I’m thrilled to bring you the first set of interviews we’ve ever done here at Screen Love Affair! These interviews were conducted on the red carpet ahead of the world premiere of Witchboard as part of our coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival. Be sure to also check out our spoiler-free review of Witchboard!
Our first interview is with writer/director Chuck Rusell! His credits include Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob (1988), The Mask with Jim Carrey, The Scorpion King with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
We were also able to chat with two of the stars of Witchboard, Madison Iseman (Jumaniji franchise, Annabelle Comes Home) and Charlie Tahan (I Am Legend, Ozark)!
Before we jump into the interviews though, I just want to take a second to shout out Josh Korngut from Dread Central! This was my first ever red carpet and my first time having the chance to do interviews with the cast and crew of a movie. So, to say I was nervous would be an understatement, but Josh immediately put me at ease and was very supportive throughout the whole experience!
We spent our time together talking about everything horror and as a self-titled horror veteran, I thought Josh had some amazing insights to share. I definitely suggest you check out Josh’s work over at Dread Central and that you listen to his podcast, Development Hell, to satisfy all of your horror movie needs.
Now, let’s start things off with our chat with Chuck Russell!
Chuck Russell
Shea: You have one of the most diverse and coolest filmographies of any director. It includes Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob, The Mask with Jim Carrey, Scorpion King with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Chuck: I’ve had my fun! (Laughs)
Shea: Yes that’s true! So what is it about horror that seems to draw you back to the genre?
Chuck: It is one of the genres where you can be the most imaginative, where you can be the most fearless. You can drag your actors to crazy, crazy places. Literally, it’s the strongest thrill you can deliver to an audience—is a gasp, or a scream, or a scare, and to bring that through that suspense. [It’s] the catharsis of facing your worst fears, then having a little popcorn and leaving safely.
Shea: I saw an interview you did last year at ComicCon where you said that you felt with Witchboard the same thing you felt about The Blob as far as almost feeling compelled to do a remake with your own spin on it. I’m curious what exactly you meant by that and if you’d care to flesh out that point a little more?
Chuck: Let’s call it a re-imagining. I get a big kick out of really resonant pop culture material, that I can actually tell in my own way, personalize it, and kind of explode it. So, everything that they did in the original Witchboard started a subgenre of Ouija board movies, so give them credit, because it’s still some people’s favourite film from the 80’s. But this is ready for re-imagining, and we take it to a new place and do things that audiences have never seen before. So, for me, it was a springboard. We honour the original, but you’ll see where we take it . . . It’s a fun, scary ride!
Madison Iseman
Shea: I’m a big fan of a lot of Chuck’s work, as I’m sure you are too. I’m curious about what really drew you to this role?
Madison: Chuck was a big part. You know, anything that he’s attached to is just exciting. Being a horror buff and seeing his name anywhere—like, amazing.
And the script was so much fun! Emily, the character I play, she just has a wave of an arc that she goes through and lots of fun things she gets to dive into. And I think when I look for roles, I just look for stuff that’s fun for me and interesting.
Overall, I think the film is very fun, it’s scary obviously, but it’s a good time! It’s an adventure that is really fun.
Charlie Tahan
Shea: What was it about this movie and getting to work with Chuck that really made you want to sign on?
Charlie: You kind of said it already! It was really just working with Chuck. I came in a little bit late. They had been filming for a couple weeks already before I came in. I had instant good chemistry with the rest of the cast. But yeah, I just look for interesting directors to work with. Me and Chuck seemed to speak the same language. He was very complimentary, and I was a big fan of his.
I just had a phone call with Chuck, and it seemed like a no brainer and I loved the script!
Shea: Just to follow-up on that, I brought up some of Chuck’s filmography earlier, but I’m curious which of his older movies is your favourite?
Charlie: I gotta go with The Blob! I gotta go with The Blob for sure.
Adriana Wiszniewska
Comments are closed.