Producer: Deidre Kitcher, Star: Trilby Glover and Director: John V. Soto

So John, what can you tell us about the film?

John V Soto: The film is a supernatural murder mystery and revolves around a young guy who inherits this 18th century device.  Later he does research into it and finds that it actually has supernatural powers and harnesses voodoo.  Then the machine gets stolen by one of his friends.  He shows all of his friends one night and then it’s gone in the morning.  Then one by one his friends start being knocked off.  It’s a who done it.  So then he teams up with his estranged brother who’s a forensic photographer, and they work together to try and solve the case and they get themselves in deeper and deeper.  They eventually unmask the killer at the very end of the film.  When people watch the film I’ve got six specific clues, so you can solve it if you’re really thinking while you’re watching.  There are both visual clues and word clues and by three quarters of the way through you should be able to guess who the killer is.

So the film takes some inspiration from the giallo genre?

Soto: Yeah. I did an homage to giallo, I had the black gloves.  When the machine’s in operation you see these black gloves operating it and you don’t know who’s they are or even if they’re male or female.  I’m a big fan of Argento.  Deep Red is a masterpiece.  So there’s a bit of that, there’s a bit of Hellraiser with the box and there’s a little bit of I Know What You Did Last Summer in the sense that there’s some young, not teenage, but university college students being knocked off.

Was it different doing a slasher without having an actual masked killer?

Soto: I wanted to make the ultimate slasher where the slasher isn’t physically doing it and is using the machine and the voodoo to knock people off.  Therefore there’s no evidence who’s behind it.  The only way you know they may have done it is if they’re not in the scene but I’ve got a few of them that aren’t in the scene.

A lot of horror fans complain about pointless fast editing but I felt that you had a purpose behind yours.  Can you talk a little bit about that?

Soto: Well I got Jason Ballantine, who cut Wolf Creek and Prom Night.  I did particularly like the editing style he used on Prom Night so when we sat down and discussed how he would edit Needle that idea was raised.  I don’t like sitting in one scene and constantly cutting back and forth between the different characters.  I prefer to intercut two scenes, which in this case is perfect because there’s the killer in the room working out how to kill the victim and then you’ve got the victim suffering [elsewhere] and I can cut between them to create a kind of suspense and rhythm to their death.  I think it worked well.  In terms of fast editing in kill scenes, the worst example I’ve scene is Alien vs. Predator.  You can’t see anything.  So I made sure that whatever kills we did, you could see the results.

The Australian horror scene has been on a steady rise in the U.S. in recent years.  What do you think it is about Aussie horror that makes U.S. audiences flock to it?

Soto: We bring a fresh approach.  I mean I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a film where there’s a machine that makes wax voodoo dolls.  Aussies like to look at the horror genre and bring something new to it.  We’re also big fans of American horror films.  All of the Australian horror directors have seen Halloween, they’ve seen Friday the 13th, they’ve seen all of the classic American horror films.  We know our stuff and when coming to America we want to bring new material that’s going to get the Americans excited and hopefully we’ve achieved that with Needle.
You mentioned the machine, is there an actual history behind that or was that your own creation?

Soto: The machine actually works.  The lights turn on, the wax goes into it, the blood goes into it, everything actually works.  The guy that built it worked with Peter Jackson.  His name is Jeremy Shaw, which is funny because Shaw is the name of the first guy that gets killed in the film.  But yeah, Jeremy  worked under Peter Jackson for King Kong and Lord of the Rings.  So with that experience he made something that would have cost many millions from other people and gave it to me much cheaper than that.

In the film you used a mixture of practical and CG blood effects.  Which do you prefer?

Soto: I prefer practical all the way.  CGI is difficult, costly and time consuming and you don’t get what you really want.  I’m a practical effects guy all the way and I try to minimize the use of CGI, though we have got a bit.  Practical to me looks real and in most things, if it had been done with CGI it would have looked terrible.

The gore scenes seem to follow an escalating scale of cringe inducing moments.  Can you talk about the kill scenes?

Soto: Absolutely.  We introduce the audience to a small scale death and then gradually crank it, crank it, crank it to keep the fans interested.  Otherwise if you start a film with a big bang and a big kill and all your successive kills are not as good the the fans get bored.  They want more and more.  I cranked it as much as I could.

Considering his presence in the modern Aussie horror scene, how was working with John Jarratt for his brief role in the film?

