Exclusive Interview Craig McMahon
We had a chance to play 50 questions with Craig McMahon the director of Sportkill, Machined and Orville. Machined has been picked up by LionsGate and his latest film Sportkill has made a big splash on the site becoming one of our top 10 horror news items for June. Without further ado here is our interview. Thanks to Goon the site editor for the help on this one.
What about the concept behind your new movie "SportKill" do you find scariest?
I wanted to really go deep inside a killer's mind, so I asked myself, what if I was this killer? I mean to see someone die from my own hands, or because of something I did. That scared me to think like that. Being a victim doesn't really scare me anymore it just pisses me off. As for Rachel (Dona Wood) in the movie, she had to make these choices or be the victim. So I combined the voyeuristic tendencies of our culture and the horror of seeing someone die from your own hands.
How did you come up with the idea for "SportKill"?
The movie is based on the Milgram experiments of 1961. It was intended to measure the willingness of a participant to inflict harm on another. Milgram found that 64% of participants actually inflicted fatal voltages because they were asked to. That brings me to Ivan, played by David Hayes. Ivan is a really bored rich man that gets pleasure in discovering what people will do given the situation.
One of the most fascinating things I found about this movie is all the characters involved. Tell us about how you see the characters in this movie.
I love people that are unusual characters, the stranger, the more interesting. I can't even count the times I've seen movies with the token, "dumb blond" or the "handsome hotshot". I want to see people that make me say what the F***! Kevin Moyers plays the character Orville. Kevin and I had talks about this guy, and I wanted to make sure Kevin was okay with the content that Orville does. Kevin took Orville to a even sicker level.
The Assassin (Jose Rosete) is a recluse that never speaks and hides face from the public. He reveals his face in the SportKill's spin off, "ORVILLE" (another movie we just finished shooting). I find that the characters in the movie remind me of comic books. I have great admoration for comic book characters. The artist's amaze me. Someday I hope to have such rich colorfull characters like in those pages. I also think gore is most tasty when it's mixed with humor. Orville, Ivan, Assassin, and Detective Rhames bring on the hot-cold effect mixed with females Rachel and Lisa.
Where did you get your inspiration for Ivan and Rachel?Ivan is sort of a game show host/Citizen Kane that makes the show an event. David and I talked about Ivan's back story etc., but we wanted Ivan to be disturbed, brilliant and flamboyant. Rachel is the straight up fighter.
Tell us about your vision of underworld high-stakes betting.
I know there is plenty of high-stakes betting with no regards to human life. Take the UFC for instance, we want to see two guys beat the shit out of each other. I personally love the UFC but haven’t bet on any events.
When I'm watching television I often find myself lingering on channels with UFC and K-1. They are definetly fascinating to watch, are you a big fan of boxing, ultimate fighting, blood sports, etc.?
Oh yeah, David, Kevin, Jose and I all talk about the next big UFC event. My daughter is a black belt. So you know my family is into it.
If you found yourself in that ring forced to fight for your life, what would be your reaction and your strategy?
I spent two years studying Tae Kwon Doe, which is Korean fighting, it taught me keep your eyes on you opponents weaknesses. So I guess I would start there. Although SportKill is straight up "Go in and cut this guys leg off" with a chainsaw!
How do you think "SportKill" will measure up to the reception "Machined" had?
That's a good question, the Machined response surprised me. Over a quarter million poeple clicked on that trailer. They are two very differnt movies with a lot of the same elements.
One of my favorite indie films is called Slashers and your film reminds me alot of what that film explored. Was your writing or direction of this project inspired by any other horror films or filmmakers?
Maurice and I are friends, and in one of my last emails with him I said, "I still haven't seen "Slashers"" and he said "don't bother" and I'm like, all my friends loved it! It's funny how filmmakers perceive their work. Now I have to see it.
What do you enjoy most about horror as a genre?
You know with all the crap going on in the world I need a place to escape to. For an hour and a half I leave this world and come back feeling auctually better. I guess that's the only genre that does that for me. It's fun. If I were... to watch a romantic comedy and I said were! I would come outsaying those people make me sick, my life sucks! And be depressed for an hour and a half! The hell with that shit.
Most filmmakers seem to remember being a kid and sneaking into horror films and site that as being a huge part of what shaped them as a filmmaker. What influenced you to want to create your horror movie projects?
I was the freaky kid that had a collection of old 8mm black and white horror films. I would go off into a dark room of the house with my projector and watch them on the wall over and over. Back then there was no DVD and my dad wouldn't take me to see horror at the theaters. I had a seven foot Frankenstein on my bedroom door and in the middle of the night I would wake up and scream then crack up and go back to sleep.
I have met a lot of independent filmmakers who have a tough time getting there movie distributed. Do you find it difficult to produce your horror films, or is it all a fun labor of love?
Making horror movies is fun, it must be the content. With a drama, after you say cut, no one busts out laughing or high five'ing each other. It is tough getting a film out these days because there is only so much shelf space. 12 movies are made a day which means we only one or two of them see distribution.
With everything that is happening in Hollywood with remakes and a lot of PG-13 horror films, do you think horror films overall are getting better or worse?
Hollywood sees the box office figures that horror produces, which only makes sense what they are doing. But they do not take the risks that indie horror filmmakers make, and I think fans love that unpredictable'ness of indie. We all know the Hollywood formulas, no surprises.
One of my all time favorite genre films is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I also have a soft spot in my heart for Romeros gut munching zombies. Do you believe there should be more or less gore and graphic violence on screen to effectively scare an audience?
You touched on a subject that I have been talking about for quite some time now. Audiences can be desensitized if it's constant gore. I have been working on an answer for that and you will see it in SportKill.
What do you feel is the best part of what you do for a living?
I go through the entire filmmaking process of writing, building props, sets, shooting, editing and sound design. So I never get bored. Just when I am feeling sick of what I am working on, I move on to another job.
Now that almost anyone with $500 to spare can make a movie, what would your advice be to aspiring horror filmmakers out there?
I went to film school and dropped out after a year. Make a couple bad movies. That teaches you the process. I mean if you are spending $500 dollars to make your movie, than you are only out $500. But you will get better and better.
Can you tell us a little about your next project "Orville"?
Orville is SportKill's spin-off. Orville was a surprise, and I realized that this character deserved his own movie. We just finished shooting it. We do have some art work up on the site www.orvillethemovie.com The movie stars Kevin Moyers, Kathleen Benner, David Hayes and Erin Del Rosso. In the movie, Orville steals one of the contestants form SportKill and tries to make her his wife and take care of his mentally ill brother.
I would like to thank you Craig for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions for us. Is there anything else you would like to add or anything you would like plug?
Check out "MACHINED" due out on LionsGate Aug. 15th www.machinedthemovie.com Also visit "SPORTKILL" at www.sportkill.com and ORVILLE at www.orvillethemovie.com Other future project at www.postreelpictures.com and my own site at www.craigmcmahon.com Thanks again for this interview
To learn more about Craig McMahon be sure to check out his SportKill teaser trailer which is featured on our website and has steadily climbed onto the Top 10 Horror News items for June.