Check out who we've been
talking to...
Michael
McCarty and Mark McLaughlin
Bruce A. Evans
Gina Philips
Interview
with Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin
By Cristopher DeRose
Q: Tell us how MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL came
to be.
Mike: I started writing MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL
almost days after I finished my first book, LIQUID
DIET, a vampire satire, unpublished at this time.
Mark had helped me edit LIQUID DIET and when I started
on MONSTER, he gave me some great feedback and lots
of ideas.
Fast forward to about a year and a half later. Wildside
Press gives me the green light to do my books GIANTS
OF THE GENRE, MORE GIANTS OF THE GENRE and DARK DUETS.
I knew there was no way I could do all those books
plus MONSTER. At that point, I ask Mark if he'd like
to co-write the book with me.
Mark did an incredible job, especially considering
that the project was already started – fortunately,
he was very familiar with the book. I think it was
the best decision I made in my writing career because
MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL wouldn't be the book it is
today if Mark hadn't co-written it with me.
Mark: Mike started MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL, and
at that time, I was helping to edit his novel, LIQUID
DIET. Soon I started looking at his early chapters
of MONSTER. I had ideas on how to develop it, and
since we were also collaborating on a lot of stories
and articles, I became his collaborator on the novel.
Working with Mike is always a marvelous experience.
We're like two big goofy kids when we're working together,
shouting out things we want our characters to do next!
Q: As a collaborative effort, what were the
challenges involved?
Mike: Time was the biggest challenge. Both Mark and
I had writing careers before writing MONSTER and we
had to do our own solo works – short stories,
poems, nonfiction articles, etc. We were able to do
our solo stuff and still work on the novel as well.
It was a great team effort.
The writing of the book went very smoothly. I was
writing the book from the beginning to the middle
and Mark was working on the end. We met in the middle.
Then we switched. He worked on the beginning and I
worked on the end. Stylistically, the book seems like
it had been written by one person. Sometimes I am
not even sure what parts I wrote and what parts Mark
wrote, because it flows so well together.
Mark: There would be times when one or the other
of us was really busy, and that would bring about
some delays. But on the other hand, we were always
there for each other, to cheer each other on, and
to bug each other to get the lead out! We got the
job done because we weren't going to disappoint each
other.
Q: There's a good deal of detail to the passion
of muscle cars. Are either of you into classic cars?
Mike: My dad was a mechanic. I've been around cars
my entire life. I love muscle cars. The reason I chose
a 1970 Barracuda as Monster was that car was completely
restyled and re-engineered. It was considered then,
and remains to this day, one of the finest muscle
car designs from Chrysler Motor Company. The high-performance
'Cuda model came standard with a monster-sized 426
Hemi engine. It was, and still is, a real monster
on the road.
I went to a car show in Davenport, Iowa, and saw
a black 1970 Barracuda. I had the owner start the
engine for me and when he stepped on the gas pedal,
it sounded like a monster roaring. That's how I came
up with naming the car Monster.
I've only owned one muscle car, a Dodge Duster from
the '70s. It was sweet on the street, and I miss that
set of wheels.
Mark: Mike is definitely the muscle-car fan. Over
the years, I've driven a dinky red Chevette, lots
of beat-up old gas-guzzlers, and an ancient midnight-blue
Cadillac. I just drive whatever catches my eye that
has wheels. I don't drive muscle cars – I drive
flab cars. These days, I hate driving at all because
gas costs so much. So I've been riding my ten-speed
bike more and more, whenever I get a chance, since
it saves money and also helps keep me fit.
Q: Humor and surrealism – both strong
points in MONSTER – can both be liabilities
in horror storytelling. How did you blend those things
so well?
Mark: Mike and I are both wild, energetic guys. That's
probably why we get along so well, and have written
so much together. We see the humor in everything,
and we can also see craziness and horror and just-plain-weirdness
in the world around us, too. The world IS a weird,
funny, surreal place. Some people say, they'd love
to go to another planet to see how creatures on other
worlds live. Mike and I would be more likely to say:
You want to see strangeness? Alien behavior? Go to
different parts of your own city. You don't even have
to go that far! Just look at your neighbors!