Soto: He’s a pro.  I loved working with him.  It was nice to have him as the coroner other than as the bad guy like he was in Wolf Creek.  John is an amazing actor.  He just turned up on set, knew his lines inside out and brought a slight comedy element to it and I love it.

What are the plans for releasing Needle in the U.S. outside of Screamfest?

Soto: We have got a U.S. distributor looking at our film and they have put an offer in but we’re not closing any deals in the U.S. until American Film Market.  Hopefully we’ll get some good size distributor to come on board.  Whoever does come on board has to be passionate about the film.  They’ve got to love the film and want to get it out to as many people as they can.  Plus they’ve got to embrace the murder mystery element because that’s what makes the film fun.

Many thanks to John V. Soto for taking the time to talk to us. Needle will hopefully be available sooner rather than later.  Look to Killer Film in the coming months for updates on where you can find the film.

Carrie, The Exorcist, The Changeling, Don’t Look Now, and The Shining have stood the test of time by keeping the horror predominantly off-screen and playing with man’s inner phobia of the unknown. It is hard to pull of correctly, as evidenced by the drought that has set in the last ten years or so.

As Dan Aykroyd said in Twilight Zone: The Movie, “Do wanna see something really scary?” Aside from Kairo [Pulse] and Ju-On [The Grudge], I cannot recall the last time a movie successfully achieved that conquest for most of the film’s running time. Maybe it is because a good portion of today’s filmmakers feel the need to throw a jolt scare every two seconds to the attention-span challenged filmgoers, therefore, losing any chance of extracting any suspense or tension. Things are bound to change, right? As a die-hard fan you never lose hope, then, out of nowhere, you get blindsided by an independent picture that is the fingernails scratching down a chalkboard that the fright scene so needed.

After an young man disappears in Europe, a trio of journalists search for him deep into the heart of Alvaina, a Polish village where human sacrifices are part of the tradition of a local cult who bring new meaning to the phrase hammer time. Carmen [Cindy Sampson] makes her way into a mysterious mist to look for her friend Sara [Meghan Heffern], who was bold enough to volunteer to step foot into the fog first as the friends sensed this was the pathway to finding the missing American. Carmen comes face-to-face with a demonic statue that stands tall and idle, yet deadly, as the stonehedge-esque Pazuzu holds a power that the sect will kill to keep under wraps. The murderous monks have a deadly practice of taking a sharp cloak and placing it above the face of a victim and taking a downward swing to cleanse the souls of those who have stared into the eyes of pure evil.

At first glance, The Shrine looks like a knock-off of the survival horror entries Turistas and Hostel, but upon further inspection, the Jon Knautz directed film is more akin to the Dreamworks adaption of Scott Smith’s novel, The Ruins. For those of you still recovering from the agony of seeing Nic Cage retool The Wicker Man ["Not the bees!"] can come out of hiding because The Shrine brings back the old school religious decor of Robin Hardy’s classic and adds the atmospheric spunk of a Hammer flick. The huge mask that got pounded into the face of Barbara Steele in Black Sunday has been homaged in everything from Lord of Illusions to Sleepy Hollow, but they were mere footnotes in the basic structure of the story, whereas, with The Shrine, it serves as a divine contraption that is not that dissimilar from the instrument used in Mario Bava’s 1960 forerunner.

Low budget skills are strong with this Brookstreet Films production as it goes a long way in showing that there is more to the genre than remakes and sequels. Not only is it one of the most frightening movies of the last decade; The Shrine is a masterpiece that brings fear back to the horror genre.

Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer

Jason Bene: For Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, it seemed like you were making a throwback to the creature feature films from the 80′s. The Shrine definitely has a slow burn 70′s approach to it. Was that a conscious decision on your part to go for that kind of vibe?

Jon Knautz: Yes, absolutely. We were definitely inspired by the 80′s films Gremlins and The Evil Dead with Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. With this one, we weren’t setting out to do something from the 70′s. We were just setting out to make a straight horror film that was a little more of the slow burn. Slow burns come from the 70′s, so we naturally starting referencing some films around that time period. You can definitely say it’s a more 70′s influence than the 80′s, like Jack Brooks was.

Jason Bene: In the last few years survival horror has become really popular where Americans visit foreign lands and get into trouble. Did any of those movies creep into your mind when shooting The Shrine?

Jon Knautz: I can’t think if there were any kind of survival horror films that I looked at and was inspired by. I read the The Ruins, and I thought that was an incredible book. A really good book. I definitely had that boiling in my head for a while. I took some inspiration from that sort of atmosphere and concept to create The Shrine. I actually like the cultural miscommunication between the Myans and the American backpackers in The Ruins. I thought that was such an interesting sort of play on people not understanding each other.

