Daniel was gracious enough to answer my questions regarding this excellent project. 

Jonathan Stryker: You were born in Rhode Island but grew up in Santa Rosa, CA.  How did you end up on the West Coast? 

Daniel Farrands: We moved to California when I was 7, spent about five years living in Los Angeles and then I began my "horror training" in Santa Rosa.  I discovered my love of all things horror that very same year (1981) with the release of FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART 2 and HALLOWEEN II. 

Let's just say that very few of my friends from those days were very surprised at my career path - I was pretty much the resident "gore guy" at Rincon Valley Jr. High and Santa Rosa High School - which, incidentally, is the same high school that turned down Wes Craven when he asked to film scenes for the first SCREAM there.  I guess they'd rather be known as the high school from PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED which was shot there during my junior year - when Kathleen Turner was a big star and Nic Cage was the new kid on the block and no one knew who Jim Carrey was.

Jonathan Stryker:  Have you always been a horror film fan?  What movies scared you as a child? 

Daniel Farrands: It really hit me at around the age of 12 or 13.  I was initially shocked and horrified by the first couple of slasher films that I saw - FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART 2 as I mentioned, but also THE BURNING and MANIAC really scared the living crap out of me.  Not to mention these were the days of THE OMEN, THE EXORCIST and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR.  The devil was certainly popular in the Seventies and Eighties. 

This was also the dawn of VHS, and we were lucky enough to own one of the first VCRs which allowed me to record the original HALLOWEEN when it first aired on NBC in 1981.  The rest of the family got too scared and went to bed, while I was left alone in the dark watching the last thirty minutes of the movie on my own.  There was no way was I going to not see what happened when Jamie Lee went into that house across the street (not to mention that I'd spent the better part of two hours dutifully clicking the pause button at every commercial break).  Once I got over the initial shock of the experience, I think it was like riding your first really scary rollercoaster: "I want to do that again!"  And, somehow, I never got off the ride. 

Jonathan Stryker: How did you get into the business? 

Daniel Farrands: My love of the horror franchises of the time impelled me to write a letter to Frank Mancuso, Jr. when I was 14.  I basically pitched him my idea for the ultimate FRIDAY THE 13^TH sequel (this was just after PART 3 3D but before the release of THE FINAL CHAPTER - famous last words, Frank!).  Anyway, it was one of the most encouraging letters I'd ever received - and the fact that the producer of the FRIDAY THE 13^TH films took the time to write me a personal letter kind of acknowledging me and my love of the genre (and the fact that he said the quality of my writing was better than that of people 20 years my senior) I think really gave me the confidence to just go for it.  I was just barely 18 when I arrived (or re-arrived) in Los Angeles and I pretty much started knocking on doors right away.  Didn't do the film school route; I worked different assistant jobs and spent quite a few years working at none other than the Motion Picture Association of America (ironic, considering their reputation as the censors of all things horror, especially at the time).  But all of those things were great stepping stones, and I guess I was young and naive enough to have this fearlessness about pursuing a career in the business.  But honestly, it was that letter from Frank that I think gave me the confidence to pursue it and I credit him to this day.  And yes, we are still in touch and always looking for projects that we can work on together.

Jonathan Stryker: In addition to writing your screenplays for HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS, and THE TOOTH FAIRY, you've also written about the Amityville Horror for the History Channel's "History's Mysteries" series.  Did you seek out these projects about Michael Myers and the Amityville Horror, or were you approached to do them? 

Daniel Farrands: As I said, I was such a huge FRIDAY and HALLOWEEN fan growing up that it was literally one of my life's ambitions to write one of the films.  HALLOWEEN was and is my favorite horror movie of all time, so the fact that I was chosen to write one of its sequels was, at least for me, like being knighted into the world of slasherdom.  Seriously, it was a job that I pursued for many years.  I was 19 when I got my first meeting with the late Moustapha Akkad -- and it took another five years or so before I heard back from him.  There was a lot of legal wrangling going on with the series and eventually Dimension bought the sequel rights.  They'd gone through a series of writers, none of whom really "cracked" it.  I think out of desperation they called me and asked me to come in and pitch them.  At my original pitch meeting I'd left behind a folder with all kinds of HALLOWEEN history - pretty much tracing the origins of the series and of Michael Myers.  Moustapha later told me it had become their "bible" of all things HALLOWEEN which for me was absolutely amazing.  I guess I did well in the meeting because I got the job - and we were pretty much off and running from that point forward.  I was really the ultimate fan who got a shot at writing one of his dream movies, so despite the fact that the movie didn't quite turn out the way I'd imagined, I'll forever be grateful for getting that opportunity because it really launched my career.