Mike: I was a former stand-up comedian so comedy
comes natural for me. Plus, I've always been a bit
esoteric and that seeps into my writing.
For the surrealism, I am a big fan of such artists
as Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Max Ernst.
Mark's surreal short stories and poetry have been
a big influence on me, too.
Mark: Mike is a natural-born comic – if I've
had a bad day, he'll make some funny observation and
cheer me up immediately.
Q: Do you have a favorite work the other
has written?
Mike: That is really hard to answer because Mark
has written five poetry collections, five short-story
collections and five chapbooks. I'm going to cheat
and name one from each category:
From his poetry collections: YOUR HANDY OFFICE GUIDE
TO CORPORATE MONSTERS from Richard Geyer, Publisher.
This is sort of like mixing "The Addams Family"
with a "Dilbert" comic strip.
From his chapbooks: PICKMAN'S MOTEL from Delirium
Books contains three short stories, all set in Arkham,
that go all the way from the present back to the Stone
Age. I just love this collection to death.
From his short-story collections: SLIME AFTER SLIME
from Delirium Books, a top-notch collection of gross-out
stories, now available in paperback.
Mark: I would have to say it's Mike's novel, LIQUID
DIET, which hasn't been published yet, but I'm sure
it'll find a home soon. It's zany, it's sexy, it lampoons
every vampire cliché in literature. I think
any vampire who reads it will really enjoy it. I certainly
did! (Oops! I've said too much!)
Q: Will we see another book by the two of
you?
Mark: Yes, quite soon! This year, in fact. Rainfall
Books of the U.K. is releasing ALL THINGS DARK &
HIDEOUS, a collection of collaborative stories by
Mike and myself. Mike and I have lots of other projects
cooking, too: a futuristic sci-fi novel, more horror
novels, a book of poetry, a nonfiction movie book
– we've always got plenty of projects in the
works.
Mike: ALL THINGS DARK & HIDEOUS is coming soon
and we're also working on another short-story collection.
We've started an end-of-the-world novel and that is
progressing very well. We have a lot of books in the
works. People will see the names Michael McCarty and
Mark McLaughlin on the spines of many books in the
future.
Q: Are either of you working on any solo
projects?
Mike: Next year, McFarland and Company will release
my new book of interviews, MODERN MYTHMAKERS, and
also next year, Skullvine Press will be publishing
my book THE MONSTER HUNTER. Lots of other projects
are also in various stages of development.
Mark: We both keep busy – we make the Energizer
Bunny look like a lazy slacker. I'm working on loads
of stuff: another book of poetry, another story collection,
and a couple novels. One is an episodic, comedic novel,
where every chapter is its own story but they all
work together to tell a larger tale. The other is
a more conventional horror/dark fantasy novel.
Q: Are you collaborating with other writers
on future projects?
Mark: I've collaborated with at least a dozen different
writers over the years, and will continue collaborating.
The process really helps a person to grow as a writer.
I've learned so much from my various collaborators.
It's the best writing school in the world!
Mike: I've collaborated with Connie Corcoran Wilson
on a sci-fi novel called OUT OF TIME, and collaborated
with ten different writers for my short-story collection
DARK DUETS. I plan to do a follow-up to DARK DUETS
in the near future.
Q: Besides yourself, who would you want to
be?
Mike: Count Dracula, because he gets to bite pretty
ladies in the neck. H.G. Wells because he wrote great
science fiction and if I had been him, I would have
earned a better grade in science class. And Paul McCartney,
because he can rock!
Mark: I have no desire to be anyone else. It took
a lot of years to become the person I am today –
it was a tough job, but somebody had to do it! Why
would I want to trade in all that time and effort
for another identity?
Q: One of Mike's questions, from the many
interviews he has conducted over the years: Any last
words?
Mark: Last words? From me? Not any time soon! I love
life, I love people – especially my readers!
– and I'm going to keep writing, communicating,
and sharing my strange dreams and visions as long
as I am capable of thought and movement.
Mike: I'd like to thank you, Cris, for interviewing
us, and Mark for being my collaborator, and "The
Zone" readers – and of course, "The
Zone" editor Tony Lee for letting me do interviews
and articles for him, for the past eight years. I'd
also like to thank Sarob Press and Rainfall Books
for publishing our works overseas.
