As director of A Night of Horror, the film festival that celebrates all things that go 'bump', 'splat' or 'slash' in the night, Dean Bertram greets me with a cool, freshly-washed handshake [ I excuse myself slyly and check the bathroom sink but, … no blood stains].
Whilst programming the 2010 event, Bertram has been inundated with local films that he believes rate alongside the best submissions from the rest of the world.
“The Australian horror film landscape is really healthy at the moment,” he declares, amongst the very cool clutter of his Festival HQ in Sydney's north-west (one wall is covered in obscure horror film poster art, and a one-sheet for Don Siegel's 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers lays across his sofa).
“We have had more shorts submitted than ever before, more features than ever before. And we are going back to a 'stronger narrative' horror movie, reminiscent of the really good horror films of the '80s, where story was king.”
Maybe so, but are the filmmakers themselves having such a good time producing their horror films? With Bertram's assistance, SBS Movies invited four of Australia's emerging genre filmmakers to speak of the movies that inspired their love of horror and to recount their experiences getting their own films made. Three have films screening as part of A Night of Horror's festival program – Greg Connors (The Dark Lurking), Brett Anstey (Damned by Dawn) and Steven Kastrissios (The Horseman pictured above); the fourth, Stuart Simpson, premiered his film El Monstro Del Mar in Melbourne last week.
SBS Movies: What period and which filmmakers specifically influenced your love of horror films and directly inspired your work?
Steve Kastrissios: I love the 80s films where they started combining horror and action with decent budgets, like Predator, Aliens, The Thing. The mixture of great drama, terrifying violence and bold sci-fi and horror concepts have been a big influence on me.
Greg Connors: The first time I knew I wanted to make films was when my Mum and Dad brought home Aliens on VHS. I was seven and they let me sit and watch for the first half hour or so, right up to where the marines landed on the planet. Then the pause button was hit, Dad turns to me and says “Go to bed”. In a huff I took off but was slightly relieved. The next day when they weren't around I snuck it in and watched the whole thing in a semi-comatose terror! 80s horror was big for me, specifically monsters. I was fascinated by The Thing, Aliens, Predator, Basket Case, PumpkinHead. But most of all, it started me wanting to know more about how these things were made and got me interested in film in general.
Greg Connors: Overall I think my biggest influence was John Carpenter. He always kept the camera moving and kept the tension palpable through his minimalistic scores. When I watch my films back I always notice that I [give] a lot of attention to music and I'm just about always pushing the camera around on a Steadicam.
Stuart Simpson: I have been and am still inspired mainly by the Japanese films of the 60s and 70s. The horror and “pink violence” exploitation films from Toei Studios in that time were outrageous, experimental, bold and extremely creative both technically and visually. I am also a huge fan of the old 60s classics of Alfred Hitchcock and Mario Bava and the heavily influence [of the] early films of Brian de Palma and Dario Argento. Writers that influence me include Clive Barker, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P Lovecraft, Chuck Palahniuk, George Orwell, Carlos Castaneda and John Wyndham just to name a few.
SBS: If horror films reflect the social fears of any given period, what are the themes and issues that the modern horror film is exploring?
Stuart Simpson: I see a bit of a trend to include the themes of terrorism, biological warfare, the invasion of personal space with mass media and consumerism and of course, the good old apocalypse-via-climate change.
Brett Anstey: I don't want to sound like I'm out of the loop, but maybe I'm watching all the wrong modern horror films. Because the ones I do watch, are either remakes or sequels or adaptations of '70s and '80s films –so there's nothing new in the way of exploring contemporary themes. And I don't want to be seen as throwing rocks in glass houses, as Damned by Dawn is a throwback to the Hammer films of the '60s and the gorier 80s films.
Steve Kastrissios: I crafted the story [for The Horseman] as something simple; a father's struggle for justice, so it was more personal than political.
Greg Connors: Well, for me it's always been science fiction that was more about the exploration of social issues. However, with the explicitly graphic violence that we see a lot of now, “torture porn” they're calling it – I think that style in particular is playing to people's fear of violation. We're a much more fearful society than in the past. People don't have an open door policy to their house and people are genuinely distrustful of one another and I think a lot of this is playing to that fear.
SBS: Did the profile and success of Wolf Creek change the landscape for genre filmmakers in Australia? Did the exposure it provided change the funding or industry acceptance of horror as a genre?
