Norton has a B.F.A. in Cinema Studies from Sarah Lawrence College as well as an M.F.A. in Film Production from New York University's Tisch School of The Arts Graduate Film and Television Program and Maurice Kanbar Institute.  Not bad for institutions attended by Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese, respectively.  He currently teaches film directing at the New York Film Academy where he has worked since 2000.  He has taught Steven Spielberg’s son; his English teacher at New York University was Lee Kalcheim, noted scribe of LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH under the pseudonym of Norman Jonas; and he is friends with both Armand Mastroianni, director of HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE, and Lesleh Donaldson of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and FUNERAL HOME, to name just a few.  

His thesis film TOMORROW’S BACON won both the H.P. Lovecraft Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Best Short Film Award at the Hampton's International Film Festival in Long Island, NY.  It holds to this day the NYU record for most Tisch Awards and nominations given to any film made there.  His latest project, the highly praised PENNY DREADFUL, has won no less than 24 film festival awards after premiering at Universal Studios in Hollywood for Screamfest in Los Angeles.  The film is now available on a special edition DVD which also contains his TOMORROW’S BACON and a commentary with Norton which is hosted by Icons of Fright’s Rob G.   

Horror films have been an integral part of Norton’s life almost since birth.  I caught up with Norton in June 2007 at his Manhattan apartment which he shares with his adopted Pomeranians, Gordon and Oscar, both of whom are unbelievably well-behaved and given free reign of the premises.  Like Poe’s titular black cat, Pluto, they follow one’s footsteps with a pertinacity which is both endearing and humorous.  Neither of them appears to be the least bit scared by the images that proliferate throughout their enormous playground, the walls of which are almost entirely covered with framed horror film ad slicks in almost every dimension that posters are printed in.  It was difficult to locate an inch of wall space that was not populated by scenes from THE SENTINEL, AUDREY ROSE, DEMON SEED, DAMIEN: OMEN II, TERROR TRAIN, THE FOG and THE THING to name a few.  A 40” x 60” subway-sized poster of EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC, signed by John Boorman, sits in the center of the living room.  A poster of BURNT OFFERINGS signed by Karen Black and an insert of CURTAINS autographed by Lesleh Donaldson also populate the scene.   

Bryan was gracious enough to discuss his love of horror and his short film, PENNY DREADFUL.   

Jonathan Stryker: Where are your parents from and what do they do?  

Bryan Norton: My family is from New England.  My father's deceased, and my mother is a homemaker in Rhode Island.  My parents met on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, when they were teenagers. 

JS: How did you become interested in horror films?  

BN: I don't know, but horror films are my earliest memory, I’m talking about four or five years-old.  I remember someone taking me to the theater to see THE FOOD OF THE GODS, which is rated PG, but I looked at it recently and that movie is pretty hard-core.  I remember that vividly, and I must have been about seven years-old.  I was obsessed with horror films in a healthy way, not a creepy way.  I think that part of it was also that they were so forbidden, too.  I remember when FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II was released I was steadfastly denied the opportunity to see it by my mother, but my brother Brett took me to see it anyway.  I am a first generation VHS kid back when they used to release something like, say MADMAN, for $89.99, and that would be my big Christmas present that year, so even then I knew…  

JS: How did you manage to see so many horror films at a time before home video had yet to become prevalent?  

BN: I am the youngest of nine children, and two of my older brothers in particular were of age and would occasionally throw me the bone and take me to see something that I wanted to see, because my parents certainly weren't going to.  One of my fondest memories is of my brother, Robert, in a huge snowstorm in 1980 and on a Monday night, taking me to see THE BOOGENS at the Lincoln Mall Cinema in Lincoln, Rhode Island.  He doesn't remember this at all, but to me this was the biggest deal.  Another time my brother took me to see FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II because I won tickets to see it from a contest on the radio.  Even then, my parents said that I wasn’t allowed to see it, but he took me.   I did get my mother, though, to take my friends and I to see A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and she was very angry because after Tina is killed after having sex with her boyfriend they refer to Tina as the 15-year-old, and we were 15 years-old, so I think that she thought that we were all having sex like that.  I don't believe that horror film fans have sex before they’re 18 years-old anyway. (laughs) 

JS: When did you realize that you would like to make horror movies?  

BN: Well, I guess my answer sounds pretty cliché, but I would start off by getting two VCRs and making montage clips from my favorite movies…this is even before camcorders became available…and there was a little system called “Direct ED”, it was like this home video system where you could add like a track of sound and I could make lots of cool montage movies with clips from FRIDAY THE 13TH and THE THING.  When I got a video camera, like everyone else working in film today, I made lots of movies with my friends and family and the stuff was probably horror.  Also, growing up on Martha's Vineyard, which of course was JAWS land… 

JS: Do you recall the filming of JAWS? 

BN: No, I have no memory of that.  I do have vague memories of them filming JAWS 2, like when they would take the signs for Edgartown down and swap them with the Amityville signs.  One of my tickets to getting my ass out of Rhode Island was to go to film school.  It's really funny though.  When I went to school, I thought that students were going to be just like me in that I thought that they would have the same passion as I did.  But, that wasn't always the case. 

JS: Why do you like horror movies?  

BN: I don't know, but I can tell you that if I didn't like them, I could very easily pose a huge argument against them.  I know that.  I understand completely why people are so vehemently opposed to horror films, you know, to say that they’re violent and bad, etc.  So, if I didn't like horror I know that I would be very articulate in the problems I have with them.  But, that being said, I like to be scared and my memories of childhood which consisted of watching scary movies was so much fun.  That's why I'm not that big of a fan of the stuff now that is not necessarily scary at all, but it's just sort of gruesome, you know?  I saw HOSTEL: PART II recently and I personally do not like to see women tortured, begging and pleading, and I sometimes believe that that material gives the horror genre a bad name.  It's what all of the detractors of the genre use as a weapon against it.   

JS: Did scary movies frighten you as a child?  

BN: I would like to romanticize and say yes they all did, but some did.   

JS: Were there any in particular that stood out that really frightened you? 

BN: BAD RONALD, the TV-movie from 1974, which really isn’t considered to be horror, really frightened me then for some reason.  John Carpenter’s THE FOG is pretty creepy.  I thought then and still think now that FRIDAY THE 13TH still has some great scares in it.  A lot of people don’t give enough credit to this film.   The scene where the girl goes back to her cabin and it's raining very heavily and she hears the voice in the woods with a child screaming, “Help me!”  I think that's very scary.  So, there were a lot of things that I found scary.  The FRIDAY THE 13TH movies stopped being scary after the second one, I think.  But definitely there were certain ones that I found very scary. 

 JS: Did you go to drive-ins when you were a kid?  

BN: (enthusiastically) Yes!  We're sitting in my kitchen right now staring at a 40” by 60” framed TENTACLES poster, and I remember vividly someone taking me to see TENTACLES.  I had older brothers and sisters and I could never understand why they would make me go sit on the roof of the car to watch these movies.  I guess it was so that they could smoke pot and have sex.  I remember the smell of the pot!  I sat on the roof of a purple Gremlin and watched many movies at the drive-in.  

JS: What movies did you see at the drive-in?   

BN: Oh, God, I remember seeing ROLLERCOASTER and TENTACLES around the same time… 

JS: Those were both released in June 1977 – and both featured Henry Fonda!   

BN: Yeah!  I'll bet that those were on a double bill.  You know, years later I had these videodiscs put out by RCA called CED’s, and I had THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, JAWS 2, and FRIDAY THE 13TH.  They were movies on a sort-of record that were read by a stylus cartridge, and would often have skips in them.  I remember having to throw them all away because I couldn’t get the players anymore.  At the time that we had CED's, laser discs were coming out and they were considered to be so exotic.  I used to save up my money and go to a store called Anne & Hope and buy CED’s.  I owned TENTACLES on CED (laughs hysterically).  I also used to get them at a store in Pawtucket, RI called Apex.   

JS: My, God!  I think I can count on one hand the number of people who I knew, myself included, who owned CED’s!   

BN:  It’s crazy!   

