Connect with us

News

TIFF Interview with ‘Freaks’ Co-Writers/Directors Zach Lipovsky & Adam B. Stein

Published

on

Freaks

Fresh from the TIFF world premiere of Freaks, I was able to sit down with the film’s writers/directors – Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky – to discuss casting, collaboration, and where the heck this film came from.

For more on Freaks, you can read Jacob’s full review here!


Kelly McNeely: So, Bruce Dern. He’s prolific! What was the experience like, working with him and having him around on the set?

Zach Lipovsky: I mean, Bruce is just an incredible powerhouse. He’s a fire that’s always burning. He’s really, really special – he lives completely in the moment. And this film is really interesting because he hasn’t done a science fiction film since 1971, and that’s because he really believes in characters and realism. He thinks science fiction films are all fake and baloney.

This film really took the different approach – this really is a film that’s grounded in people and their experience, and he really just latched on to that with his talons. It’s really exciting to see him because he’s also co-starring against a 7-year old. So to see a 7-year old and an 81-year old going at each other —

Adam B. Stein: You don’t see that very often on the screen, where there’s such an age split. I would say I can’t think of another movie that does that, but there’s probably examples that I’m not picking up. But just seeing them go at it together is really special. Bruce likes to work this way anyways, but we love working with improv.

So half of what they’re doing is scripted and half of it is riffing off the script, and they’re just talking through all these, you know, 20-30 minute takes where we’d capture just nuggets of brilliance. Then our really talented editor worked with us to build the scenes from that. But it gives it this really naturalistic quality, which is what we were going for. Which is why he was willing to do our film when he doesn’t typically do sci-fi films, because we were trying to create that natural relationship.

via Daily Dead

Kelly: I know you’ve got this amazing powerhouse of a 7-year old actress, was there anything that you had to do to shield her from any of the more intense scenes?

Zach: We’re in the discovery section at TIFF, and she’s the discovery. Everyone kind of goes into the movie talking about Emile and Bruce, and comes out of it talking about her. She really just unloads this incredible performance. And it is very intense at a lot of places, but she’s so mature. Especially in the audition – she did this scene where she’s screaming and her nostrils are flaring and spit’s flying out of her mouth and we say cut and she’s like [excitedly] “That was so much fun! You guys are so great, this is so cool!”.

There were times where it got intense, but she always had a lot of support around her and Emile was a huge part of that. She’s just super mature so it never got into a weird place – she could see that it was work, and it was work that she was really excited about doing.

Adam: At the same time, the movie is very creepy. There’s one scene where there’s some other kids who come in to this environment, and they were… completely creeped out, these day player kids we had. One girl was like [emphatically] “This is haunted, this house is really haunted! There’s demons in here!”. We were like, poor girl, but… I think we’re doing something right?

Kelly: That’s probably a good sign, right? Speaking of that kind of haunted house feel, there’s a lot of different genres mixed in this gorgeous cocktail. Can you talk a little bit about the writing process and what you wanted to bring with it, and how that all came into being?

Zach: Some people have described this movie as a kitchen sink of genre because it really changes as you watch the film. And that’s because the film is told through the perspective of a 7-year old girl.

So at the very beginning, she doesn’t know what’s outside her doorstep. It’s very mystery driven, and she’s quite scared, so in the beginning it feels like a horror film. But then she does get outside and the world is a complete wonder to her, and it feels like an 80s Spielberg movie. Everything is new and beautiful and she can’t imagine it, and it keeps twisting and twisting and so it really has all sorts of different flavors.

We just kept asking ourselves, what would it be like for a child. It was largely based on Adam’s experience as a father and his 4-year old son.

Adam: We kept at it from “what would the world feel like through her eyes”. Rather than trying to put it into a certain genre or category, we just kept coming back to the character and having her drive the story.

Kelly: And on the topic of doing it through the perspective of a 7-year old, Freaks speaks to those parental fears that everyone has, that can come out as helicopter parenting or perpetuated prejudice that goes through generations – how did you figure out how to present that from a child’s perspective? Because there are some pretty big themes there.

Adam: I think – like Zach said – it was initially inspired by watching my son grow up and just being fascinated by his perspective on the world. Things that were completely imaginary, he thought were very real. And things that were normal to us, he would find terrifying. You know, a car alarm goes off and he would freak out. And we just thought that that was fascinating, to imagine what it would be like to be him. Especially in a world that was strange – that was dangerous – and how that might feel and how that could drive a story.

In terms of the parental fears… as a parent, you try to protect your kid. You try and shelter them and try and shield them, and sometimes you do it well, and sometimes you do it poorly. Emile’s character is a father who’s trapped himself in this house with his daughter for seven years. He has had no guidance or training on how to be a dad —

Kelly: No baby books

Adam: No! No baby books, no parenthood classes, no grandparents to tell you how to do it… So he’s kind of screwing up in some ways. But he’s also doing his best. And we also wanted to be honest and raw about that. To show a parent who was trying his best, but who wasn’t really good at it, and what that would look like and feel like.

Zach: It was also Emile’s first time playing a father and he had just become a father recently, and that was really why he responded to the material – because it spoke to those experiences.

Freaks

via TIFF

Continued on page 2

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Pages: 1 2

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

Published

on

Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

Published

on

Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

Published

on

Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Embed Gif with Clickable Title