Steve Kastrissios: I think Australian filmmakers wanting to make genre films were very inspired and encouraged, but the industry is still somewhat wary, including audiences, as nothing since Wolf Creek has really shaken things up on a large scale.
Greg Connors: If there has been a change in the attitude with the funding bodies I've yet to see it really filter through to the point where there is a noticeable jump in the amount of genre productions. It seems that, for the most part, genre filmmaking is being pushed by indie filmmakers regardless of any support from government bodies. The big change that needs to come, whether on a state or federal level, is the bodies need to realise that genre films are an extremely successful, relevant and viable art form. When the prevalent cinema going patrons are 15 to 25 year olds, [the funding bodies] need to realise that the majority of the films that they fund are going to be virtually ignored as they are not meeting the needs of the core cinema-going audience.
Brett Anstey: I guess films like Dying Breed and Storm Warning wouldn't have received government funding if it wasn't for the success of Wolf Creek, so yeah, the landscape was changed a bee's diaphragm. But it certainly hasn't changed radically; there's still no tsunami-sized support from the industry.
Stuart Simpson: I have never sought funding from any government bodies due to their lack of [interest in] genre films, why waste my time? I haven't seen this change at all. Wolf Creek just confirmed my understanding that audiences want and love genre films.
SBS: What are the pros and cons of the new digital technology? For example, cheaper shoots and editing capabilities mean more films get made, but will the loss of film-quality exhibition ultimately hurt horror as an artform?
Greg Connors: I don't think the technology will hurt the art form any more than the people that are making the productions. At the end of the day, if people have a good idea and a very visual eye that allows them to manipulate the audience, that film maker is going to continue in the industry.
Greg Connors: I don't think the technology will hurt the art form any more than the people that are making the productions. At the end of the day, if people have a good idea and a very visual eye that allows them to manipulate the audience, that film maker is going to continue in the industry.
Stuart Simpson: It definitely won't hurt it. Horror has always had its hand in low budget filmmaking. It's also why I'm working in this field at the moment. Horror fans don't care so much about the flashy high-end theatrics of Hollywood blockbusters if the film ticks the boxes in other areas – original concept, violence, sex, drugs and rock n roll!
Greg Connors: I'd have to say the digital technology has only helped me to achieve a higher quality in overall production values and the cost of production has dropped dramatically.
Brett Anstey: The obvious thing is that the new technology has made everything more accessible. You no longer need to shoot on 35mm – exhibiting your digitally-shot movie is within reach of almost everyone, and the results can look fabulous. Now, having said that, you still need to know the fundamentals of the craft. That is, of course, if you want nicely composed shots, blocked sequences and not the lazy method of shakey hyper-cam to conceal your shortcomings, by shooting everything in extreme close-ups therefore eliminating any sense of scene geography! Phew, rant over & I'll get off my high horse now…
Steve Kastrissios: The pros and cons sort of balance out, because whilst you can now produce and finance a film for far less money, there's much more competition as a result and therefore the value of a film to distributors has gone down dramatically.
SBS: Where to next? Is there a boundary that horror filmmakers haven't crossed that is the next logical step in ground-breaking horror?
Stuart Simpson: I believe it all lies with the pen and the script. Most supposed ground-breaking technological aspects of films are gimmicky. There is no limit to the imagination. I believe if filmmakers keep pushing themselves to come up with new spins on not only the genre, but in storytelling in general, we can continue to breathe life into an age old technique of entertaining and scaring the shit out of people.
Brett Anstey: Well to be honest I can't recall what the last ground-breaking horror film was. Maybe Saw, which may not have been terribly ground breaking, but was certainly influential with its advent of torture porn. But there will always be trends in horror. I'm personally thankful torture porn is on the way out.
Greg Connors: I'd like to see the genre step away from the graphic mutilation and try and focus on how to keep people on edge through use of mood and style. For me, the threat of the action has always been scarier than the action itself and that's what a lot of horror movies are lacking at the moment.
Steve Kastrissios: If there is new territory, I won't be sharing it before I shoot it! But I'm also not interested in pushing boundaries, in terms of violence. My film is violent, because the story demands it and I don't consider it tasteless or gratuitous, at least in the execution and direction. And genre audiences seem to understand that completely, which is great.
A Night of Horror Film Festival opens tonight and runs until April 23. See full program details at the Festival's website.