JS: I bought my CED player in April 1983 and used to get them at Sam Goody in Woodbridge Center Mall and at Music Den at Menlo Park Mall, both in Central New Jersey.  STAR WARS and POLTERGEIST were the first two I ever bought.  I then used to go to Habild of New Dorp on Winham Avenue in Staten Island, which was run like Needful Things (laughs).  I think Leland Gaunt was the proprietor (snickering).   

BN: But, getting back to the drive-in, I also saw MADMAN and AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION.  We had two great drive-ins in Rhode Island which are no longer around.  One of them was called the Lonsdale Drive-In in Lincoln, RI and the other was the Rustic Tri-View Drive-In in North Smithfield, RI which later turned into an X-rated drive-in.  When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to sneak into the neighborhood behind it, walk through the woods and watch the movies from the fence.   

JS: In my area we had the Plainfield-Edison Drive-In, which was probably built in the 1960’s, and it closed in September 1984.  They had everything: THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL, THE GROOVE TUB, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, THE ROAD WARRIOR, ENIGMA, you name it… 

BN: Now, did your drive-in require that you listen on the AM radio, or did you have the hanging speakers… 

JS: No, we had the speakers.  In fact, I didn’t see the AM radio bit until 1997 when I saw BREAKDOWN at the Glendale 9 Drive-In Theatre in Glendale, AZ.   

BN: I have a lot of books on old movie theaters and drive-ins.  I wonder if we tend to romanticize the past and our memories of drive-ins as we get older.  I remember seeing a cut of CRITTERS at the drive-in and it had a completely different ending, which other people swear does not exist.  It was a totally different print of CRITTERS!  

JS: What type of horror film do you like the most?  

BN:  I wish I had a better answer, but honestly deep down in my heart I really like kids in the woods, preferably at a summer camp.  I don't know why.  I wouldn't have the balls to write that myself because of all of the shit that I would get.  But, you know, when they start sending Jason and Leprechaun into outer space, part of me wishes that they would go back to the camp.  I don't know, it's because that's something that we can all relate to, and it’s a little bit more realistic.  Just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean that it's going to be great.  Let's face it: some of them weren't even that good.  Who knows?  I think that we could use a good, old-fashioned summer camp slasher and make it good and scary and have an original ending.   

JS:  Are you a fan of horror fiction?  

BN: Yes!  Actually, when I was in film school and trying to come up with ideas for my film, the teachers always told us to read a lot and I would always read the best horror anthology stories of the year.  But, you know, most of them are just not adaptable for film.  But, I read some good stuff. 

JS:  I used to love reading all of those Alfred Hitchcock compilations like “Stories to be Read with the Door Locked.”  I was introduced to some of Richard Matheson’s best work, like “Duel” and “The Children of Noah”.  Have you listened to any old radio shows, such as “Inner Sanctum,” Arch Oboler’s “Lights Out,” “Escape,” and “Suspense”? 

BN: Absolutely, and years ago I went and found the old Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater which is on compact disc and for a while I even toyed with the idea of making one of the stories into a movie.  It was called “The Buoy.”  The sound of the buoy reminded of my experiences on Martha’s Vineyeard, growing up at my grandmother’s house, and the sound of the buoy and the foghorn scared the shit out of me!  I kind of want to do a New England ghost story and somehow tie-in that old Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater feeling.  I’m not saying make it a period piece, you know?  I just like that old-fashioned kind of ghost story.  “Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection” just came out on DVD late last year, which is great to see.  

JS:  Let’s talk about PENNY DREADFUL.  How did this project come about?  

BN:  I go to a lot of film festivals, and I love short films.  I am a film teacher here in New York and I teach short filmmaking.  I love horror films, and I think the short film and the short story go together really, really well.  Some of my students want to make these dramas, but they should really be features, and it's hard to sandwich a story like that into 20 or 30 minutes.  You know, sometimes it just doesn't work.  A lot of the horror movies that they make today feel like short movies that could very easily be 30 minutes in length, but they're stretched out to 90 minutes to get a theatrical release.  I could have made PENNY DREADFUL into a feature, but I decided to go for career suicide and made it as a short film instead (laughs).  I wanted to make a short film.  I wanted to go back to film festivals again.  I had been there a few years prior with a short film I did called TOMORROW’S BACON. I wimped out – it wasn't really a horror film, but it did very well worldwide in festivals like Horrorfest, Screamfest and Shriekfest and I thought, wouldn't it be great to go back with a legitimate horror movie and cash in my horror chips?  I knew Warrington Gillette, I knew Betsy Palmer, I had found that house on 4 St. Luke’s Place where they filmed the exteriors of WAIT UNTIL DARK with Audrey Hepburn which scared me.  It looked like I was going to get time off from work, and I had so many former film students who owed me a favor.  I started thinking what if we were able to put this project together quickly?  And, with the really good idea for anything which would try to subvert the clichés, and that's how it happened. 

JS:  Was Betsy Palmer always your choice for Trudy?  

BN: Yes, she was always my choice, but she didn't want to do it at the beginning.  Well, she did want to do it, but she wanted to do it in a much different and very exaggerated way.  I wanted her to play it straight, like one of these dime-store psychics who are littered all over New York City with the neon “Palm Reading” lights.   I did research on all of this, and these “psychics” are really a front for real estate.  They rent space as a business, and they have their family live in the back rooms.   Betsy's interpretation of how she should play this was with a Romanian accent and she was going to wear a jeweled gown with a lot of extravagance, and I'm trying to explain to her that this is not the kind of person who does five-dollar psychic palm readings.  So, she kept saying yes, then she kept saying no.  But then my friend Julie Corman, who produced movies like CHOPPING MALL, told me that she could get me Lee Grant.  And, Lee Grant won the Oscar for SHAMPOO and was in DAMIEN: OMEN II, but I really kind of wanted Betsy because she played Mrs. Voorhees, and she's horror film royalty.  And so, thankfully, she agreed to do it.  And it was great, because we also had Warrington Gillette who played Jason in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II and they had actually never met before, so it made for great press.  Also, I knew that the film would be coming out on the 25th anniversary of the release of FRIDAY THE 13TH.  So, I think that's a good deal of press right there.   

JS: How did you come to cast the rest of the film the way you did?  

BN: Without trying to be jokey or hommage-ey, if that’s even a word… 

JS: Warren Harding had “normalcy,” so I think you can coin “homage-ey”… 

BN: I know that when you make a film one of the most difficult parts is trying to get people to see it.  So, I cast people who had done other horror films because I was thinking about the future press releases, and also I was a huge fan of the people’s work and I wanted to work with them anyway.  One of my good friends, Peter DuPre, was in one of my all-time favorite slasher films from 1981 called EYES OF A STRANGER, and this is a film of a lot of people don't remember.  And, my friend Lesleh Donaldson, we had a large part in it for her that we had to cut at the last minute due to production problems.  Warrington I knew, of course, from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II, and Sebastian Lacause who plays the lead in the film was very big on Broadway at that time playing Rocky in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, and he had done a bunch of small parts in some movies like SHOWGIRLS, ERASER, and BOOGIE NIGHTS.  Emily Vacchiano came to me through a big casting here in New York.  I got her through Breakdown Services.  She was on an episode of THE SOPRANOS just last year.  For her character, it was a toss-up between Emily and a very beautiful African-American actress named Carla Greene, who was in SHADOW: DEAD RIOT, as well as Spike Lee’s INSIDE MAN.  The role was not race-specific.  But, I liked both of them very much, and we ended up giving it to Emily and she’s wonderful in it.   

JS: When Don Coscarelli was prepping and shooting PHANTASM in 1977, STAR WARS was released and the Jawas looked just like the hooded creatures that live in Morningside Cemetery, so naturally a lot of people thought that the director was ripping off George Lucas when PHANTASM opened some two years later.  Likewise, your film is coming out at a time when another feature-length film called PENNY DREADFUL, which was part of the After Dark Horror Series that came to DVD recently, is out.  Can you believe the timing on this?   

