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The Interview:
The storyline for HEADSPACE is a very
original one. How did you come across the script?
You know, it was interesting. The
summer that I received the screenplay, I had just graduated from
college. I had recently gotten out of Emerson in 2002, when I
called Bill Miller, my producing partner and cinematographer. I
said “Bill, I’m looking for something edgy and different.” Bill
sent me the screenplay that he got from a kid in West Virginia
named Troy McCombs. It was called EXCESS KNOWLEDGE at the time.
He’d said it’s like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET meets SCANNERS. So
I read the script and thought it was cool. I liked the idea and
it hadn’t been done before, but it was set in the suburbs. I
knew we couldn’t do it there; every fucking movie like this
happens in the ‘burbs.
I remember reading it, thinking like a
director and asking myself: “What is the one thing that I can
bring to this project that would make it stand out?” and it
occurred to me that we could take the same story and re-locate
it in my native hometown, New York City, which is what we did.
So we spent two years re-writing the script and twenty drafts
later, started raising the money. We only had enough funds to
shoot the first ten days, and I was thinking that we had to get
these famous people in and out of there. They were committed to
do the film, so if I could show the investors that I had these
people and they weren’t just a figment of my imagination, maybe
I could get the rest of the money to finish the movie, which is
exactly what happened. So we went on to basically raise the
money for the remaining forty-two days of the shoot. It was nine
months after all was said and done to raise the money, five
months to shoot the film and we had to stop production three
times to finish raising money.
I read that some major changes were
made to the source material. Is this true, and if so, what kind
of changes were they?
Bringing in the older brother character
was a big one. This was my idea. I wanted to develop a lot of
the back-story and really create something that was original,
yet true to the source material. Obviously, it was Troy McCombs’
story, his idea. You don’t want to go out and make something
that is based on someone else’s idea and have it changed so
much, that at the end of the day you have no fucking clue what
it is. It’s the same situation with THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. If you
have a screenplay that doesn’t represent the novel correctly,
then it’s not going to have the same impact or be as successful
as the book. In my opinion, the only way to make a movie that is
adapted from a novel, short story, non-fiction story or whatever
is by maintaining the integrity and keeping as close to the
source material it derives from.
 You
have some major old school horror icons in Headspace. How did
these casting choices come about?
You know, it’s funny. They all kind all
of happened in an accidental way to be honest with you.
Originally, the idea of Udo Kier being in the film wasn’t even
something we thought of before we started casting. And then by
chance, I was in L.A. at a screening for one of our short films,
and this quirky-looking dude who I later found out is Udo’s
lawyer started pitching me his legal services. I said “I don’t
need a lawyer but I appreciate your time.” I took his business
card, called him a couple of weeks later and asked him who he
represented. Then he mentions Udo. So I immediately got on the
phone with Bill and I said “Bill, I think we have an interesting
opportunity here if we play out cards right. I think we can get
Udo Kier in HEADSPACE.” He replies with “What? There is no way
you’re getting Udo Kier in our movie. How is that possible?” I
said, “Well, I think I’m going to go hang with Udo at his house
here in L.A.”, and I did. We sat in his living room, drank wine
and chatted about the project. So Udo came back to New York and
then through his manager, I met Olivia Hussey.
Olivia is wonderful. She’s like the
consummate professional. She’s like “Whatever you need, whatever
you want, tell me and I’ll do it.” She also comes very prepared;
she shows up on time and always knows her lines. What a
wonderful woman to work with - bright soul, positive spirit.
Then I called Dee Wallace directly.
After setting that up, her agent then suggested Sean Young, who
was immediately interested but specifically in the role of Dr.
Karen Murphy, which had already gone to Olivia. We then decided
on the role of Alex Borden’s mother, which worked out well
because Sean has a son, Quinn, who wants to get into acting, so
he played young Alex Borden. Oddly enough, the other sibling in
the opening birthday sequence is Daniel Manche, star of THE GIRL
NEXT DOOR. And last but not least, I met William Atherton,
through one of the writers, Steve Klausner.
 That’s
interesting. I immediately thought you had gone out looking for
everyone. Like a quest for the ultimate horror icons.
