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Your new movie The
Forlorned - in a few words, what is it about?
The
Forlorned
is based on my book by the same title. It's about a young
man named Tom Doherty who is lured to a secluded island for a job
renovating the old lighthouse and ramshackle outbuildings. What he doesn't
know is that the island is haunted by ghost soldiers from the War of 1812. How
did the project fall together in the first place? I had
been told by several directors that my writing was so descriptive they
could see every detail. I had offers to adapt my books into films. One in
particular liked my work and the rest is history. Being
an executive producer on The
Forlorned, what were the main challenges of making the movie from
that point of view? Believe
it or not, the hardest part was dealing with difficult people who wanted
to interfere out of greed. Also the "office cops" and
"tattletale types". It's important for film makers to remember
to not let anything get you down. People can be ugly, but you just have to
get past it and move forward into positive light. One of the most postive
people in my life is my entertainment attorney Ken Suddleson. Ken is the
former vice president of Paramount
Pictures. Ken brought with him years of
experience. Ken was hailed by The Hollywood Reporter’s
inaugural list of the top 100 most powerful entertainment lawyers in the
world - as the vice president of Paramount
he personally oversaw over 55
other executives and negotiated all motion picture transactions involving
the company. He also founded and implemented Paramount’s fellowship
program, involving the selection and full time employment of creative
talent. Ken negotiated a fantastic deal with our distributor, Maxim Media.
I'm just so grateful for his representation and guidance.
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The
Forlorned is based on a novel of yours by the same name - so do
talk about that one for a bit, and what were your inspirations when
writing it? At the time I wrote it, I was outraged that
there were potential bodies of American soldiers from the war of 1812 not
repatriated back to American soil. Thankfully, things have changed
and those bodies have been repatriated back to American soil. How does writing a novel compare to writing
a screenplay, and which do you prefer, actually? I love
both. Screenplay is a breeze compared to penning a novel. I wrote both the
book and screenplay, then Andy Wiest and Ryan Reed adapted it into
their own vision. How faithful does the movie stay to
the book, and do take us through some of the major changes (if there are
any)? It's different in many ways as most adaptions are. I
don't want to give to much away, but I think fans of my books will be
pleased with what Andy has done. Do talk about your movie's approach to horror! I
prefer a mystery and gothic horror. I am not a fan of blood and guts or
demons. I think an intelligent haunting is much more interesting.
What
can you tell us about The
Forlorned's co-writer and director Andrew Wiest, and what was your collaboration
like?
Andy is not my brother by blood but he
is in my heart. I expect that we will make a lot more movies in the
future. He is a very kind soul who is also a very talented filmmaker. He is very skilled at what he
does, and we work very
well together. And the editing process went so much faster when the two of
us were in the editing room. What can you tell us about your key cast, and as
an executive producer, to what extent were you involved in the casting
process? I was very involved in the whole process. I picked
out who I thought was best with the advice of experts - such as Robert
Andrus who is just so skilled in this department. It was beyond belief the
great cast we have been blessed with. Each and everyone one is endlessly
talented.
Do talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set
atmosphere!
I loved the old house. The set was absolutely
haunted. We had many, many eerie things happen to each of us.
Mainly, we were stalked by a woman in white. She would float down the
staircase and it was unsettling to say the least. My second novel The
Forsakened is based on this experience. The
Forlorned is only about to be released onto the general public - a
few words about that? Yes, on October 3rd it will be
released on many venues such as iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and VOD such
as Vudu and some select theaters. Anything you can tell us about
audience and critical reception of The
Forlorned yet? So far everyone has loved it which
has been such a boost to us all. Some compare it to The
Shining while
others say it really stands out in the horror genre. A unique story and
premise.
Based on your experiences with The
Forlorned, could you ever be tempted to produce another movie,
and/or any other future projects you'd like to share? Yes,
I have a couple of movies in the works now. I will tell you more about
them when they are released.
What
got you into writing in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject?
I
think you have to be born with a talent for writing. I think it's something
that is so deep into your soul that if you don't write, your soul
can whither away.
Any past books of yours you'd
like to talk about?
I
have so many books that are dear to my heart such as my Angus MacBain
series. This fun series helps to support childhood cancer survivors. Many
of my other books are being adapted into films.
What can you tell us about your
writing style, and where do you draw your inspirations from? I'm
a visual writer. I think it's very important to have deep characterization
that draws the audience in close to your main characters. A story that
takes them on a journey. Writers, filmmakers, whoever else
who inspire you?
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There are many, I love James Cameron's work
and James Watkins. Your favourite movies? The
Woman in Black and lighter movies such as the Haunted Mansion with Eddie
Murphy. Films
you really deplore? Those with no intelligent plot, weak
characters or those who use sound and jump scares to set the audience on
edge - instead of a good story line. Your/your movie's website, Facebook,
whatever else? www.theforlorned.com
and www.angusmacbain.com/
Thanks for the
interview!
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