Green’s Blog

QUICK! An exclusive HATCHET II poster!

Friends-
A limited edition “Hatchet II” poster will be released for sale Wednesday October 27th (today!) at 11am as a collaboration between myself and acclaimed artist Alex Pardee- who (for the record) is my absolute most favorite artist working/living today.  The print is on sale exclusively on-line through Alex’s Zerofriends Store:
I highly suggest that you buy one quick if you’re going to.  There were only 100 made!
“HATCHET II” Limited Edition Giclee Print
By Alex Pardee
17″ x 22″
Printed with archival inks on Velvet Cotton Rag paper.
Ultra Limited edition of 100
Each poster is signed, numbered, and bled upon by artist Alex Pardee and HATCHET II director Adam Green
$50.00 Each.

For those who may still be unaware of Alex Pardee and his work, here is a quick blurb to get you up to speed:  Alex Pardee is an American artist, writer and designer whose work has grown out of an adolescence anchored in horror movies, and with this dark compass setting his coordinates he has quickly gained the attention of horror fans worldwide. Alex has long been a pioneer in trans-media artistry, and consistently applies his exquisite art style and aesthetic to almost every aspect of the entertainment industry. From fine art, apparel design, toy production, self-publishing, art directing rock bands like “In Flames”, “The Used”, and “Cage”, all the way to creating the animated fantasy horror series “Chadam” with Warner Bros, Alex continues to find more and more ways to inject his imagination into the things he has always adored growing up. Most recently Alex has subtly transitioned into the film industry, first with an art-based marketing project for Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and more recently alongside director Zack Snyder (“Dawn Of The Dead”, “Watchmen”), to develop concept art and marketing visuals for the new film “Sucker Punch” scheduled for release in 2011. In 2007, Alex co-founded the successful art and apparel company ZEROFRIENDS.com which carries an inspired line of original work rich with monstrous themes. There is no doubt that the horror genre grows another limb with every new effort from Alex Pardee.


With the release of the limited edition “Hatchet II” poster, Alex wrote in his blog that, “Green and I have just officially started working on a REALLY REALLY COOL ART PROJECT that has never been done before that we are both ecstatic about. But more on that later.”  You all know how much I hate spilling details too far in advance, so all I’m going to say is “Yeah!”  As I said earlier, I truly think that Alex is one of the greatest living/working artists out there right now (my home is decorated with his work) and our discussions on this “collaboration project” have left me completely inspired, challenged, and excited in ways I haven’t been in a long, long time.  For now my advice is to put it out of sight and out of mind though as this is not something we’re going to be ready to discuss details of for quite awhile.
Dig on some pictures of the print below, buy one quick, and have a Happy Halloween this weekend!  New blog coming real soon…
-AG

(Alex Pardee himself.)

(We signed all 100 of these prints.)

(Green / Pardee)

HOLLYWOOD PARIAH

Welcome to the all new ArieScope.com! For over twelve years now, our friends at Daykamp have designed and run our website and what you’re looking at is their latest work. It’s the end of another era for ArieScope Pictures and we figured it was due time for a complete overhaul to coincide with our next steps moving forward into the future.

Well, we’ve got a lot to discuss don’t we? First and foremost I’d like to point out that our 12th Annual Halloween Short Film is now live in the “shorts” section here. It’s called JUST TAKE ONE and as one childhood friend of mine eloquently pointed out, it kind of sums up everything that the ArieScope Halloween shorts have been about over the years; the joy of celebrating the little things that make Halloween the greatest and most important holiday ever. Obviously with the huge success of JACK CHOP last year there was a lot of pressure on us to do another JACK CHOP short, but that would have been too easy and thus defeated the very purpose of why we make the Halloween short each year. We do this for the fun and the challenge of making something new out of nothing. By now you all know the rule of “one night, no money, just for fun” but what you have also hopefully noticed looking back over the years is that we always do something completely different. Sure, everyone with internet in New England is demanding another JACK CHOP short, but had we done the same thing two years in a row it just wouldn’t have been as fun for us. Will there be another JACK CHOP in the future? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But for now, enjoy something completely fresh and original and have a safe and happy Halloween as always. Just remember, if you’re trick or treating this year and you come across a bowl with a sign that says “just take one”… well, just take one.

By now a lot of my loyal fans have noticed that I’ve been dropping off the on-line social networking grid slowly but surely. So why is that? As explained on my (now defunct) Formspring page… I’m essentially consolidating everything down to a few select places. So while the old shells of my pages on places like MySpace and Formspring are still there… I am no longer personally there. Quite honestly it’s just become way too hard to keep up with it all, especially with so many different avenues to access me. With each movie’s release comes a whole new legion of fans that join the party, and while I couldn’t be happier about that and while I welcome all with wide open arms… there is a tremendous difference in trying to write back to a few dozen letters each week and trying to read and respond to a few hundred a week. In fact, it’s physically impossible. But even more importantly is the fact that physically and mentally I have not been feeling well for awhile now. Forget all of the stress and suffering that came with my recent cinematic crucifixion and very public censorship battle (don’t worry, we’ll get to that)… it’s been a long last few years and I work myself to death as most of you who have been with me for awhile know. I can’t even list all of the projects I have going on right now or even name all of the cities I’ve been to over the past few weeks supporting HATCHET 2 and FROZEN worldwide… but it’s a lot. A wicked lot. Over the past year I’ve realized that I don’t even have a hobby any more. I rarely do anything for “fun” that isn’t somehow work related. Forget time with family and friends, I wasn’t even making a single moment for myself. Now it’s hard enough to find free time with all of the work and crazy hours that come along with this career path and there’s just not much anyone in my shoes can do to change it, save for making the most of those few free moments you get. But I was in a pattern where I never gave myself the chance to even have one of those free moments. When I would wake up ass-early from the few hours of sleep I might have happened to get, I’d find myself running to the office computer and spending hours responding to people on-line before even starting my actual day. Every free moment I’d get, I was chipping away on-line trying to keep a handle on it. I only wanted to make sure that I wrote back to every single person who wrote to me. I took great pride in the fact that I was accessible beyond accessible. I was proud that every fan always got a great response.

But with each film’s release it would get harder and harder to even read it all, let alone respond to it all, and by the middle of this past year I just couldn’t possibly keep up with running from page to page to answer the mail on each one. I would still try my best but fail. And even worse was that there was a very, very small portion of fans that just couldn’t understand or even cut me some slack. The real kicker came when I was on my honeymoon this past summer and I was not responding to the fan questions on my Formspring page. I explained I was taking my first vacation in many, many years and celebrating my new marriage with my wife but that I would be back on-line in a matter of just 10 days. I actually got angry letters from a few fans saying that it was “bullshit to not reply for that long”. And then let’s not forget the event just a few weeks ago that was so outrageous that it even made New York Magazine. To sum it up for those that missed it, my film FROZEN had hit the bit torrent sites and was getting stolen at an alarming rate, but to make matters worse a select few of my OWN “fans” had no shame in writing to me directly and telling me that they had just stolen my movie from me. They were so self entitled and felt such little responsibility for what they were doing that they didn’t even think it might be a bad idea to tell me “hey, I just stole from you”. When I responded explaining how illegal downloading is just like stealing from me and how it puts my career at risk (Folks, if I don’t sell enough tickets or DVDs or rentals- I don’t work again) I actually got HATE MAIL from some “fans”! Yes, you read that correctly. Messages like: “Aren’t you rich enough you greedy Jew?” Or brilliant arguments like: “I pay $60 a month for internet – so you owe me your films.” Or my favorite: “I steal your films because I love them. So it’s OK.” It caught the attention of a journalist for NY Magazine who did a piece on it and while his intention was to put a real person (me) behind what so many piraters consider to be a victimless crime, sadly the tone of his article and the sound bytes he chose to use (and in one case he took my words majorly out of context) just made it all even worse. I don’t even want to waste my time going over all of that again, but getting back to the point of why I am consolidating the various ways to reach me- that was just another instance that made me see how much time and energy being accessible to everyone was costing me. There has also been a few scary folks who are ruining it for everyone else by getting a bit too stalker-like. I obviously can’t get specific or in depth on any of that, but I can tell you that other associates of mine have already had to hire private security to protect themselves from similar types—and man, I just don’t want to have to deal with that. It is SCARY. I’m just a dude who makes movies and entertains people. Honestly, I’m not even that famous. Quick! Hey look! There’s [INSERT MORE FAMOUS CELEBRITY HERE]! Go stalk him/her!

Now, let’s make one thing perfectly clear. I LOVE MY FANS. Let’s say it again to make sure it’s clear. I. LOVE. MY. FANS. Those who have paid to see each of my films in theaters, who buy my films on DVD or Blu Ray, who have written very gracious and beautiful letters to me, who have sent me generous gifts, who have shared their own art with me, who have tattooed Victor Crowley or the Hatchet Army logo or even (yes) the ArieScope logo on their flesh, who have waited in a line for hours to meet me at an appearance, who have come out to hear me speak, or who have approached me just when I’m out on the street having a private moment with Rileah…. they can all attest to the fact that I’m always friendly, happy, and accommodating. In fact, in some cases I actually think I might even be more excited to meet YOU guys than you might think you are to meet me. You have given me a life and a career that I only could have dreamed of and I will never take that for granted. As I said in my introduction to HATCHET 2 in London this past summer, the fact that I now get letters from soldiers fighting over seas (my own personal heroes and the people I look up to in ways beyond what my mere words can express) thanking ME for what I do… that’s the stuff that keeps me going. So my cutting down on the ways to reach me and my trying to seclude away into a slightly more personal and private life is in no way me saying I don’t appreciate everyone like I used to. No, no, no. In fact I appreciate everyone now more than ever, especially given the outpouring of support my fans just gave me over the past two weeks with HATCHET 2 getting pulled from theaters. My fans literally carried me at times when I just didn’t even want to stand up anymore. But in general… don’t I deserve to be happy and have a personal life sometimes, too? Can’t I take my wife out to dinner or goof off with my friends for a few hours here or there? Can’t I spend a night watching those TV shows that you get to watch? Maybe play that new video game that everyone is talking about? I think that’s only fair. And bare in mind, I’m not disappearing from you all. I’m just consolidating the ways to reach me so that it is more controlled and manageable. Since I first said I would be doing this whole “dropping off the grid” thing, 99% of my fan base have voiced their support and understanding for it. Which just goes to show you just how normal and wonderfully human most of my fans actually are.

So from here on in the ways to reach me are gonna be a little different. I’ve taken a lot of advice from friends in the same boat as myself as well as advice from friends in far bigger boats than my own and now I’m acting on it. Starting today I will be blogging HERE on ArieScope.com (my official site) exclusively and much more frequently than I have been over the past two years. There is a fan mail address on the OPERATIONS page of this site. If you write me a letter and include a self-addressed stamped envelope, you’ll get a personal response and a free autographed photo from me. Yes, it’s very old school- but it works and it’s more controlled. I’m not personally checking my old MySpace page. I closed my Formspring page. My personal Facebook page is now over it’s limit of allowed friends (they cap you at 5,000) so if you’re not already a friend there, sorry but there is nothing I can do. There is an official Adam Green fan page on Facebook however, and that page has no limit on friends so if you’re a Facebooker- please fell free to add that one.

That really only leaves Twitter- which (for now) I am KEEPING. Why Twitter? Well, because the communication on Twitter is in such short bursts that it’s a great way to update folks on what I’m doing and I’ve found that fans on Twitter aren’t offended when they don’t get a personal response back every time they say something to me. Mainly because a “tweet’ is usually just a quick, fun message or question as opposed to a long heartfelt letter. To me (and most celebrities who use it) Twitter is just a fun thing to do and an easy and cool way to stay in touch with everyone. So that’s the deal. I’m still here. I’m still accessible. I’m still the same guy. I’m just taking a tiny bit more time for myself so that I can actually enjoy all of this great stuff I have going on with my life now and, of course, buckle down and focus on all of these amazing upcoming projects that I am so lucky to be involved with.

Well, I can’t wrap up this blog without acknowledging the HATCHET 2 debacle that took place two weeks ago. Let me preface this by saying very candidly- you’re not going to get all of the details and all of the truth that I wish I could scream from the rooftops in what you’re about to read. Why? Because I’ve been advised by my legal council and by everyone on my team of representatives to keep my mouth shut from here on in and not make the whole thing any worse. Really, Green? Even on your own personal blog you can’t speak freely? My friends… I’m a fighter. As you’ve seen, I just took on a fight with a GIANT that no one else ever seems to have the courage to stand up to even though they all sure do love to complain about them a lot. Every inch I’ve gotten in my career so far was one I bled for. But part of being a good fighter is knowing when to stop swinging and when to block. And right now I’m in a very scary position. I mean, hello—my film was ASSASINATED two weeks ago in front of the world. Go on, name me some other independent films that were pulled from screens in their first weekend starting on their opening day and then entirely by the end of their third day because “they weren’t meeting box office performance hopes”. Come on- name them. Oh, you can’t? Man… that’s weird. Wonder why that is?

(Adam Green Censored!  Photo by Ama Reeves.)

“Independence limited, freedom of choice is made for you my friend
Freedom of speech is words that they will bend
Freedom with their exceptions.
Doesn’t matter what you see, or into it what you read
You can do it your own way, if it’s done just how I say.”