Nope, not at all, it just happened all
on its own. I take no credit to the cast falling into place as
it did. It’s the big old universe thing happening there. I’m
just the guy who says “Fucking cool. That makes sense, let’s do
it.” Then it’s my job to go out there and bring in the
performances and make sure that everyone is on the same page and
within the same zone. There were definitely a lot of different
personalities to deal with. But I loved it.
Many scenes in your film revolve
around the great game of chess. Were any of the actors ever
injured while filming these sequences?
That’s an interesting question. To be
honest with you there was a little cut that Chris got when he
gets slammed into the chess table, but that’s about it.
So no one got injured moving the
pieces around the board?
No. Otherwise everyone was OK. They did
try to lodge a few pawns into my eyeballs if I asked for
multiple takes, but what can you expect? Actors are fucking
crazy!
 I
was very impressed with cast member Christopher Denham (Alex
Borden). How did you find this guy?
Yeah, he was awesome. We were very
fortunate to have the opportunity to have him walk into the
audition, relatively unknown at the time when he came in. He was
Alex Borden. There’s no question about it. He had the
psychological understanding of the piece and also the demeanor
to capture the essence of what Alex is and in a way that is
really gentle and non-invasive. It’s not like, “Hey I’m all
fucked up look at me, and I’m in your face, kind of screwed up.”
Which works when it’s a Jeffrey Combs-type; the mad scientist.
But Alex is like your normal guy - a normal guy basically
getting in a situation where he has to cope with issues
psychologically and face his own personal demons, and on the
same note realize the scope of the powers that he has.
Interesting actor, that Chris Denham.
He came in pretty much having very little film experience,
mostly stage (work), and now he’s booking scenes opposite Tom
Hanks in Mike Nichols’ CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR. So he’s becoming a
movie star. He also starred in the off-Broadway hit RED LIGHT
WINTER, where he’s literally on stage for two and a half hours,
pretty much the whole show. I’m almost forgetting to mention his
recent two-week guest starring role as Padraic in the Broadway
show “The Lieutenant of Inishmore.” He’s blowing up!
Do you plan on working with Chris
again?
Hell, yeah! Actually, we’re producing
his directorial debut. It’s called HOME MOVIE and is based on a
screenplay he wrote. We’ll be shooting it this fall.
 Man
I can’t wait for that! I really enjoyed his performance.
Yeah, it’s going to be very cool.
We know Alex is a really smart guy,
but do you think he could take on a Scanner? I want your honest
answer on this one Andrew, no bullshit.
I think he could. I think the
difference is that Alex is much younger. He’s also a smart
motherfucker.
I thought the creatures in HEADSPACE
we’re pretty fucking cool. Can you talk about coming up with
their look and feel?
Yes! Thank you for mentioning this. I
honestly have to give all the credit to Jamie Kelman. He’s the
man. He did Mike Myers in CAT IN THE HAT, DAREDEVIL, THE RING
and a shit load of other films. He’s by far one of the most
edgy, up and coming talented make-up artists out of L.A. He does
huge Hollywood movies and I think the fact that he came to New
York, flying in from L.A. to work on this picture speaks to the
quality of the project and the screenplay.
So yeah, his idea was to really find a
creature that had not been done before, yet keeping true to the
look and style of older monster movie creations, and I think
that’s a brave decision to make. I knew I could make it work as
a director because we’re walking that fine line between what’s
real and what’s not. It’s not like the creatures are on screen
the whole time. We chose to show elements, pieces and quick
flashes of them throughout the film and then boom, we finally
get to see the creature. He really did a great job with it.
 Do
you have any idea what exactly they are? Do they have a name?
Hmmm... A kid after seeing the film
called them ‘Aqua Hogs’. I dig that name because they are
somewhere between a sea horse and a kangaroo. Yeah, that’s what
Jamie said they were modeled after…You know they really are…
it’s like an Aqua Hog. And I don’t know, I think those creatures
are fun. It would be fun to see what else those creatures can
do. I think there’s a lot of unexplored territory in HEADSPACE.
Given our budgetary constraints and how the movie fell into
place we were very, very fortunate, but if there’s a fan base
for this film and it’s successful then you’ll probably see a
sequel in the next couple of years.
(Andrew can clearly see that I am
giddy with the mention of a sequel and cracks up.)
