Alexandre Aja is turning into a great horror auteur. He first broke into the American market with the disturbing thriller High Tension. Now he is releasing his first American horror film, a remake of the classic The Hills Have Eyes. This version casts Silence of the Lambs star Ted Levine as a loving father with a whole town fill irradiated mutants to fight.
The Hills Have Eyes opens March 10
Daniel Robert Epstein: How much license did Wes Craven give you for changes?
Alexandre Aja: It went beyond all my expectations. I was expecting the ultimate clich of the Hollywood producer trying to control everything. It was exactly the opposite. Wes came to us and said, I did my movie. I respect your vision and I want you to make your movie. It was amazing because he let us write the script that we wanted to write and direct the movie that we wanted to see. Even when he would disagree with us, he would say You have the final word so its your decision. That was amazing for me and Im very happy because right now I have my first Hollywood movie and the directors cut is being released.
DRE: One of the most horrifying scenes is when Lizard [played by Robert Joy] is sucking on Vinessa Shaws breast. Is he sucking milk out of her?
AA: Yeah.
DRE: Is she pregnant.
AA: No, she is not pregnant. She has given birth to the baby. I dont know if hes doing it for real or not. In fact he was really playing close to her and I was behind the camera. I am not sure that if did that for real.
DRE: Its a very upsetting scene.
AA: That idea was a hard sell very early in the process. It was a hard sell to convince everyone to do it and I think it was one of the most violent and climactic scenes even without blood. I even regret that we dont show a little bit more than that.
DRE: [laughs] Michael Berryman is a very iconic character from the original Hill Have Eyes. How long did it take to come up with the way the new Pluto would look?
AA: It was a big challenge, because everyone remembers Michael Berryman as the face of The Hills Have Eyes. We based all of the design of the Hills people on real footage of people who have been affected by nuclear fallout. We wanted to have Pluto look a little Quasimodo. We wanted someone that was like a huge child that is very naive, but violent and very strong at the same time. [Makeup effects artist] Greg Nicotero came up with the design of Pluto. Whats just amazing is that is it Michael Bailey Smith the actor who played Pluto who brought life to him and put expression in his eyes.
DRE: Tell me what using great characters like Ted Levine and Billy Drago did for you.
AA: Since we were doing a survival movie you have to have the most realistic characters because if you dont feel and care for them it wont work for the audience. 90 percent of all that is the casting. We spent a long time trying to find the best Jupiter and the best Big Bob. Ted Levine is just amazing and he brought so much to the movie as Billy Drago brought so much to Jupiter. They are cult actors but they are also not the kind of actors who eclipse the characters beyond their own personality. They really help to create and bring something more to the character.
DRE: Besides Hills Have Eyes having a lot of scares in it, its also very disturbing. How difficult is it to write something that ends up being disturbing?
AA: What is disturbing when youre watching the film is disturbing for me when Im writing the scene. Im just trying to make the kind of movie I would like to see and show what scares me in life. I live in a very protective environment and I lead a very safe life without any danger or any fear. When I see a movie I want to be able to face the angel of darkness, to be able to see something more intense and extreme than Im used to having in my real life. Im not trying to think about the audience, Im trying to think about what will make me very disturbed and I should hope that the people would be disturbed by the same thing. Sometimes it is less than what you saw and sometimes it is more than what you saw.
DRE: What films have disturbed you over the years?
AA: The last movie that disturbed me was The Audition. I was also very fascinated by Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The last movie really scared me was The Descent.
DRE: I actually saw that. It was very good.
AA: Yeah its amazing and very scary.
DRE: I got a chance to interview Takashi Miike and I asked him if he had ever been to a psychiatrist and he said No, he only goes to the dentist. Im not sure what that meant, but have you ever been to a psychiatrist?
AA: [laughs] No. Its funny because in life Im pretty gentle and normal and Im not crazy. Im just like anyone and Im scared of many things. I like to be scared. Sometimes when you face the fear you are also thinking about the way you would actually face the situation and thats what Im trying to find. Thats what the character of Doug Bukowski [played by Aaron Stanford] is for me. Movies are sometimes a good opportunity to force you to think about the way you will react in a strange situation.
DRE: Were you looking to add some political subtext to the remake?
AA: That came very early in the process because we brought in that idea of the nuclear testing background. During the research we found out that a lot of things are going on right now in New Mexico. Weve been hearing a lot about how people were not very well protected during the testing in the 50s and 60s. At the same time Im coming from France and when I grew, in the 80s, Chernobyl was a huge deal and we were traumatized by all the images of the babies born with deformities. So doing The Hills Have Eyes was a good opportunity to talk about the parts of our society that are creating their own monsters and then one day they will have to face them.
DRE: Whats the screenwriting process between you and Grgory [Levasseur]?