BN:  I know!  (laughs)  Most people don’t know this, but the term “penny dreadful” is actually a legitimate literary term referring to cheaply-printed horror stories, and although the term itself does not appear in my film, it is there to describe a short horror story.  The theatrical film, PENNY DREADFUL, is called that only because it has a character named Penny in it!  Some people have asked me why I don’t turn my film into a feature film, and I have some ideas about that, but deep down I want to keep it in the short film format.  But, the film has been shown in so many festivals in Japan, Australia, and Canada, places that I can’t get to go to.  Occasionally, I will get calls to bring the film to be screened.  Surprisingly, it has done well at some non-genre festivals, and I also won at the New York Vision Fest, here in Manhattan.  So, score one for the good guys!

A: First, I watched the National Geographic documentary. And, thank god for the internet, because there's a wealth of information out there.

Q: Typically, movies about real-life killers are made after the killer has been caught or passed away. Did you have any qualms about making a movie about a killer that is still at large?

A: No. It actually made it more exciting for me knowing that this animal is still out there, and real. But, obviously, we took a tremendous amount of creative license.

Q: Has the controversy surrounding the marketing campaign (serial killer as human/superhuman/animal) detracted from the film or affected how it has been received by critics and the public?

A: Unfortunately, I feel it has detracted. I thought it was a noble attempt at getting the audience intrigued, but the result was that the audience felt that they were deceived.

Q: As a former musician, did you place special emphasis on things like sound design and editing? Does it bother you that most viewers (like those of us watching right now on our laptops) won't get to experience the audio as you intended?

A: Absolutely. I really wish that everyone had the opportunity to not only view this on the big screen, but hear it in the theater, as it was intended. We put a tremendous amount of work into the sound design and the music. But, having said this, it is pretty damn cool that we can watch a movie on our computer, don't you think?

Q: is this a monster movie? a human drama? i know it's all of the above, but as a director, what was the essential nugget of the narrative that guided you through production?

A: I think the nugget that was going through my head and guiding me was, "everything is not as it seems." I think that notion speaks to both the monster element, and the human drama.

Q: Since the horror genre has been overflooded with zombies, vampires and ghosts do you think it is time studios started going back to some big monster/animal features?

A: I think that if it's a cool story, you should tell it, regardless of who or what is in it.

Q: Were any locations problematic to film in?

A: They all had their challenges. Working in water is always difficult. When we were on land, we had to deal with snakes, rhinos, etc. And, doing stunts outside in the jungle, has its own set of challenges as well.

Q: As a director, what did you do to help get the actors into their scenes. This is a very physical shoot and outdoors.

A: To be honest, I just really talked about who their characters were with them, and how they would react to the situations that presented themselves. Once you thoroughly understand who the character is, it makes it easy to figure out how they would react to a given situation.

Q: The combination of Orlando Jones and Dominic Purcell is an interesting one. What led you to cast these two actors in the film?

A: Well, they both seemed to really grasp the characters, and had a chemistry that worked well with each other.

Q: Is the design of the creature based on actual footage of the croc?

A: Yes. The jumping off point was Gustave. From that point, I set out to create a leaner, meaner croc. When you look at the real Gustave, he is sort of big and fat. I tried to make a scarier version of this killing machine.

Q: How do you quantify the validity of truth behind the story since there many legendary cases of giant crocs, sea monsters, etc...?

A: The only true part of this story is that Gustave has been killing people for between 80 to 100 years, and they estimate he has killed up to 300.

Q: Between this and Prison Break, I am curious: is Dominic Purcell capable of buttoning his shirt?

A: It was actually in his contract that it had to be unbuttoned, so I'm not sure what comes next for him.

Q: How did you gauge the gross-out and gore factor? Did the direct-to-DVD idea emancipate your imagination?

A: Ouch. It wasn't direct-to-DVD. But, to answer your gore question, I just wanted to make every kill different from the next, and if I didn't squirm when I first saw it, I knew it wasn't enough.

Q: If this is based on a true story, why haven't there been more media stories in the states about it?

A: I have no idea. There was a National Geographic documentary that plays on the Discovery Channel frequently.

Q: at which point of the production did you think about the DVD extras?

A: We actually started thinking about it on our first surveys to Africa. We started filming some behind-the-scenes footage of Africa, of the making of the animatronic, basically the entire process.

Q: When casting comedic actors like Orlando Jones, who have some genre film experience with actors associated with dramas mostly, is it hard to keep the comedic actor's wit from overpowering the presence of the other actors?

A: Yes, it is always a balance. You want to make sure that the scene doesn't become about a joke, but that the scene remains about the initial intent.

Q: How much stock do you take in what the film critics have to say? It seems like a lot of critics had diverse reactions to the film.

A: Well, that's tough. It's a drag, because obviously, you would like everyone to like the film that you have worked tirelessly on, and I'm very proud of the film and how it turned out. But, that's the beauty of film, there's something for everyone, so I can't let it bother me.

Q: I think it's awesome that you chose to shoot in Africa, as opposed to Vancouver or whatever. Was there pressure to shoot elsewhere? Was shooting in Africa something that you insisted on from the beginning?

A: There was talk for a second about trying to shoot it in Australia, but everyone realized pretty quickly that to tell the story properly, it had to have been shot in Africa.

Q: How'd you do that helicopter shot?

A: I'm glad you pointed that out. It's one of my favorite shots in the entire film. Actually, Steve Boyum, my second unit director shot that shot, so props go out to him. It was done with mounts on a helicopter and an extremely wide-angle lens, and we just followed the cage procession going through the field.

Q: Do you think having PRIMEVAL out there will inspire more crews to head out and try to capture Gustave?

A: No, I think if anything, if they saw the documentary, they might want to go capture Gustave, but I think people realize that this is a Hollywood film, loosely based on facts.

Q: have you seen lake placid, also about a giant croc?

A: Yes I did. But, isn't Lake Placid about an alligator?

Q: How long did you shoot in Africa for? Was the entire film shot there or was some of this type of stuff (On the boat) shot elsewhere?

A: We shot for about 7 weeks in Africa. Everything was shot in Africa.

Q: What's scarier, a rhino or a studio exec with notes on your dailies footage?

A: Definitely the studio exec.

Q: How do you market a film like this based on a true story so someone doesn't look at it and say, "Oh this is like one of those SCI-FI Channel original films they show every Saturday or films like it released on video every few weeks?

A: You just have to put the cool parts in the trailer, and hope people want to see it.

Q: I'm sure you have a lot of vivid memories from this being your first time as a director. What's your best memory and your worst memory from the shoot?

A: My best memory is the day that I realized I got to shoot my first film. My worst memory is probably running out of time when you know you don't have it the way you want it.

Q: Did any of the people involved with the real killings have any part in the development of the script and/or filming?

A: No, not in person. Obviously we read about all their stories, so they did have a huge impact.

Q: What was it like working with a legend like Jurgen Prochnow? Was Das Boot an influence on your style?

A: Jurgen was a true pro. He brought a lot of experience, and had a strong grasp of his character. I would jump at the chance to work with him again.

Q: How did the locals react to a film like this being made?

A: They were all very supportive.

Q: Did Orlando ad-lib a lot of his lines or was the character written to be sort of a wise guy?

A: The character was written to be sort of a wise-guy, but having said that, Orlando did ad-lib a large majority of his lines. I have to say that was probably one of the most fun parts - turning the camera on, saying action, and seeing what came out of Orlando's mouth.

Q: Was there a debate about CGI versus animatronics when it came to the design of Gustave?

A: We went down both roads, and CGI won out. It was far more flexible, and gave me a lot more latitude in editing to manipulate the crocodile, and make it scarier and more aggressive.

Q: Is the Croc a mechanical thing, a CGI creation, a man in a suit or a real animal? If it's all of the above, which technique did you enjoy working with the most?

A: It's all CGI. We shot plates, sometimes a barrel in the water to cause water movement. Back in Los Angeles, I worked with Luma, who did all of our visual effects, to create the scariest croc I could imagine.

Q: Is it hard to direct from someone else's screenplay? Have you ever considered writing?