– METALLICA

Well then, what CAN I say about it that you haven’t already read on CNN, the Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, or some other website? When I made HATCHET 1 I wound up getting put through the ringer before it could go to theaters. The stories of what I went through are already out there- in interviews, commentary tracks, etc- but long story short, I had to butcher the film severely in order to get the required “R” rating from the MPAA that is needed in order to exhibit the film in mainstream theaters. (Note: The MPAA states they are merely a guideline for viewers and not in any way a censorship panel… however their imposed ratings are the final word on every film’s theatrical life. Fair? You tell me.) If you read my blogs than chances are pretty good that you’ve seen HATCHET 1. But for one second I want you to pretend that you aren’t an “Adam Green fan” or even a “horror fan”. Pretend that you don’t even like this stuff. Look, it’s easy for me to preach to the choir but even if you don’t like horror films, anyone with half a brain can look at a movie like HATCHET and tell that it is all meant in silly, lighthearted, gory, fun. How in this day and age where we have movies labeled “torture porn” and movies where children are shot at with guns, women are brutally raped, animals are abused, scenes are created to try and disturb/disgust their audiences, and there is an underlying mean spirit to all of it… can HATCHET – a movie with a swamp ghost that kills comedians with a gas powered belt sander in Monty Python-esque ways – get an NC17 rating yet some of these other films skate by with an “R”? Well, what’s the difference (aside from the fact that those films are actually far more realistic and disturbing than HATCHET)? The difference is that “those films” are put out by major distributors and studios. And please note, I am not condemning those films. I love horror. I love most all of it and I believe every film has the right to exist if it’s made with dignity and responsibility. However what I am offended by is the fact that not all films are judged and considered equally when it comes to the arbitrary ratings system. How can realistic rape and torture violence be considered OK but fantastical/comedic over the top gore gets the NC17 hammer? Seems like the problem isn’t so much about content as it is the size of a film’s distributor. I can’t make specific accusations, but it’s no Hollywood secret that something is outrageously flawed with the system and that it needs to be changed. But what happened in 2007 is done and there’s nothing more I can do about that. Well, except hold a grudge and urge all of you to see Kirby Dick’s documentary THIS FILM HAS NOT YET BEEN RATED as soon as possible, I suppose.

So here we are in 2010. The fans had demanded a sequel to HATCHET. The first film had become a huge success and amassed an enormous following worldwide. After passing on doing a sequel several times in order to make other films (SPIRAL, GRACE, FROZEN, etc) I found myself itching and ready to go another round with my monster Victor Crowley and finish what I had already started and do what I had always hoped to do when I made the first film. We got the band back together and we had a BLAST. We laughed our asses off while we painted the screen red with fake blood and guts and we found even more outlandish and over the top ways to kill characters on screen all with old school effects. Just like the first film it was all in good fun and not a frame of the film could be taken seriously or even pointed at in a realistic way. To my cast, my crew, and especially myself- we look at the HATCHET films as an alternative to what is happening in the genre on the mainstream level lately. Remakes, torture, depravity, or PG13 horror-lite. HATCHET is old fashioned FUN. The fans that pay to go see it laugh, scream, applaud, and cheer. Guess what? They don’t do that for anything else out there right now- at least not on this kind of level. I got to see HATCHET 2 with many sold out or full theaters in various countries over the past few weeks… and it played like a full-on concert. Most importantly, everyone walks out SMILING. The HATCHET films don’t punish or disturb their audiences.

But once again, our little independent horror/comedy film got slapped with the dreaded kiss of death and the “you can’t play your film in mainstream theaters now” NC-17 rating. I cut a MINUTE of gore out of it. (That is a TON, folks.) We got another NC-17- but this time with some suggestions on areas that “needed to be toned down”. Looking it over we all agreed that (much like the first HATCHET) the whole tone of the film was going to be changed by these imposed edits. If we were to get an R we were going to have to destroy the film. Just like the first time.

Dark Sky Films (HATCHET 2’s distributor) made a decision to decline the MPAA’s verdict and instead go out unrated. I couldn’t believe it! I had always assumed we would go straight to home video in an instance like this, but low and behold the people who financed the film actually had our backs! We were all blown away by Dark Sky’s dedication and character. Now going out without an MPAA rating would normally condemn us to merely arthouse cinemas, however Dark Sky found a way to get the film out in the major theaters that it deserved to be in. In conjunction with a brand new program called AMC Independent from AMC Theaters (and some wonderful enthusiasm from a few key folks there who believed in the film) HATCHET 2 was to become the widest release of an unrated horror film in over a quarter of a century. On October 1st we were going to make history! Talk about a different experience from 2007’s debacle! But the triumph was short lived as you all know by now.

In the weeks leading up to HATCHET 2’s release the focus of most every single interview, film review, and story became the fact that the film was defying the MPAA’s system and going out unrated. There was talk about this being the first small step to eventually changing the way indie films are distributed and especially changing the game for genre films who often go under the knife in order to be exhibited in mainstream theaters and get that required “R” rating. And of course at the center of all of the controversy- was yours truly. As always I spoke very honestly and candidly about my opinions of the ratings system. I spoke very openly about how I felt about my experience with HATCHET 1 trying to get an “R” rating. I went public with details of my appeal trial against the NC17 rating on HATCHET 1.
Then some people involved on the theater exhibitor’s end started getting nervous and very angry. I was told to curb it and to curb it fast because my personal opinions of the MPAA are not those of the folks involved with exhibiting the film and they wanted no part of that. I honored that and respected that. From that point on a publicist was on every call and whenever I was asked about the whole “unrated in major theaters” thing- I would shut up and a publicist would instruct the journalist to contact AMC directly if they wanted a comment about that. We had a system down. But then on the day before HATCHET 2 opened, an old interview that I had done (something recorded before I ever knew that I had to be so careful about expressing my disdain for the unfair ratings system and how it treats independent cinema) hit the web and the same people who were already nervous and angry got REALLY angry. I got scathing emails from certain folks- HOWEVER…. in the defense of the person sending them, the way the article in question was presented online and the way my words were arranged- it did make it sound as if I had said that AMC was the place that had come up with the idea of going out unrated- and not Dark Sky. That’s incorrect, that’s not what I said, but that doesn’t matter now. In the article it certainly LOOKED like that is what I said. And now (from what I could tell) people were scared for their jobs and pissed at me. Now you’re probably asking yourself, why would any theater chain be so scared of angering the MPAA if the MPAA is only a “guideline” and not an organization directly tied into the studios and theaters themselves? Well, that’s a great question. It’s weird, huh? But still- the point is, those were MY opinions and not those of AMC. Dark Sky (HATCHET 2’s distributor) made the choice to go out unrated, NOT AMC (the exhibitor) and so on their anger over the media article- I gotta side with them on that and agree that they had every right to be unhappy with it. As someone who gets misquoted a lot, I know the feeling of reading something that alludes to something untrue and I totally saw their side of it all.

So with a ton of heat, controversy and all of those internal problems- HATCHET 2 hit theaters on Friday October 1st. Everyone involved was sick over all the controversy and problems already… but the reviews were great, the support was admirable, and we were hearing from theaters that were packed as well as theaters that were virtually empty. Unfortunately some theaters treated our “unrated” like an “NC17” and had someone guarding the door to card each patron. Firsthand in Los Angeles I saw a whole ton of kids turned away at the box office for not being 17. When they then bought tickets to another movie and tried to sneak in to HATCHET 2, they were thwarted by a guard at the door. This was happening at many theaters across the country. In fact one packed screening in New York was largely comprised of fans who had all bought tickets to other films just so that they could get in to HATCHET 2, but that’s all to be expected with a situation like this. Then on Saturday morning I heard from some Canadian fans that HATCHET 2 had already been pulled off the screens in Canada the night before, without explanation. We tried to find out details. We got no response. On Saturday I started hearing from more fans saying that their theaters were only showing the film at night or that it was also gone. By Sunday night we had no idea what was going on and on Monday morning we were told the movie was totally GONE. The reason given to the press? “Box office performance.”

BULL. SHIT. Was HATCHET 2 breaking box office records? Absolutely not. Was it doing pretty fairly given the size of its release and marketing? Sure. Was it doing fairly given that so much of its audience wasn’t let in or had to buy tickets to other films to get in? Sure. Was it doing BETTER per screen than some other films it was up against that weekend which had bigger budgets and national TV commercials and billboards? Yes. More importantly- how does one even figure out an accurate per screen average for HATCHET 2 when the screen count was constantly dwindling throughout the weekend and we had all of those other random problems (screens only showing it once or twice instead of all day and night)? And since when does the first 70 hours of box office take on ANY film’s release suddenly dictate whether it lives or dies? Plus, isn’t the whole thing with an indie film that it’s gonna need word of mouth, strong reviews, and time for people to find it since it can’t afford the big commercials and billboards to buy a huge opening weekend like the studio fare? Is a FULL WEEK that much to ask? Where is the precedent for this action in the history of cinema? Nowhere, of course.

Now AMC has not officially commented any further and everyone and their Mom is trying to get to the bottom of it. What’s been funny to see online is that if someone didn’t like the movie- they claim the whole thing is a publicity stunt or a conspiracy theory. There are actually people online (and these aren’t just anonymous shit talkers- but actual legit websites, folks) who know so little about the stuff they write about that they would actually accuse a tiny distributor like Dark Sky of dropping a SHIT TON of money on promoting and releasing a film on 68 screens and then PULLING it themselves right away to “get attention”. Now let’s think with our heads here. How is that a GOOD or financially sound plan at all? I’ve turned down commenting to many a huge magazine or news outlet- mainly because there is NOTHING I can do now except keep adding fuel to the fire. What happened speaks for itself. One could argue that other movies that fared far worse than HATCHET 2 per screen that weekend (another genre film only made $300 or so per screen yet stayed in theaters) only got to stay in theaters because of their specific deals with the theater chain- but again, show me another example of what happened with HATCHET 2 happening before. And really… are we supposed to believe that its just sheer coincidence that the controversial unrated movie with the “bad boy” director who was publicly asking for CHANGE in the ratings system happens to be the first movie pulled during it’s first weekend of release? Come on folks. Wake up. You tell me what happened here.

But in closing here’s what I’ll say and then I really, really want to let this go and go enjoy my life:

AMC Theaters- thank you for taking the chance and trying something different by releasing HATCHET 2 in your cinemas unrated. While I know the reason given for pulling HATCHET 2 is not the real reason it was pulled, for argument’s sake I’ll play along for a quick moment and say this… In the future, I hope that a program called “AMC Independent” doesn’t make a habit of pulling independent films after only a few hours at bat based on their “box office take” not being the same as that of a studio film. Give the films you play a real chance if you’re gonna do it at all. But again, it seems very likely that “box office” was just an excuse to pull a movie that was causing unwanted controversy and that just didn’t seem worth the risk financially. But what do I know?  I have nothing to do with your business.  I just frequent your theaters and enjoy your popcorn.

To Dark Sky Films- let’s do another movie some day. You’ve been nothing but great to work with and you’re one of the only truly “filmmaker friendly” companies out there. The whole genre is beyond impressed with you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

To other filmmakers and fans- don’t be persuaded or disenchanted by what happened. Don’t look at this and be scared to try to stick up for yourself in the future all because you’re looking at me on the cross this week. I’m sure there are people behind the scenes of all of this controversy that are hoping you’ll buy into their whole message that “the movie went out unrated and it was such a financial failure that it got pulled right away” story- but don’t buy it.  There are powers at work here that would love nothing more than to make other artists and fans fear ever trying to do what I did again.  Folks who think that with HATCHET 2 so quickly snuffed out that this type of scenario will not be one they’ll have to contend with again.  Don’t be deterred and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourselves if you ever need to.  Don’t be scared to support what you believe in.  Me?  I’d take one of these virtual bullets or another cheap sucker punch like this ANY day if it means standing up for what I believe in and I would hope that you all would do the same.

And as for me? Well, looking ahead to all of the projects on my plate and all of the dreams I’m still chasing… I kind of feel like this whole debacle may possibly be the last time I’ll ever have to face this particular problem. I suppose you never know, but in all of the foreseeable projects I have on the horizon (horror, comedy, drama, inspirational, documentary, you name it) none of them are “gorefests” like HATCHET or HATCHET 2. But even watching HATCHET 2 get screwed over like it did I can tell you that if I should ever get picked on again, I will swing back again even if it means losing. At the end of the day this whole thing was really a story of a very small Davey standing up to a very powerful Goliath. And in my mind the very fact that HATCHET 2 played in mainstream theaters without one of their ratings or without changing it’s content based on their “editorial suggestions”… well that’s a VICTORY for American cinema. So don’t mourn me and certainly don’t mourn HATCHET 2. Instead, give yourselves a round of applause for making the first tiny dent in the system and helping ring in a little thing on its way called “change”. (And save those ticket stubs! They’re historic and they’ll be worth something someday.)

HATCHET 2 is playing as limited engagements in various arthouse theaters around the country right now and it will be coming to On-Demand, DVD, and Blu Ray just as soon as we can get it there. Expect word of HATCHET 2’s street date in a few weeks.

This blog is long enough but I know I still owe you all some wedding pictures and some news on all of the other projects. Stay tuned and I’ll have it all ready soon. As I said above, now that I have narrowed my internet presence down I plan to be blogging here a lot more frequently.

