BlairWitch.de: What problems is one facing when doing a sequel 40 years after the original movie? 
Tim Sullivan: For me, the main goal was taking the vibe of the original material, and keeping it intact in a modern storyline. I knew that a remake of TWO THOUSNAD MANIACS! had to be as tongue in cheek as the original, but had to be updated and even more shocking and over-the-top. Todays audiences have seen it all, and we horror filmmakers are constantly having to raise the bar.
BlairWitch.de: In what way were you influenced by the works of Herschell Gordon Lewis?
Tim Sullivan: As you know, HG Lewis is the Godfather of Gore, and he set the standards for splatter films. But he also invented what I call Splatstick; where murder is the punchline. You know, instead of a custard pie in the face, its a severed head. Lewis made mayhem fun, and it is that subversive glee that has influenced me the most.
BlairWitch.de: What is your opinion on other "late" sequels, for example "Blood Feast 2"?
Tim Sullivan: You have to go case by case. Back in the day, I thought PSYCHO II was awesome, and that was 22 years after the first one. DAWN OF THE DEAD was, at the time, another late sequel as it was ten years after the first film. I have not seen BLOOD FEAST 2, so I cant comment on it, but in general, I think its cool to revisit old haunting grounds as long as the motives are artistic and the filmmakers passionate about the reason for doing it, and not just making a quick buck. In the case of PSYCHO II and DAWN OF THE DEAD, you had Anthony Perkins and George Romero involved, so there was an integrity there that made both films great.
BlairWitch.de: Movies like The Grudge or The Ring did well in box office. If you could chose to remake an asian movie, which one would it be?
Tim Sullivan: Hmmmmmmm That would have to be AUDITION. But what could I possibly do to improve upon it?
BlairWitch.de: Could 2001 Maniacs have been produced without the recent boom of the horror genre?
Tim Sullivan: It certainly helped. In fact, the project came about because at the time, in 2000, when my writing partner Chris Kobin first approached me about the idea, Robert Zemeckis was knee deep in remaking the films of William Castle with titles such as HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS. So the idea of remaking Lewis on an independent level seemed a natural thing to do in a climate were remakes were in vogue. And yes, it did help secure the financing.
BlairWitch.de: Whom is 2001 Maniacs dedicated to? Is it a movie for newcomers to the genre or did you rather intend to address the fans?
Tim Sullivan: 2001 MANIACS is dedicated to myself and to all the generations of monster kids out there like me who grew up reading FAMOUS MONSTERS and FANGORIA and now log on to BlairWitch.de. Its a valentine, my way of showing my love and appreciation for all those grindhouse and drive-in movies that I loved watching as a teenager. Its a subgenre of the horror film that I think started to get lost in the cynical wave of self-aware horror movies from the 90s such as SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, movies that I refer to as cock tease horror flicks because they entice you with blood and boobs and then give you none of it! And so, for those who grew up watching those films and missed them, and for the newer generation that never experienced the fun, it
was for them that I made 2001 MANIACS.
BlairWitch.de: What about the cast? Was Robert Englund your first choice when it came to the leading role?
Tim Sullivan: There was never any other choice for the role of Mayor Buckman besides Robert Englund. Having produced DETROIT ROCK CITY for New Line Cinema, I would run in to Robert at New Line parties, and we hit it off with our mutual love of horror films. We became friends, and so, before I even started writing 2001 MANAICS, I asked Robert if he would be the Mayor of the Maniacs. Once he knew that I intended the film to be a broad, bloody, over-the-top vaudeville, he said YES. And so Chris Kobin and I wrote the script with Robert in mind. While doing so, I would act out the part for Chris and say Buckmans lines as if I were Robert. We wouldnt move on till we felt it sounded like something he would say. It turned out to be the perfect choice, for Robert was brilliant, and I can't imagine anyone other than him playing the role.
BlairWitch.de: Did you show "2001 Maniacs" to H.G. Lewis? If yes, what did he think about it?
Tim Sullivan: I sent the film to Herschell and he thanked me for doing so. But I dont know if he has seen it or not. I havent heard back from him! I did show it to Dave Friedman, who produced the original with Herschell, and he absolutely loved it. Said we made a modern film but kept the joke intact- which was exactly my goal and the highest praise anyone involved with the first could have given me.
BlairWitch.de: Let's talk about your other projects: how come you working together with Snoop Dog and Stacy Title?