A: It's actually quite fun to direct from somebody else's screenplay. As soon as you read it, your imagination takes over, the visuals come to you, it formulates inside your mind, and it becomes your own. You are constantly re-writing the script during the process, so by the time you start filming, it pretty much becomes your own.

Q: which deleted scene you felt sorry for the most to leave on the cutting room floor?

A: I actually don't miss any of them. I deleted them myself because I thought that doing so made the film better. It's all a process, and the film is constantly evolving - from the script, to in front of the camera, to the cutting room. I think you just have to sit back, look at the whole project, and do what is best for the film.

Q: Have you seen Blood Diamond and The Constant Gardener by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles? They also tackle importan issues about current political situation in Africa.

A: I did see both of those films, and I like them both. But, our film is to be taken far less serious. We touch on the political climate in Africa, but it really was meant to be a fun, scary ride..

Q: What do you find more frightening: a killer crocodile or these humans that execute innocent people?

A: Obviously the humans that execute innocent people. A crocodile is doing what it was meant to do by nature.

Q: What has it been like working with Disney and BHVE. They seem to really throw their support behind a film when they sign on for it.

A: I can say nothing but positive things about Disney and BHVE. They have been supportive through every step of the process, and continue to be.

Q: Who did the makeup effects?

A: They were all done by the local make-up artists in South Africa.

Q: Was there ever a feeling that this film and "Rogue" (from the "Wolf Creek" guys) would step on the toes of one another, in promotion and in audience?

A: That is actually what influenced our decision on rushing our post schedule, we really wanted to beat that film out of the gate to be the first croc movie, not the other croc movie.

Q: What are some of the other extras on the DVD? Will the Blu-Ray version have exclusive extras?

A: I believe they are the same. From what I understand, there is Crocumentary, Deleted Scenes, and Commentary from myself and Paul Linden (our visual effects supervisor).

Q: Jaws triggered a massive shark industry that's now endangering several species. Are you worried about villifying the crocodile?

A: I hope this film is taken purely at an entertainment level.

Q: Did you hold any screenings in Africa? If so, what was the general reaction?

A: We did not hold any screenings in Africa.

Q: You said this was shot entirely in Africa. As a director, what is more preferable: a set where everything is comfortable, but fake, or a real location that is full of life but possibly with uncomfortable shooting conditions?

A: It depends on what kind of film you are making. For Primeval, no question, a real environment, despite the potential for unfavorable conditions. It forces the actors to deal with nature. It makes it all more real. For photographic reasons, it is far more advantageous as well. Having said that, if I were shooting a film that took place all in interiors, I would prefer to build the set - making it much more accessible for camera, lighting, etc.

Q: Why "Primeval" and not "Gustave" for the title - what does the name "Primeval" dictate or require?

A: To be honest, it was titled "Gustave" for a very long time, but nobody really knew what that was or what it meant.

Q: I know I'm thinking ahead here, but what would you like to direct in the feature? What kind of films?

A: I really just want to direct films with compelling stories. Something that speaks to me. I'm open as to the genre, but I need to connect with the material.

Q: which sound was used to make the croc's jaw snapping?

A: We used a series of sounds. There is some wood snapping, elephant sounds, snake sounds, croc sounds, and anything else that was cool. We looked at the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park" as a template. They managed to make the sound frightening, and give it personality all at once.

Q: How difficult was it to create an entirely CGI character for daylight shots? You don't see that a whole lot.

A; It was definitely challenging. The nighttime is much more forgiving. What added to the level of difficulty was putting the creature in water during the day. It just requires a lot more time, and a lot more patience.

Q: Have you had a chance to pinch yourself? You get to see your name up in lights under "directed by" and take part in a Q and A about your film.

A: I'm loving every second of it. This is truly a dream come true. Thank you.

Q: I'm not sure if you have answered this question yet, but how did this opportunity to direct this film come about for you?

A: The producer, whom I had worked with in the past, brought the script to me, and offered it to me. I read it, and having been a huge fan of Brancato and Ferris, having enjoyed "The Game," I jumped at the chance.

Q: Was there ever an ending where Gustave was killed?

A: No, because he is alive, and we did want to stay true to that part of the story.

Q: Are Range Rovers really that durable? All I ever see is soccer moms driving them in LA.

A: You would be surprised how destructive a soccer team can be. Yes, they are that durable.

Q: What are you hoping people take away with them when the credits roll?

A: That they had a fun ride, and for the hour and thirty minutes, were able to forget about the outside world.

John Frizzell is by no means new to the business.  He’s been scoring both films and television shows/movies for almost 15 years.  He was fortunate enough to know what he wanted to do with his life at an early age and has produced an impressive body of work which includes UNDERTOW which starred Lou Diamond Philips, THE RICH MAN’S WIFE with Halle Berry, DANTE’S PEAK with Pierce Brosnan, ALIEN: RESURRECTION with Sigourney Weaver, the office hell comedy OFFICE SPACE with Ajai Naidu, and THIR13EN GHOSTS with Matthew Lillard. 

I recently spoke with John regarding his score to PRIMEVAL, which is due for DVD release in June 2007, and his most recent Varese Sarabande soundtrack album release, THE REAPING, which is a terrific score that belongs in any serious genre lover’s collection. 

Jonathan Stryker: Are you by any chance related to the late character actor Lou Frizzell?

John Frizzell: Not that I'm aware of.  But, it's a pretty rare name.

JS: I was just curious because he was a prolific character actor who passed away in 1979, and I’ve seen him in many movies that were made during the 1970s, particularly Steven Spielberg's DUEL, Robert Mulligan’s SUMMER OF ‘42 and THE OTHER, DEVIL DOG: THE HOUND OF HELL, the 1978 TV-movie with Richard Crenna, to name just a few…

JF: No, actually people ask me all the time if I’m related to ‘Lefty’ Frizzell, one of the most famous country musicians of all-time. 

JS: So, tell me a little bit about your background.

JF: I was around music a lot when I was a kid.  My father played the piano, and I actually got a lot of gigs singing in the choruses of opera companies when I was young.  So, I was exposed to a lot of different types of music very early on.  And then I really fell in love with jazz when I was a teenager and studied music first at USC and then the Manhattan School of Music.  Then, after music school I found my way working a lot with electronics and working with Ryuichi Sakamoto and that's when I decided that this was what I wanted to do.  I really ended up being groomed for this career by working with James Newton Howard and went off on my own scoring after that.

JS: I am by no means an expert in music.  I just know that when I listen to music I either like it or I don't like it.  I've been aware of music, particularly in how it is used in motion pictures, since I was quite young.  I saw RAGGEDY ANN AND ANDY: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE, a cartoon in 1977, and although the story itself wasn't anything to write home about the movie boasted a wonderful musical score.  It was the first soundtrack album that I ever owned, and when STAR WARS was released a few months later, well, that was it.  I never heard anything like STAR WARS before, and I suppose no one else did either.  But, the impact of STAR WARS on me was quite remarkable and this began a lifelong love of soundtrack music and collecting soundtrack albums, and more importantly being aware of how music is used in a motion picture.  You, I would imagine, have had a similar experience in being moved by certain scores, which probably compelled you to write music.  Out of all the scores you’ve heard, which ones made you want to score movies?

JF: Oh, probably the clincher was when I heard THE MISSION.

JS: Yes, Ennio Morricone’s music is wonderful.  He has scored well over 400 movies, he's very prolific.  As you well know, he was recently honored at the Academy Awards.  He's incredibly talented and unfortunately most people don't even know who he is.  I love the work he has done for Dario Argento, particularly his early fauna-titled films.  His score for John Carpenter's THE THING is quite unique, not to mention all the Clint Eastwood westerns that he scored, and the list goes on.  What was it about THE MISSION that inspired you?

JF: Well, I think that what really impressed me about Morricone’s score was his ability to take music and make it so much more than just a motion picture score.  The score really had a life of its own, and actually became a separate creation that worked very well on its own. 

JS: What other scores stood out for you?

JF: Of course, there are so many Jerry Goldsmith scores that made a big impression on me.  PLANET OF THE APES is a huge influence.  I just love how experimental it was in the different types of sounds that he was playing with.  This and THE MISSION were the scores that really influenced me. 