Happy, happy Halloween to you all!
Love, love, love-
AG

“Who the hell are they to say
What we can do and how we can play?
We got the numbers, we got the might
We got the strength, and we got the right
We got the reason, we got the night
So wake up the sleeping giant.”

-TWISTED SISTER

Hatchet 2 update, insomnia, and projectile vomiting…

Yeah, I know- I’m a bad blogger.  It’s not often I ever get the chance to write in these days and even now, I’m at the ArieScope office at 4am as it was the only time I’d have this week to write more than a few words in to you all.  So what have I been up to?  Working, working, working- but that’s nothing new.

The year started off running as HATCHET 2 began principal photography on January 5th.  We shot for about 3 weeks on a sound stage here in Hollywood, took a break for FROZEN’s Sundance debut and my promotional duties surrounding the film’s release, and then the HATCHET 2 team regrouped for a few nights at Disney ranch and a week down in New Orleans, wrapping at the end of February.  What was supposed to be nothing but a good time getting the “band” back together again (we kept referring to the shoot as our ‘victory lap’) turned out to be the hardest shoot I’ve done to date.  I know you’re thinking; “Really?  A harder shoot than FROZEN?  How could 3 weeks on a comfy sound stage have been tougher than the top of a mountain in the dead of winter?”  But let’s back up a bit…

When HATCHET became the success that it was, the immediate response was “Let’s do the sequel.”  For those of you who have followed the story of HATCHET closely and watched the special features and commentary, you know that a sequel was always in the cards from before we ever shot the first one.  I gambled a lot with how I made the first one, believing in my heart that the movie would work and that eventually I would get the chance to make the second installment.  For instance, in the original HATCHET I never really explained “what” Victor Crowley is, I purposely held stuff back during Marybeth’s flashback sequence of explaining his origins and there were several “unfinished business” moments in the film.  Like when Victor Crowley is about to take off Shawn’s head with the shovel and randomly stops and shares a look with Marybeth (watch it again and look closely) or the  “love it or hate it” abrupt ending to the film when Victor Crowley has Marybeth by the throat and the movie just cuts to black.  Or how about why I insisted on having an actor as notable and talented as Tony Todd answer the first voodoo shop door, only to have him on screen for less than 2 minutes?  There were reasons for all of it as you’re about to see this Fall.  Even in the making of the first one, my crew and I were discussing death sequences for the sequel and we even introduced one key weapon in the first one (it is merely sitting idle in Crowley’s work shed) that is put to great use in HATCHET 2.  Seems like a lot of plotting and scheming for a slasher flick, but in my effort to create a new slasher world and a villain the fans could rally behind, I wanted to do it right.  Too often we see sequels made that are merely a cash-in.  Sometimes you can tell when you watch them that the filmmakers were grasping at straws to come up with a sequel and it becomes merely a rehash of the first film, note for note, with the same set-up over and over again.  I am proud to say that HATCHET 2 is not one of those films.  It truly is the “next part” of the story and I am proud to say it trumps the first film in every way.  It’s a bit more serious (you’re gonna be surprised but it may even move you in certain parts), it’s a lot darker in tone, the violence makes the first one look like a PG13 studio film, the story is much more involved than the first film which was mainly just a set-up for great fun and gore, and once again you’re going to see that we’ve made some ground breaking achievements in special effects.  I’m also extremely proud to say that once again, we did it all the old school way.  Effects created with latex and silicone, all done in-camera and not with computers after the fact, and all created by true artists and not CGI programs.  In short- I’m damn proud.

So why the long wait for a sequel if I am saying that I always wanted to make it?  The truth, as you may have read in interviews before, is that by the time the first HATCHET came out I needed some serious time away from Victor Crowley and the whole slasher thing.  For most of you, you hear about a movie right before it comes out, you see it, and then you’re on to whatever is going to open the following weekend.  It’s 90 minutes of your life.  But as a writer/director- these things take years and years.  Especially for HATCHET which I had thought up 20 odd years earlier at summer camp and waited my whole life to make.  Forget all of the plotting and scheming that went into it, but from the time I wrote the script (2003) to the day it came out in theaters (September 2007)- it was an epic journey.  Being an independent film I had to literally campaign to get it noticed.  Every film festival that would play it, every horror convention, every public appearance I could do- I was out there spreading the gospel of Victor Crowley.  As you know, it is not often a little indie film like this makes it all the way to a theatrical release – but we did it.  Was the theatrical release great?  Hell no.  Was it even supported with marketing or even given a chance to succeed?  Not at all.  But we GOT IT and that’s all that matters.  On September 7th I was able to go to my favorite theater, buy a ticket to the movie, and watch it with a sold-out audience of screaming horror fans.  And more so than any of the stuff that comes along with this career- THAT is what it’s all about and THAT is why we do this.

But I needed a break before I could go back for more.  I needed to do other things.  For those that follow me religiously, you know my roots and my beginnings are actually based in comedy.  I like family films like E.T. and MY DOG SKIP.  I want to do more than just HATCHET films forever.  So instead of doing the surefire thing and jumping right back into the swamp, I walked away and made other movies.  I co-directed the arthouse psychodrama SPIRAL with Joel David Moore (a film I am insanely proud of but that got buried in HATCHET’s shadow as the way things worked out it literally came out mere weeks after HATCHET did), I produced the disturbingly awesome GRACE for newcomer Paul Solet (a film that I am also insanely proud of as I feel like I got to “pay it forward” and use my success to help launch a new career that I believe in), and I wrote and directed the suspense thriller FROZEN (my best and proudest work to date on every level and a movie that is really not “horror” at all but more a survival drama filled with terror).  And that’s just the stuff you’ve SEEN on the screen.  In the midst of all of that there’s several dozen web-series and short films (JACK CHOP, SABER, THE TIFFANY PROBLEM, THE TIVO, 10 FRIGHTFEST SHORTS, IT’S A MALL WORLD series, WINTER TALES claymation series, FAIRY TALE POLICE and more) plus a handful of new feature scripts that are being put together as I write this and a few studio gigs that I landed such as writing the animated AQUAMAN movie (which will never see the light of day, sadly) and two TV pilots (which also never got shot).  I even sold out for a few weeks and directed a network TV pilot that I really didn’t love but thought I could LEARN to love simply because I had so much respect and admiration for the folks producing it.  Lesson learned: Just because you love the people making something doesn’t mean you should let anyone convince you to make it, too.  So long story short, I made the most of the three years between HATCHET 1 and HATCHET 2, and by the time I sat down before my computer to write HATCHET 2- I was fucking IN IT and I was on fire with excitement to pick up where I had left off.  I assure you that had I made HATCHET 2 in 2007 that would not have been the case.

Which brings me to where this blog started and the hardest shoot I’ve endured yet.  My crew and I went at HATCHET 2 with a vengeance.  We wanted this movie to be the ultimate slasher sequel and our ambitions out weighed the amount of time and money we had ten-fold.  There was never a moment of settling for something like we had to do every single day on the first film and each day on the shoot that was spread out over two months, the core group of us who had been there since the beginning came at it with everything we had.  But as is always the case, there were obstacles that we couldn’t have expected.   The biggest one being that our sound stage consisted of a living environment of plant life and within days, we were growing our own grass, mushrooms, and other things- all that became toxic in a matter of hours.  The air on that stage was not healthy and once a crew member came to work with the swine-flu… it was over for all of us.  When the DVD eventually comes out you’ll hear and see the stories and watch us make the film while wearing surgical masks.  You’ll watch HALF of the crew fall sick with horrible flu symptoms.  I’m not sure if any of the behind the scenes cameras caught it, but you may even witness some of the projectile vomiting that was taking place between takes.  It was fucking awful and it was brutal.

But even through all of that and even though this was supposed to be nothing but fun and wasn’t- the movie turned out fucking amazing.  On the positive side, I think that the challenges put many of us on our A-Game and really motivated us to fight harder.  It shows in the footage and while behind the behind-the-scenes it was not a fun experience… the movie itself sure as hell is and that’s what matters.  As I said earlier- I couldn’t be prouder or happier with the movie.  But damn what a tough shoot.

We just picture locked HATCHET 2 a few days ago, which means that the hardest part of it is over for me.  For the next two months we do all of the fun stuff like color grading, sound design, and score and I’m told that (in the U.S. at least) you’ll be seeing Victor Crowley back on the big screen in September.  Over the summer you’ll start seeing exclusive pictures pop up on-line, trailers, contests, etc- but for now everything has been about making the movie.  Which brings up another question I have been getting from a lot of you… “why the radio silence?”  Normally my productions are like an open book and people can follow along and see and hear everything.  Well, I’m actually just doing what I can to try and help make this as fun an experience as I can for the fans of HATCHET.  Believe me when I say that I adore the various genre websites and I appreciate how kind they’ve been to me and to my films over the past decade.  It’s so cool to know that they are excited and supportive of another dose of HATCHET.  However, I feel like in many ways there is now TOO MUCH information available to the fans and that by the time a movie comes out, they’ve read everything there is to know, seen half of the movie in clips on line, seen all of the photos, and for the most part- they’re just not as excited as they would have been going into it cold.  That’s why I didn’t circulate scripts to everyone on the crew and why no one really has any details about the plot yet.  That’s why there are still no exclusive pictures available and that’s why we only allowed reporters to visit the set on the days when we were shooting dialogue scenes.  Believe it or not, I’m just looking out for YOU.  Watch the first movie again before the sequel comes out and go into this one having no clue what to expect.  You’ll have a great time- I guarantee it!

So now what?  Well, I still have much to do on HATCHET 2 and I’ll finally be getting back out there to see and meet all of you while I tour to promote both HATCHET 2’s theatrical release and FROZEN’s upcoming DVD release this Fall.  (If you didn’t see FROZEN in theaters- shame on you!  But I know with the distributor we had it wasn’t exactly easy to find it in a theater near you or to even know it was playing.)  I sadly just had to cancel on Texas Frightmare Weekend due to my HATCHET 2 post-production schedule and a wedding that came up… and no one is more bummed about that than I am.  There’s nothing I hate more than having to cancel on an appearance and it’s been 3 years since I’ve done a convention in Texas.  While I’m grateful for how busy I am and while I’m fortunate that my movies just keep on rolling at a time when the industry is a tough place to get anything made… I do long for the freedom of seeing all of you.  I start shooting something new in just 13 days (sorry, no details yet!) that is going to see me teaming up with some old friends and some new ones, I’ve got a couple big things in the pipeline that are so cool I don’t dare jinx them, a new movie on the horizon that looks like it will shoot this Fall, I just finished a new script, some new “just for fun” shorts I’m putting together for the internet, and I’m getting married in just a few short weeks… so yeah.  Busy, busy, busy.

Tomorrow Kane Hodder and I record an all NEW commentary for HATCHET that will be on the Blu Ray release this September.  On Saturday May 22nd we’ll be appearing at the WEEKEND OF HORRORS in Los Angeles and showing footage from HATCHET 2 for the first time ever.  If you live in LA and call yourself a horror fan- you don’t want to miss this panel.  Can’t.  F’n.  Wait.

So long for now and as always, leave a comment below and I’ll respond to any questions you have the next chance I get.  It’s only April and it’s already been one of the most exciting years yet.  But you ain’t seen nothing yet…

Victor Crowley lives.

-Adam

2010? Wait, what the hell happened to 2009?!

Happy New Year to you and yours!  It has only been 2010 for a few hours at the time that I am writing this, yet I have already hit the ground running in typical “Adam Green fashion”.  In only the first two months of this year I’ll be shooting HATCHET 2, hitting a full week of Sundance for the world premiere of FROZEN, touring to support FROZEN’s release in theaters on February 5th, heading down to Louisiana to finish shooting HATCHET 2, and then hitting Scotland for the UK premiere of FROZEN.  And that’s all just in the first 8 weeks of the year.  After that it’s actually going to get crazier as I will be taking on a full world tour of convention and personal appearances (hopefully coming to a city near you), doing post-production on HATCHET 2 in-between flights, and then… I think I’m getting married at some point in the middle of all of that?  I’ll have to check in with the boss for the details…

I actually wrote this blog a few weeks ago.  Spent two full hours on it only to have MySpace eat it and keep it for itself (it was seriously THAT good) so now that I’ve calmed down and stopped throwing action figures and E.T. dolls around my office… here I am at it again.  This time in a trusty “Word file” that I can save after every other word that I type.

Just saved again.  Boo-ya.

2009 started in Park City so it only seems right that 2010 will kick off with my triumphant return to Park City and the insanely amazing Sundance film festival.  Last year we were there for the World Premiere of GRACE, which became the talk of the festival after our crazy opening night screening where two men fainted in the audience.  The screenings were packed, the buzz was strong, and the reviews were stronger.  It was so rewarding to be at Sundance as a Producer and not as the Director for I was able to largely stay anonymous and just watch it all un-fold without the spotlight or pressure directed at me.  2009 was a tremendous year for baby GRACE and I want to thank every single one of you again for supporting the movie and director Paul Solet in theaters and on DVD.  If you only knew how hard it is to get an original genre film made in Hollywood’s current climate you would without a doubt agree with me that GRACE was a miracle.  In an industry where anything that isn’t a remake instantly has the suits apprehensive about supporting it and most financiers have stopped spending money on indie films, try walking in a first-time director who wants to make a disturbing and terrifying love story about the bond between a mother and her undead child.  GRACE was a victory for the genre, a victory for independent cinema, and a huge victory for my company ArieScope Pictures who seems to be one of very few left in the mainstream industry that is continually adding original genre fare to the horror culture.

