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Your upcoming movie Night of the Krampus - in a few words,
what's it going to be about?
It's a Christmas-themed
horror film that explores the legend of Krampus, Santa's demonic sidekick.
The myth is popular in Europe and tells of a beast-like creature that
accompanies Santa Claus on Christmas. While Santa rewards good boys and
girls, Krampus punishes the naughty, usually by beating them or stealing
them away in his sack to take back to its lair to devour for Christmas
dinner. Basic question: Why the Krampus?
What fascinates you about the character, did you any in-depth research on
him, and how will you bring him to the screen? Plus: Where I come from
(Eastern Austria = Krampus-country), the Krampus is above
all associated with spanking naughty kids - will that at all be part of
your film?
I honestly can't
remember where or when I first heard the Krampus folklore, but I've been
fascinated by it ever since because it represents such a dark flipside to
what is generally observed as a happy and joyous time of the year. For
many people, the holidays are a dark time and I think Krampus sort of
embodies that aspect of it. What brings happiness and light for many also
brings darkness and sadness for others.
I did my fair share of
research on the creature; reading any material I could get my hands on.
The only representation of Krampus I've seen on film was a Venture
Brothers holiday special several years ago on Cartoon Network. I'm
legitimately surprised the character hasn't been exploited as much as one
would expect. The character will be brought to life by an actor in a
full-body suit and prosthetics. The suit is covered in long fur, he'll
have extended Nosferatu-like fingers for added creepiness, razor-sharp
teeth, a long prosthetic tongue, a facial prosthetic with horns, a
tattered piece of cloth it wraps around itself for clothing, broken chains
around its wrists and ankles, and an old sack large enough to stuff a few
wicked children in.
One thing I love about
Krampus is how he punishes the naughty. It's not pretty. Kids are always
told to be good for Santa, but they're not told why, exactly, aside from
receiving toys. Krampus is a great reason to behave and I hope the
character instills a little fear into kids who watch the film. Krampus
will definitely be stealing kids away in the night, but instead of eating
them, he may be storing them away for another purpose...
Other sources of inspiration when writing Night of the Krampus?
Night of the Krampus
acts as a pseudo-sequel to our first feature film The Night Shift. I
wanted to tell this story about Krampus and how these neighborhood's kids
are terrorized by the creature, but couldn't find a great "in"
to break the story. It seemed like a natural fit for it to involve the
lead characters from The Night Shift, investigating reports of missing
children and their own theories about how the supernatural may be
involved. Gremlins is a big influence on this, too. Christmas creature
horror! As
we're talking, the film is pretty much in its fundraising stages - so what
can you tell us about your fundraising efforts ?
We've started an
IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for the project. Artist Jeff Bell
created a fantastic promo poster for the project. We have until the
beginning of October to raise the funds. Right now, we're trying to spread
the word about the project as far as we can. We're hoping people who can
contribute, do; and those who can't, help by spreading the word about the
project using email, social media, word of mouth. We're bombarding
Facebook, Twitter, email and the local art community as we seek assistance
with this project.
www.indiegogo.com/krampusnight
How do
you plan to approach the horror aspects of your movie (as in mood vs
all-out gore, atmosphere vs shocks, and the like)?
There's not any gore in
the film. The horror will be much more atmospheric and creepy in tone and
mood. Some of the images, paired with the holiday backdrop and subverting
some established Christmas ideas/images, should be quite striking and a
bit unsettling. The opening scene has me very excited because it has the
potential to make the audience squirm in their seats.
Anything
you can tell us about your projected cast yet - and why exactly these
people?
We haven't done much
supporting casting, but we've got our leads attached. We'll be working
with actors we've previously worked with on The Night Shift feature, as
some of those characters reappear. Khristian Fulmer and Erin Lilley are
the lead supernatural investigators. We'll have more casting soon!
Once your film has found its funding, how do you
plan to proceed - and any idea when it will be released onto the general
public (though I realize this is probably waaay too early to ask)?
I'm planning to begin
filming in December to utilize existing Christmas decorations for all the
shots/scenes that require them. That'll cut down on budgetary expenses.
Then, after the holidays, we'll pick back up in January to shoot the bulk
of the film. I'm hoping to have the film available by July 2013 (Christmas
in July and all that), but we may hold it for a Thanksgiving/early
December release due to the film's holiday themes.
Any
future projects beyond Night of the Krampus you'd like to talk
about?
We just finished an
8-minute short film called C.U.P.I.D. It's a silent, slapstick romantic
comedy about a team of tech-savy, spy-like Cupids as they try to unite a
couple. It's a lot of fun. Right now, it's going out to festivals. Once
it's had a festival run, we'll look into distribution. It's different from
anything we've done before and it's one of our best works.
We're also working with
a producer in L.A. to find funding for our next feature, Jersey Devil
Expeditions, a horror/adventure about the famed Jersey Devil.
How would you describe yourself as a filmmaker?
I have a lot of ambition
and big ideas and it can be frustrating at times to not be able to do
everything I set out to due to budgetary limitations and resources. I like
to think I'm fairly laid back and accommodating. I also try not to edit a
film to death. I like to let a scene breathe, especially an action scene,
so it's easy to see what's transpiring and build a connection. I can't
stand choppy quick cuts. It makes it impossible to decipher what's
happening on screen and immediately distances the audience from what's
happening on screen. Filmmakers
who inspire you? I'm a big fan of early Spielberg, Sam
Raimi and Joe Dante.
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Your favourite movies?
Some of my favorites
include Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Rocketeer, Army of
Darkness, The Wolf Man (original),
Shaun of the Dead,
Jaws... there are too many to
mention! ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Deplore is a
strong word. I tend to feel pretty "blah" when leaving the
theaters nowadays. Films don't really seem to connect on an emotional or
human level anymore. Some do, don't get me wrong, but most are there to
sell a product or feel like video games. I try not to dwell on them too
much, so none are really coming to mind. Mostly, I despise anything that
feels empty-headed, calculated, "safe," neutered or appeals to
the lowest common denominator. Unfortunately, that sounds like most
mainstream releases... Your/your
film's website, Facebook, indiegogo, whatever else? People
can learn more about Fighting Owl Films at our website:
www.fightingowlfilms.com.
They can also "like" us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/fightingowlfilms
and follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/fightingowlfilm.
Our IndieGoGo for Night of the Krampus is viewable at
www.indiegogo.com/krampusnight.
Please check it out and share! Thanks
for the interview!
Thank you! I really
appreciate the interest and support. Best!
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find Thomas Smith at adultvideouniverse.com
