With director Adam Green’s slasher film coming out in limited release on Friday, September 7th, now's as good as time as any to meet the Hatchet fodder: those poor innocent (and not-so-innocent) victims who take a Louisiana swamp tour right into the clutches of mutilated killer Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). The quotes come from interviews we conducted with the actors at San Diego Comic-Con or (in the case of Joel David Moore) over the phone.
Actor: Joel David Moore (Grandma's Boy)
Character: Ben. "My character, he’s actually the tamer of the comedians in it, because everything sort of rides on following my adventure, my journey as we go through and get stuck in this swamp and get chased around by a dude with a hatchet."
What Drew Him to the Project: "There was something that I liked about the idea that the two lead men in it [Ben and Deon Richmond's character, Marcus] were sort of a comic duo, and I liked the idea that [director Adam Green] was taking this movie and trying to make it vintage or make it more like the original sort of 80s slasher films."
On Kane Hodder: "That guy is one scary dude. He’s… I’m tall. I’m tall! Y’know? A lot of dudes don’t scare me, but that dude is pretty scary. He’s just a monster of a man."
On Director Adam Green's Future in Horror: "He’s making a decision to do it right. So I think that he’s being really picky about what he’s gonna – picky in a good way, not in a snobby way – in what he’s gonna direct on the horror side, because he wants to make sure that if he’s going to go down that road, he’s doing it right and he’s being true to his fans and true to his supporters. I’ve heard some of his crazy-great ideas for horror films he wants to do in the future. They’ll blow you’re mind, they’re nutso."
Actress: Tamara Feldman (Harold and Kumar 2)
Character: "I play Marybeth. Marybeth is kind of the only one that knows what’s going on." Marybeth's father and brother were killed by Victor Crowley. "I go on the haunted swamp tour to find [Victor] and basically to get my revenge and kill him. So I’m on a mission, but I don’t want everyone else to know, so when stuff starts going on and everyone’s kind of confused, I kind of try and get them out of there and corral the troops."
On Working with Adam Green: "It was great, because he was so excited about it and you really wanted to make him happy. At the jokes, he just laughs really hard and there’s always a great reaction. When you’re crying or hurt or vulnerable, then he’s there to hug you. He really helped me with preparation. He was doing little tricks and things to get me in the mood that I was supposed to be in."
On Playing the Lead: "One of the things now, is that everyone else gets laughs and is funny, and I’m the straight man. I had to do a lot of going off by myself and being grumpy and crying in a corner kind of thing. So that was hard."
On Getting the Word Out: "You’ve gotta go see it on September 7th. Make sure everyone knows to go September 7th. We’re not advertising that much, we’re not having a premiere because we want to use those funds. So, we’re really doing it grassroots, so we need everyone to tell all of their friends to go out September 7th. Because we’re telling all of our friends and we’re doing it ourselves. And I’m going to go out and stick these things in people’s mailboxes and put them up in my neighborhood. Like, we’re doing it man, we’re doing it ourselves."
Actor: Deon Richmond (Not Another Teen Movie)
Character: "[M]y character is Marcus. I play the best friend who has had enough of this whole damn trip. I just want to get to the bar, the booze, and the women. My friend [Ben, played by Joel David Moore] is going through very hard times; he just broke up with his girlfriend. And he’s taken me on this drab, disgusting swamp tour that I could do without. So, I play the voice of reason."
On Working with Adam Green: "It was great. Adam is an official horror director. ... I think he brings the audience into it and had a fun ride with it. He makes you feel like a part of it."
Favorite Moment on Set: "There’s a tree scene and I’m up in a tree. They had a decision to make when we’re doing it – I did it to save time, because I’m just an actor. I like to do the things that make everyone happy and let’s get it done. So I said, you don’t have to wet me up before I get in the tree, because then it may dry up and then you have to do it all over… It takes way too much time. So let’s just do it when I’m already in the tree ... right before we call 'Action.' Just hose me down, wet me up, I can do that. And as we’re doing it, I started to realize, wait a minute, this is some civil rights s**t. I’m up in a tree, ya’ll sprayin’ me with a hose, I’m the only black person here, it’s a white guy doing it, this is gettin’ crazy. It was funny because the guy spraying, he’s hearing me say the joke, and he doesn’t know it’s a joke. So he stops sprayin’, like, 'Oh s**t. You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!' And I’m like, 'Nah, dawg, it’s okay, keep sprayin’. We tryin' to get the shot, let’s go.'"