Also, be sure to visit our websites:
www.myspace.com/monsterbook
www.geocities.com/mccartyzone
www.geocities.com/mcmonstrous
Thank you and God bless!
Intrerview
with Bruce A. Evans:
By
Brian Yount
1. When you wrote the script, you had Kevin
Costner in mind to play Mr. Brooks. It was a bit of
a process getting him to take the part. Tell us about
that.
It wasn't so much about getting him to take the part.
The process involved convincing him to let me direct
the film. Our first meeting, which was supposed to
last fifteen minutes, ended up lasting four and a
half hours. We talked about everything - films, dogs,
children, travel. It was a getting- to-know-you session,
at the end of which Kevin still wasn't sure he wanted
to do the film. About a week later Raynold Gideon
(my writing partner and one of the producers) called
Kevin and the three of us talked. It was just keeping
in touch. Then we had storyboards done of six scenes
to show Kevin how I intended to capture what Raynold
and I had written on the page. In the meantime, we
would call Kevin about once a week and the three of
us would talk for five to ten minutes, just to keep
the relationship alive. When the storyboards were
done we asked for another meeting. We had the storyboards
done in color and blown up and it was with no small
amount of trepidation that I pushed the twenty-five
pages of drawings toward Kevin. He quickly flipped
through three or four pages and pushed the sheaf aside.
I thought, that's it, he hates my vision. I blew it.
But we talked for another couple of hours. When we
left we asked if he would do the movie. He said he
was still thinking about it. We were convinced then
that we had blown it. A couple of days later we got
word that he would do the movie and he would support
me directing it. I have no idea what was said or done
that led him to that conclusion. He told Raynold later
that he liked our persistence. We just kept coming
back, asking him to do it.
2. Explain how the house in this
movie relates to the character of Mr. Brooks.
If you look carefully at the house, the facade
is a series of squares, which remind us of boxes,
stacked one on top of the other. Mr. Brooks
owns a box factory and he has divided his life
into boxes... in one box is his wife, in another
is his daughter, in another his work, and in
another his addiction... killing. The house
is a visual metaphor for all of this.
|
(l to r) Kevin Costner, Bruce
A. Evans, Wiliam Hurt
(Photos courtesy of MGM Home
Entertainment)
|
3. Some critics didn't like the fact the
Mr. Brooks' addiction was murder. Do you think it's
because they couldn't take the fact that the movie
is about a good man being addicted to something so
evil? Some of the critics said he couldn't hide a
second life. If they don't believe that's possible,
they should research Dennis Rader, the BTK Strangler.
I couldn't agree with you more about Dennis Rader.
Hiding a second life is not an unusual occupation
for the human animal. Addicts of all kinds hide their
addictions. And what about men and women having affairs
that sometimes go on for years without the other partner
in the relationship finding out about it. Other examples
of this would include Ted Haggard, Larry Craig and
David Vitter. These are only the most recent public
figures outed for having double lives. Some of the
critics didn't believe that killing could be an addiction
and that we didn't prove that it was an addiction
in the film. If someone repeatedly does something
they know is bad for them that they want to stop doing
but can't, that in my mind could be classified as
an addiction. It's interesting that in our movie Mr.
Brooks went to AA in an attempt to control his craving
for murder, and on T.V. this season, Dexter has enrolled
in a version of AA to cover up the fact that his addiction
is murder. Also in Russia, the Chessboard Killer (I
think that's correct), who has killed sixty plus people,
admitted that he is addicted to killing. Every writer
needs an angle on a story. Sometimes critics, as well
as the rest of us, take on an angle they haven't researched
thoroughly.
4. Mirrors, hallways, and doorways
play important roles in this film. Talk a little
bit about why you chose to do this.
All three are different ways to get into the
boxes that are both literal and metaphorical
in the film.
5. While shooting on location you had
a few problems. How'd you work around them?
We didn't have enough money to build that many
sets. Practical locations don't always have
the space you need for the shots you have planned.
