. But again, it's what the fans decide. Victor Crowley is pacing back in forth in his cage and ready to do it again. You guys just say ‘when' and I'll do it all over again.

 

IIE - Do you plan to continue working in horror? Do you have any other projects going on?

AG - I will most certainly continue to work in horror, its just not all that I do. I just finished a Hitchcockian psychodrama called SPIRAL, which I co-directed with HATCHET's Joel David Moore. It's an arthouse film and a 180-degree change from HATCHET. That will be out soon.

On deck I have the big screen adaptation of the graphic novel DEAD WEST (Leone meets Romero…watch out) and the romantic comedy GOD ONLY KNOWS. There's already talk about getting HATCHET 2 going but nothing to start blogging about yet. Right now it all sort of comes down to scheduling and which project is ready to move at which time.

And I am most definitely taking a vacation after HATCHET comes out. I've taken 1 week's vacation away in the past 10 years. I deserve it.

IIE - If you weren't making films, what do you think you would you be doing?

AG - What's funny is that there is no answer to that. Because the only reason I put myself through this insanity is because I don't know anything else. I always ask kids who are starting out “Is there anything else you're into?” If they have any sort of answer at all…then this isn't for them.

IIE - Well, Adam, thank you for your time and one of the best and informative interviews we have had. We all look forward to seeing Hatchet and more from you.

AG - Thank you. And please…go see HATCHET on September 7th . Every ticket helps and every ticket is a shot across Hollywood 's bow that tells them we are still alive. We're still alive.

http://www.hatchetmovie.com