JS: Yes, Goldsmith is one of my personal favorites as well.  He left us far too early in my opinion.  He put out so many great scores, music like THE MEPHISTO WALTZ, THE OTHER, LOGAN’S RUN, THE OMEN, COMA, INCHON, OUTLAND, RAGGEDY MAN, POLTERGEIST, FIRST BLOOD, PSYCHO II, etc.  Like Morricone, the scores stand out so well on their own.  You can easily listen to them without watching the respective films.  His music is so effective, in fact, that I recall reading the novelization of POLTERGEIST while listening to his music for the film, in particular the track entitled “Rebirth”, and this really set the hairs on the back of my neck on end!

JF: That's a great score.

JS: Is scoring something you always wanted to do?

JF: I would say that I had thought about several things that I wanted to do with my life.  When I was a teenager I thought that I wanted to be a jazz musician and was able to study with one of my real heroes, Joe Pass.  But then I realized that I was not going to be the player that he was, so I moved on.  Then I explored the idea of being a writer, then I found myself coming back to music.  And when I started working with electronics and music that is when I really started getting interested in it, in my early twenties.  I worked with Sakamoto when I was 24. 

JS: I think it's really quite admirable to pursue something like this at that age.  In some ways I’m envious of you!  I'm 38 years-old now and I work for a telecommunications company, but I’m always pulled to film.  I never pursued a career in film because I had it drilled into my head that I really couldn't make a living at it.  But, I think it's wonderful that that's what you chose to do and also chose to pursue it.  In looking over your filmography, you have amassed an incredible body of work over a 13-year period.

JF: Yes, I've been really lucky to get different types of projects that cover a broad range and it’s been really creatively exciting and it continues to grow, the different things I get to do.  I am pretty fortunate in that.  I'm very grateful for that.

JS: Where does your inspiration come from?

JF: Deadlines!

JS: (laughs) That reminds me of reading about Cary Grant asking Alfred Hitchcock where he should get his character’s motivation from, and Hitchcock replied, “Your paycheck.” 

JF: (laughing) Yeah, I always say, “fear and grief”!  No, but I really do enjoy the process of writing, and also coming up with the process of coming up with a concept for the score.  PRIMEVAL was really good for that, I wanted to treat African music and have it work in film and a way that I had never heard of before.  Plus, to come up with the process and plan to make that happen, that was exciting, too.  I enjoy the planning of something that looks like it's very difficult to do and seems near impossible, and I enjoy writing and the long hours and what it takes to figure it out, those are my two favorite parts.  That’s my favorite thing to do. 

JS: PRIMEVAL is a film about a huge crocodile in Africa that goes on a rampage.  I thought of Lewis Teague’s ALLIGATOR when I saw it.  (As a side note, PRIMEVAL was also the working title for the 1987 John McTiernan film, PREDATOR).  How did you come to score PRIMEVAL?

JF: Michael Katleman, the director, and I go way back.  He was the creator of the television series called VR.5 thirteen years ago, and that was one of the first things I ever scored.  So, I've known him for quite a long time.  Michael asked me to score the film, and I said, “Absolutely!”

JS: What challenges did you face in scoring PRIMEVAL? 

JF:  Well, to get truly African music into a score was a real challenge.  Finding real players and not imitative players is difficult, and I had to go to Africa to do it.  Traditional African music is not played to a click, so there’s no way to synchronize it to the picture.  It is not played in Western tunings, and so it’s difficult to coordinate it with an orchestral tuning.  It’s not even played in Western scales.  And so I had to start with the African music and record it all and then organize it in to a computer program so I could tweak it and change it as I was composing to picture.  It was logistically challenging, it was a long way to go.  It was very difficult recording in Africa, and it was technically challenging but it came out great.  Getting all of the right people in Africa wasn't exactly easy either.  I was very fortunate to have a gentleman named Craig McGahey, from a company called Mama Dance, and he helped me pull in all the right people.  And we ended up with fabulous players.  And that was really the soul of the score.

JS:  I love the opening title sequence.  That's my favorite – it's very ominous.

JF:  That's the tone that really needed to be set for this film, this sort of brooding tension that gets more explosive as the film progresses.  There is a great deal of music in the film, just over 80 minutes of music in a 90 minute film.  And when you score a film that is that long, it presents a new set of challenges.  It has to be crafted right across the whole picture.

JS:  Is PRIMEVAL ostensibly based upon true events? 

JF:  Yes, there’s this crocodile called Gustave who has killed over 300 people.  If you Google “Gustave croc” you can see pictures of him!

JS:  How did you feel about going to Africa?  What was that like?

JF:  I was very excited!  I went and spent my whole time in South Africa.  I visited the set which was in an area called Quazulu-Natal which is in the East.  We were on a game reserve and got to see giraffes, zebras, and I went to Cape Town and worked for 10 days recording there.  Cape Town is a wonderful place, it’s a really growing country.  They have enormous challenges, of course, but it's also making giant strides.  I had one day off in my time in South Africa and I want to do something really exciting.  I actually went cage diving with great white sharks. 

JS:  Oh, my God!

JF:  Hey, I'm a film composer, and for this film I really had to know about fear. 

JS:  Matt Hooper, eat your heart out…

JF:  So, I went into the cage for an hour and I saw six great white sharks.

JS:  Were you scared?

JF:  Terrified!  I get terrified just thinking…I mean, it’s just unbelievable…

JS:  (laughing) Just watching JAWS wasn’t an option? 

JF:  No!  (laughing)

JS:  What other film genres do you like?

JF:  I have a wide range of films I like.  I loved PAN’S LABYRINTH and NOTES ON A SCANDAL.  The more films I score, the more I have a feeling of making the film, not just scoring it, but actually being a part of the making of the film. 

JS:  What are some of your favorite horror films?

JF:  THE SHINING is my favorite. 

JS:  That’s my favorite, too. 

JF:  For me, nothing else compares to that film. 

JS:  There are certain directors in the industry who like to work with the same casts, same crew, time and time again.  Woody Allen and Atom Egoyan are both known for this.  Is that something that you enjoy doing, working with people and collaborating with people you know, or do you gravitate towards people you haven't work with before in an effort to find originality or something different?

JF:  Well, to be honest, both are really fun.  One of the obvious advantages to working with the group of people you already know is that you don't have do the “get to know you” part.  I have no problem doing that, but it really allows you to dive headfirst into the creative process.  I recently finished doing THE REAPING, my fourth film for Joel Silver, and I’ve known Joel for a long time, too. 

JS:  I enjoyed your music to THE REAPING.  It’s a very subdued score, yet becomes bombastic at a moment’s notice.  These moments recall Goldsmith's score to THE OMEN.  What preparations did you make to write this score?

JF:  Thank you.  I came onto the project pretty late, so I had no preparation – I just started writing!

JS:  I've read about some directors who actually ask a composer to score a movie prior to its even being filmed.  Dario Argento had the Goblins record the music to SUSPIRIA so he could have it playing on the soundstage to give the actors a disoriented feeling.  Was THE REAPING completely (or partially) finished when you scored it?

JF:  There was a very complete cut of the film when I started scoring.

JS:  THE REAPING is directed by Stephen Hopkins, who also directed numerous episodes of television’s 24.  Have you seen 24?

JF:  I'm actually very good friends with Sean Callery who has scored every single episode of 24, but because of my busy schedule I don’t get to watch television.  But, I know he does a great job for the show.   

JS:  Why do some soundtrack albums perfectly reflect a motion picture score, and yet others are all over the map?  THE REAPING does a wonderful task of conveying a story to the audience with what I like to call all of its “aural chiaroscuros” and nuances.  For example, there are some soundtrack albums that contain every bit of music used in a film, and yet others mix up the music and leave off some of the best tracks. 