Even though Sundance was over, my time in Utah was actually just beginning.  It would be three more months before I would see home again.  From Park City we moved to Salt Lake City and began prep on FROZEN, which began shooting just a few weeks later.  By now you’ve probably all heard that FROZEN was shot entirely practical- meaning that we didn’t shoot it on a soundstage or hide behind the comfort of a greenscreen.  The cast and crew were really out there shooting overnights, in the dead of winter, suspended 50 feet in the air, dealing with hail storms, sleet, blizzards, and worse.  Crewing up was not an easy task.  We literally had meetings where a potential candidate for a position would come in all smiles and guns blazing trying to get the job… and then leaving in tears after hearing what we were doing and having to opt out.  Yes, they needed the work and the money… but unfortunately what we were doing was sounding like a suicide mission to some people and they just weren’t cut out for it. Thankfully, after a few weeks, we wound up with a crew that was tough as rocks and ready for anything.

Now, I’m just getting started in my whole FROZEN PR blitz as in just 22 days the movie will world premiere at Sundance, play about 7 times that week, and then open in theaters nationwide on Friday February 5th.  So I don’t want to spoil the stories or comment too much on the shoot just yet, but as a special treat to my blog-reading fans, try this story on for size…

We scouted many, many mountains in and around Salt Lake and Park City, Utah as I tried to find the perfect chair lift.  It had to be old and rickety like the chairlifts I was used to riding at the East Coast dives that I grew up skiing on.  It had to be in an area that had the same type of greens and trees found in New England.  It had to be on a trail that we would be able to negotiate shutting down to shoot on during the height of ski season.  And most of all… it had to be a chairlift that reached a point where it was so high off of the ground that there was simply no safe way down.

One day I found myself on a particular chairlift that really seemed to be fitting all of the requirements.  I was riding with one of the film’s Producers (Cory Neal) and a representative from the mountain.  Sure enough, at one point we cleared a group of trees and found ourselves dangling high above a huge divot in the mountain that had to be well over FIFTY FEET below us.  Now for some strange reason I blurted out “This is where they die!”

And the fucking chair stopped.

Now, before I get into how weird it is that the chair just so happened to stop right there, what’s really disturbing is that (without spoiling the movie for everyone) what I SHOULD have said and what I MEANT to say is “This is where they stop!”  But some awful feeling came over me and I used the word “die”.   The mountain representative called down to the base of the lift using her walkie-talkie (haters take note: real mountain, real ski lift, no fucking cell phone reception.) and they assured us that the lift would start up again momentarily.  “Just some high winds up at the peak.  Nothing to worry about.”  It felt like twenty minutes but in reality we were probably only stuck for about five.  Those five minutes were enough to prove to me just what an awfully terrifying situation this would be to get trapped in.  Obviously when I wrote it I was dwelling on my own (and most every skier and snowboarder’s) ultimate fear when riding a chairlift, but sitting up there, that high up, waiting for these supposed “winds” to stop… was just plain creepy.

Eventually we made it back down to the bottom and got back into the safety of our car.  We turned on the radio- and there on the local FM station… was Twisted Sister.  Now if you don’t yet know why that is at all relevant or important, watch the special features for HATCHET UNRATED sometime. Point is, I had every sign I needed to know that I had found my mountain.


(Shooting through a blizzard with DP Will Barratt, Producer Peter Block, 2nd Unit Director Jason Miller, and myself.)

So cut ahead about two months later.  We’re in the last night or two of shooting, happily in the home stretch of what has NOT been an easy production when Kane Hodder (FROZEN’s stunt coordinator and the man also known as “Victor Crowley”) taps me on the shoulder and says: “You’re even sicker than I thought.”

“What?” I replied.

“Oh, come on.   You didn’t know?” Kane said.

“Know what?”

Before I could say anything, the crew was taking a break and I was on my way with Kane to speak to the mountain maintenance guys.

“OK, tell Adam what you just told me.” Kane said.

The technician looked at me and said, “Well, we just thought it was kind of eerie that you’re shooting this movie in that spot.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

Now I don’t remember the exact words he used, so I won’t put it in quotes, but essentially what the man told me is that just a year before… a guy who either worked for the mountain (or whom was somehow involved with someone who worked for the mountain) had climbed up lift pole ladder # 5, worked his way out to chair #42, and shot himself dead.  The next morning when the mountain crew came in, they noticed someone sitting out on one of the lifts.  When they brought the chair around to the bottom, they found a dead body frozen to the seat.  The bullet hole is still in the back of chair #42.  They showed me.  And so, um, yeah- you see where I’m going with this… the guy killed himself in the spot where I decided to shoot FROZEN.

The spot where I strangely blurted out “this is where they die.”

The spot where the chair came to an abrupt stop all on it’s own.

Creepy, right?  Needless to say as soon as we got into editing I let my editor know what was up and told him to keep an eye out for any strange aberrations on the film or voices on the audio, but alas… nothing.  All I can say is it’s a good thing that my cast didn’t find out about this until they were done shooting up there.  They had enough things to freak them out and lose sleep over already.

While in post-production on FROZEN, I managed to put out not one but seven new short films.  First up was “SABER”.  What started out as my fiancé Rileah asking me to just “come up with a way to shoot her and her friend having a lightsaber fight” wound up not only becoming an internet sensation with about one million Youtube hits and winning two Golden Droids in the Lucasfilm Star Wars Fan Film Challenge (“Audience Choice” and “Best Picture”) but “SABER” also found it’s way onto television a few weeks ago when it played during Spike TV’s STAR WARS MARATHON on Christmas Eve.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:

After that, my friend Joe Lynch and I made another round of short vignettes for our favorite genre film festival in the world, FRIGHTFEST.  As you may recall, in 2008 we made five different shorts that parodied John Landis’ opening to TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.  This time around we got real ambitious and parodied AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, using a combination of our own footage and footage from the original film.  The shorts played nightly during the festival in London and made for some huge and appreciative laughs, so the work was worth it.  (What other directors take the time to make nightly short films for a specific group of fans- I don’t know, but fuck do we have fun doing it and then watching them with the UK crowd.)  Will we be able to pull off a third round this coming summer?  Who knows.  But in the meantime, you can find all TEN episodes of THE ROAD TO FRIGHTFEST on my official website www.ariescope.com.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been Halloween without my annual Halloween Short Film which I’ve been doing on-line for eleven years now.  With absolutely no time to make one this year, we almost had to skip a year from this awesome tradition, but at the last second I came up with something that I knew we could pull off entirely in one weekend- from script to final edit.  The rule has always been to SHOOT them in one night, but the time spent working on the short around the shoot can equal several weeks in some cases.  We wound up with JACK CHOP, which you can see here…

But JACK CHOP didn’t become our biggest Halloween Short Film and one of 2009’s biggest internet hits without it’s own bit of controversy.  Just when the short was rounding about 250,000 Youtube hits and 100,000 ArieScope.com hits… we got slapped with a cease and desist.  Apparently, the majority of morons on-line don’t only spend their time on IMDB message boards and AICN talkbacks- they also happen to love my short Halloween films enough to watch them over and over again and then actually try and call the number to buy the fucking JACK CHOP.  Now the number had too many digits in it to be a real number and clearly the item for sale was a joke… but that didn’t stop the internet’s finest from trying to actually buy it.  In dialing the first few digits they found themselves connected to a small business in Middle America somewhere that had NO CLUE what these douchebags were calling about.  So many people called their number that this poor business literally got shut down and couldn’t use their own phone line any more.   They were PISSED at me let me tell you!  We had to pull JACK CHOP down all over the internet and re-post it with the “555” number you see on there now.  And quite honestly, we’re lucky that predicament ended there.

But the JACK CHOP controversy didn’t stop with just that.  The spoof commercial became so popular that a few amateur filmmakers started feeling like they should copy it, re-post it as their own work, and try and take credit for it on their own web channels.  Thus began the process of going after each one and taking it down.  At one point I wound up fighting with a 14 year-old jack-ass who was trying to claim he was ME.  Yes, I had a week long spat with “myself”.  Ah, the price of fame.  At the end of the day, fighting back became useless.  You can only reason with the mentally disabled for so long before you have to move on and do more important things like clean the litterbox.  JACK CHOP wound up flagged by the very same asshole who claimed he was me and now you can only watch it if you have a verified Youtube account or by watching it on ArieScope.com.  We’ve since given up on trying to keep track of the video, but I can tell you that Paul Solet just may be the most famous person in Boston now.  He texted me over Christmas to say he couldn’t go anywhere in New England without being recognized as “Nicolo the Jack Chop guy.”

Fucking.  Awesome.

Which brings us to the end of 2009 and what should have been a chance to relax, reflect on an amazing year, and celebrate FROZEN’s upcoming Sundance debut and theatrical release.  But instead I decided that it was time to finally give the fans what they want and go back to the swamp for another go around with Victor Crowley.

HATCHET 2 starts shooting in just 96 hours from the time that I am writing this blog.  Here, on the eve of production, I must say that the feeling is overwhelmingly surreal for a number of reasons.  On one hand it feels like it’s happening lightning fast and like my crew and I are caught up in the undertow of something beyond our control- like a train that’s got it’s own schedule and mind.  On the other hand, shooting this picture is a very emotional and endearing moment for those of us who are returning from the first film, five years later.  We made HATCHET on a wing and a prayer.  As you can tell simply by looking at it and from watching the special features that accompanied the film on DVD, HATCHET was held together with scotch tape, blood, sweat, and tears.  For quite a few of us behind the camera, it was our first “real” movie.  But despite our excitement and our enthusiasm for what we were doing, at many times in the process it seemed as though the world was against us.  From the day I wrote it and my agents told me they didn’t believe in it, from the now infamous rejection letter I received from a major studio that said “though the writing is brilliant, unfortunately this film will never get made because it’s not a remake, it’s not a sequel, and its not based on a Japanese one”, to the ridiculously short amount of time we were given to shoot in, to our post-production process being fumbled and destroyed by crooks, to our triumphant moment of getting a coveted U.S. theatrical release… only to be met at the finish line with a crucifixion that saw me forced to stand trial and defend my film and my character before the MPAA… it’s no wonder that by the night HATCHET opened in theaters on Friday September 7, 2007, I hated the movie about as much as any anonymous troll on a message board.  I felt like I had literally gone to war and all I wanted to do was be done with it.


(HATCHET – Sold Out Opening night at Arclight Los Angeles.)

Though a sequel was always in the cards (the first one was shot and especially “ended” in a way that was conducive to making a sequel) I needed to go do other things before I would be able to go back that way and let Victor Crowley loose again.  As cliché as it may sound, the first HATCHET was a selfish film.  I thought of it and invented Victor Crowley when I was only eight years old, so twenty or so years later when I got the chance to shoot it, I merely made the type of movie I wanted to see on the big screen again.  But after all of the battles I fought along the way (some were won, many were lost) it was the community of horror fans that carried HATCHET over the finished line.  A literal “army” of friends, brothers, and sisters that I never knew I had that rallied behind it and (even without the proper financial support in marketing from it’s distributor) turned HATCHET into one of the biggest successes worldwide of the last decade.  I’ve done conventions and film festivals everywhere and seen firsthand the love that the fans have for what we did.  I’ve sat through theatrical screenings of HATCHET with sold out auditoriums of kids and adults that can say every line along with the cast.  And while creatively I am chomping at the bit to get back to Honey Island Swamp and finish what we started, this time around it’s not just about me anymore, it’s about YOU.  It gives me great joy to say that HATCHET 2 is for fans of HATCHET 1 and those fans only.  It’s going to be everything you want the sequel to be.  Didn’t like the first film?  Excellent.  Skip this one then, you’re not invited to our party.  Liked the first one?  You’ll love this.  Surprises, plot twists, and swamp boat loads full of gore await you next Fall!

From how emotional it’s been in the internal phone calls “getting the band back together” it’s obvious how huge of a moment it’s going to be next Thursday morning when we’re all together again on set and Craig Borden (my 1st AD) yells out “Pictures up on HATCHET 2!” and we get that first shot off.  What a ride it’s been.  And to every naysayer, to everyone who said “no” in my life, and to everyone that tried to cut us down… we’re not only making the sequel to our successful movie, but we’re the happiest bunch of motherfuckers you’ve ever seen on a film set.  “You rise, you fall, you’re down then you rise again.  What don’t kill ya make ya more strong.”  You haven’t seen anything yet.

As I stated at the beginning of this now epically long piece, the Los Angeles portion of the shoot will take me right up to the morning that I leave for Sundance and the world premiere of FROZEN.  Given how exhausted I already am and the sheer amount of press and effort that I’ll have to be putting into FROZEN while shooting HATCHET 2, I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to survive what’s about to happen to me in 2010.  But fuck if I’m not ready for all of it.  Keep in mind that I invented this whole HATCHET-universe when I was merely a child at summer camp, so every minute of this is a much more heightened and cherished moment than directing any other film.  I LOVE IT.  And to walk onto set and see not only the front of Victor Crowley’s house standing tall once again… but this time… to be able to walk inside, breathe in the air, touch the walls, sit on the furniture, explore the dark corners, and live out my childhood nightmare…?  All I can say is bring this the fuck on!

