Source: FEARnet | Posted By: Dan Geer
Award-winning filmmaker Mick Garris, host of FEARnet‘s signature series Post-Mortem with Mick Garris, has conducted many interviews with horror film legends on the show, including Roger Corman (which we featured here), Robert Englund and Frank Darabont.
More recently, Garris sat down with Halloween creator John Carpenter to discuss his career. While this five-part interview does not debut on FEARnet until Monday, February 28th (and also Verizon FiOS cable channel 197 starting March 4th and On Demand March 7th), FEARnet was kind enough to send us the official press release as well as photos and an exclusive preview clip of the interview. Hit the jump to check them out!
Official Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Legendary Writer/Director John Carpenter
Featured on FEARnet’s “Post Mortem with Mick Garris”
Conversation covers his heroes including Hitchcock and Polanski, his opinions on sequels and remakes, and Carpenter’s thoughts on computer graphics
Los Angeles, CA – February 25, 2011 – FEARnet, the world’s premier destination for horror, thriller and suspense movies, will soon feature an in-depth interview with the master of horror himself, John Carpenter (“Halloween,” and “Escape from New York”) on “Post Mortem with Mick Garris.” Award-winning filmmaker Mick Garris, host of the signature series on the network, recently sat down with Carpenter to discuss his career.
The five-part interview will be available on FEARnet.com starting February 28, 2011, and will also be made available on Verizon FiOS cable channel 197 starting March 4th and On Demand (VOD) as of March 7th. You can view episodes of “Post Mortem with Mick Garris” at: http://www.fearnet.com/shows/post_mortem/index.html.
Over the course of the interviews, Garris and Carpenter discuss Carpenter’s motivations and inspirations for pursuing a career in filmmaking, his vastly different opinions on sequels versus remakes, and his thoughts on the use of computer graphics in film. Highlights of the interview include Carpenter’s comments on…:
…his early inspirations:
“Man, in the beginning I just wanted to be a director. I didn’t care. And I got in the business to make westerns. That was my first love. I became a big Howard Hawks fan in film school. He was a director that’s not really well known, that isn’t really well known today – outside of film buffs. But I just fell in love with his work.”
… other early heroes:
“Hitchcock I think for his technique…Polanski…the same directors that everybody at the time revered as classic American directors…Orson Wells.”
… who he likes to follow now:
“I still love to watch Roman Polanski to see what he’s going to do. I primarily watch new directors – see what’s going on, what’s new, what’s the new approach? That’s fun.”
… the toughest genres to direct:
“The more difficult genres to pull off are comedies and horror films, because they require timing. Dramas are the easiest. They usually have people talking to each other and you can shoot close ups. Creating a mood in horror films or creating the right mood in a comedy is hard.
… his thoughts on the use of CG:
“Computer graphics are a tool, a tool you can use to create benefit. A lot of what’s being done looks like animation, like a cartoon. It’s unconvincing.”
…his views on remakes of his films including “The Fog” and “Assault on Precinct 13”:
“I’m flattered by it. I try to stay away from it. I like to be informed what’s going on – who are you considering as director and writer. But it’s their movie. It’s a different film, not mine. A lot of it is reinvention.”
The conversation also covers Carpenter’s own feelings on why the horror genre is appealing to adolescents in particular, and why his films have a common theme of distrust of authority.
Carpenter is the latest subject for Mick Garris, whose “Post Mortem” has bolstered his reputation as “the Charlie Rose of the blood and guts set.” Other recent interviews have included John Landis, Frank Darabont, Wes Craven, Rick Baker, and Roger Englund. The entire “Post Mortem with Mick Garris” collection can be found here.
About FEARnet
FEARnet, the world’s premier destination for horror, thriller and suspense, is a cutting-edge, multi-platform movie network available on linear, on demand, online and on mobile 24/7. Its unrivaled modern horror library unites Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) (NASDAQ: CMCSK), the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services with Sony Pictures Television (SPT: US) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the two top studios producing and distributing the genre.
FEARnet has generated over 550 MM views, is the #1 Free Movie VOD network, and is available on AT&T U-Verse, Bresnan, Comcast, Cox Communications, Guadalupe Valley Systems, Insight Communications and Verizon FiOS. FEARnet launched its traditional cable channel in HD October 31, 2010 and is available on Verizon FiOS channel 197. www.FEARnet.com is the web’s #1 site for genre fans, and PC Magazine named FEARnet.com among “The 15 Best Websites for Movie Fans.” Users can explore the world of the macabre on a visually arresting video-rich environment packed with movies, news, interactive community features and fresh original content.
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