Jason Bene: What is interesting about your screenplay is that it is not a big ensemble and the core of the film is carried on the shoulders of the three main leads. What were you looking for in these pivotal roles?

Jon Knautz: The casting was tricky. It is the most important part when you are going to make a film. I am still learning a ton about the art of casting. It really is tricky. We lucked out having Cindy [Sampson] come in to play the character Carmen because she really stepped up to the plate on that role. We looked at a lot of people and it wasn’t until we saw her performance and the way she could handle the spectrum of emotions that the Carmen character has in the film that we were like, “Okay, she’s the one.” That’s just a great feeling when you finally get the person you had in mind. A lot of time you see people and it just doesn’t work and your sitting there going, “God, I’m never going to find the right person to play this part.” Then, of course, Aaron [Ashmore] and Meghan [Heffern] coming in was great. I have worked with Aaron since. We just made a short Western together and he plays a really awesome character in that. He’s a great guy.

Jason Bene: It must have been great shooting up in Canada because that location lends itself to atmosphere with the wooded areas. Can you talk about filming there, as well as how much CGI effects were used?

Jon Knautz: Shooting in Canada is the norm for us. It’s all I really know. Our company Brookstreet Pictures just moved to L.A. six months ago. This place is kind of new to us. The Canadian landscapes are kind of the norm for us. They do have some really lush tree areas and interesting landscapes. We’re used to shooting in Canada. We had a great experience shooting in Toronto. As far as CGI, we used it where we couldn’t do things practically. We used it where it made more sense. We were very careful to use it so that it wouldn’t jump out as CGI because that’s the worst, especially in a horror film. We use CGI for atmosphere like rain, smoke, fire, and dark clouds in the distance and that worked really well. When it came down to the actual creatures we always did it with prosthetics because it’s just fucking better. I think people respond a lot more to practical effects, especially in a horror film because CGI just feels different. Some of the smoke was CGI and some of the fog when they approach it in the forest, but once they get into it we are actually on a sound stage and that’s all real fog.

Jason Bene: In this current age of directors over cuting and over editing, how were you able to reel that back and let the story develop? My main complaint with a good number of new horror films is a lot of filmmakers are so quick to get to the boo or jump scare that they lose any tension or anticipation because the picture is cut in a way that I cannot be scared because they did not let me.

Jon Knautz: I hear you. That’s sad if that’s the current trend. I think there are definitely other filmmakers out there who understand that and aren’t just following the mainstream boring trend. I think it’s the difference between having an actual filmmaker who cares about cinema and has tastes and opinions, versus some guy who gets hired to direct some generic script and doesn’t care. Look at people like Adam Green. He is awesome. He’s got taste. He’s got flavor. He’s a film lover. I think the best filmmakers are film fans. I totally appreciate if you were scared watching The Shrine. That was always important to me. I always wanted to scare people. It’s hard to define what is scary. Generically speaking, I think people will be scared at tension and atmosphere. A lot of it comes down to the edit and finding the right way to cut and it’s the sound. It’s not just when there’s music. It’s when there’s no music or knowing how sharp or loud to make a certain sound effect and knowing when to have it come in properly so that it hits the audience at the right time and way so that it feels scary. Perhaps some of these films aren’t as scary because they get rushed through post-production. Post is really where all of that stuff comes to life. You have to really spend time with your sound design and your editing.

Jason Bene: There is a quiet horror to the movie that really helps with the build-up with was extremely effective. Who did you hire to do your sound design?

Jon Knautz: It is a company called Urban Post. Those guys are the best. We had phenomenal sound designers and phenomenal sound mixers. We spent a lot of time with those guys really crafting the project. I had very specific kinds of sounds that I wanted and timing. It was an interesting experience going from Jack Brooks because I went from a silly comedy to making something that was supposed to be taken seriously so you are not as free anymore. With Jack Brooks I got to do whatever because it’s all fun and games. With this one we listened to twenty-five different sounds. One sound was a knife slashing somebody and only one of them would work for this particular tone. One would be too over the top and others were too subtle. The guys in post were great because they kind of got it. I was happy with the stuff they were bringing in. They’re not just technically sound, they are smart. They understand horror and did a bang-up job.

Jason Bene: Can you elaborate on the decision to not use subtitles for the Polish villagers? It was a huge plus for the picture. The final act would not have been as effective if we knew what they were saying.