Tim Sullivan: After MANIACS, I was approached by Jonathan McHugh, who is the musical supervisor on all my films. McHugh is a record executive at Sony BMG and was developing film projects for their musical acts. As Snoop Dogg is such a big horror fan, McHugh wanted to develop a horror project for him and came to me with the concept. I immediately thought it would be cool to do a modern, urban take on the old EC comics from the 50s. They made a film I really liked called TALES FROM THE HOOD, so I thought why not do one called HOOD OF HORROR (as the original EC comic title was VAULT OF HORROR) and have Snoop serve as the narrator, the Crypt Keeper. I brought in Jake Hair, my storyboard artist on MANIACS, and along with McHugh we came up with three short stories that combined elements of humor, horror and social commentary basically the same formula used on MANAICS. It turned out great and I am really excited about doing more and more of them. Theres so many stories left to tell in the hood of horror!
BlairWitch.de: "Hood Of Horror" was your first script containing intentional comical elements - did you face problems when switching from horror to comedy?
Tim Sullivan: Ummm... You sure you saw 2001 MANIACS, bro?! Like Ive said, that film is pure splatstick! Its maybe even more of a comedy than a horror film. I always say if Monty Python made a horror film, it would look something like 2001 MANIACS. So going from that to HOOD OF HORROR was smooth sailing as I was playing in the same sandbox, so to speak.
Tim Sullivan: For me, the main goal was taking the vibe of the original material, and keeping it intact in a modern storyline. I knew that a remake of TWO THOUSNAD MANIACS! had to be as tongue in cheek as the original, but had to be updated and even more shocking and over-the-top. Todays audiences have seen it all, and we horror filmmakers are constantly having to raise the bar.
BlairWitch.de: In what way were you influenced by the works of Herschell Gordon Lewis?
Tim Sullivan: As you know, HG Lewis is the Godfather of Gore, and he set the standards for splatter films. But he also invented what I call Splatstick; where murder is the punchline. You know, instead of a custard pie in the face, its a severed head. Lewis made mayhem fun, and it is that subversive glee that has influenced me the most.
BlairWitch.de: What is your opinion on other "late" sequels, for example "Blood Feast 2"?
Tim Sullivan: You have to go case by case. Back in the day, I thought PSYCHO II was awesome, and that was 22 years after the first one. DAWN OF THE DEAD was, at the time, another late sequel as it was ten years after the first film. I have not seen BLOOD FEAST 2, so I cant comment on it, but in general, I think its cool to revisit old haunting grounds as long as the motives are artistic and the filmmakers passionate about the reason for doing it, and not just making a quick buck. In the case of PSYCHO II and DAWN OF THE DEAD, you had Anthony Perkins and George Romero involved, so there was an integrity there that made both films great.
BlairWitch.de: Movies like The Grudge or The Ring did well in box office. If you could chose to remake an asian movie, which one would it be?
Tim Sullivan: Hmmmmmmm That would have to be AUDITION. But what could I possibly do to improve upon it?
BlairWitch.de: Could 2001 Maniacs have been produced without the recent boom of the horror genre?
Tim Sullivan: It certainly helped. In fact, the project came about because at the time, in 2000, when my writing partner Chris Kobin first approached me about the idea, Robert Zemeckis was knee deep in remaking the films of William Castle with titles such as HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS. So the idea of remaking Lewis on an independent level seemed a natural thing to do in a climate were remakes were in vogue. And yes, it did help secure the financing. BlairWitch.de: Whom is 2001 Maniacs dedicated to? Is it a movie for newcomers to the genre or did you rather intend to address the fans?
Tim Sullivan: 2001 MANIACS is dedicated to myself and to all the generations of monster kids out there like me who grew up reading FAMOUS MONSTERS and FANGORIA and now log on to BlairWitch.de. Its a valentine, my way of showing my love and appreciation for all those grindhouse and drive-in movies that I loved watching as a teenager. Its a subgenre of the horror film that I think started to get lost in the cynical wave of self-aware horror movies from the 90s such as SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, movies that I refer to as cock tease horror flicks because they entice you with blood and boobs and then give you none of it! And so, for those who grew up watching those films and missed them, and for the newer generation that never experienced the fun, it
was for them that I made 2001 MANIACS.
BlairWitch.de: What about the cast? Was Robert Englund your first choice when it came to the leading role?
