Exclusive: Robert Hall talks Quarantine 2 and Old Scratch

Killer Film recently caught up with Almost Human FX artist and director of Laid to Rest Robert Hall, as he chimes in with a few words on two of his newest projects.

Screen Gems announced this past March, that they are heading into production for a sequel to Quarantine, with Robert Hall’s Almost Human FX coming back again to do make-up work on the creatures. While the 2008 film was a remake of the hit Spanish film [REC], Hall insists that director John Pogue (Skulls and Ghost Ship) will not remake [REC] 2. “I’ve seen [REC] 2 and I liked it,” Hall explains. “[and] I don’t think this is a spoiler: it’s more supernatural as everyone is possessed now. Quarantine 2 is a completely different film than [REC] 2, and it won’t be like how Quarantine followed [REC] so closely. It’s more of a direct sequel to Quarantine than anything to do with [REC] and I think people will find some value in the different subject matter.”

The film hasn’t had anything in the way of announcements much yet, but Pogue’s script will focus on the outbreak in an airport. Look for more on this film soon as they start filming very, very soon. In 2008, Quarantine made $41 million at the box office, off of a $12 million budget. Early word has Quarantine 2 as a possible DTV movie.

Fans of Lightning Bug and Laid to Rest can get excited for Robert Hall’s next directorial film, Old Scratch. A trailer was released (here) recently and the film looks all sorts of amazing, with a combination of metal music and blood. “Laid to Rest 2 is being planned as we are doing that for sure, but Old Scratch was something I’ve been kicking around for a while. It was the film I wanted to do right after Lightning Bug,” says Hall.

Produced by his Dry County Films production company, the film follows a washed up musician’s terrifying journey through his haunted past by way of playing his own record albums backwards. The film stars Thomas Dekker, who’s worked with Hall twice on Laid to Rest and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and look for Hellraiser‘s Ashley Lawrence as well. “We haven’t even shot the whole movie yet. It’s forthcoming and hopefully really soon there’ll be more on it to get people excited. I want to make a really good rock-n-roll horror film that doesn’t feel dated, as it’s something very near and dear to me.”

Hal remembers his childhood, which provides a basis for the film. “I grew up in Alabama, in the deep South, amongst the really religious folks. Preachers would actually come to the class rooms and play records backwards, telling the kids “See? Listen to Devil speak!” To me, that was one of the coolest things ever! That’s really were the idea came from.” The term “old scratch” is a folk name for the Devil during the 1800′s, mostly in the Civil War era, something authors have used in The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet and/or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. “My brother and I would get goosebumps and chills as we played records backwards trying to pick out all of that creepy shit in it. I wanted to explore in a non-gimmicky, non-Trick ‘r Treat sort of way, something more psychological. It’s more like a horror version of Memento, than it is say Black Roses.”

“I wanted something unique to do and digging deep to do something I really want to make and it’s taking a good long while to make,” concludes Hall. “It wasn’t a super cheap movie to do, so it’s been in development as we are trying to find the right people for it, get some money for it. I want to do this independently in the way I wanted too, as a good rock-n-roll horror film. I don’t want it to be watered down or turn out like the Butterfly Effect 4 or something. I think by the end of this year, we should have this movie totally done.”

As always, Killer Film will keep you posted.