Happy new year one and all.  Get ready to scream bloody gore in 2010, it’s gonna be a wild one.

-Green

He pissed on my cat!

The year started off on a great note when I was invited to do a commentary track for the upcoming re-release of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER which I recorded on Friday, January 2nd. This was cool on so many levels, mainly being that FRIDAY IV is my favorite film of the series (along with PART II)… but it was even more special because another genre director whom I greatly admire (and a guy who also happens to be one of my best friends) JOE LYNCH was also invited to participate and the two of us recorded the commentary track together.

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If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking “Um… what exactly did YOU have to do with the making of FRIDAY THE 13TH: PART IV”?” And the answer is… absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, I was nine when that film came out. But as we’ve started to see with many classic film re-issues, it’s become a fun addition to DVD packages when other filmmakers (who are also fans of the film) are asked to do a commentary discussing the movie from an outside perspective. Both Lynch and I are directors who wear our inspirations and love for the 80’s slasher sub-genre on our sleeves- so the producers felt like it would make for a cool addition. Needless to say, the session was a BLAST and it was a tremendous honor to get to be a part of the FRIDAY legacy.

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Earlier in 2008 I took part in the ultimate FRIDAY THE 13TH documentary (“HIS NAME WAS JASON”) which will be airing on Starz in February followed by the DVD release. While I haven’t seen the finished film at the time of this blog, I am told that it turned out great and that fans of the FRIDAY films will have an overload of geek-tastic stuff to feast on when it comes out.

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I’m told that I have my very own special feature about the “rat piss” scene from PART II… which is a great segue into the next part of my weekend and my next story.

The very next day I had to take our cats to the vet. Nothing serious, just the annual check-up and vaccine sorta stuff. For the very few on here who knew me back when I was still doing stand-up comedy, I used to do a bit on my vet. He’s a 6 foot tall black man with the deepest voice you’ve ever heard and a lazy eye that is so lazy that you almost have to nudge the person next to you and say out loud “Now that right there is a wicked lazy eye.” Some people have lazy eyes where one is looking at you and one is looking at the trash barrels behind the building in the parking lot. But this guy’s got one eye focused on you and the other one starring back into his childhood. It’s both fascinating and scary when he comes towards the cats with a needle in his hand. At one point he walked in holding some paperwork and he said “I see these cats have come here today to be euthanized.” But once the nurse turned the page over he corrected himself… “I mean, neutered.” Yes, it’s a gamble with my pet’s lives whenever they go to see my vet, but he’s the same vet who’s office they were born in and I’m a guy who doesn’t like change.

Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with all of the details about our cats- so here’s the gist: I adopted Tyler and Perry when they were just 3 weeks old. Here’s a picture that was taken on the DAY I first met them…

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Now, let me make one thing clear. I am a DOG person. I don’t know how I ever got into cats, but it all started back in 1997 when a cat with feline Down’s Syndrome named W. Axl Rose came into my life and sort of changed it forever. That’s a whole nother story for another day, but before you call me names for having cats- just know that I’d rather have dogs. In fact, once my lifestyle settles down a bit more and I’m at home more often, I plan on drowning my cats in the pool and replacing them with dogs. And yes, I know I look gay as hell in the above picture but come on. I had two little kittens crawling on me. You try and look straight.

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And I must point out that the cats are named after Steven Tyler and Joe Perry- not the guy who makes those “Madea” movies. At one point, a good friend of mine (Karen Whitman) met Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and had them autograph a photo of the cats which is hanging in a frame in my office. Pretty f’n cool if I do say so myself.

When Rileah and I moved in together almost 5 years ago, her cat Chewbacca moved in along with her, thus making us a full-on cat household. Thankfully all of the cats get along for the most part. But over the past few months, Chewy has developed a new love for pissing outside of the litterbox, just outside of the guest bathroom, on the carpet. We don’t know why he does it and even worse, all of my efforts to stop this disgusting habit have been futile. Chewy and I now have a relationship on par with Mr. Parker and the Bumpus’ dogs from A CHRISTMAS STORY. In fact, last week I hired a Vietnam vet to set up punji sticks all FIRST BLOOD style so that I can nail Chewbacca to the fucking wall once and for all and protect my already worthless carpet.

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“I’m an asshole. I pee on stuff.”

The moral of the story is that Chewbacca is on my shit list and Perry is a SAINT. In fact, I would dare say that Perry is possibly the most perfect cat in the world. Aside from her issues with Paul Stanley (I can’t explain it, but she constantly goes after and tears apart my Paul Stanley action figure… and ONLY Paul Stanley, never any of the other KISS members) Perry does nothing wrong. Yet the other two cats beat on her whenever they play and she almost always ends up with the shit end of the stick.

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Poor Perry.

So we’re at the vet and the waiting room is a bit crowded. It’s a Saturday so what can you do, right? We waited for well over an hour before Johnny Eyes was ready for us. And in the waiting room we met a bunch of other animals. The first was a Pitt Bull named Ponchas Pilot or something crazy like that. This dog LOVED the vet. I’ve never seen an animal so stupid in my life. He literally stood there with his eyes glued to the doorway, and every time Johnny Eyes walked past- the dog would get so excited he would pee. I shit you not. A dog that LOVED going to the vet. Unreal.

But then there was Jack. Jack was a white haired terrier and he was a douchebag of a dog. Not only did he have white hair- but it was the type of hair that was all grungy and dirty on the edges. In fact, parts of it looked PINK! Jack was a barker. Like it wasn’t bad enough standing in a cramped waiting room with three stressed out cats and a vet-loving Pitt Bull… now we had to deal with Jack the asshole barker. And what did Jack’s Mom do during all of this? Do you think she would have the decency to at least TRY and stop Jack from barking? Maybe even offer a quiet “Shhh”? No. She did nothing. She just sat there with her shit-eating nasty haired terrier barking up a storm.

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Thankfully, Jack was next up and we got about 15 minutes of peace and quiet while Ponchas Pilot paced like a 12 year old whore backstage at a Poison concert awaiting his turn with the rock star and my three cats slowly shed every last hair on their bodies and prayed for a quick death.

Jack finished up and his shitty owner walked him over to the front desk to settle her bill. Just like her lack of interest in his annoying barking for an hour straight, she had no interest in watching where he was going or what he was up to while she signed her credit card receipt. And that’s when I saw Jack make his way over to my cat carriers.

The motherfucker pissed on Perry.

He just walked right over, lifted his leg, and urinated on my cat. On sweet little Perry! I mean, if it had been Chewy I would have given Jack a treat. If it had been Chewy, it would have been karma at it’s finest. But noooooo. Perry, the perfect cat who does nothing wrong to anyone except Paul Stanley… she got pissed on. And what did Jack’s owner say as I quickly picked up Perry to pull her away to safety?

“Sorry ’bout that.”

Sorry ’bout that? You fucking asshole. Hopefully Jack ate some bad milk bones when he got home, projected liquid shit all over that woman’s face and then dropped dead. Pee on Perry? Why I oughta…!

But the story doesn’t end there. The cats all went in to see Johnny Eyes, get their shots, have their privates violated, get manhandled, and then be placed back in their respective carriers. But not Perry. No, apparently it was deemed that Perry had plaque and that she needed to spend the night at the hospital in order to have her teeth cleaned properly. So the other two cats got sent home scott free… and poor Perry got pee’d on and then put under sedation to have her teeth cleaned. Again, had it been Chewy- I would have pointed and laughed. But no… Perry got shafted yet again. If any of you reading this have cats and if you’ve ever had their teeth cleaned, you know it’s a horrible process. The anesthesia, the ointment in their eyes, the week of medicine that follows… it is miserable on them.

So Perry came home today. She can’t quite open her eyes all the way yet and she looks like she got run over by a truck… but she’s home and very happy to be here.

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And thus ends my first weekend of the New Year. I’d tell you all about my New Year’s Eve exploits, but unfortunately I have to go clean piss off of my carpets. Excuse me.

Happy New Year-
Adam

The 2008 Wrap-Up…And Sneak Peak At 2009!

What a year! As promised, here is a look back and full-on wrap up of what was quite possibly the best year of my life so far. Of course, all of the blogs are still listed below this one, so for those of you who may have missed the specifics of such highlights as “AIDS guy”, “the dead children in Regina”, or “the $20 Comic-Con tip”…feel free to scroll down through the year and find the stories in their entirety. In an effort to keep this as short as possible, I’m gonna try and limit it to just a few of the Greatest Hits.

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2008 started with a huge bang and the theatrical release of SPIRAL. This meant doing loads and loads of press with my buddies Joel David Moore, Zachary Levi, Amber Tamblyn, and Jeremy Boring. As repetitive and tiresome as promoting a film can be (you literally sit in a room and answer the same questions to different people for hours and hours and hours) when you enjoy the company you are with it can be one of the highlights of the movie making process. Below is an appearance that Joel and I did on FOX NEWS just before the film’s DVD release…

I think my favorite part of doing that interview was the amount of shit I took from friends and fans for attempting to dress “nicely”. My lack of giving a shit when it comes to dressing up for premieres and appearances is more appreciated than I thought, and the sheer fact that (for this FOX interview) I threw on a dress shirt (i.e., a shirt that DIDN’T have a band/movie logo and/or tour dates on the back of it) earned me a ton of letters and phone calls from people making sure I knew how awkward I looked in “my Dad’s clothes”. FYI, I am not man enough to fit in my Dad’s clothes. This was an old shirt with a huge pen stain on the sleeve that an ex-roommate of mine had left behind 8 years ago. So suck it, you dicks!

Anyway, the release of SPIRAL was a huge way to begin 2008. While the film is considered an “arthouse drama” and lots of my fans who were expecting another HATCHET were confused by it’s nature- the film succeeded in breaking me out of the ‘splatter film’ pigeon-hole I was facing with the enormous success of HATCHET in 2007. In fact, most of the new projects that I set up this year were based on the incredible reactions to SPIRAL. So while certain fans were let down to see me do something dramatic and completely different from HATCHET… I’m getting to spread my wings in all of the directions I want to go in now as opposed to some of my peers who are “lifers” in the horror genre against their true wishes. Keep in mind, SPIRAL was pretty much made simultaneously with HATCHET. I sort of ran myself into the ground trying to focus on both at the same time, but it was well worth the pain. For the moment at least, I can continue to do my work in horror, but I have proven that I can also do more outside of the genre. Funny thing is though, all of the stores carrying SPIRAL put it in the “Horror” section- so go figure. If you haven’t seen it yet, you are pretty much a rotten person. I suggest going to your local Best Buy or logging on to Amazon.com and picking it up right now. I’m damn proud of that film.

In March I turned 33 years old, saw Ministry for what I hope to be the last time (every time I go, I come home with injuries that take weeks to heal) and then I headed North up to Regina Canada for the production of GRACE. If you have yet to read any of the blogs about my travels up to Regina- please, please do. I think that Regina made for some of my best stories of the year. My part on GRACE was that of Producer. Paul Solet (a name you are all about to become very familiar with) wrote and directed the film which my company (ArieScope Pictures) produced. After doing what it took to get the film financed and moving forward, my job on set was essentially just overseeing the process, problem solving, and being creative support to Paul when he asked for it. Of course my ass was on the line that the movie came in on budget and that it actually turned out good… but we pulled it off. Here’s an example of me working hard on set…

Not directing left me with time to think around the hours I spent on set. See, when you are directing- it is all consuming. For months leading up to a project and especially when you are on set, you can barely remember to feed yourself. But as a Producer, I actually found myself able to go home at night and get more work done on my other projects. GRACE took us into May and when I returned I not only had a great film in the can, but a new screenplay called FROZEN. More on that later.

Here’s a picture of Zoran Popovic (GRACE’s D.P.), Paul Solet, and myself on the last night of GRACE. I’m not sure exactly how cold it was, but I am pretty sure that it was the coldest I had ever been up until that point. Thankfully, wardrobe had these giant moo-moos to throw on us. And even more thankfully, they were stylish. We kind of finished the shoot dressed as transexual homeless elderly women… but the film was in the can and we were on our way home to Hollywood.

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I came home right in time for summer movie season to kick off. While those who read my blog know that I do not like to review or critique other people’s films, I will say that this was one of the best summers for movies that I can remember since the 80’s. Sure, there were a few objectionable and debatable films, but overall- wow. The highlight for me actually wasn’t even one of the new releases, but a re-release one-night-only screening of E.T.

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Oddly enough, this was actually the SECOND time I saw E.T. in the theater in 2008. I had been invited to a screening at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences early on in February. The Academy screening was a pristine print from the original release and the summer screening was one of the 20th Anniversary prints. Now I know there are folks out there who are all up in arms about the CG changes that Spielberg made to the 20th anniversary version and they like to be overdramatic and say the changes RUINED the movie. Really? So you’re saying that all that was good about the original film was the fact that a few of the police officers held guns in their hands- but now with the officers holding walkie talkies that the film no longer works? Shut up and eat a dick you whiny bitches. E.T. is so flawless that even if Spielberg edited clown porn into the third reel- it would still hold up. If you don’t like the additions put in for the 20th anniversary release, then throw in your copy of the original version and shut-up. Don’t own a copy of the original version, you say? Hmm. Well then you aren’t a fan of the film anyway and should go back to eating that dick I told you about earlier.