What aspect of HEADSPACE are you
most looking forward to the horror fans experiencing?
I think it would have to be the fact
that we have one of the sexiest sex scenes in a horror movie.
Dirty Alex peeping though the
window?
Yeah, dirty Alex outside of the window
peeping in. It’s a real New York-based exploitation tale; a nice
little horror yarn in and of itself. Two people having sex on a
bed and then a claw rips through the mattress. I mean - what the
fuck? Some people get turned on by that and maybe I’m one of
them. I don’t know.
 Your
film reminded me of a Cronenberg flick (SCANNERS). Are you a fan
of his? I think I commented on the similarities in my review.
Yeah, and I love that organic element
of filmmaking when you can capture something and have it be very
real, coming from a real place and things happening in real
environments that are supernatural, surreal and out there. In
the finale of the film when Karen Murphy’s character reaches
down and grabs Alex’s crotch it begs the audience to question
once again if this is all his fantasy, if he’s insane or is the
mythology true; more importantly - are the creatures real?
Do you believe they are?
I’d like to think so. I believe
everything explored in the film is feasibly possible. That
people can tap into other worlds and dimensions, that people
have a lot more potential then they’re actually utilizing within
their own minds.
Can you talk about the look for
HEADSPACE?
Sure. One of the things that we tried
with HEADSPACE was to combine that independent production vibe
with a glossy, studio-picture look. You get the grittiness from
the New York locations and the performances, but then you get
that Hollywood gloss because of the cinematography and make-up
effects. So there’s a weird mix between the two. Bill Miller
really gets the credit for the gorgeous visual quality; however,
combined with Jeff Subik and Krista Gall’s production design and
Michael Bevin’s wardrobe work…well, let’s just say it’s a tight
crew who all know how to make a small budget work in a very
large way. People I want to work with for another sixty years!
I think that’s what I responded to
so much. You have a well-written script, serious performances,
great cinematography and the film looks like it costs five
million bucks. But the kicker is – it has old school monsters,
done practically straight-up. Usually film-makers pussy out and
make it a horror comedy when they’re dealing with monsters.
That’s what I was going for. I thought
it was important not to show them every five fucking seconds, at
least not in the first movie. The introduction of these
creatures needed to be done in a way that is delicate and
slow-developing. Because I think to understand the creatures
better, you need to know Alex Borden better. And Alex’s
character takes time to get to know, and I think that’s what the
film is really about. Learning about Alex, understanding what he
goes through day-to-day, and also having that sense of place
that you can only get from being in New York City, while
watching the film.
 So
what are you directing next?
We have a few projects in development
that I’m slated to direct. One is called THE BURIED, which is a
fraternity hazing flick penned by Mr. Miller.
Are there any naked sorority chicks
in it?
Of course there are some crazy chicks
getting naked, but I think you’d probably enjoy another flick in
development of ours called SORORITY VAMPIRES. This is ALL about
nude sorority girls!
(Andrew sees my face light up like a
ten-year-old kid on Christmas morning and cracks up.)
Can I ask just one more question
before you take off?
Sure thing, man…
Do the Aqua Hog’s in HEADSPACE have
genitals?
(At this point, I’m not sure if
Andrew is thinking about the answer or wondering how I got past
security.)
 No seriously, do they?
Well, duh! Of course they do.
Sweet!
I thought I saw a ball in one of the frames. So do you have any
final comments or thoughts?
Yeah, I want the horror fans to know
how much I appreciate their interest and time tuning in to our
low-budget indie films. Without all the horror fan websites,
HEADSPACE and THE GIRL NEXT DOOR wouldn’t be getting made with
the same energy and enthusiasm. It’s good feeling that you have
support from the fans stepping into the films from the get-go. I
can’t wait to fuck some more shit up in the creature world and
create some more gory, sexually provocative films in the coming
year…’Stay tuned’ is all I can say to wrap this up with…stay
tuned and thank you for reading!
I hope to see everyone on the 29th of September. I will be at
the Fango Convention on the 29th of September doing two panels:
one on THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and one on HEADSPACE, which being my
first feature, I’ll be bleeding to sign some DVDS for anyone and
everyone who stops by to say hi!
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