The final scene in the movie where the camera
comes down on Kevin and Marg was not shot in
their bedroom but in the living room of the
house we were using because the ceiling in the
bedroom was too low for the crane. Part of the
fun of making a film is solving the problems
each day presents.
|
(l to r) Kevin Costner, Bruce
A. Evans, two gentleman I don’t know,
and William Hurt on the far right
(Photos courtesy of MGM Home
Entertainment)
|
6. William Hurt was amazing in this film.
Of course, before he accepted the part he asked what
his role would be. He was given a detailed description
about what you wanted from him. Can you tell Doorways
a few of the things that were in that description?
William was amazing in Mr. Brooks and is an amazingly
good actor. When he agreed to do the role he thought
that as Kevin's alter ego he would be in every scene
that Kevin would be in. When he was told that wasn't
the case, he asked us (Raynold and me) to give him
a list of the scenes he was in, why he entered that
scene, what his purpose was in the scene and why he
exited the scene. We gave him twenty-eight pages of
this. An example of what was discussed in those pages:
remember the scene in Mr. Brooks' office where Marshall
(William) appears and warns Mr. Brooks that his daughter
Jane (Danielle Panabaker) is hiding something? In
that case we said William's reason for appearing in
that scene is that Mr. Brooks had noticed something
about his daughter that indicated she was lying. Although
Mr. Brooks had decided to ignore it, his alter ego
who had a greater sense of survival felt compelled
to step forward and in a gentle way warn Mr. Brooks
that this lie could be important. Once that is accomplished,
Marshall's work is done and he no longer belongs in
the scene. He only reappears to look over Mr. Brooks'
shoulder at the pictures of the murder scene.
7. I loved the soundtrack. I really want
to know about the composer and how you found him.
Ramin Djawadi is a protégé of the great
composer Hans Zimmer. You can find Ramin's credits
on IMDb. We were sent many sample CDs of composers.
While driving to and from location we listened to
them all. Ramin's work stood out and luckily for us
he was available during the time frame we needed him.
8. Mr. Brooks has been compared to Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde. Do you agree with the comparison?
It's very interesting because when we were writing
the script and making the film we never thought of
it as Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Never. If anything
we thought of it as Jimmy Stewart and his rabbit in
Harvey. It wasn't until an early review came out which
mentioned Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde that we saw the
similarity and we agree with it in that Mr. Brooks,
like Dr. Jekyll, is a good man and he does have an
evil alter ego, Marshall, but to us the comparison
ends there. Mr. Brooks does not change into Marshall.
Mr. Brooks is always Mr. Brooks and Marshall is always
Marshall.
9. Kevin Costner's camera sense is amazing.
Did he make your job easier as a director?
Absolutely. Costner is a great actor. Period. And
great actors make a director's job easier.
10. Dane Cook was spot on. It's amazing,
because he's a comedian, yet his character was so
opposite from that. What was it like having him on
set?
Probably the opposite of what you would imagine.
He's not a wild and crazy guy. He wasn't "on."
He came prepared and would always throw in some wonderful
bit of business. He has what all great actors have.
They're not only real, they're performers and the
reality that they create is entertaining to watch.
I think he has a chance to be a great serious actor.
I would work with him again in a minute.
11. What are some of your favorite lines
and scenes from the movie?
Favorite scenes? That's like asking you to choose
your favorite child... I like them all. Lines? It's
been a long time since I've seen the film but here
goes: "You know what would make me happy, Jesse?
If you got hit by a truck and died." "Why
do you have a key to a cemetery? I own it." "Before
I was the Thumbprint Killer, I killed a lot of people
in a lot of different ways." "Would it bother
you to kill a woman? No, an asshole's an asshole."
"Hawkins, meet Alvin Griffin." And any laugh
that Marshall and Mr. Brooks shared.
12. Without giving anything away, I've got
to say that the shovel scene was pretty wicked. How'd
Costner react to that? I'm just curious because I've
never seen him in a scene quite like it.
He loved it. He was looking forward to it and I think
he enjoyed doing it more than any scene in the film.
13. The end scene had some Eric Fischl designs
in it. Talk about Fischl's work a little bit and how
it ended up in the movie.
Maybe the blood on the pillow is reminiscent of a
fabric pattern in a Fischl painting. The blood smeared
on the wall is more a Robert Motherwell. When we began
we showed the Production Designer, the Cinematographer
and the Costume Designer pictures of Fischl paintings.