JF:  Yes, well I’ve seen it done in both ways.  “Best” is a relative term, and whoever thinks the “best” is thinking in their own terms.  Sometimes the album is pressed according to what the composer likes, and other times the composer has no control over how his music appears on the soundtrack album.  Often there are union issues in regards to how many minutes can appear on a soundtrack album.  I remember awhile back when we had to do pretty much 30 minute soundtrack albums, they were very short.  It's gotten better now, a lot of soundtrack albums are about 60 minutes.  Sometimes when you write a film score, you end up with music that works well in a scene, but it doesn’t hold up on its own in the environment of being on an album, so the composer might get into shuffling things around a little bit.  I really like to make up the experience on the CD of taking you through the shape of the film.   Sometimes it’s just a very brutal time period in which to put the score together.  Other times, you’re finishing a score and getting ready for the film, at the same time putting together the soundtrack, and just don’t have enough time to do an album the way that you’d really like to.  

JS:  In terms of film composers, who else in addition to Morricone and Goldsmith to admire?

JF:  Elmer Bernstein, James Newton Howard, Mark Isham, Ed Shearmur.  Now in terms of composers outside of film music, I'm a huge fan of Bela Bartok, Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, the list goes on and on.  I think that listening to a lot of different music is what it’s all about.  It's about exploring new territories and staying on the cutting edge of music.

JS:  Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your career.

JF:  Thank you!

THE REAPING is now available on Varese Sarabande compact disc. 

Q: You’re actually in both segments of Grindhouse, correct?

Marley Shelton: Yes.

Q: And you worked with Robert Rodriguez before in the opening scene from Sin City and I know Rodriguez loves the new, the digital way and Quentin is very old school.

And did you notice a big difference in how they work or did you have a preference?

Marley Shelton: Oh yeah, they definitely have a very different way of working.

But what’s so great is they’re so egoless with each other and it’s also kind of this fantastic collaboration and cross pollination.

But they – yeah, Robert is much more of a visualist and he is obviously extremely cutting edge in terms of his technology. He prefer – he likes to create at the speed of thought which is actually something he said to us before.

And, you know, the minute we would shoot a scene we would run back to the monitor and he’d already be cutting it together and laying in music and he had a color timing mechanism so that we could see how it would look once they made the movie look like a bad print from the 1970s.

And so it was very, you know, cutting edge and I guess as an actor it was just it was more, you know, he would literally show us what we had just done and direct us and adjust us by literally pointing out what we were doing on the monitor and saying, okay here I want you to change that and do this.

So we, you know, as an actor you sort of have to get over ourselves in any sort of self consciousness pretty quickly which I really enjoyed.

And then Quentin is very old school and, you know, he prefers to shoot on film. He doesn’t even have a monitor. He stands next to the camera and watches the scenes with his naked eye and even much more verbal person. You know, Robert is a man of few words and prefers to just show you things and Quentin likes to talk about it.

But I love both. You know, that was the beauty of this project was just to have such two totally different styles coming together and working together.

Q:   I was wondering what its like to have your own action figure.

Marley Shelton: It’s a - you know what it’s very flattering and it’s also kind of a nerving I’ve got to say.

But you know to have an action figure in a Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino movie it just doesn’t really get much better.

So I guess that answers your question.

Q: As far as I can tell and you haven’t really done much horror before. You’ve done a lot of romantic comedies, drama kind of things.

So how was the switch to this kind of I mean really gritty over the top horror movie?

Marley Shelton: Well I was actually like a kid in the candy shop because it’s true I haven’t done much horror. I did do a movie called Valentine.

But personally as an actor I’m sort of obsessed with suspense and what creates suspense.

And I’ve studied it and I love the old Hitchcock films for that reason.

And so I was really delighted to be able to be in the hands of such a – two such masters at their craft, Robert and Quentin, and to play with those ideas of suspense. And I sort of modeled my character in Robert’s sort of off of the old Hitchcock ice cream blondes like the Tippi Hendrens of those old movies.

And so I think the movie in itself is such a departure that for all of us actors it was a departure no matter what we’ve done in the past.

Q: I was wondering how it actually was it to be working with guns and in the first correct me if I’m wrong but in the first scene of Sin City you’re shot and then you’re in both segments of Grindhouse and you have a lot of weapons flying around and I’m wondering is it every humbling, does it strike you and feel, you know, that you’re ever in danger with, you know, a gun in your face quite a few times.

Marley Shelton: You know it’s a little bit unnerving. They’re really good about, you know, there’s definitely a protocol to using any sort of firearms when you’re – you know, shooting a movie and (unintelligible).

But Robert and Quentin are just so experienced and so good at what they do and their crews are so topnotch that we were never really that worried. I mean I was more worried about the giant explosions going off quite frankly than the firearms.

But you know we were also in Texas so the people that were in charge of the guns knew what they were doing.

Q: I know that Rodriguez wrote the role for you specifically I mean how does that make you feel and why do you think he wrote this role for you?

Marley Shelton: You know I’m so indebted to Robert because he has just identified the potential in me and entrusted me with his vision of, you know, both in Sin City and now in Planet Terror.

I – it’s really, really beyond. I’m just deeply grateful quite frankly because it’s – he’s allowed me to do things that I’ve never been able to do before on screen.

And I don’t know why he saw that potential in me but I’m very grateful for it.

Q: Because I know I saw you in the (last cast) you played (Arianna).

Marley Shelton: Yeah, uh-huh.

Q: And it’s like it seems like I don’t – I haven’t seen the movie personally yet but it seems like these roles are so completely different.

And like what made him think of you when he wrote this role? I mean did he say anything or?

Marley Shelton: Well he never told me. I’ve heard that, you know, well as we’ve been doing (press) I’ve heard that. I don’t know that if he really had me in mind with the inception of the character.

But, you know, I think it was just based on our working relationship in Sin City. You know, we got along so well and it worked out so well that I think, you know, he, you know, I auditioned for him for Planet Terror, you know, like everybody else. And I guess he just, you know, based on my audition and our past work together saw that I could do it.

Q:  Just wanted to check-in with you and see sort of in the same line with the action figure, kind of see what your initial reaction to it was once you first saw it.

Marley Shelton: I was utterly blown away.

Q: (Are there things you’d change) about it or do you like the way it looks?

Marley Shelton: No. It’s so cool. I had butterflies of course like all the other cast members going into the screening because they – it was the first time we had seen our work.

But, you know, you quickly kind of forget even that you’re in it because the movies are so good and the crowd, the audience seem to be responding so well that it was just one of those situations where, you know, you just abandon yourself and completely escape into the crazy world.

Q: And was it the same kind of reaction looking at the – seeing yourself on the poster?

Marley Shelton: Yeah, just because you know these filmmakers are so topnotch, I mean really Robert and Quentin are just such original thinkers and you know whatever they’re going to do is going to be cool.

So you can really sort of rest assured and trust them.

Q: I was just wondering I mean in some of the previous talks we’ve had today with some of your costars. It’s always coming up, you know, how we’re in such a horror film craze.

And I was just wondering what is it about Grindhouse and I guess specifically Planet Terror that sets it apart from, you know, all the other horror movies we’re seeing come out, you know, two at a time, you know, every week?

Marley Shelton: Well I think a lot of things set it apart. Off of the top of my head I think that, you know, especially Planet Terror is more fantastical and it’s sort of operatic in it’s violence so that it doesn’t really – it kind of it distances the audience from, you know, like that Zombies couldn’t probably take over a small town in Texas therefore its, you know, you can actually really let go in the movie and it doesn’t affect you as intimately as like real violence, you know, and some other of these horror movies where it’s just like disgusting in a different way.

I think this is just much more fun and it’s grossed out comedy but I just think it’s lighter fare and I think that both movies are much more stylized and obviously they’re referencing the exploitation movies of the 70s so there’s this (Omaj) that they’re paying to bear past and they’re nostalgic movies.

I think that also you have two filmmakers who are on the top of their game. I mean, you know, coming off of Sin City and Kill Bill 1 and 2, these guys really are the top of their craft, and so just the filmmaking itself is just really exquisite.

Q: I was wondering you’re in both films. How do they do the films work – is there any – do the films work together in any way like does the order of the film like one comes before the other, does that matter at all or?

Marley Shelton: You know there are definitely some very loose tenants, some strings that connect both movies that is actually as an audience its really fun to kind of look for.