Actress: Mercedes McNab (Harmony on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel")
Character: "My character’s name is Misty and I’m kind of an opportunistic, social-climbing girl who wants to be an actress, make it big in LA. And I hook up with Joel Murray’s character, Mr. Shapiro, and he tells me he’s a producer. He’s gonna take me out on this haunted swamp tour and get me to make a movie or whatever."
Something New for "Buffy" Fans: "'Buffy' was more like the fighting and this is just a straight-up horror film with the blood and the gore, which I love. I was never, as Harmony, I was never scared, because I was a vampire. In this, I got to play the antithesis of that and I was the one running for my life as opposed to the one trying to kill people."
On Director Adam Green: "I love Adam to death; I think everyone does. He’s super-passionate, like a kid in a candy store. He inspires you to want to go to work. You know, this movie was his childhood dream, so for him to finally have gotten this far in the whole process… I think that that’s why the movie has done so well, it’s because of his passion."
Actor: Parry Shen (Better Luck Tomorrow)
Character: "My character’s name is Shawn. The cast goes on a Haunted Swamp Tour and I am the tour guide who may not know what he’s really doing and it may not even be a legal tour. But I’m trying to make an honest buck, y’know. He sort of gets the boat stranded, gets us stranded in the swamp, and the poo hits the fan."
On Playing a Con Artist: "[I]t was great fun, just because I got to pull so many tricks out of the bag and accents and things that I’ve always wanted to do in the movie. For example, when I actually first meet Deon’s character, I pull a sleight-of-hand magic trick. I’ve been wanting to work that in. My character’s just so ringmaster-cheesy that I was like, 'Hey this could work!' And I did it and I didn’t tell Deon I was going to do it and I pulled [something] out of his ear and he freaks out. 'Don’t touch me!' It worked out on camera pretty well."
Meeting Kane Hodder: "We did this great scene in front of this one bush. ... [W]e were not supposed to see Kane [before this scene]. I think Deon had shot a scene earlier where he did meet Kane, but Mercedes and I and Joleigh had not met Kane yet. And we hear Kane in the background warming up screaming, like, 'F*****ck… yaaaaah!' All these horrific animalistic noises, these primal noises, and we hear him breathing in the dark. 'Ahuuuh, ahuuuuh.' And we know 'Action' is about to be called. Nobody can stand on their mark. Everyone’s like, not focused because we’re all freaking out. And Mercedes has this death grip on my arm, her nails are digging into my arm, and I want to cry just from that and finally 'Action!' is called, he jumps out… And freak out! Just meeting Victor Crowley for the first time…"
Actress: Joleigh Fioreavanti (Trespassers)
Character: "I play Jenna who is an aspiring actress and she went to NYU, supposedly. But she’s a total ditz and she thinks she’s going to be the next thing. She does this 'Girls Gone Wild,' at least she thinks it’s 'Girls Gone Wild,' with Mercedes character [Misty]. And we end up going on the swamp trip to shoot this video and that’s when we all find ourselves in peril."
Her Favorite Scene: "My favorite moment on set is my death scene. Because it’s awesome and I’m a huge horror fan. It really made me feel amazing to be in a film like that and get mangled and all that fun stuff. It was also sad, though, because it was my last day!" John Carl Buechler did the special makeup effects on Hatchet. "[Buechler is] a genius. That man is so talented. Very thankful to have him as our special effects."
On Being a Horror Fan: "Well, my first horror movie that I ever saw was Halloween and that’s when I became obsessed with it. It hasn’t stopped from there. I was like, 'Oh my god, I’m in love with Michael Myers.' I still to this day have nightmares about him, but he’s like my friend, but he’s still going to kill me. It’s kind of weird. I’m just a huge, huge horror fanatic – since I was like four."
Hatchet opens in limited release on Friday, September 7th, 2007. For a list of theaters playing Hatchet, visit HatchetMovie.com.
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