Tim Sullivan: There was never any other choice for the role of Mayor Buckman besides Robert Englund. Having produced DETROIT ROCK CITY for New Line Cinema, I would run in to Robert at New Line parties, and we hit it off with our mutual love of horror films. We became friends, and so, before I even started writing 2001 MANAICS, I asked Robert if he would be the Mayor of the Maniacs. Once he knew that I intended the film to be a broad, bloody, over-the-top vaudeville, he said YES. And so Chris Kobin and I wrote the script with Robert in mind. While doing so, I would act out the part for Chris and say Buckmans lines as if I were Robert. We wouldnt move on till we felt it sounded like something he would say. It turned out to be the perfect choice, for Robert was brilliant, and I can't imagine anyone other than him playing the role.
BlairWitch.de: Did you show "2001 Maniacs" to H.G. Lewis? If yes, what did he think about it?
Tim Sullivan: I sent the film to Herschell and he thanked me for doing so. But I dont know if he has seen it or not. I havent heard back from him! I did show it to Dave Friedman, who produced the original with Herschell, and he absolutely loved it. Said we made a modern film but kept the joke intact- which was exactly my goal and the highest praise anyone involved with the first could have given me.
BlairWitch.de: Let's talk about your other projects: how come you working together with Snoop Dog and Stacy Title?
Tim Sullivan: After MANIACS, I was approached by Jonathan McHugh, who is the musical supervisor on all my films. McHugh is a record executive at Sony BMG and was developing film projects for their musical acts. As Snoop Dogg is such a big horror fan, McHugh wanted to develop a horror project for him and came to me with the concept. I immediately thought it would be cool to do a modern, urban take on the old EC comics from the 50s. They made a film I really liked called TALES FROM THE HOOD, so I thought why not do one called HOOD OF HORROR (as the original EC comic title was VAULT OF HORROR) and have Snoop serve as the narrator, the Crypt Keeper. I brought in Jake Hair, my storyboard artist on MANIACS, and along with McHugh we came up with three short stories that combined elements of humor, horror and social commentary basically the same formula used on MANAICS. It turned out great and I am really excited about doing more and more of them. Theres so many stories left to tell in the hood of horror! BlairWitch.de: "Hood Of Horror" was your first script containing intentional comical elements - did you face problems when switching from horror to comedy?
Tim Sullivan: Ummm... You sure you saw 2001 MANIACS, bro?! Like Ive said, that film is pure splatstick! Its maybe even more of a comedy than a horror film. I always say if Monty Python made a horror film, it would look something like 2001 MANIACS. So going from that to HOOD OF HORROR was smooth sailing as I was playing in the same sandbox, so to speak.
BlairWitch.de: Tell us about "Driftwood" - what can we expect?
Tim Sullivan: Now THAT film was a change in style. A total 180 flip in vibe and tone. After HOOD, I wanted to flex my muscles a bit, try something different. I wanted to something that was more character driven, relied more on atmosphere than blood and guts. Ever since the Columbine incident in America where two teenagers attacked and killed their classmates, there has been a disturbing trend in which places called Attitude Adjustment camps are springing up all over the place. These camps are privately owned and operated with no government interference, and they are a place where parents can send their kids if they feel they need severe discipline.Certainly, some kids need such discipline, but sadly, the majority if kids who end up at such places are kids who simply are misunderstood by their parents. Maybe they listen to HIM or Rammstein when their parents want them to listen to Barry Manilow, or they read FANGORIA and log onto to Blairwitch.de, or perhaps they prefer the boy next door to the girl next door Whatever it is, if a parent so wishes, they can send their child to such a place, and if he is under the age of 18, he shit out of luck and condemned to live in these camps where mental and physical brutality is the norm. In many cases, there have even been deaths! So, as someone who HATES anybody trying to make me into something I am not, I decided to tell the story of these camps, to tell the story of a boy (played by Ricky Ullman of Disneys PHIL OF THE FUTURE) who is sent to a camp run by an evil warden (played by champion wrestler and DEVILS REJECTS star Diamond Dallas Page) who may or may not be responsible for the disappearance of another teen whose ghostly spirit haunts the halls of Driftwood. Its definitely a different type of horror than MANIACS and HOOD, and I hope viewers are willing to take that ride with me.
Nicht vergessen, Tim's MySpace Accounts zu besuchen:
2001 Maniacs Bilder