They’ve done some very specific things and played with structure. Chronologically Quentin’s comes before Robert’s but when you see the movie just for the heck of it they put Robert’s first.

So they’ve done stuff like that because even playing with just chronological time that make it really fun.

But yeah, both movies take place in the same time in Texas allegedly. And there’s a lot of crossover actors that either are playing the same character in each film or playing different characters in each film.

So look for all the little – and then there’s some really subtle things that connect the movies too that I didn’t even pick up until my second – the second or third time I saw the movie.

Q:   I’m just wondering since you’ve had such a fairly extensive career so far what for you are the best and worse aspects of the industry in general?

Marley Shelton: Well right now I’m experiencing the best aspects of the industry because to be able to be a part of a movie like this where you’re in the hands of extremely talented and experienced filmmakers and they’re just doing stuff that’s totally cutting edge and because of, you know, their past success and imagination they’re able to cast people. They’re basically able to cast whoever they want.

And I just – it was just really cool that Robert gave me this opportunity and saw the potential in me to pull off this role because it’s very different than anything I have been able to play before.

You know, I think it’s like anything else. I think what drives me nuts sometimes about the industry is the feast and famine that, you know, it’s very erratic.

And but the – but when you are making a movie the high is so high that it’s worth everything else you have to put up with.

Q: You spoke earlier about the violence in Grindhouse.

And it seems like in spite of the fact that Quentin Tarantino and also Robert Rodriguez in Sin City they make their violence very stylized.

Marley Shelton: Yes.

Q: It seems like there’s still always a little bit of controversy or negative response to that.

And I was wondering if that’s something you worry about at all with Grindhouse like the same kind of reaction.

Marley Shelton: You know I really don’t. I – it always strikes me as really interesting that there’s this controversy over their films because for me I can’t – normal – it was interesting even at the premier a lot of my friends came who, you know, told me even in advance their disclaimer.

They’re like listen this is not the kind of movie that I like because they heard, you know, that it was going to be really violent and scary and they’re like we’re just warning you, you know, we’re not – this is not my cup of tea.

And then they walked out of the movie like shocked at how much they loved it. They were like this is amazing.

And so I really think that audiences are going to be happily surprised. It’s the type of violence that doesn’t – it doesn’t cut you to the core. It’s more just – it’s more grossed out violence and it’s silly and ridiculous and stylized as you said and it just – it’s cathartic. It’s – you’re able to like squirm in your seat and laugh and cover your eyes.

But it’s not in a way that is deeply disturbing.

Q: I was wondering because of this – both of these movies kind of don’t place an emphasis on the quality of the acting this kind of the anti-acting movies.

How do you know when you go too far when you hit the right tone for a scene when all the rules are off for you as an actor?

Marley Shelton: That’s a great question.

Well basically when we were researching these, you know, exploitation movies of the 70s we realized that the actors themselves were very earnest and their performances were very earnest, you know, they were acting their hearts out.

And sometimes they were the victim of, you know, plots that didn’t totally work or were lack of budget and whatnot.

But they themselves were really, you know, putting their shoulder behind the work.

So we decided very early on that we had to play it as straight and earnestly as possible.

And it’s the circumstances in our movies that are so absurd that give it that kind of, you know, campy feeling at times but or melodramatic feeling.

But we really I mean I played it as straight as I could because if I didn’t, if I was winking at the camera and going for a campier style it would have been like chocolate on chocolate.

Q: I was wondering if you or yourself are a fan of these Grindhouse type horror films and how you think this movie compares to the ones that you’ve seen or enjoyed.

Marley Shelton: I am definitely a fan now. It’s hard to – once you’re introduced to the wild and wacky world of Quentin and Robert and their love and passion for these exploitation in Grindhouse movies it’s so infectious.

And the first thing we did when we started the rehearsal process was we went over to Quentin’s house and he screened a bunch of – he owns all these original prints of exploitation movies because he collects them.

And so we had a mini film festival. And the way, you know, it was just it couldn’t help to rub off on us as actors their passion.

And so we joke that we have sort of been brainwashed like, you know, it’s this strange call to now we love the exploitation movies too.

Q: I was just wondering there’s really an eclectic mix of veteran actors and actresses and newcomers in the two films.

And I was wondering what kind of dynamic that created.

Marley Shelton: You know it was exciting. It was exciting because for, you know, all of us actors are lesser known. We were thrilled to work with actors that had, you know, such amazing experience.

And at the same time I think what was exciting about, you know, leave it to Robert and Quentin to like cast really fresh faces and interesting people and, you know, they don’t have to abide by any rules and, you know, that’s what’s so great about them. They’re really renegade filmmakers and they do things the way they want to do them.

And so I love the mix. I mean I think the casting is really cool in both movies, such interesting people. It’s just like I don’t know it was refreshing for me to see so many like new faces and new talent.

So and I don’t know how it works but it all works. Like (Mary) (unintelligible) the casting director is pretty talented because there’s a nice blend, you know, between all the different actors.

Q: So like Grindhouse (unintelligible) it’s like a Zombie type deal. Is there like any influence there from like George Romero’s, like Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead?

Marley Shelton: Yeah, he’s influenced by those movies. The other influences are Zombie, you know, the Italian Lucio Fuci. And another movie called City of the Walking Dead in which they’re not actually Zombies but they’re infected people.

So I know those were - and Escape from New York is another influence for – in Robert’s movie.

And The Thing, and that’s another influence that he talked about a lot.

He also believe it or not was referencing he’s a big fan of the screwball comedies from the 1940s like the Howard Hawks’ comedies.

And he told me once that he wanted to do a screwball comedy and also a Zombie movie so he decided to marry the two and he came up with gore-ball comedy and that’s what he was attempting in Planet Terror.

Q: Are there any actors or directors you haven’t worked with that you’d like to?

Marley Shelton: Oh my gosh, yeah I have a laundry list.

Who I’m really into in terms of actors I’m very amazed by Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling and Chris Nolan is a director that I would love to work with. Michelle Gondry is another director that I would love to work with.

Who else? (Won Carui), oh, let’s – does that – that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Q: Hi, you said that they were trying to mix horror with screwball comedies and you said is – what scene from either one of the segments you think kind of shows the best of the two worlds of the cheesy horror movies and the comedies?

Marley Shelton: The gore-ball?

Q: Yeah gore-ball, yeah, there you go.

Marley Shelton: The gore-ball, okay. Well if you look at some of like the – especially the scene between (Ray) and (Cherry) played by Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodriguez you’ll notice like a lot of sort of rapid fire dialogue and like witty banter and kind of plays on words and that was sort of like classic of the Howard Hawks’ comedies like the Rosalind Russell like sort of way like snappy dialogue.

And so Robert’s done his own version of that. And then at the same time, you know, obviously the Zombie – there’s Zombies all over the place in the movie.

So he just married these two worlds.

Q: But were there any scenes that you were in that were like that or?

Marley Shelton: Oh, you know, I don’t think that my stuff was as much, well you know a little bit in terms of just I don’t know if it was as much screwball comedy but like I definitely have some comedic moments I think involving my hands. They get shot at by the anesthetic and trying to escape from Zombies without the use of my hands.

Q: Yeah.

Marley Shelton: Made for a lot of physical comedy.

Q: Yes.

Marley Shelton: And at one point Robert said to me, he’s like you have to play this as if it were a silent movie. That was his note to me like you had to sell it as it I was making a silent movie.

Q: I was just wondering if you had any particular favorite Hitchcock film.

Marley Shelton: Psycho.

Q: Really?

Marley Shelton: Yeah. And it’s funny because when we shot the scene in the hospital where my evil has been played by Josh Brolin is stabbing my wrist with my own anesthetic needles.

When Robert played back the scene for us on the monitor he put in the soundtrack to Psycho over the scene just to like give us a quick idea of how the scene would play with music.

Q: That’s cool. Personally I’m a Shadow of a Doubt man but…

Marley Shelton: Nice.

Marley Shelton: I just watched Dial M for Murder. I haven’t seen it in

Q:   How physically demanding was the role and did you get to do any of your own stunts or anything?

