Your new film Night
of the Tentacles - in a few words, what is it about?
In a nutshell its a monster movie with a Faustian twist.
To ask quite (and maybe a tad too) bluntly: Why a Faustian monster
movie?
I'm attracted to "deal with the devil" type stories
because I think they are relatable. Its easy to understand someone's
motivation for selling their soul. It makes the audience ask "What is
my soul worth?" As for the monster part, well... I just love
monsters.
Watching Night
of the Tentacles, I couldn't help but notice the occasional
similarity to the low budget classic Little
Shop of Horrors - at all a fair remark? That is
definitely fair. Though to be honest I am more of a fan of Frank Oz's
musical version. (Other)
sources of inspiration when writing Night
of the Tentacles? The films of Frank Hennenlotter.
I think that's pretty obvious. There is a lot of Brain Damage and little
bit of Basket Case in there. Maybe a smidge of
Bad Biology. Night
of the Tentacles is mostly confined to one apartment - solely a
budgetary decision, or could you never have imagined your film on a larger
scale?
No. I think I told this story exactly the way I
wanted to tell it. If I had more money I just would have had another
camera and a better monster puppet. How would you describe your directorial approach
to your subject at hand? When it comes to directing actors,
I am an adjuster. I watch them rehearse and study their natural
inclinations and then I step in and adjust if needed. I like to let my
actors play. Apart from that, the camera and the lighting were very
deliberate and color coded. The lighting also helped make each scene
distinct. Filming in one location can be visually boring if you aren't
careful. You just have to talk about
your actual monster creation, the tentacled heart, for a bit! Well.
Basically I had no money so I sculpted it out of leftover foam. The eye is
a ping pong ball. The tentacles were clotheslines that were covered in
latex veins and sinew. The dagger tips were crayola model magic. It was
made from scratch and bits I had lying around my office.
Brandon Salkil, Nicole Gerity |
Having
talked about your monster, you of course also have to talk about your
human leads Brandon Salkil and Nicole Gerity, and what made them perfect
for their roles? Brandon is just fantastic. He's energetic,
enthusiastic and cares as much about the films as I do. He is a valuable
resource. Nicole was a last minute replacement because the original
actress (who actually was pregnant) dropped out. Nicole was friends with
Jackie (who plays Delilah) and expressed an interest in the part. She's
actually very small so we strapped a fake belly to her. I think she did a
great job at pretending to be pregnant. A few words about the rest of your cast
and crew? Everyone in the cast did a fantastic job. I am so
thankful to them for being in my crazy-ass movie. There wasn't a crew
really. Just me running around with a camera and some clamp lights.
What can you tell us about the actual shoot
and the on-set atmosphere? It was the easiest shoot so far.
Very laid back. We didn't rush. I wasn't stressed. It was fairly
enjoyable.
I know you only have just
released this film to a handful of reviewers - but what can you tell us
about critical reception thus far?
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So far everyone loves it
which is a shock to me. I wrote it in "Dustin Language" and
wasn't sure it would make sense to anyone else, but I think most people
say its my best work so far. I am flattered and shocked by that. I
sincerely thought most people would hate it. Any future projects
you'd like to share? Bath Salt Zombies comes out February
19th. Easter Casket comes out March 26th. Kill That Bitch and
The Ballad
of Skinless Pete will come out sometime in 2013. Your/your movie's website,
Facebook, whatever else? www.facebook.com/nightofthetentacles
and www.facebook.com/dustinmillsproductions. Anything else you are dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Not that I can
think of, sir. Thank you very much! Thanks for
the interview!
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