Anyway- seeing E.T. in the theater is sort of like my reset button and I never miss a chance to have that experience. It is heads and tails my favorite film of all time and watching that in a theater filled with other E.T. believers and children who are experiencing the magic in reverence for the first time… there’s just nothing like it. Rileah laughs at me through the whole thing as I literally cry from frame one until the end of the credits… but I don’t care. There’s so few things that can bring you back to your childhood innocence and for me, E.T. is that one thing. Anyway, enough about E.T. It was a major highlight of my summer. And yes, I wore my red “Elliot” sweatshirt to the screening. Want to fight about it?

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2008 also found me in a meeting with D.C. Films / Warner Brothers where we discussed a slate of animated Justice League style films that they are doing for 2011. I pitched them a take that I had on AQUAMAN and low and behold, they bought it in the room. So throughout the summer I was hard at work writing AQUAMAN: KING OF ATLANTIS. Who even knows what the story will be like by the time the movie is finished (animation takes forever and these types of films are notorious for bringing on writer after writer to do polishes and re-drafts) but my take on AQUAMAN re-introduces him as a bad-ass and my story-line is something along the lines of CLASH OF THE TITANS and CLOVERFIELD. The process has been long and hard and I just turned in a second draft last week. My fingers are crossed and I am hoping for the best with the project as I think AQUAMAN is a very misunderstood and underused character in the D.C. Universe. If I could be the guy that helped bring him back to the forefront- awesome. But only time will tell where this all goes.

In early summer, I also wrote and directed a project that centers around two very beautiful and scantily clothed girls having a lightsaber battle. I’ve posted pictures and written about this project in various blogs, however the visual effects have taken about half a year longer than we anticipated. The good news is that I am told that the FX are just about ready and it looks good that the project will be ready to show early next year.

For quite some time, you’ve all been hearing about my romantic comedy GOD ONLY KNOWS. I’ve had no shame in saying that it is my most favorite of all of my projects and that I truly think it is the best script that I have ever written. GOK has been responsible for getting me a lot of the TV work and comedy projects I have done over the years as it has always been the writing sample that my reps show to studios and networks. The curse of the movie has been that it is literally taking forever to get started. There have been instances where the film was set-up, cast, and in pre-production… only to have some unforeseen crazy thing happen that puts it on hold. But you know how they say “everything happens for a reason”? Well- this year the project was taken under the wing of Chris Columbus’ 1492 Films who are now producing it with my company, ArieScope Pictures. While I never publicly announce cast until contracts are signed in blood… the cast we already have attached is absolutely amazing and A-list. However, this year has seen such financial hardships for the industry between the strikes, threats of strikes, and crumbling economy that the movie is once again on pause. But looking at where it has come over the past ten years (yes, you read correctly, it’s been TEN YEARS that I have been working on this one) the project is on the cusp of becoming something even more powerful than Darth Vader and the Emperor ever imagined. All signs point to a 2009 production and my contract is said and done… but once I’m on set shooting, I’ll believe it. Fingers and toes are crossed to see that script finally come to fruition.

July brought a trip back to Cape Cod to see my family and rejuvenate a bit, a trip to Vegas to be alone with Rileah in style, and then the production of THE ROAD TO FRIGHTFEST…

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UK FRIGHT FEST is my favorite of all of the genre film festivals in the world. As someone who has been to all of them, I can say that with conviction. So when Joe Lynch and I were invited back this year (even though we had no films ready to screen there) we decided to return to London baring gifts. Over the summer we shot 5 promos to be played nightly during the run of the festival. You can read the detailed blogs to watch them all and learn all about it, but they were a hit. Below is my favorite of the bunch. It is the one that screened on the final night of the festival. It plays better and makes more sense if you’ve seen the previous four promos, but I like this one the best because we were able to capture the live sound of the Fright Fest audience watching the promo as it played.

London was a TERRIFIC time as always, and both Joe and I are eagerly awaiting 2009’s TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Fright Fest. While we hope to once again return with surprises… looking at both of our slates for the upcoming year, it is going to be a challenge finding the time. We’ll see. I returned from London just in time to see John Williams conduct at the Hollywood Bowl. The symphony played “Flying” from E.T. I cried.

The summer ended with a huge surprise for me. FOX was preparing the Blu-Ray release of the PLANET OF THE APES films for the 40th anniversary and they needed high resolution images of the original apes for their packaging. My friends at MAKE-UP & MONSTERS STUDIOS were on the job of pulling the original molds and wardrobe out of storage and finding new folks to dress up for the photo shoot. Knowing that I was a fan and roughly the same size as Maurice Evans (Dr. Zaius) I was asked to step into the costume and last month, the box set hit shelves everywhere with ME as Dr. Zaius.

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It’s tough to contain my geek-excitement over something like this, but to forever be a part of Ape history is really mind blowing. Standing there that day dressed in the same costume that Mr. Evans wore long before I was born… I was floored. I mean, what is cooler than that? It was yet another moment this year when I was fully aware of just how lucky I am to get to do what I do.

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Halloween season was kicked off with the release of the HORROR BOOK OF LISTS in which my list of the “The Top 10 Horror Actresses Who Should Have Gotten Naked But Didn’t” was published. The signing in Burbank was a huge success and the book has been the source of much laughter for horror fans on their toilets across the world.

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That very same weekend, I was driving to a Love/Hate concert and found myself behind a car with a “Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed” bumper sticker. After verbally tearing the driver to shreds in my own car (I mean, who would actually ruin their car with THAT stupid bumper sticker?) I found myself wondering just how one might be able to prove that Humpty Dumpty was indeed pushed. Seriously though, all we know from the story is that all of the kings horses and all of the kings men couldn’t put him back together again. While that is unfortunate, there is nothing in there that even alludes to foul play. It was at that point in my internal conversation that I realized that I was a bigger dork than the driver in front of me. And FAIRY TALE POLICE was born…

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XBOX LIVE was putting together a project called “Horror Meets Comedy” in which they were reaching out to notable genre directors to come up with original short web-pilots for the XBOX gaming consoles. It was literally the SAME weekend that I came up with this concept, that James Gunn asked me if I’d like to participate. So my usual group of friends and conspirators got together over the Fall and shot the pilot for FAIRY TALE POLICE. Though you need to have an XBOX to watch the actual show, below is the trailer for it.

I am told that in the coming weeks, the pilot will be made available everywhere on-line. There are also rumors of more episodes of FAIRY TALE POLICE being ordered for 2009, but we’ll worry about that when it happens. Here’s a candid photo of everyone looking at the wrong camera…

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Halloween 2008 was one of the best in my 33 years of Halloween. The decorations around the house were exceptionally cool this year and the month of screenings, parties, theme parks, dinners, parades, and events were a whirlwind of ‘awesome’.

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Of course, no Halloween would be complete without my annual Halloween short film. This year’s short (THE TiVO) broke all kinds of records and was downloaded 100,000 times in it’s first week of release. It was even honored as the Number 1 video on Youtube at one point during that first week of release. For those that haven’t seen it yet…

November brought loads of good news. It started with the announcement of my next film FROZEN (remember that script I wrote during production of GRACE?) which pre-sold like gangbusters at AFM without even having shot a frame yet. I’m making the film with Peter Block’s new company “A Bigger Boat” and it starts shooting in just a few weeks up in the snowy mountains of Utah. Most of you probably know that Peter Block is the producer who made Lionsgate what it used to be for the genre. Peter is the guy that brought you movies like SAW and THE DESCENT and he not only has an eye for what the fans want, but he knows how to properly release and distribute the stuff. So for FROZEN to be his flagship production… it’s really an amazing opportunity.

November also brought the good news that GRACE had been officially selected to world premiere at Sundance in January. We honestly could not ask for a better or more prestigious launching pad for the birth of GRACE. The Sundance guide describes the film as:

“Eight months pregnant, and preoccupied with both a natural childbirth and a pure-body lifestyle, Madeline Matheson, played with merciless compassion by Jordan Ladd, deflects her demanding mother-in-law’s insistent pressure for standard hospital treatment, instead opting for the peaceful companionship of a trusted midwife. Though reluctantly compliant, her husband remains supportive of her choices until a sudden tragic accident leaves her unborn baby lifeless inside of her. Madeline remains determined to carry the stillborn baby to term, where she miraculously wills the delivered corpse into life. But it is not too long before the increasingly isolated mother realizes that something is not right with baby Grace, and she must make horrible sacrifices to keep her living.In his feature debut, writer/director Paul Solet assuredly approaches the medium, displaying a cocksure confidence in his construction of this modern horror fable. He relies upon a precise and slow-building technical elegance, supplemented by fearless performances and the ever-elusive gift of a genuinely frightening story, to violate the sanctity of a mother’s love and create true horror. Seething with a kind of sophisticated terror uncommon for its genre, Grace effortlessly uncoils an atmosphere of immense discomfort and subtle intensity, while quietly creeping into the spine and slicing into our most primal fears.”

We’re all honored and THRILLED to be premiering GRACE at the world’s greatest film festival on Friday January 16th. Kind of weird that FROZEN was written during GRACE, and that GRACE is premiering 100 feet away from where FROZEN is shooting…so I get to actually be at the premiere. I wish I had poster art or a trailer to share with you for GRACE, but that is all still a few weeks away. You may have seen some amateur looking poster art or trailers floating around the internet curtsey of the film’s foreign sales company and foreign financiers but none of that stuff is real, official, or endorsed by us so pay it no mind. The real stuff is on it’s way.

November finished with a huge bang when Nickelodeon bought a new live action kid’s show that I developed with Jack Black’s company (“Electric Dynamite”) about a boy and his talking alien dog called THE ADVENTURES OF FINN & WOOF. I can’t spill any details on that one yet as the contracts were literally just signed hours ago… but I’ll be hard at work writing that project as the New Year rings in. To say that I’m excited to be working on a children’s show with Jack Black- especially when it is a subject matter that I so deeply believe in and love- would be a massive understatement. TV is a tricky medium because it is very rare that you get to work on projects that you truly, truly love. Many writers wind up working on projects that fit what the network’s needs are or staff writing on shows that they would never personally even watch. So FINN & WOOF is a huge opportunity for me. I’m surrounded by awesome people (Jack’s producing partner Ben Cooley is as cool as his name sounds) and I’m FIRED UP to give this one my all.

An amazing year, huh? But the best was still yet to come.

December began with a little trip to the East Coast where I brought Rileah to see New York City at Christmas time. (She had never been to the city during the holidays and in fact, had only been there once before for HATCHET’s Tribeca premiere back in ’06.) While we were there, we planned on seeing both nights of Twisted Sister’s Christmas show on Broadway as well as taking in all of the amazingness that NYC has to offer around the holidays.

But the trip started with what can only be described as the most perfect marriage proposal a guy and a girl could ask for. I’ve been getting TONS of “congratulations” emails and comments from all of you and I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate all of it. However, I hope that you can all understand that there are certain aspects to my personal life that are just for me and that I simply don’t want to share. So forgive me for not wanting to spill all of the details of the proposal on MySpace, but it happened in Central Park, it was perfect, and she said “yes”. We first met almost 8 years ago when I was working as the DJ and Rileah was the hostess at the heavy metal club “The Rainbow” on the Sunset Strip. Neither of us had a dime to our names, I was struggling to make ends meet to the point that I was stealing leftover food off of plates on the kitchen. In 2004 I made the mock trailer for HATCHET and Rileah stepped in to be the ‘test make-up subject’ for Young Victor Crowley. Through that whole process we became good friends- and now, after almost 5 years dating / living together and all of the trials and tribulations that come with the industry we work in and the insanity of dealing with a guy like me…it is clear above all that she is my BEST friend and this next step could not feel more right. I thank you all for respecting our privacy in all of this, and don’t fret- I will certainly share any details, pictures, and stories from the process that we are comfortable sharing. In addition to our friends and family – the outpouring of well wishes and love my fan base has showered us with is overwhelming. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The whole engagement process was perfect and it was of course very cool to use Twisted Sister shows as the guise to justify the NYC trip and keep it all a surprise for Rileah. Once again, a life changing event where my friend Dee Snider was around for it. (For those that don’t already know the whole “Me and Dee” saga of the past 25 years…check out the special features on your HATCHET dvd.)

Here are just a few pictures from the NYC trip…

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From NYC I went straight to the mountains and ski slopes of Utah to start location scouting for FROZEN. In 48 hours we visited at least 9 different mountains, rode various chair lifts, hiked around in the snow, and met with lots of wonderful people. The oddest part of this scout for me was realizing not only how difficult this film is going to be to shoot, but just how fucking SCARY it actually is. Being up there on the chairlift feeling the heights, feeling the chill, living in the elements… the story and the events that happen are realistic and scary as hell. And my crew and I are in for some “March of the Penguins” style shit in dealing with the elements. Note to self: Set next film in Maui.

Here’s a picture of Will and I at 11,000 feet…

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We may not look as high up as we were, but just to give you an idea… we could see for several STATES from where we were.