Marley Shelton: It was relatively physically demanding. I think like the biggest stunt I did was running in high heels night after night which some of it made it into the movie but it felt like I did a lot more running than actually made it up on screen.

But yeah, I think, you know, just like my character is in like a constant state of trauma and duress.

So, you know, that’s – when you’re fooling your body it’s – your body gets sort of (unintelligible) and there’s like – you get these adrenaline rushes and you go home from work feeling so spent physically sort of crashing from that adrenaline and all those tears and whatnot.

But I didn’t’ do any other stunts besides that. (Tracy Dashanal) is incredible stunt woman and she did the whole thing of me jumping out of the window so I have to give her props for that one.

Q: All right. I was also wondering if you can recall at all while you were on set what kind of music you were listening to from any kind of personal player in your trailer, whatever, what have you.

Marley Shelton: Oh yeah, you know, Freddy Rodriguez actually is really into like making mix CDs. It’s kind of his way of decompressing when he’s working.

So I was so lucky because he would make me all of these Freddy master mixes.

And so I have – I got to listen to those throughout. I mean he’s really into Hip Hop so a lot of it was Hip Hop and Rap.

But that kept me going through all the long nights.

Q: Well you worked with Robert Rodriguez before for Sin City so how would you just differentiate the Grindhouse experience with that?

Marley Shelton: Well Robert’s always doing something – he’s always up to something very unique and different. You know, each of his movies are just so different from the next.

But his bedside manner and approach is always the same. And he’s very consistent. He’s just so – there’s an ease about him. He’s a man of few words. He makes you feel like anything and everything is possible because he’s a guy who, you know, he himself writes, directs, DPs, scored, edits and mixes his own movies.

So when you’re around him you just feel like the sky is the limit. It’s very inspiring. It’s like if he can do it then I can do it, you know. And if he doesn’t know how to do something he learns how to do something.

And so it’s nice to be around that energy.

Q: Uh-huh. And how would you describe the atmosphere on the set? Was it professional or relaxed?

Marley Shelton: It was professional and relaxed. That’s what’s great about the tone that Robert sets and Quentin for that matter. They both are very hospitable. They create an environment that’s really conducive to creativity and yet very relaxed. You know, it’s not a tense atmosphere by any means.

Q:  I was wondering you’ve done comedy. You’ve done drama. You’ve done a mix of things, television and so forth. What direction do you want to go now?

Do you want to stay in the horror or are you pretty much open to whatever comes up for you?

Marley Shelton: You know I really I genuinely mean this. I love all of genre of film as long as it’s good. I mean that’s the prerequisite for me just good material and good filmmakers and a good cast.

And then I’m pretty much up for anything.

Q: Pretty much up for anything so what is your definition of good? Are you looking for character driven pieces or are you looking for story line pieces?

Marley Shelton: It’s just – the story telling has to be really, you know, that’s subjective thing but for me I just have to respond to it. It has to be interesting and intriguing to me.

I think, you know, I think my number one aim is to work with directors who I think are extremely talented because at the end of the day with movies, you know, it’s really the director’s vision that you’re seeing on screen.

So you have to really trust the director and like his vision. So that more than anything above all else it’s the director that appeals to me.

Q:  I was just wondering, you know, like Rodriguez and Tarantino the women in his films they always seem to look, you know, so like (fanned up) and, you know, diva and sexy and stuff.

And I was just wondering, you know, is it fun for all you girls getting to wear those kinds of, you know, really sexy costumes and outfits and everything.

Marley Shelton: Oh sure, you know, Robert is really very much – very specific about his costumes and very involved in the costumes in his movies and actually so is Quentin. They both are.

And I love that. I love how they pay attention to detail. You know, we came up with this outfit for (Dakota) which is like she starts out in this very prim sort of thing, you know, before like (icy) Hitchcock blonde doctor whose very put together and sort of precise.

And then as the night unfurrows she unfurrowed and so the costume was constructed to extenuate that, you know, it’s like her – you know, she gets stripped down to her tank top and her – the slit in her skirt, you know, creeps up and her hair comes down and we had to find high heels that I could run in.

And, you know, my breast seem to grow a size or two by the end of the night. It’s just like that classic sort of Grindhouse exploitation look.

And we were also referencing the 70s, you know, you should probably notice like the shirt – the blouse I was wearing had a 70s lapel just little things like that even though the movie doesn’t take place in the 70s we were – that was our (Omaj). That was our nod to the exploitation movies at that time.

Q: Cool yeah, it just looked so much fun.

Marley Shelton: Yeah it was really fun.

Q: I mean you guys must have had a ball doing that.

Marley Shelton: Oh yeah, it was great.

Q: We’re doing a kind of a Grindhouse Week on VH1.com next week and I have to ask you a video game question.

So you can vamp it up, you can do anything you want. But do you have any anecdotes of games growing up or do you play them now? Do you have any boyfriends that play games?

Marley Shelton: Well yeah. I was – I’m really into Mrs. Pacman. That was sort of my game for a long time.

There’s actually a documentary coming out soon called King of Kong that is so cool like you have to (unintelligible) year to see this thing. It’s like all about the gaming world of like the early 80s and these people that are obsessed with arcade games.

Marley Shelton: So I guess I’m more classic but we definitely have Xbox, Playstation, Playstation 3, you know, we’ve got it all at our house.

So there’s a lot of video games happening. I’m not quite as into it but my husband’s really into it.

Q: I was just wondering about how much interaction between the two sets of the two different movies were there really because I realize they’re separate productions.

But I mean Quentin and Robert are like best friends. So I assume there must have been some kind of, you know, interchange there.

Marley Shelton: Oh yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, they shot – well we shot Planet Terror first and then we shot Death Proof and it was largely the same crew on both movies.

And we shot everything at Troublemaker Studios in Austin which is where Robert has a permanent set up. He’s got – he converted the old Austin Airport into his own permanent sound stages. And so everything was shot there.

And when we shot Planet Terror Quentin was on set the entire time and really, you know, he had definitely had a lot to say and, you know, really helped a lot like in co-directing the movie.

And then Robert was really involved in Death Proof and helped DP it and there was just a ton of cross pollination.

Q:  Were there any crazy things that happened on the set that you can tell us about?

Marley Shelton: The craziest thing that happened on the set that I was a part of was when we shot the scene in which the character of (Joe)’s arm is amputated. He’s like the first guy to come into the hospital as a Zombie victim.

He – we were shooting the scene and accidentally we had of course prop needles that were retractable needles but they got swapped with real needles.

And so we were shooting the scene and I was literally like puncturing his skin with these real needles and it like – there was like a 30 second delay before we realized what was actually happening because (Joe) and I were, you know, in the middle of like this dialogue and then we looked down and he was bleeding from his arm and it was so horrific and it was one of those strange surreal moments when art imitates life.

Q:   Yeah, from all – I know most of the film was done in Austin.

But with all different places we saw that pilots in Austin and California (unintelligible) like did you guys spend a lot of time checking out the city or did you actually get time to spend in the locations you were at?

Marley Shelton: Oh yeah. Yeah, I mean I just fell in love with Austin, Texas. It’s such a great town. It’s like, you know, from the restaurants to the music scene to just the vibe of the people and the esthetic and spent a lot of time on South Congress. You know, I love Tex-Mex food so I was just in heaven. It’s a great place.

Q: Tarantino and Rodriguez both have an impressive list of work so did you feel any pressure to work differently than you have in the past?

Marley Shelton: Well I knew Robert because I’ve worked on Sin City so, you know, I knew sort of the lay of the land with him and we had a relationship so that was cool.

And with Tarantino like Quentin is so down to earth and, you know, basically what you see is what you get. He’s just this very affable enthusiastic positive person, and so both of them in their own way are really good at putting actors at ease.

Q: Hey, I was just wondering if you can tell us anything about upcoming projects that you’re involved in.

Marley Shelton: I have a movie coming out called the Fifth Patient that is an independent film so I don’t know what’s planned for it. I know it’s going to be at CineVegas. That I just recently heard but that’s all I know so far.