I think it all started with Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez when they made Grindhouse. In between Planet Terror and Death Proof where a number of cool trailers for other Grindhouse style films that did not actually exist. Then some of them began to get made – Machete was the first with others planned. Jason Eisener’s Hobo With A Shotgun was initially a fake trailer made for an international contest to promote the release of Grindhouse and then that became a feature film (Check out the review).
To promote Hobo With A Shotgun they ran another fake trailer competition and the winner was Van Gore. Not only will the Van Gore trailer play in front of Hobo With A Shotgun on the big screen it will also be included on the DVD and Blu-ray.
Van Gore was created, written and directed by Keith Hodder, Peter Strauss and Jerrad Pulham.
Keith Hodder was kind enough to take some time out and have a chat with me about the trailer.
Tell us a little about Van Gore?
Well, Van Gore tells the story of a critically acclaimed artist, Van Clark, who by night captures his young beatnik victims and paints with the blood that he drains from their bodies.
Did you have a full story mapped out before making the trailer?
We mapped out a rough idea and the foundations of each of the characters in the trailer. This helped us understand where each character would stand in a feature version and it also helped us make the trailer coherent and easy to follow.
What is your background in the world of film?
I started acting I think at around the age or 5 or 6. I did a lot of school plays, musicals, and took many improv classes at a local theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I started going on sets as a background actor and it was there that I fell in love with the process of filmmaking. I would always ask if I could stay behind and watch the monitors as they shot and they would always agree. Around the age of 16 I reappropriated my love for writing short films into writing scripts. I wrote my first script “Village of the Dead”, which was obviously a horrible homage to George A. Romero’s zombie films. I am now at Ryerson University in Toronto for Radio and Television Arts. I’m getting ready for my final year. That’s where I stand now. I’m making projects in class and filmmaking on my own time as well. This is a very creative moment in my life.
What fake blood recipe did you use?
What’s crazy is…I don’t know! We actually hired a make-up artist Dana Kip Simpson who is one of the founders of the Little Chop Shop in Barrie, Ontario. They worked tediously and taught us a lot of their skills but the only thing they would not reveal was their recipe for blood! All I know is that it could wash out of clothing and they also had a concoction that was edible. I’m sure if we work with them more I can toss them in a torture chamber and get the answer out of them.
Who would you have play Van Gore in the feature film if you ever had the chance to make it?
Without any question I’d say Sam Neill, the actor who played Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park. I grew up with that film, have watched in endlessly, and every time I am satisfied and nearly brought to tears. Neill would be perfect for the role. He’s immensely talented, he has a fantastic screen presence, and it would be a dream to work with him. Imagine being lucky enough to work with an actor that you watched as a child. It would be unreal.
What is your favourite trailer of all time?
That’s a great question and it took me awhile to think of a decent answer. I’d have to say one of my favourite movie trailers is Cloverfield. It was executed brilliantly and it did what every trailer should do, it made you beg the screen for more. And despite what others say, the movie was brilliant as well.
Favourite Rutger Hauer movie?
Don’t tell Jason Eisener, but I’ve only seen two Rutger Hauer films. The first being Sin City and the second being Hobo with a Shotgun. I love Sin City, but Hobo blasts that film away with a buckshot to the face.
Why do some amazing trailers lead to average movies?
Great question. It’s mostly because the film was shitty to begin with and they just found the best moments and slapped them into the trailer. They took the moments that would’ve been great in theatres, but because we’ve seen them already they’ve lost their thrill and lustre. This is a phenomenon that plagues most comedy movies that have been released in the past few years. People want to come to the theatre to enjoy a communal experience, they want to share the thrills with their fellow filmgoers, they want their money to be worth it, but if you’ve stolen that moment from them then it all falls apart. Make better movies and create tempting trailers, don’t give us all the answers, that’s why we go to the theatre, cause we want to discover the answers and the thrills for ourselves.
Top 5 grindhouse / gore films?
