Horror movies &stuff Interviews:Director Uwe Boll
Director Uwe Boll has not been kindly recieved by U.S. horror audiences.He has two vid-game adapts. under his belt in "House of the Dead" which managed to make back it's budget and then some but was lambasted by critics and horror film fans alike,and "Alone in the Dark" which practically no one saw and those who saw it flat out hated it.
Still Uwe being the persistent guy he is, continues on with his streak of doing video game adaptation horror films.The next of which being "Bloodrayne", which stars Kristanna Loken as the video game heroine whos a human/vampire half breed hell bent on avenging her mothers defilement at the hands of the king of vampires played by Ben Kingsley.
In this interview...Uwe reveals how he managed to assemble such a talented cast,how Ben Kingsley managed to get involved in the making of the picture,and that theres a hardcore "R" version of "Alone in the Dark" floating around in Germany that has spent 10 weeks in the top 10 DVD rentals.
MR H:"Bloodrayne" opens in just 24 days. How successful are you expecting,hoping,or predicting the film to be at the box office on it's opening weekend?
Uwe:The BOX OFFICE in general is very low in 2005. I hope for 8 Mio. $.
MR H:A big deal is made about video game adaptation films staying true to the games themselves with the storylines,characters,landmarks,etc. Do you think you stayed totally faithful to the games in making this film? Or atleast very close to totally faithful?
Uwe:Close to it. We have the wardrobe, the locations, the characters, the weapons and also the fact that she must collect talismans and suck blood to keep her energy level up
MR H:How did you manage to assemble such a talented casted with Michael Madsen,Kristanna Loken,Billy Zane,Michelle Rodriguez,and Ben Kingsley? Alot of horror films or films in general would be extremely lucky to land even 2 of those actors with busy schedules and all.Were they receptive to the idea of starring in "Bloodrayne",or did it take some convincing?
Uwe:They loved the script.Also Ben Kingsleys always wanted to play a vampire - he told me later.
MR H:In the film,theres alot of sword fighting and hand to hand combat...atleast from what I can tell. Did any of the cast suffer any injuries during filming of this action epic? If there were any none too severe I hope.
Uwe:Kristanna got a lot of wounds - the rest of the cast was fine. They suffered more in regards of the food in Rumania.
MR H:I was one of the few people who actually liked "House of the Dead" despite some of the issues it had,and pretty much got what you were going for with that film. What have you taken away from your first two films "HOTD" and "Alone in the Dark" in terms of negatives,that you tried to avoid repeating with "Bloodrayne"?
Uwe:BLOODRAYNE has a very good script and a story even nongamers would understand
- with great,real characters
MR H:Which "Bloodrayne" game is "Bloodrayne:The Movie" based on??
Uwe:Both games delivered some elements to it
MR H:Do you plan to do a sequel to "Bloodrayne" should the film be successful?
Uwe:We would love to have BLOODRAYNE in the Wild West
MR H:What scene in the film was the most fun shooting for you?
Uwe:The scene with MEATLOAF and all the prostitutes
Mr H:Without giving away anything...What scene in the film do you think the audiences will really get amped about,and overall have them excited in their seats and totally blow them away?
Uwe:I know only that in our previews in Texas, Stockholm and Frankfurt - the audience loved the action, music, effects and the speed of the movie a lot. And it is , especially in the end battle - one of the most gory movies ever.
Mr H:How was it working with this cast? Did you have the most fun working with the cast of "Bloodrayne" compared to your previous horror films,or would you rate the experience about equal with other casts you've worked with?
Uwe:The cast was excellent. So many different characters - everybody has his own way to work. Like a Kingsley is so different from Madsen.... but both great actors
Mr H:Who did you have choreographing the fight scenes for this film? Was it just one choreographer,or a number of choreographers?
Uwe:A few. Rocky Taylor - stuntdouble of Sean Connery -was the lead guy
We had also the stuntdouble of THE ROCK
Mr H:What made you choose Kristanna Loken out of a huge pool of actresses to play Rayne?
Uwe:She is tall, strong, sexy and very sportiv. She is a demanding character
MR H:Will Sanderson is in this film.He also was in "House of the Dead" and "Alone in the Dark" two films you also directed. Is he like your guy now? Similar to how Quentin Tarantino puts Samuel L. Jackson into all of his movies?
Uwe:Absolutely. He is in BLACKWOODS and HEART OF AMERICA also.
A very good actor and we do every year a competition with 30 different sports
MR H:Question:Did your duties on "Bloodrayne" keep you out of the running to direct "House of the Dead 2"?
Uwe:I was involved in the beginning but LIONSGATE didnt want to pay enough money so that we could do the movie properly. So I sold it back to MINDFIRE. I hope the HOD 2 movie turns out good.
Mr H:I read an interview SCI-FI Wire did with you where you mentioned that you had to cut a particularly bloody scene from the film to secure an "R" rating. Will that scene be included in the DVD??
Uwe:Yes. We will have special GORE VERSION of BLOODRAYNE in NC 17. In germany is also a harder ALONE IN THE DARK version out and a big success. 10 weeks in the DVD Top 10
MR H:What other scenes if any did you have to cut out,and what early plans do you have for the DVD?
Uwe:We have around 25 Gore effects more in the special edition. But even now - the movie is super hard
MR H:What prompted you to include Meat Loaf and Udo Kier in this movie? Was that your idea,were you gung ho on getting those two guys into the film right off the bat?
Uwe:Meat has the same manager like Kristanna and Udo is a friend of mine
Mr H:Was there any pranking going on on set between takes? Any bloopers or gags that stand out?
Uwe:On the DVD there will be outtakes
Mr H:What made you choose to direct "Bloodrayne"? Was it the script,or were you just an avid fan of the games and jumped at the chance?
Uwe:I developed it with Guin Turner and I own the rights. It is my baby from the beginning on
Mr H:You filmed "Bloodrayne" in Romania,and "ALITD" and "HOTD" in Canada. Which location did you prefer filming at? Where would you like to film a movie where you haven't filmed one yet? Do you think you will ever film a movie here in the states like in NY,California,etc?
Uwe:I love Vancouver. Rumania has great locations - but the crews and actors are a problem and the food. I will shoot in USA - if the deal is right
Mr H:Final Question (two parter):Give me your top horror movies in no particular order.
Lastly a question some people (myself included) would love to know the answer to,what was the name of the group that laid down the rap/rock track in "House of the Dead" 's graveyard scene.
Uwe:Favorite Horror Movies - Rosemary's Baby, Shining, The Ring, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw, Exzorzist, Damien-The Omen, The Thing......
Uwe:Name of the group that laid down the rap/rock track in "House of the Dead" - This was THE SNAP......
"Bloodrayne" is in theaters January 6th.
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