AA: We spend most of the time writing together than on our own. Were building the story together and Im writing and were talking about all the situations. Its a great collaboration and we have a lot of fun.
DRE: Besides casting and creating the town in the movie, what was most important in your mind?
AA: The most important thing was to make it as realistic as possible. There is two ways to do The Hills Have Eyes. One is that is it a radioactive mutant cannibal movie. Another way is do what we did and make it a movie about a family trapped in the desert facing something in the hills. We didnt want to make something grotesque with kitsch.
DRE: Would you do another remake?
AA: I dont have a specific position on that question. I think there can be remakes and there are others that were perfect the first time and dont need to be remade.
DRE: Why do you feel that Hills Have Eyes could be remade?
AA: The older movie is a cult movie for reasons such as the look of the Michael Berryman and the dark humor. But the movie doesnt have a cult following because its the scariest movie ever made. That is why I felt it was possible to remake. That wasnt the case for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Even though it was a huge success, I still prefer the original film.
DRE: I agree.
I think that one of the reasons that High Tension didnt do well in the US is because of the twist ending. When I interviewed Cecile de France and brought up the twist ending, it seemed to me that she didnt like it either.
AA: The draft of the script that we were supposed to do only was a real story with a real killer until the end. Then we reach the final scene where we come back to the hospital room and Cecile de Frances character has finished the story. A doctor then comes into the room with the VHS tape from the gas station and shows the tape. Then she finds out that she is the one who killed the guy. Therefore the movie is her vision of the story. That was the original ending.
DRE: That makes a lot more sense.
AA: I know. The producer, Luc Besson, forced us just before the shooting to change that last scene. That made a big difference. Unfortunately it was a very low budget and we didnt have time nor the money to shoot both scenes. We tried our best to make it believable but I think it doesnt really work like that.
DRE: I agree. What would you say if someone wanted to remake High Tension?
AA: Yeah, why not? Just for the ending we were talking about.
DRE: Is your next film The Waiting?
AA: Yeah, right now Im in the middle of the casting process so we will know in the next couple of weeks if we are doing this movie or not. Its all casting driven. Its a very psychological movie thats very intense so we need the best actress possible.
DRE: Is it another horror film?
AA: It is still a horror movie but more on the supernatural side. Its pretty different from The Hills Are Alive.
DRE: Are you writing something else?
AA: Yeah, we have been looking to adapt Black Hole by Charles Burns. Thats an amazing project and I hope that we will be able to make the movie next year.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
The Hills Have Eyes opens March 10
Daniel Robert Epstein: How much license did Wes Craven give you for changes?
Alexandre Aja: It went beyond all my expectations. I was expecting the ultimate clich of the Hollywood producer trying to control everything. It was exactly the opposite. Wes came to us and said, I did my movie. I respect your vision and I want you to make your movie. It was amazing because he let us write the script that we wanted to write and direct the movie that we wanted to see. Even when he would disagree with us, he would say You have the final word so its your decision. That was amazing for me and Im very happy because right now I have my first Hollywood movie and the directors cut is being released.
DRE: One of the most horrifying scenes is when Lizard [played by Robert Joy] is sucking on Vinessa Shaws breast. Is he sucking milk out of her?
AA: Yeah.
DRE: Is she pregnant.
AA: No, she is not pregnant. She has given birth to the baby. I dont know if hes doing it for real or not. In fact he was really playing close to her and I was behind the camera. I am not sure that if did that for real.
DRE: Its a very upsetting scene.
AA: That idea was a hard sell very early in the process. It was a hard sell to convince everyone to do it and I think it was one of the most violent and climactic scenes even without blood. I even regret that we dont show a little bit more than that.
DRE: [laughs] Michael Berryman is a very iconic character from the original Hill Have Eyes. How long did it take to come up with the way the new Pluto would look?
AA: It was a big challenge, because everyone remembers Michael Berryman as the face of The Hills Have Eyes. We based all of the design of the Hills people on real footage of people who have been affected by nuclear fallout. We wanted to have Pluto look a little Quasimodo. We wanted someone that was like a huge child that is very naive, but violent and very strong at the same time. [Makeup effects artist] Greg Nicotero came up with the design of Pluto. Whats just amazing is that is it Michael Bailey Smith the actor who played Pluto who brought life to him and put expression in his eyes.
DRE: Tell me what using great characters like Ted Levine and Billy Drago did for you.
AA: Since we were doing a survival movie you have to have the most realistic characters because if you dont feel and care for them it wont work for the audience. 90 percent of all that is the casting. We spent a long time trying to find the best Jupiter and the best Big Bob. Ted Levine is just amazing and he brought so much to the movie as Billy Drago brought so much to Jupiter. They are cult actors but they are also not the kind of actors who eclipse the characters beyond their own personality. They really help to create and bring something more to the character.
