Interviews
NYCHFF 2006: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Cast and Crew
By John Marrone
Nov 7, 2006, 11:35

On Friday, October 20th - the New York City Horror Film Festival screened John Buechler's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Tony Todd and Vernon Wells.  It is the age old story of Dr. Jekyll - working in his laboratory - fiddling with chemicals and medications no man should be testing on himself - becoming victim to transformations and murderous alter-egos.  Vernon Wells plays a rare good-guy role as investigative Dr. Dennis Lanyon - tracking the murders to Dr. Jekyll (Tony Todd) - who is rubbery and beastly and funny as hell and viscious to boot.  This is the type of role that Todd flourishes in - being able to highlight his emotionally endearing persona, as well as his bizarre, fiendishly unique takes on the killer persona, as he has in the recent camp classic Shadow Dead Riot.  This film kicked ass - it was as exciting as it was outloud hilarious - satisfying serious horror junkies as much as it did the horror-comedy fan.  A must see for 2007.  After the film, producer Peter Davy, director John Buechler, and actors Vernon Wells and Tony Todd took the stage front and center to answer some questions from the audience.

Director John Buechler:  Hello and good evening.  I’m glad you had fun with it - you were supposed to...  I guess at the very beginning you didn’t know you were supposed to, but you got it...

Q: Why "The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde"?

Director John Buechler:  Oddly enough, it’s always been a dream of mine to re-envision this classic horror film.  I always wanted to do a Jekyll and Hyde - to do a contemporary one - but I couldn’t figure out exactly how I wanted to do it until I met this guy [motions to Tony Todd].  I had the pleasure of working with Tony on another film.  He always plays these bad men on the screen but in person he’s a wonderful human being - he’s a big teddy bear - and I said to myself, “It’s Jekyll and Hyde!”  I wanted a way to make the story relevant - Tony could play both roles, one who is over the top screaming mad, and another guy you sympathize with...

Q:  Could you talk about the ending a bit?  I mean - it was fuckin’ awesome!  A guy in a monkey suit killing cops on a roof!  (audience laughs)

Director John Buechler:  Well...  OK - how many times has Jekyll and Hyde been compared to Murders in the Rue Morgue?  How many times in literature and in cinema?  I felt I had to put that in.  I wanted to go kind of extreme, because everyone’s seen a transformation.  How many morphs can you do?  Well we tried to test the limit here... (audience laughs)

Q:  The transformation effects were great - Who did the CGI? 

Director John Buechler:  There is a company in California called Worldwide Effects that did the special effects - and they did an outstanding job with it, dont you think?  And the thing is, thats not all CGI.  We had many people trained in prosthetics - and we were going back and forth - so, its hard to tell where the CGI stops and the makeup effects begin, and I think that's what makes it successful.  It was fun.  Its almost like a Warner Brothers Jekyll and Hyde thing at the end there - when his head expands - WOW - its fun...

Q:  The end - when he's morphing - how long did it take to do those shots?

Director John Buechler:  Actually - we shot it over the space of three days.  Tony was on the rooftop there specifically for one night.  First of all, as Mr. Hyde.  And then immediately thereafter as Henry Jekyll - we shot both versions live and in front of green screen.  It was pandemonium.  I mean - its a real low budget independent film and we moved very fast and very efficiently - but we got all the coverage.  Then we created, on another night, all of the in-betweens - all the animatronics - all the elements that you saw - and then we shot them all over again in my studio in front of green screens so we could work in the CGI... 

Q:  Who did the makeup art?

Director John Buechler:  My company - Magical Media Industries - designed, created and fabricated...  I designed all the makeup effects.  I have an amazing crew - John Fidele is my supervisor - (applauds) - Jenn Rose is the applicator - she is a magnificant makeup artist...

Tony Todd:  Fortunately, every day (he winks to the audience)

Director John Buechler:  She is fine to look at, so - OK...  (audience laughs)

Q:  Actually, one of the questions I have is - when I was talking to you guys outside - seems like the actors in this film....  you know, there's so much camp in there - and so much serious horror in there - seems like you guys had so much fun in the film - working off one another - can you talk a bit about that?

Vernon Wells:  (In a deep and gruff voice)  Hello....  Being as unaccustomed as I am to talking in front of groups of people... (audience laughs lightly) - No.  We had a ball.  All my life as an actor - there've been certain people that I wanted to work with.  And having seen Candyman a long time ago, when I was just a little boy about yea big (audience laughs) - I thought to myself, "I could kick his ass," (referring to Tony Todd) - "And one day Im going to get the chance to kick his ass."  Then I met Tony, and I thought, "He's six feet taller than I am.  I aint kickin no asses."  No - I loved it because I really did want to work with Tony - he is one of the people that I looked up to -

Tony Todd:  When you were only yea big...

Vernon Wells:  And - when John approached me about playing - totally opposite to anything I usually do, which is always being the villain - I was not that keen on it.  Then he told me Tony would be the lead - I was racked with the idea that this would be amazing - because you have two people on film, both who play incredibly viscious human beings playing off each other.  Its either gonna look really good, or we're gonna screw up really bad.  And fortunately, Tony is the consumate and wonderful professional that he is.  He gave me everything I needed to play down - that was what was so amazing about it - I got to play a live, real character - against a man who played a wonderful live, real character in this out of control, insane opposite - and I think to pull that off is amazing, #1 - and to having had worked with him was just that part of my career that Ill always treasure, and yes - we had a lot of fun.  And I thank John - and of course Peter [Davy] - for having the courage to put me in it. 