We wanted the film to have the saturated colors that
Fischl used in those paintings - the reds are red,
the blacks, black, and the whites, white. And they,
being great collaborators, made it work.
14. What future projects do you have lined
up?
There are some things we're talking about, but who
knows what will click.
Interview
with Gina Philips: Click
here to listen while you read along!
By Stephen
M. Wilson
As an actress, Gina Philips has bounced back and
for between television and films including recurring
roles on Ally McBeal and Boston
Public but she is probably best recognized
for her roles in two popular low-budget horror films
2001's Jeepers Creepers and 2004's
Dead and Breakfast. Horror fans can
now add the new film The Sickhouse
to the list of Gina Philips' horror cannon. Gina agreed
to talk to Doorways Magazine about Sickhouse.
Stephen M. Wilson:
Hi Gina, how are you doing this afternoon?
Gina Philips:
Hi, I’m fantastic. How are you doing?
Stephen:
I’m good. Your new film The Sickhouse
comes out on March 18th. Describe the premise of the
movie a little bit.
Gina:
Well the premise of the movie is it centers around
my character Anna who is a young archaeologist who
is very driven–overly ambitions–her strong
point and her downfall. And she’s on the brink
of a really big discovery which will be a huge thing
for her career. She’s an American in London
and she thinks that she is on the verge of discovering
something from the 17th Century. Then she gets told
by her superiors at the museum that they are going
to shut down her dig site because they found plague
spoors and it’s contaminated. And so she knows
that this place is going to be demolished. So she
kind of breaks in, at night, and is going to work
all night because she really thinks she is right on
the edge of this big discovery. She ends up discovering
a 17th Century city ...
Stephen:
Wow.
Gina:
... beneath this hospital. At the same time we have
another story going on where there is a group of young
kids that’re doing drugs and out partying and
they get in a car accident right in front of this
hospital and they come in–they kind of seek
shelter for a moment--and our two worlds collide.
We stir up some things and we end up spending the
night kind of fighting for our lives.
Stephen:
Sounds like a horror movie.
Gina:
(laughter)
Stephen:
Is this your first shoot on location outside of the
US–you shot this in London, correct?
Gina:
I did shoot it in London. It’s not. I’ve
been really lucky and I have had the great fortune
of doing movies in really wonderful, exotic locations
like Buenos Aires and having a lot of fun doing it.
But I will tell you one of the big appeals to doing
this film was that it was shooting in London, I had
never worked there before and always wanted to. I
had such an amazing time working there and, like my
character, I was the one American and I loved it.
I loved being able to immerse myself in a different
culture–even though it’s not so different
to American culture, it still is. I had a blast.
Stephen:
The mood and the atmosphere of Sickhouse are pretty
dark and I was wondering–from previous interviews
you’ve given, you’re known for your hijinks–were
there any interesting hijinks on the set?
Gina:
Oh goodness, that’s a good question. I am actually
know for it–I get such a kick out of it–but
I can’t remember if I did anything on this set
... you know this is a really ... I have to say this
is a very different kind of shooting experience for
me. It was non stop work, put it that way. It wasn’t
as fancy as–you know we get very spoiled over
here in the United States. We have our wonderful service
and our fancy trailers and it’s a little more
of a relaxed atmosphere and over there we were shooting
in this old abandoned children’s hospital and
it was really creepy to begin with so it was kind
of a more serious mood on set and I can’t recall
anything I did–I’m sure I did things along
the way, I can’t control myself, but I can’t
come up with a good one for you off the top of my
head. I’m very sorry.
Stephen:
Sickhouse is kind of a–it’s surreal in
a way and it’s artsy. Do you think it’s
the European influence in the artistic quality it
has? Do you think that there is a difference between
American horror films and European horror films?
Gina:
I definitely think there is. And there is a little
more of a dark artsy mood to it. I actually think
a lot of it had to do with our director of photography,
Sam McCurdy, who I think is brilliant. He did another
movie that I had seen right before this, it was one
of the other reasons I signed on for this, it was
called The Decent and I just thought it was so beautifully
shot.