            As for AMITYVILLE, it was again another one of those things I'd grown up watching (and of course reading the book, which none of the movies ever really touched in terms of being truly unnerving and scary).  There was a 25 year anniversary of the original event approaching in 2000 and I thought, "What ever happened to that family?"  There were all kinds of websites and books written by other people claiming it was a giant hoax, but that never really made sense to me.  So I went about tracking down the Lutz family, and after spending some serious getting-to-know-you time with George Lutz and others involved in the case, we got everyone on board for the documentary.  So again, it was something that I had a passion for that I really pursued.  Few opportunities ever fall into your lap in this business - you kind of have to let your passion for something guide you.

Jonathan Stryker:  You directed HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF 'FRIDAY THE 13TH' which, of course, explores the phenomenally successful film series.  Why do you feel that this series is still so popular? 

Daniel Farrands: I think Jason, Michael and Freddy are the iconic monsters of our era.  I think each one has his own mystique and power - and the fact that each one just looks really cool.  The hockey mask certainly identified Jason - before that, he was either a drowned mongoloid kid or a woodsman with a potato sack over his head.  It was when he stole the hockey mask in PART 3 that Jason took on icon status.  In fact, my attorney and good friend Larry Zerner played the character in PART 3 that Jason stole the mask from!  So, it all kind of comes full circle - of course that guy would be my lawyer! 

            As far as these characters' popularity, they are quite simply this generation's ultimate boogeymen.

Jonathan Stryker: NEVER SLEEP AGAIN - THE ELM STREET LEGACY is poised to be the documentary to end all documentaries.  Do you feel that documentaries of this length and breadth will become the norm? 

Daniel Farrands: I don't know if I would want to see a four-hour documentary on, say, THE PROWLER or SLEEPAWAY CAMP, nor would I wish the insane amount of work and sleepless weeks and months on anyone else attempting to embark on such a project.  I really think the quality of the material ultimately dictates the length.  We didn't set out to make a four-hour documentary, but in the process of gathering our interviews and realizing that the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films deserved a much larger canvas than previous horror documentaries were permitted, we pretty much determined to just let the show evolve organically.  We didn't want to impose any huge restrictions or box ourselves into a corner creatively or use the show as an excuse to kiss the ass of studio suits.  So we decided from the get-go to do it totally independently, which was scary in some ways but throughout the process it gave us the freedom to explore, to play and to really have fun with it.  What was so gratifying was not only the dedication of the entire team behind this show, but also the support we received from everyone involved in the NIGHTMARE series.  It was like our passion for the material extended to them, and suddenly we were getting everyone and anyone who was ever connected to the franchise in our "hot seat."  We wanted to get as in-depth as we possibly could and give fans the kind of retrospective we would want to see since we are all fans of the series first and foremost.

Jonathan Stryker: Will there be a companion book released with this project? 

Daniel Farrands: It's something that's certainly been discussed.  With over 120 hours of interviews under our belt, there is certainly no shortage of material to draw from.  I edited the book "Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of FRIDAY THE 13TH" and watched it become very successful, so it would make a lot of sense to do something similar for NIGHTMARE.  But we'll have to see how the DVD does first! 

Jonathan Stryker: What's next for you?

Daniel Farrands: A few things are on the front burner.  One is a remake of a lesser-known horror film from the 1980s (one that I don't feel so bad about putting the "remake" stamp on since it wasn't exactly a classic of its day).  There will also be a sequel to THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT and I am developing two other projects based on some pretty scary paranormal incidents.  There is also been some talk about other documentaries, but once you've conquered Michael, Jason and Freddy it's all downhill from there.  It's time to create some new horror that they can make documentaries about 25 years from now!