My favorite part of the entire scout, however, was when we visited a ranch to view some “trained” wildlife that we may be using in the film. This ranch is owned and operated by the same trainers who handled Bart The Bear who you have seen in countless films such as THE EDGE, THE BEAR, or virtually any other film that a giant Grizzly Bear acted in. (No, there is no bear in FROZEN for those of you trying to figure it out.) Bart is sadly no longer with us, but his next of kin (Bart Junior) is quickly taking Bart’s place on the silver screen. At one point, the trainers invited me to meet Bart Junior and I eagerly accepted the chance. I mean, how often do you get to be THAT close to a Grizzly Bear in your life? This photo doesn’t do it much justice, but it was the only photo that got snapped during the Green / Bart Junior ‘Meet and Greet’.

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But 2008 still wasn’t entirely over yet! The year was rounded out with not one…but THREE Metallica shows in the week leading up to Christmas. These shows were quite significant for me. The first show was great because it was almost 17 years to the day that I first saw Metallica play live… and I was with two of my childhood friends that were with me at that very first show. Call me a sentimental dork, but I pay close attention to things like that. To be seeing one of my favorite bands- 17 years later and with the same guys I grew up with who were with me the first time…it’s pretty cool. These shows put me over the 30 SHOW mark for the amount of times I have seen Metallica in the 20 plus years I have been listening to them. And they sound better than they ever did. I know a lot of people started to doubt them during the “St. Anger” period…but this year they put out what is clearly one of their best albums ever. Of course these shows come with a story…

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Night 2: I am standing by the side of the stage with Joe Lynch waiting for the band to come on. We started talking about Christmas plans. Somehow, the fact that Rileah would have me watching LOVE ACTUALLY came up. What followed was two metal head, horror directors professing their undying love for that film. I’m not joking, Joe and I must have gone on for at least 10 minutes talking about why LOVE ACTUALLY is such a great movie and we discussed all of our favorite parts. It was around the point of Joe declaring how he gets choked up when the guy holds up the note cards in the film…when I realized that everyone around us could not only HEAR us, but that they were LISTENING…and that several of them knew who we were.

“JOE! STOP. STOP. STOP-STOP-STOP!”

But he was on a roll. I’m giving him every signal to stop, but he was on to the “boy running to tell the girl he loved her at the airport” and there was no stopping him. Finally, he realized what I realized and the two of us quickly tried to change the subject to sports, fighting dudes, and banging chicks. But it was too late. We had been outted for liking LOVE ACTUALLY…at a Metallica concert. Somewhere there is a message board on-line where a disgruntled metal head/horror fan is re-telling the story of our lameness and how let down he was to overhear what he heard. And somewhere in Los Angeles there is a group of horror fans burning their HATCHET and WRONG TURN 2 dvds. If the story wasn’t so funny, I’d feel bad. But I love LOVE ACTUALLY goddamnit. There, I said it. It’s a good movie and Bill Nighy owns!

And thus ends 2008. I know I left out a ton, but you have all of the previous blogs to look at if you want to catch up on what I may have missed. 2008 truly was one of the greatest years of my life, and my hopes are already soaring that 2009 will blow it away. I wrote this in a previous blog, but in a year plagued by strikes, lay offs, financial troubles, and struggle for most of the world…I am truly blessed that I not only have mustered through it all, but that I’ve been able to entertain and help so many people laugh off and forget about the stress. So my wish for all of you as the New Year quickly approaches in a few hours… is that you all remain healthy and that you all find happiness in the coming year. I’ve got so much coming your way over the next 12 months, and though I’ll be busy as all hell, you will all be in my thoughts and I will do my best to deliver for you all. I may be harder to reach than usual and I may not be checking in here as often as I would like, but I’ll be thinking of all of you on my adventures and endeavors.

2009 will kick off with the production of FROZEN and the festival tour for GRACE. In the coming months you’ll hear all kinds of news about the other projects (FAIRY TALE POLICE, AQUAMAN, FINN & WOOF, release dates for GRACE, the release of the secret lightsaber project, etc.) so stay tuned and get excited. I leave you now with an image to address what so many of you are asking about…

Yes, it is happening. I just can’t say for sure what my involvement will be yet. As you just read, I have way more than I can possibly handle on my plate. So if the powers that be can be patient, I will return at the helm. But if the ship has to set sail sooner rather than later, I may have to pass the torch. Think good thoughts, dream gory dreams, and just maybe I’ll be the one behind the camera when Victor Crowley returns to kick your fucking asses.

Happy New Year! I love you all!

-Adam

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“The TiVO” – 10 years of Halloween short films!

Ten years ago this month, ArieScope Pictures was born.

I had just gotten out of college and I had taken a job working on local cable commercials in the Boston area. On my first day of work, I was paired up with Will Barratt and we were sent off to Nashua, New Hampshire to shoot a commercial for a car dealership. By the time we were driving home we had hatched plans to get us out of cable advertising, break us in to Hollywood, and have us making “real movies”.

And I had only known him for a few hours at that point.

That weekend we “borrowed” the cable company’s equipment to shoot a short film that we could entertain friends with at an upcoming Halloween party. With a Super8 film camera and Time Warner Cable’s three lights, we rounded up some friends and set out to make COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND. The premise of the short was that Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers had stalked the same group of teenagers by mistake and the whole point of it all was really just to make our friends laugh. Little did we know how many people would actually wind up seeing that short film and what it would ultimately lead to for us.

But before I go any further, here are some funny stories from the making of COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND while I am getting all nostalgic and thinking back to the beginning here…

We needed a location with lots and lots of woods, so I contacted a childhood friend’s parents who lived on the edge of a forest back in my hometown of Holliston. For those of you who are HATCHET fans- it was Scott Barnes’ parents. You know the line in the movie where Misty randomly checks her cell phone and says “Ew, Scott Barnes called me?” That was a shout out to this guy. Anyway, Scott’s parents were kind enough to give us full reign over their property. Their one and only request before they went out for the night?

“Whatever you do… don’t let Dusty the cat out of the house.”

“No problem, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes!”

I swear, you could still see Mr. Barnes’ break lights driving away down the street… and Dusty had already gotten out of the house. For the next 3 HOURS we tried everything possible to capture this filthy creature and get it back in the house, but we had no luck. Finally, in an act of desperation, I grabbed Dusty by the tail and pulled him out of the bush he was trying to hide in.

“Got him!” I yelled.

That’s when Dusty proceeded to try and scratch my eyes out. Literally. The first claw hooked the inside of my right eye socket and sliced my skin wide open. My eye was bleeding everywhere.

But hey… at least I got Dusty back in the house and we could start shooting.

“Dude… you need to disinfect your eye.” Will said. Not able to find ANY rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in the Barnes household, Will pointed out that we had a bottle of cheap Tequila on set that was being used as a prop in the film. Before I could think it through, Will was pouring TEQUILLA straight into my bleeding eye.

It hurt. It hurt BAD. But finally, we were ready to begin shooting our short film. All I needed to do was find a towel to wipe the liquor out of my eyes with. So I went back into the house and when I opened the door… I let Dusty out again.

Needless to say, we didn’t get much actual shooting done that night. Other problems we had were the fact that we forgot to bring enough extension cords to get the lights in to the actual woods… so instead we had to shoot the whole movie in Mr. and Mrs. Barnes’ backyard… where we proceeded to build a campfire and burn an enormous hole in the center of their lawn.

I should also point out that for some reason we loaded our camera with the wrong kind of film and the footage was completely unusable when we got it back from the lab. Luckily, we had also been rolling with Time Warner’s Betacam next to our film camera as it was recording the audio for each scene. So we were able to salvage the short by using the Betacam tapes. Sure, every shot was off kilter and framed wrong as the Betacam was never meant to be shooting the actual scenes- but at least we still had a little movie we could show our friends.

In editing we realized that we needed a production company name. With my birthday being March 31st and Will’s being April 2nd, we somehow came up with the name “ArieScope” as it combined “something film sounding” and “something we had in common”. Yes, that’s literally how we came up with the name.

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10 years later, ArieScope Pictures is a real Hollywood production company producing theatrically released feature films and our own original content. And though we’ve grown substantially and gone on to great success… two things have remained the same after all of that time. First of all, we are still laughing even though (with us) whatever can possibly go wrong WILL always go wrong. And second of all, no matter what big projects we are working on, at this time every year we still drop everything and make a new “Halloween short film”.

In honor of how we got our start, every single Halloween since 1998 we have gotten our “family” of creative artists together and made a short film in one night (OK, so we’ve started cheating and spreading them out over two nights because we’re getting old, wanna fight about it?), with absolutely no budget, and all in the name of FUN. So last week a group of us got together and we made “The TiVO” which I’m proud to unveil for you all today.

This year’s short is by far the most “out-there” one that we’ve done yet. With inspirations coming from The Thing, The Shining, Single White Female, and a few other classics… this entry into the “ArieScope Hallowen Short Film Catalogue” is as weird as they come. I don’t know how many of you have TiVO at home or how many just rough it out with DVR, but hopefully you know enough about TiVO to understand how absolutely amazing it is for your quality of life… but how entirely creepy it can be at the same time. Regardless, I can say that I’ve never laughed so hard on a set as I did when we were shooting this film’s climax. 10 years later… I still love what I do and I can still appreciate how lucky I am to be doing it.

If you are new to all of this, be sure and click over to the official ArieScope Pictures website (www.ariescope.com) and click the link that says “View The Short Films” to see what you’ve missed over the past decade. Which reminds me, some of you may have noticed that the same two people who started our website for us 10 years ago are still the same two designing and running it for us now. John and Nicole Anguish are “lifers”. I guess that most everybody who gets involved with ArieScope winds up in it for life. And that must be why 10 years later, ArieScope Pictures is still alive and growing beyond anything we ever hoped for.

To EVERYONE who is a part of ArieScope, from the other folks who work here alongside me, to the extremely talented pool of cast and crew that work with us regularly, to the friends and fans all over the world that have supported our work over the years… happy birthday, happy anniversary, and most of all… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

If someone could have told us then- while we were sanding off a girl’s face with a power sander and throwing spoiled meat all over another- that we’d eventually make a living… sanding off a girl’s face with a power sander and throwing spoiled meat all over another…I never would have believed them.

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So without any further adieu, here’s the 2008 Halloween short film…”The TiVO”.

-Adam

Wanna see something REALLY scary?

I can’t believe it’s been this long since I’ve posted a full-on blog, but being this busy is a good thing, right? Where to begin? Where to begin?…

This is gonna be jam packed- so don’t make any plans for the next hour, folks.

In a year that almost “never was” for much of Hollywood (the strikes, the economy crashing, studios and distributors drying up) I’ve thankfully been able to keep busier than ever, so for that I am extremely lucky and grateful. The year started with a huge bang with the ArieScope Pictures production of Paul Solet’s GRACE (see previous blogs for all of those stories) which will be out later next year. During that time I wrote a brand spanking new horror script (which you’ll hear more about later on in 2009) and as most of you know by now, I wrote an animated AQUAMAN movie for D.C. Comics/Warner Brothers (which you’ll hear more about in a few months). As if that wasn’t enough, throw in the hours and hours of development on the new films, a series of 5 shorts made exclusively for UK Fright Fest, and a full-on light saber fight with gorgeous half naked chicks…

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But the year is hardly over and in many ways I’m just getting started, so I’ll save the complete wrap up for a later date. As far as this mysterious “light saber fight” you’ve heard rumblings about… it’s still in post-production as there are a lot of FX that need to be done when you are using light sabers. But the gist of it is that I like to shoot my own short films and projects for fun, even around the bigger more mainstream stuff that pays the bills. Call it a hobby, but I just love working so much that when I’m not working I find more work to do while I wait to work again. Rileah came to me one day and said she and our friend Clare Grant wanted to shoot some sort of light saber battle “just for fun”. JUST FOR FUN? Because you know…there’s um, ANYTHING more complex than that?! So I did what any loving boyfriend would do and I told her that if she could arrange a threesome between me, her, and Clare that I would consider writing and directing it.

Actually, that’s just what I THOUGHT. Instead, I told her that if she and Clare could produce the whole thing, I would be in to do it. To be totally honest, I thought that would be the end of it- but low and behold these two took the bull by the horns and put the whole project together on their own. And as much as a threesome would have been awesome and I’m still holding out hope, there is no greater turn-on than watching the girl you love get ambitious, kick ass, and take names. But more on all of that when I can actually show everyone the project in a few weeks. Point is, I’m damn proud of these girls and I love my girlfriend to death.

But enough of that. Let’s get to the funny.

In an effort not to make this the “eternal blog” I’m gonna limit my stories severely and just focus on the “greatest hits” of summer. Let’s start with Comic Con.

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This was my fourth year in a row at San Diego Comic Con. In previous years I was always there on some sort of panel, signing, promoting something- you name it. But this was my year off. In fact, I’ve taken great joy in NOT being at the conventions and festivals this year because I literally spent 2 straight years at ALL of them around the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a geek at heart and I truly love getting out there to meet the fans and promote whatever project it is I’m working on… but it’s also nice to take a break from public appearances and come back swinging harder the next year. So about 6 months in advance the email went out through my group of friends saying “Who’s going to Comic Con?” EVERYONE said they were skipping it this year. The traffic, the lines, the same old crap- who needs it. Cut to July 24th- and everyone I knew was down there. Including me.

