Horror Central's very own L.A. Gore talks Dark Horse (2014) with cult actor Tobin Bell and writer Charles Agron! STAY TUNED AFTER THE INTERVIEW FOR A NEVER BEFORE SEEN TRAILER!
L.A. Gore here on behalf of Horror Central and we are here with the one and only Betsy Rue! Quickly becoming a scream queen in her own right, starring in such movies as Groupie, My Bloody Valentine and Rob Zombies Halloween 2, appearing in True Blood, Femme Fatale and currently promoting her brand new movie, Lucky Bastard. Betsy, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with Horror Central.
Thanks for having me!
Of course! I just finshed Lucky Bastard last night and have to say, wow! The concept of the film is so simple yet universally applicable. I almost wonder why it hasn’t been done before! Can you tell us a little about what was going through your mind as you were reading this script?
Well, that’s exactly what was going through my mind, I was like Wow, this is kind of interesting, I’ve never heard of a movie like this before! I thought that this could be quite a ride if it’s done right, and the found footage genre was compelling to me because I had never done one before. The challenge of getting used to a camera in your face and actually addressing the camera was tough, because you are always trained to ignore the camera. So, yeah, that’s pretty much what was going through my mind as I was reading the script.
Very cool! One of the things that really struck me about your performance was during the scenes where you were reacting to the genuine creepiness of Ernest, you came across as believable and 100 percent authentic, which is rare in the found footage genre, I was so impressed! Was there any real life inspiration that you kept in mind while delivering this performance?
Not so much, I mean, I’ve come across some creepers. When you do horror movies, you usually get some kind of creeper fan. I mean, they are very passionate about the genre. So, you get some of that. But really what is was was I didn’t develop much of a relationship with Dave and we did that on purpose because I wanted it to be authentic and uncomfortable. So it was easy for me to see it from Ashley’s perspective of “Okay, why is this guy so weird and creepy?
First off I want to say that Horror Central absolutely loved Upper Footage! In a sub-genre that has been played upon in most every vein of the horror industry, it was a refreshing and thought provoking film that we'll never forget. I would like to send my undying gratitude Mr. Cole for taking the time to talk to the nerds here at Horror Central today, as we'd certainly love to pick your brain!
Thank you for having me.
In this industry when a film is easily compared to others like it, Upper Footage seems cut from a separate cloth all together. This got the minds at Horror Central wondering, if you could look at The Upper footage from a non-biased point of view, in your opinion, what has made the film stand out in the found-footage genre?
I would have to say because the events of the film could have happened in real life, and in some ways they actually did. The fact that we fooled the media into thinking the project was real for several years, and incorporated it with the final project, gives us something that is unique in this genre.
You mentioned that you were influenced by The Blair Witch project, one of my personal all time favorite movies. What made you want to follow in their footsteps? What was appealing to you about the found footage sub-genre?
The Blair Witch Project is one of my all time favorite movies as well. The experience I had watching when I was younger was something that I remember to this day, and I always wondered why no one really went for it since. So many found footage films have come out since, but no one really attempted to recreate the feeling of watching a film you think may actually be real, which in my opinion is the genre at its best. I always wanted to have that experience again, and figured hey if no one else is doing it why don't I?
At the same time, I knew doing what Blair Witch did in 1999 (making a website stating the events as real) simply wouldn't work in today's day and age. I thought the only way people would believe that the events of the film were real were if they would be able to do a Google search on their own and see the events and people actually show up as real on several popular websites and eventually on TV.
I love the concept of the found footage genre, but I really can't say I am a fan of many films within it. A lot of it is repetitive, but because you can make them cheap and fast they have flooded the marketplace. It's a shame because there have been some amazing found footage films that don't get the credit they deserve, such as "The Dirties", because a lot of these rushed out films give the genre a bad reputation. The genre as a whole has so much untapped potential that has yet to be explored.
When we were in distribution talks it was amazing to hear industry people talk about the genre. Movies within it are treated more like amusement park rides than actual films, with the number and placement of jump scares taking precedent over story and any over-arching themes.