News

INTERVIEW: Derrick Borte on Bringing ‘Unhinged’ to the Big Screen

Published

4 years ago

August 21, 2020

Unhinged, the new action/thriller is out today in theaters starring Russell Crowe (Boy Erased), Caren Pistorius (Mortal Engines), and Gabriel Batemen (Child’s Play 2019).

In the film, Rachel (Pistorius) is driving her son (Bateman) to school. Along the way, she ends up pissing off an unnamed man (Crowe) who has the worst case of road rage I’ve ever seen. As the man begins to track down her friends and acquaintances, killing and maiming anyone who gets in his way, Rachel is forced to embrace her own rage in order to stop him.

iHorror spoke to Derrick Borte, the film’s director, in advance of the release. The director had a lot to say about making the film which all began after he was called in for a meeting with the execs at Solstice Studios who saw and loved his previous film, American Dreamer.

“Like, literally a week later, I get a call and they passed along the script,” Borte said. “I picked it up and clearly it was one of those scripts I couldn’t put down. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen on the next page. I liked the script which is a great place to start. I liked the people just from previous experience or knowing them before. It just felt like the right thing at the right time.”

He had no idea just how challenging making the film might be, however. Nor did he realize how much the environment would play into their shooting schedule.

They arrived in New Orleans to face daily lightning storms that regularly shut down production for hours at a time. Then there was the actual hurricane that hit during production which left power outages and flood streets in its wake, a particular challenge for a film that takes place primarily in constantly moving cars. This is to say nothing of the heat index that kept temperatures well above 110 degrees some days.

“You have to get an IV at lunch just to stay hydrated,” the director joked. “You’re dealing with cars, sometimes old cars where the air conditioning isn’t that great where the actors are in vehicles that are not able to keep them as cool as we’d like to keep them.”

Luckily for Borte, his cast was up for the challenge, and helped keep him on track with their sheer resilience and work ethic.

“You had Russell who knows what everyone on set is doing or is supposed to be doing better than they do,” he explained. “You really have to step up and bring your A-game with him. And Gabe has such experience as well and knowledge for a teenager. He’s such an old soul. Caren Pistorius was such a find and such a pleasure to work with in that she just has a wonderful combination of authenticity and strength along with being captivating on screen. Everyday was great coming to work with these guys, you know.”

With Unhinged finally “in the can,” the long journey through editing began. It wasn’t easy piecing together a film with so much action. Choosing the best shots that carried the narrative forward while still maintaining and sometimes ratcheting up the level of tension was an arduous process all on its own.

Again, Borte says, he lucked out, though. His editorial team was incredibly creative and the process was a lot smoother than it could have been in less capable hands.

“Some days I’d come in with an idea and I’d say, ‘Hey do you want to try this?'” he said. “Or some days I’d come in and they’re already two steps ahead of me with three different versions of a scene cut together. And knowing me, I’d say, ‘Give me the beginning of option 3, the middle of option 1, and then the end of option 2. Let’s try it again.’ It’s a huge undertaking but when you have a great team it makes things a lot easier and a lot more fun.”

What neither the filmmaker nor cast could have anticipated, however, was the arrival of Covid-19 and the havoc it would play on the release schedule for Unhinged. The film has been delayed multiple times as studios and theaters scramble to come up with new ways of distributing films with the new safety measures in place.

Luckily for the director, he was able to attend a screening of the film in January and he says, seeing Unhinged in a theater was the ultimate experience for the film.

“We did a test in January for 450 people,” Bored said. “That was really amazing to see the film in a packed room like that. The tension level was so high. The gasps and the reactions were so different than someone watching it at home or even worse, on a phone somewhere you know. Seeing this film in a room full of people adds a whole knew level to how thrilling it is.”

The theaters may not be full, but Unhinged is finally out for audiences to see beginning today August 21, 2010. Check out the trailer for the film below, and let us know if you’ll be seeing it down in the comments!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.