Stephen:
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Gina:
He has this way of capturing that mood. He just–I
think the man is visually brilliant. So I think a
lot of it had to do with Sam. I’d hate to say
“Europeans do it this way and we do it this
way.”
Stephen:
Right.
Gina:
But definitely, there’s a grittier feel to it.
Stephen:
Well you do have some experience. You’ve been
in some popular horror films.
Gina:
Yes.
Stephen:
I was wondering, before Jeepers Creepers, were you
getting as many horror scripts or did that kind of
happen because of the success of that film?
Gina:
It definitely happened because of the success of Jeepers
Creepers. Before that I was doing–I’d
been in Ally McBeal and doing a lot of more lighthearted
stuff. I always wanted to do a wonderful horror movie,
I just was picky about them because I grew up with
them and I wanted something that felt a little different
to me and
so when Jeepers came along I jumped onto that and
after that I started getting sent every horror movie
out there. So, thanks mostly to the most loyal, wonderful,
amazing fans, which are horror movie fans. Because
of that, once you do one and it does well, you just
keep getting offered more.
Stephen:
Well, that’s cool. So you are a fan of horror
then ... you were a fan before–
Gina:
I love it.
Stephen:
Cool. What kind of things scare you?
Gina:
I’m scared of the dark.
Stephen:
Scared of the dark?
Gina:
Exactly. It’s laughable; it’s ridiculous
but I really am. I’m scared–I’m
terrified when its pitch black. About a year ago I
went–I like adventures, I’ll just preface
it by saying this–I went on a Bigfoot expedition.
I went hunting, searching for Sasquatch up in upstate
Washington. What I didn’t know when we went
on this was that you’re eight mile up with more
or less no other people and you can’t have any
lights on and you’re out all night. They think
it will scare Sasquatch. So I went up there in the
pitch ... and it’s that black, black, black
night because there’s nothing but the stars.
And I have never been so terrified. There were mountain
lion warnings everywhere so every little noise was
just like ... I was really scared.
Stephen:
Well it makes sense, being scared of the dark ...
it’s become a cliche! for a reason.
Gina:
Yeah. And I was out in the woods in the middle of
nowhere in the dark.
Stephen:
Have you had any personal experiences with the supernatural?
What are your feelings on the supernatural in general?
Gina:
You know I haven’t had ... I don’t have
a personal ghost story. I definitely believe in the
supernatural. I think it’s all around us and
for anyone not to believe in it, to me, is almost
crazy. I know when I was searching for a home, I walked
in certain homes and they gave me good feelings and
other homes felt-- they had a dark feeling, something
didn’t feel good. They were bright and beautiful
and there was nothing aesthetically that you could
put your finger on, but some places–I think
everyone feels that, you walk in a building and something
feels creepy and other ones feel great and happy and,
to me, there’s obviously some energy in the
air that makes it feel that way so I one hundred percent,
just even on that basic level, believe in the supernatural.
Stephen:
So how was the set ... you filmed in a ... was it
a hospital that was closed or something like that?
Gina:
Yes, it was an old–it was a shutdown children’s
hospital and I have to say that that was really creepy.
Stephen:
Yeah? That place was creepy?
Gina:
It was really creepy. I didn’t like to be in
the hallways alone. It had that haunted feeling. You
know, you’re walking around, it’s an abandoned
children’s hospital, you know that there were
a lot of young children who were sick there and on
the walls are old nursery rhymes written there that
are half peeled-off. It was a horrid place.
Stephen:
Okay, I’m going to ask a final question, here.
Do you consider yourself a modern scream queen? Do
you like that term?
Gina:
Oh goodness. Could I really label myself a scream
queen.
Stephen:
You did a little screaming in this movie. You did.
Gina:
I will say this. I wouldn’t call myself a scream
queen. I will tell you that I love horror movies.
I love the genre. I love doing them and I hope to
do more of them.
Stephen:
Good. Good. So are you working on any projects right
now that are related to horror?
Gina:
I have something in the works right now that I’m
actually not allowed to speak of, but it is in the
genre and I think a lot of my horror fans will be
very, very happy
with it.
Stephen:
Great. Well thank you, Gina.
Gina:
Thank you.
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