Oddly enough, I am still very new to the genre. My first introduction to it was Eisener’s original Hobo trailer and then the film Grindhouse, but I’ve been digging around for a bit now. So, as of right now, I can’t give a definite ordered list, so I can only really list Dawn of the Dead and The Glove right now. I have the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre waiting to be watched and I tracked down a copy of Rolling Thunder, so I definitely have to get to work! I’m also a big Romero fan, so that works for gore and whatnot.
Favourite comic book movie?
The Dark Knight. The film is practically flawless in my mind. It was one of the few experiences that I had in a theatre where I was completely enraptured with a film. To totally ruin my reputation, I also have a soft spot for Iron Man 2. Don’t ask.
What film do you first remember watching?
The first film I remember watching was Jurassic Park in a theatre. I must’ve been 3 or 4. The film continues to be a nostalgia trip for me. Also I grew up with a Robocop 2 VHS and I have found memories of running around the house with a Robocop helmet. Shit, I watched a few twisted movies when I was a kid…
If you were being killed by a movie monster / maniac which one would it be and what are your final words?
As much as I love zombies, that’d be a horrible way to go and I definitely wouldn’t have the Colonel Rhodes attitude when getting ripped in half (“Choke on ‘em!” he screams). Hmmm, tough question, and I’d honestly say I’d like to be done off in one foul swoop so maybe the T-Rex in Jurassic Park as they usually take one chomp then whip you around to dislocate and break your spine. I definitely wouldn’t be sitting on a toilet when it happens but I’d maybe say “There was a reason you fuckers were extinct!”
If you had the opportunity to remake any movie which one would it be and why?
That’s also another great question. As I am a Bond film I’d beg the producers to redo Moonraker. It is absolutely one of the worst Bond films ever and sadly it happens to be the best Bond book, it actually never deals with space. It’s a shame because the Bond producers were mostly jumping onto the space-craze that was brought on by Star Wars, so they completely manipulated and ruined the original source material. So yes, I’d love to remake Moonraker.
How can John Carpenter get his mojo back?
I think he needs to take a step back and look at what worked and what didn’t. I don’t know him l, so I feel bad assuming that he thinks “I’m John Carpenter and people will keep watching cause I made great stuff before”. He needs to reevaluate and stop trying to simulate what is being done in modern horror right now. He almost pioneered the genre so he needs to just return to what he was doing before. Take a few years off, think of another great concept, and prove to us that your mind isn’t getting old and decaying.
What are your thoughts on Hobo With A Shotgun?
I’ve said it to everyone I know: I love that fucking film. It is sheer brilliance from start to finish. The writing is stellar and amusingly self-aware, the environment and lighting is incredibly inspiring and grossly beautiful, and come on, Rutger is the Hobo. What more can you ask for? It is a film done by guys who have seen thousands of films. From Oscar worthy to b-movie garbage, they have seen it all and they understand what works and what doesn’t. They also don’t know their own limits and that’s what’s amusing. They keep pushing the boundaries and dreaming up these horribly gory images and set-ups. The sky is the limit for those guys and they’ll keep pushing the boundaries.
Can you see this fake trailer than a movie franchise carrying on and on?
Honestly, no. I feel that audiences are already getting weary of this trend and the neo-Grindhouse movement. Eisener and the Hobo team understood this. Hobo is not a grindhouse film and it shouldn’t be called one. It harkens back to old VHS action films and even references to spaghetti westerns. There’s a reason why Eisener calls his piece a graffiti western, and rightly so.
I don’t want people to assume that we believe we deserve a feature for Van Gore. We love what we made and we’re proud of what we’ve done. We’re also very confident in our skill, but we know and believe that we’ll have to work hard to get where we want to. This is a rough business but it also where I’ve had the most fun in my life. Yes, we’re going to work to get a Van Gore feature, but it won’t be easy. It’ll be a long path and we’ve only taken but a few steps. Leaps and bounds are ahead and I have to say, that’s what’s truly exciting for me.
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