Though most of the Guillermo del Toro talk out of San Diego this week was about his upcoming project “The Haunted Mansion,” the most interesting prospect from him is his new film “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.” Del Toro wrote (with Matthew Robbins) and produced this movie based on a favorite film from his childhood. The director, Troy Nixey, was also on hand to answer questions, but the jovial del Toro had a bit more to say.
Citing his continued fascination with Fairytales, del Toro noted that this film was more about the abduction aspect of the Changeling fairytale. Del Toro explained that he did not want to reinvent the story, and he did not want to change what worked in the original. For example, when he talked about what to do about the ending he joked that the original version’s ending “hits like a motherfucker.” When writing the project, del Toro was very specific that he “wanted the creative freedom not to change the end.” So for the handful of fans out there that have seen the original, it looks like you know what to expect in the end.
Del Toro unveiled both a trailer and a clip at the panel. The trailer was nicely cut together and moved rapidly. It begins with a black screen and a creepy, whispery voice telling you not to be afraid. (Of course in a pitch black airplane hangar full of people that is easier said than done.) The end of the trailer produced gasps from the relatively hardened crowd, so that should give you a measure of how effective the fear of the preview was.
The clip that del Toro showed was of the first scene that he wrote for the movie, which involves the reasoning why the ash bin in the basement had been sealed years ago. I won’t give too much detail of the scene to spoil the sequence but suffice it to say, you stop breathing about 30 seconds in to the 3 minute clip. I heard actual retching coming from a few rows back, and I have to say, I don’t blame the person. This film is clearly not for sensitive people, yet, it subscribes to the imply, don’t show school of filmmaking. Like “Psycho,” much of the gore seems to be more in your mind than on the screen. Though del Toro talked about how he prefers this approach, much credit should be given to Nixey for how he executed this vision. The clip was really lovely to look at and incredibly intense.
Another mark of the possible effectiveness of the terror in this movie is the story that del Toro told about submitting the film to the MPAA. According to him, the film was shot with no sex and no profanity (except for what was on set of course) in the hopes of scoring a PG-13 rating. What the filmmakers got back was an R for “pervasive scariness.” Del Toro asked the MPAA what could be done to lose the R rating and the MPAA replied, “Why ruin a perfectly scary movie?”
After discussing the movie, del Toro offered a few wonderful tidbits of philosophy. In regards to the horror genre, del Toro noted that he did not enjoy comedy in a horror movie. “It should be serious as an attack of fucking Gonorrhea,” del Toro noted. “Horror needs to have balls. And sweaty. And wrinkled,” del Toro continued with a chuckle. In regards to filmmaking, del Toro advised the audience to “never break your roots.” Del Toro advised filmmakers to not let fear overrun them because there was a good chance your film would fail whether you followed your instinct, or bowed to pressure and did it the way the others wanted you to do it.
What’s next for Guillermo del Toro? By now most of you have heard that he is set to helm “The Haunted Mansion” for Disney. Del Toro talked about how he has been obsessed with the Disney ride since he was a child. In explaining his decision, del Toro noted that although for many the Haunted Mansion was just a ride, for others, like him, it was “a way of life.” With so much passion for a project, del Toro certainly seemed to be taking his own advice and following his instinct.
Del Toro also discussed his long term interest in creating a TV horror anthology like “Night Gallery,” doing a new version of “Frankenstein,” and discussed the strong possibility of doing a stop motion version of “Pinocchio” with music by Nick Cave. Up next for director Troy Nixey is the movie “Simple Machines.”
Citing his continued fascination with Fairytales, del Toro noted that this film was more about the abduction aspect of the Changeling fairytale. Del Toro explained that he did not want to reinvent the story, and he did not want to change what worked in the original. For example, when he talked about what to do about the ending he joked that the original version’s ending “hits like a motherfucker.” When writing the project, del Toro was very specific that he “wanted the creative freedom not to change the end.” So for the handful of fans out there that have seen the original, it looks like you know what to expect in the end.
Del Toro unveiled both a trailer and a clip at the panel. The trailer was nicely cut together and moved rapidly. It begins with a black screen and a creepy, whispery voice telling you not to be afraid. (Of course in a pitch black airplane hangar full of people that is easier said than done.) The end of the trailer produced gasps from the relatively hardened crowd, so that should give you a measure of how effective the fear of the preview was.
The clip that del Toro showed was of the first scene that he wrote for the movie, which involves the reasoning why the ash bin in the basement had been sealed years ago. I won’t give too much detail of the scene to spoil the sequence but suffice it to say, you stop breathing about 30 seconds in to the 3 minute clip. I heard actual retching coming from a few rows back, and I have to say, I don’t blame the person. This film is clearly not for sensitive people, yet, it subscribes to the imply, don’t show school of filmmaking. Like “Psycho,” much of the gore seems to be more in your mind than on the screen. Though del Toro talked about how he prefers this approach, much credit should be given to Nixey for how he executed this vision. The clip was really lovely to look at and incredibly intense.
Another mark of the possible effectiveness of the terror in this movie is the story that del Toro told about submitting the film to the MPAA. According to him, the film was shot with no sex and no profanity (except for what was on set of course) in the hopes of scoring a PG-13 rating. What the filmmakers got back was an R for “pervasive scariness.” Del Toro asked the MPAA what could be done to lose the R rating and the MPAA replied, “Why ruin a perfectly scary movie?”
After discussing the movie, del Toro offered a few wonderful tidbits of philosophy. In regards to the horror genre, del Toro noted that he did not enjoy comedy in a horror movie. “It should be serious as an attack of fucking Gonorrhea,” del Toro noted. “Horror needs to have balls. And sweaty. And wrinkled,” del Toro continued with a chuckle. In regards to filmmaking, del Toro advised the audience to “never break your roots.” Del Toro advised filmmakers to not let fear overrun them because there was a good chance your film would fail whether you followed your instinct, or bowed to pressure and did it the way the others wanted you to do it.
What’s next for Guillermo del Toro? By now most of you have heard that he is set to helm “The Haunted Mansion” for Disney. Del Toro talked about how he has been obsessed with the Disney ride since he was a child. In explaining his decision, del Toro noted that although for many the Haunted Mansion was just a ride, for others, like him, it was “a way of life.” With so much passion for a project, del Toro certainly seemed to be taking his own advice and following his instinct.
Del Toro also discussed his long term interest in creating a TV horror anthology like “Night Gallery,” doing a new version of “Frankenstein,” and discussed the strong possibility of doing a stop motion version of “Pinocchio” with music by Nick Cave. Up next for director Troy Nixey is the movie “Simple Machines.”
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