Jon Knautz: There is always going to be those people in your life who are scared of something different. They get worried people are not going to get it and they will be bored when someone starts speaking Polish. To me, it’s like, “Fuck off! I don’t care.” I stopped and thought about it and I was like, “Nope, it’s cool. I want to do it.” It was actually what got me excited about making the project. Why would I want to get rid of something that actually made me want to make the film? It was a fun concept to play around with. Let’s say you and I took a trip to some country and they speak a language that we don’t understand and they capture us. Then they start talking about what they are going to do to us and they are talking in their own language and you and I are going, “Oh, shit.” That’s just scarier. It’s scarier than actually hearing them say, “now we are going to kill you.” It forces you to try and read their body language and forces you to think a little bit more. It scares you on a different level and that what I was going for.

Jason Bene: Jack Brooks himself, Trevor Mathews, really likes to get in there and kick some butt. How was it working with him again?

Jon Knautz: He’s an ass-kicker. He’s a badass ass-kicker. He’s an actor who can play the characters that have tremendous inner strength with passion and power and energy. He shows it without it going over the top. I have always responded to that. He is great at playing those characters. I think he was really excited about trying to do the Polish dialogue. It was challenging. He always seems to be fighting some kind of creatures in our films, doesn’t he? He’s great to work with and very physical. His physical motion and body language on camera is great.

Jason Bene: You just had an amazing Los Angeles premiere at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. Where does the movie stand as for as distribution goes?

Jon Knautz: I have no comment on that yet because the process is in the process. I couldn’t tell you a release date because we just don’t know it yet. It’s definitely going to be getting out there. That’s what is kind of going on today because the screening went really well. A lot of people are excited and have responded to it, so I am just waiting for my billion dollar check now.

Killer Film

“Screamfest Horror Film Festival is the largest horror film festival in the United States. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the “Sundance of Horror.” Previously held at Loews Universal Studios Cinemas, Universal CityWalk, the festival is now held annually at the prestigious Grauman’s Mann Chinese 6 in Hollywood. Screamfest premieres and showcases new work from American and international independent horror filmmakers. Film entries are accepted in the categories of Best Feature, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects and Musical Score. In addition, there are special categories for Best Animation, Best Short, Best Documentary and Best Student Film.”

“Screamfest Horror Film Festival receives film submissions from around the country. Finalists are selected to have their works screened at the prestigious Grauman’s Mann Chinese Theatre 6 in Hollywood, CA. Writers and directors will meet with agents, film executives and distributors during the 10 day event. Individual and film passes will be sold to the general public to increase awareness of their works. With the fund we will also be able to create jobs by hiring 4 year-round staff members to work for this non-profit organization. Hiring these salaried staff members will benefit the community as local, state and government taxes will be paid. Educational seminars  will be held on the artistry of special effects makeup, writing, film distribution.”

Stay tuned for coverage and reviews real soon!

Press Release: Beverly Hills, CA (October 6, 2009) – Screamfest horror film festival is headed back to Mann Chinese Theaters in Hollywood CA from October 16 till the 24 to showcase the newest onslaught of fear and terror from up and coming filmmakers. Started by producer Rachel Belofsky in 2001, Screamfest provides a venue for filmmakers to present their films to members of the film industry in hopes of gaining distribution deals.

Twenty-one feature length films are being presented over the eight-day festival. Among them are the opening film, The Tournament, staring Kelly Hu (X2:X-men United/The Scorpion King), Ian Sommerhalder (Vampire Diaries), Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later) and The Canyon Staring Yvonne Strahovski (NBC’s Chuck). The centerpiece film The House of the Devil offers a Satanic twist on the classic baby-sitting job gone wrong motif. Screamfest will be closing with The Fourth Kind, a philological thriller staring Milla Jovovich as a psychiatrist who suspects extraterrestrial beings are involved in the disappearances of her town’s people. Also a strong representation of foreign horror is present in the films Bajo La Sal from Mexico, Before the Fall from Spain, and Macabre from Indonesia.

Screamfest also offers a short film series that gives both student and non-student filmmakers a chance to show case their works. Among the Student shorts are Clemency which Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest founder and director, described as “Very strong.” Excision is another student short that shows how far a sister will go to save her younger sister from a deadly lung disease. In the non student shorts category Tinglewood exhibits very innovative and unique creature designee and The Vampire Assistant provides us a glimpse at the very un-glamorous life of an undead’s familiar.