And you know? I was right. It was the same old bullshit. Hours in line to sit in the back of a room and watch actors talk about the next season of their TV show, a dealer floor that resembled the worst flea market crap and prices I’ve ever seen, over priced food, the worst B.O. you can smell on human beings, and lots and lots of dorks like me. But you know what? Despite all all of that- after awhile I found myself able to shed the “work glasses” that I have become accustomed to seeing these conventions through and I was able to blend in and be a fan again. But no sooner had I been able to forget that I am any sort of “celebrity” in that world- that it came to bite me in the ass. Cut to the WRATH OF CON party at the Hard Rock…

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This was a party hosted by the various horror websites such as Bloody-Disgusting and Anchor Bay which has become like a home away from home for me in the fact that I have about 400 different projects going with them at any given time. So to say I could let my guard down here and just have fun is an understatement. I knew everyone at this party and all of my friends were there. It was an exclusive list so there were no fans, no journalists scooping for info- just good, clean, social fun. Oh, and did I mention an open bar? Cool, cause this is where it gets interesting.

I approach the open bar and order a drink. A Bud Light, to be precise. As the bartender is cracking open the delicious ice cold watery goodness, I reached into my wallet and found that I did not have any one dollar bills. Now, to any normal human being, they probably would have just said “oh well” or (sad to say it, but) not even thought to tip in the first place since it was “free”. All I had were 20’s. I looked at the tip jar and it was EMPTY. (Welcome to the cheap asses that are the horror crowd, folks. I love them all- but they are cheap as fuck.) So I couldn’t even ask the guy for change- which already would have been weird. “Here’s a $20… can I um…have $19 back?” Ugh. So I did the typical generous Adam Green thing to do, and I just tipped the guy $20. Screw it, I can afford it, right? Besides, had I actually had to pay for the drinks- it would have been far more costly, so I felt completely justified. The guy looked at me and with great appreciation gave me a “thanks man, thank you so much”. I was feeling good about myself and bad for him as this was clearly his first party serving drinks for horror ‘celebrities’ who are usually one step away from stealing the salt off the tables and using coupons for a buffet.

So I go and mingle with some friends and before I know it, it’s time for another drink. I go up to the same bartender and ask for a Bud-Light. He gives me the nod (knowing I had already tipped him $20) and quickly hands me the beer. I nod back and walk away… only to hear the woman behind me declare: “THE ASSHOLE WHO DIRECTED HATCHET DIDN’T EVEN FUCKING TIP FOR HIS BEER!” I shit you not, WHISPERS went through the line! “You’d think he could afford to tip the bartender.” “What a douchebag.” “He must have spent all his money on drugs and contracted HIV.” OK, maybe not the last accusation- but the point is, you’d think I just spit on the cross at the Christmas Day parade this line of people was so offended. So what did I do? In typical Adam Green/Larry David fashion I turned around and actually began to try and explain myself to these assholes.

“No, you don’t understand. I’m actually a very good tipper. In fact, I’m an OVER TIPPER and my friends give me shit about it all the time. I didn’t have any singles so I-”

She interrupted. “-So you should ask for change.”

“No, no- there was no change in the little jar the last time I came through the line, so I gave him a 20.”

She didn’t believe me. “Sure you did.”

“No, really! I gave him a 20. That’s why he gave me the nod. Didn’t you see him give me the nod? He gave me the nod.”

I looked back to see that the bartender was now gone and had been replaced by someone new for the remainder of the night. There was no winning this. I briefly struggled with the thought of rummaging through the tip jar and finding my 20 at the bottom… but I knew that if ‘Bartender 1’ had any brains he would have pocketed that shit as soon as I walked away the first time in an effort to not have to share it with his co-workers at the end of the night. Plus, the last thing I needed was photographs of me dipping my hand into the tip jar and the way this night was going- it would have happened.

I was defeated and could do nothing but sulk away from the line of people talking smack about me while I enjoyed my 2nd of two $20 Bud Lights. Seriously, it ain’t easy being Green. The lesson learned here? Next time you only have a $20 at the open bar? KEEP IT. And take as much free table salt as you can fit in your pockets before you leave. The horror crowd is on to something…

Before I get too far off subject, I do want to add that I am actually not exaggerating one bit about the cheapness of the horror community. It’s a proven fact. We have a whole crew of us who go out together from time to time, and I’ve actually chosen to stop going all together if it involves eating. Now I just show up for drinks wherever they are going AFTER dinner. Why? Because I’m sick of ordering a cheeseburger and a beer and then having to throw in $100 because a few assholes skipped out on their bill. (Some of which have MILLIONS of dollars to their name and some of which have no business eating anything besides Top Ramen and shouldn’t have come out to dinner in the first place.) Case and point, there was a lovely woman in our circle celebrating her birthday at a fairly nice restaurant at the end of August. I said “See ya at the after party around midnight, suckers.” Sure enough, the first few people to walk in to the after party were LIVID that the bill had come up almost $1,000.00 SHORT. So let that be a lesson to you. If you ever find yourself dining with people who make a living working in the horror business… ask for a separate check. Call me an asshole, but I tell it like it is.

And that brings us to UK Fright Fest and the A-story of this blog. Fright Fest was a good time…

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But the real story starts a year earlier. After 2 years in a row appearing there (HATCHET and SPIRAL both had their UK premieres at Fright Fest) I knew that it would be a bit before I had another horror film ready to contribute to the line-up. So in a selfless act of good will, last year (on stage) I declared that not only would I come back in 2008, but that I would return with a short film made exclusively for the Fright Fest audience. And in the cheers and clapping I also enlisted Joe Lynch and Neil Marshall who had no choice at that point but to say “Alright, woo-hoo!” Cut to Neil 9 months later “Dude, I live in the UK. How the fuck am I supposed to help out on this?” Buuut… we found a way to keep Neil involved as you will soon see.

Well, Lynch and I went to work brainstorming ideas and ultimately we came up with the concept of making Fright Fest promos to randomly play throughout the 5 days of the festival. We thought that would be more special for the festival than just making a short film that could be played and appreciated anywhere. To say making these shorts together was fun would do it no justice. It was literally one of the best times I’ve had all year and watching them surprise the UK horror fans in the theater each night was more gratifying than watching an actual movie I had made play before them. Though they were literally just meant as a “fun little gift” to Fright Fest- the promos wound up becoming one of the hits of this year’s festival. Each time our “Douche Brothers” logo would randomly appear on screen, the audience would roar and Lynch and I would just say “holy shit”. No joke, we came to the festival prepared to hear that Episode 1 got a weak reaction and we were going to PULL the remaining 4 Episodes from being shown. So it was with great relief that we got to the Odeon and heard that Episode 1 had brought the house down.

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(Me, Joe, and Axelle Carolyn Marshall at Fright Fest)

Just a little more info before I post these here. The way these worked is that they played once a night before what was considered that day’s “main event” film. (At Fright Fest EVERY film is a main event, but some sell more tickets than others.) These were never intended to be watched one after the other like you are about to do, so try to imagine a 24 hour break between episodes. Also, I realize I have a lot of readers on here who are NOT actually horror fans and for whom many of these jokes will fly completely over their heads. Again, understand that these were made with ONLY the Fright Fest crowd in mind. We initially weren’t even planning on ever putting them on-line, but popular demand made it so. In fact, when we first put Episode 1 up on the ArieScope site, it was watched close to 14,000 times in the first 48 hours.

For those of you who are not horror geeks… I HIGHLY suggest you take the time to watch this classic film clip before you go any further. Any horror fan worth their machete knows this famous movie intro well… but if you have never seen it or don’t remember it, re-watching this first will help you appreciate what Joe and I did:

Now sit back, clear the next 30 minutes of your schedule, and enjoy THE ROAD TO FRIGHT FEST by Adam Green and Joe Lynch…

EPISODE 1 “Horror Themes”

EPISODE 2 ” Favorite Fright Fest Moments”

EPISODE 3 “Favorite Deaths”

EPISODE 4 “Favorite Directors”

EPISODE 5 “Adam & Joe Are Dead” with LIVE audience reaction. I decided to post this one with the sound from the theater so that you could see what it was really like to be there. But I suggest checking it out without the audience track over at www.ariescope.com one of these days, so that you can actually hear all of the jokes.

Thanks Miss Sian for bootlegging it from the back of the theater, you sneaky girl.

Alright. What else do you want to know? Isn’t that enough for one blog? Alright- how about some hints of what’s to come over the next few weeks?

1. People keep writing to me asking if there is going to be a Halloween short film this year. Well, after 10 years of doing them- I decided that with the year I’ve already had and having already made the 5 Fright Fest shorts… OF COURSE I’m gonna make you all a Halloween short film this year! In fact… we start shooting in just 24 hours. It’ll be done and available in time for Halloween, as always.

2. Have you guys heard about that XBOX project going on where some masters of horror were hired to create short comedy web series’ for XBOX LIVE and MSN? James Gunn, James Wan, Marcus Nispel, David Slade, Lucky McKee, Andrew Douglas, John Clisham? Well I was recently invited to play and I can’t fucking WAIT for you to see what I have in store for you all. More details very, very, very soon and THANK YOU to my friend James Gunn for extending the warm invitation. It’s nothing less than an honor.

3. For those asking about the status of the other projects (God Only Knows and the sequel to that slasher movie I made) everything is GREAT. This year has been a bitch between my schedule and the fact that the industry was in the shitter with strikes for most of it- but I am happy to say that both projects are on track for next year. Sadly, until I know actual schedules and production details I still cannot say if I will be returning to the swamp with Victor Crowley… but I’m doing everything I can to make it possible. Regardless, in 2009 he’s going to kick your asses again- and you can count on it.

Halloween is in the air! Can you feel it? More blogs and way more news to come. I promise I won’t be a stranger for more than a few days before I’m back with more news.

Peace, love, and gore.

Adam

She should have gotten naked, but…

Hey everybody,

I know, I know… I am long overdue for an update and a blog about what’s been going on. It’s coming, I swear. I’m just under some pretty heavy deadlines right now and working my ass off.

By now, hopefully most of you have heard that the short films that Joe Lynch and I made for London FrightFest are becoming available on line. Episode 1 is now up and the rest will follow EVERY Monday through early October. You can watch them at www.ariescope.com – but more on that in my NEXT blog.

For now, real quickly- I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be doing an in-store signing for a new book called THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR which features a collection of “Top 10 Lists” from folks like me, Stephen King, James Gunn, Ray Bradbury, Joe Lynch, Eli Roth, and more.

Just a heads up, my list is “The Top 10 Horror Movie Actresses That Should Have Gotten Naked, But Didn’t…” Want to know who’s on it? Well, order the book now on Amazon.com and find out! It’s great bathroom reading, really.

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You can meet me THIS coming Saturday, September 20th at Dark Delicacies Bookstore in Burbank, California at 2:00pm. I will be there signing with a whole group of authors from the book, including James Gunn, Victor Salva, and many more.

Of course, feel free to bring any of your HATCHET, SPIRAL, or other “Adam Green” stuff, too.

DARK DELICACIES BOOKSTORE
4213 W. Burbank
Burbank, CA 91505
1-888-DARKDEL

Major blog coming wicked soon.

-Green

Becoming DR. ZAIUS

About 2 weeks ago I got a call from my friend Robert Pendergraft (one of the FX artists from HATCHET and the guy who was responsible for Mrs. Permatteo’s glorious face-ripping death). He wanted me to come down to Make Up & Monsters and try on an old costume. As it turns out, Brian Penikas (the FX genius behind too many of your favorite movies to list and the owner of Make Up & Monsters) was involved with a super secret project that involved a photo-shoot recreating the characters from 1968’s PLANET OF THE APES- in full detail and in the original costumes and molds worn by the cast.

Yeah, I know- RIGHT?

So the next thing I know I am trying on the original DR. ZAIUS costume worn by Maurice Evans 40 years ago… and it fit! Kinda surreal. Actually, to fully let my geek banner fly- it was fucking AMAZING!

Yesterday was the photo-shoot for FOX. Including short breaks for snacks (and for me to roll an obscene amount of business calls concerning other projects)- I was in the make-up chair for close to 5 hours before I was actually posing on the set…

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(Gotta love the Chucks, right? What? Dr. Zaius didn’t wear Converse?)

A huge thanks to FOX and to Brian, Rob, and Sonny from Make Up & Monsters for taking such good care of me and doing such an incredible job. And a HUGE extra bit of thanks to Rob for thinking of me for this and letting me come and play.

It’s funny, but in the midst of what has been an extremely hectic week dealing with the trials and tribulations of this business and the bullshit that fuels this industry (note: see the photo above where I am having a troubling conversation with my agent and a producer while halfway through an Ape make-up appliance)… this project was a huge reminder of how lucky I actually am to be where I am. This was a surreal opportunity and not a second went by where I wasn’t grateful for the experience and the chance to be a miniscule part of the PLANET OF THE APES world.

Forgetting the semantics and the business side of working in Hollywood… I love movies. And I have more respect for film and the people who came before me than some religious people may even have in their own Gods. The fact that I got to be made up in the actual costume worn by Maurice Evans in one of the most iconic roles and important films of the past century is nothing less than mind blowing for me.

Which is why it was so important to me that before the costume came off, I got to take this picture with Mr. Evan’s make-up test photo shot in 1967…

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Maurice Evans died in 1989. But yesterday, for a few hours at least, I got to bring Dr. Zaius back to life.

Hooray for Hollywood.

-Adam