DRE: Besides Hills Have Eyes having a lot of scares in it, its also very disturbing. How difficult is it to write something that ends up being disturbing?
AA: What is disturbing when youre watching the film is disturbing for me when Im writing the scene. Im just trying to make the kind of movie I would like to see and show what scares me in life. I live in a very protective environment and I lead a very safe life without any danger or any fear. When I see a movie I want to be able to face the angel of darkness, to be able to see something more intense and extreme than Im used to having in my real life. Im not trying to think about the audience, Im trying to think about what will make me very disturbed and I should hope that the people would be disturbed by the same thing. Sometimes it is less than what you saw and sometimes it is more than what you saw.
DRE: What films have disturbed you over the years?
AA: The last movie that disturbed me was The Audition. I was also very fascinated by Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The last movie really scared me was The Descent.
DRE: I actually saw that. It was very good.
AA: Yeah its amazing and very scary.
DRE: I got a chance to interview Takashi Miike and I asked him if he had ever been to a psychiatrist and he said No, he only goes to the dentist. Im not sure what that meant, but have you ever been to a psychiatrist?
AA: [laughs] No. Its funny because in life Im pretty gentle and normal and Im not crazy. Im just like anyone and Im scared of many things. I like to be scared. Sometimes when you face the fear you are also thinking about the way you would actually face the situation and thats what Im trying to find. Thats what the character of Doug Bukowski [played by Aaron Stanford] is for me. Movies are sometimes a good opportunity to force you to think about the way you will react in a strange situation.
DRE: Were you looking to add some political subtext to the remake?
AA: That came very early in the process because we brought in that idea of the nuclear testing background. During the research we found out that a lot of things are going on right now in New Mexico. Weve been hearing a lot about how people were not very well protected during the testing in the 50s and 60s. At the same time Im coming from France and when I grew, in the 80s, Chernobyl was a huge deal and we were traumatized by all the images of the babies born with deformities. So doing The Hills Have Eyes was a good opportunity to talk about the parts of our society that are creating their own monsters and then one day they will have to face them.
DRE: Whats the screenwriting process between you and Grgory [Levasseur]?
AA: We spend most of the time writing together than on our own. Were building the story together and Im writing and were talking about all the situations. Its a great collaboration and we have a lot of fun.
DRE: Besides casting and creating the town in the movie, what was most important in your mind?
AA: The most important thing was to make it as realistic as possible. There is two ways to do The Hills Have Eyes. One is that is it a radioactive mutant cannibal movie. Another way is do what we did and make it a movie about a family trapped in the desert facing something in the hills. We didnt want to make something grotesque with kitsch.
DRE: Would you do another remake?
AA: I dont have a specific position on that question. I think there can be remakes and there are others that were perfect the first time and dont need to be remade.
DRE: Why do you feel that Hills Have Eyes could be remade?
AA: The older movie is a cult movie for reasons such as the look of the Michael Berryman and the dark humor. But the movie doesnt have a cult following because its the scariest movie ever made. That is why I felt it was possible to remake. That wasnt the case for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Even though it was a huge success, I still prefer the original film.
DRE: I agree.
I think that one of the reasons that High Tension didnt do well in the US is because of the twist ending. When I interviewed Cecile de France and brought up the twist ending, it seemed to me that she didnt like it either.
AA: The draft of the script that we were supposed to do only was a real story with a real killer until the end. Then we reach the final scene where we come back to the hospital room and Cecile de Frances character has finished the story. A doctor then comes into the room with the VHS tape from the gas station and shows the tape. Then she finds out that she is the one who killed the guy. Therefore the movie is her vision of the story. That was the original ending.
DRE: That makes a lot more sense.
AA: I know. The producer, Luc Besson, forced us just before the shooting to change that last scene. That made a big difference. Unfortunately it was a very low budget and we didnt have time nor the money to shoot both scenes. We tried our best to make it believable but I think it doesnt really work like that.
DRE: I agree. What would you say if someone wanted to remake High Tension?
AA: Yeah, why not? Just for the ending we were talking about.
DRE: Is your next film The Waiting?
AA: Yeah, right now Im in the middle of the casting process so we will know in the next couple of weeks if we are doing this movie or not. Its all casting driven. Its a very psychological movie thats very intense so we need the best actress possible.
DRE: Is it another horror film?
AA: It is still a horror movie but more on the supernatural side. Its pretty different from The Hills Are Alive.
DRE: Are you writing something else?
AA: Yeah, we have been looking to adapt Black Hole by Charles Burns. Thats an amazing project and I hope that we will be able to make the movie next year.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 14 of 14 COMMENTS
anderswolleck:
looks like aja to me
kevkevx7:
This guy makes me fucking sick.