(audience applauds)

Tony Todd:  You know - I think we had a great supporting cast.  Besides you, Vernon - just a great group of LA people that showed up to work every day.  We had about three weeks to shoot this thing.  There was a lot of days when we had to go and do both characters - it was hard - id have to sit through about 3.5 hours of makeup - but, Im no stranger to prosthetics.  So...  thank you...

Q:  You kept getting up, sweating, in the love scenes - I was wondering - what was up with that?  (audience laughs)

Tony Todd:  Yeah - John ruined that for me because right when we were just getting into it - I "wake up and scream".  Which Ive never done before...  I mean - you know...  (laughs and applauds)

Q:  A question I have for you (referring to Peter Davy) - how did you come to choose to get on board with this Jekyll and Hyde?  I mean - literally - how many times has this film been done?  And there's only two or three versions that are halfway decent.  There are an awful lot of crap versions of this film out there...  So - to back a script - I dont know how it read on the page - its hysterically funny, and its creepy - but you had to wonder, "How is this guy gonna make this?  What is he gonna do with this?"  Can you talk a little about that?

Producer Peter Davy:  Actually - this guy [director John Buechler] is so talented I dont have to worry about it.  If he starts writing a script - from beginning to end I know its going to be good.  Im just the guy that puts it all together.  Thats the basis of the whole thing - the screenplay - and he did a great job with that.  (audience applauds)  And then the rest was easy.  I had Tony and Vernon - a great group of people that work hard - so...  Ive got a couple of friends in the audience that backed me too, so - I want to thank them.  (he shouts to these unnamed benefactors) I want to do a sequel! 

Q:  Quick question for Tony - Im a big fan of the horror shorts and independent scene.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of big name Hollywood type actors or actresses that get directly involved with doing shorts - for instance last year with IOU - this year with Eyes of Samir...  Can you expand a bit on why you like working with director Kevin Shulman?

Tony Todd:  Yes.  He's in the house - in the back.  (applauds)  And if you notice - both shorts were written and directed by him.  So - we met on the set of a movie called House of Grimm.  And, no Kevin - Im not gonna call you a PA - you werent a PA...  but anyway - he had the hutzpah - I read his script, and I liked his vision.  So I like taking chances with new, soon to make their dynamic mark on the film world...  And I love doing independents, so - all kinds - not just horror.  I just love working.  It was an easy decision.  And!  All you filmmakers out there, keep doing your thing, you know?  Tell the stories and write the scripts - keep your eyes open - there's some amazing stuff out there.  (applauds)  I was really impressed by the work I saw tonight.

Q:  You guys are talking saying its independent - are we going to see this on late night cable.  Are we going to see this on DVD?  How will we be able to see it after tonight?

Director John Buechler:  You'll never see it again.  (laughs)  Im going to take the script home.  No - were planning a limited theatrical - were gonna see how it flies, how it goes, and go from there.  You know - its funny, its scary - we just have to find the right neighborhoods... 

Q (Tony Todd):  I have to say - who chose the song at the end?

Producer Peter Davy:  Ill take credit for that one...

Director John Buechler:  Do you remember the end of Halloween?  Mr. Sandman...  Cmon.  You need to be up at the end of something like this. 

Producer Peter Davy:  There is a bit of a story to this.  I heard a song by the ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) - that I wanted to get for the ending.  And when I found out it was gonna cost $100,000 (audience groans) - I quickly changed my mind about that.  And - believe it or not - we got a group from England who emulate the ELO.  And they did this song for us.  A lot less than $100,000.  It was a big, big favor actually. 

Tony Todd:  What about Flava Flav?

Its indescribable fun to be able to watch a brand new horror film with the people behind it sitting in the audience with you.  "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was an outstanding, enjoyable piece of horror.  It didn't take itself too seriously, and at the same time had a great macabre sense of humor that never let up.  Tony Todd - from the beginning until the end - is over the top and absolute eye candy, watching him switch back and forth from the self controlled Dr. Jekyll to the wild, animalistic, self-indulgent murderous Mr. Hyde.  The makeup was campy over-sized rubber prosthetics mixed with gluttonous CGI morphing at the end - and like one audience member mentioned - Tony Todd playing an ape-man morphing back and forth, killing cops on a roof... you couldn't get enough.  Personally I am counting the days until I can get my hands on this.  Big thanks go to director John Buechler for delivering a well-balanced film, thick with humor but drenched in violence at the same time.  Producer Peter Davy for making it all happen.  Vernon Wells for his gritty and unique performance on the other side of the law.  And the legend, Tony Todd - who, as in Shadow: Dead Riot - delivers another keeper, and something horror fans will be able to watch repeatedly for years to come.  House of Horrors will be watching The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde closely - so keep it here for breaking info on when and where you'll be able to catch this up and coming kick ass film.