“Scaring people is addictive – it’s an addictive drug.”
This is in accordance with Leigh Whannell, director and co-writer of the recent film Wolfwhich opens on January 17. I saw the advanced demo and if you are seeking to add some nightmares to your boring dream playlist, I highly recommend checking it out for yourself. This is a truly quirky take on the classic furry beast. Teen Wolf it is not.
Horror fans know Whannell as a co-creator Saw and its iconic essential character, the funny party animal Jigsaw. Whannell also wrote the script for the latest film The Invisible Man remake starring Elizabeth Moss Insidious franchise and lots of other brutal stuff. The guy really knows the way to make a crazy movie.
I talked to Whannell about this Wolf and his blood-curdling profession in the recent episode How success happens. I desired to know how he got so rattling good at cashing in on terror, and I desired to ask him a direct query, “What the hell is wrong with you?” Listen to the full conversation below or on your platform of selection. Enjoy your nightmares!
About making money from terror
“Well, there was never a decision to make money from terror. After graduating from film school, where I met Saw co-creator James Wan, he and I were die-hard horror fanatics, but we definitely didn’t see any money in it. We just desired to make a movie, and the horror genre is not only one we love, but it is also incredibly friendly to each first-time filmmakers and low-budget filmmakers. You don’t need a celebrity to play the lead. You don’t need a lot of lighting effects – horror is something you’ll be able to do on a shoestring budget. We still love horror movies and we just keep going. Scaring people is probably the same feeling a comedian gets when he actually laughs. I got an involuntary, audible response out of people, without their consent! For me, screaming and laughing are just different sides of the same coin. It’s very addictive. It’s an addictive drug.”
About madness
“There were a few moments when I first started writing these films when I thought, ‘I need professional help.’ But in the case of fictional characters, you can kill them without feeling guilty. I can murder people and not have to pay a fine, so it’s great fun WolfI thought about what I hadn’t seen in this character – I felt like he needed something new, a little drop of fresh blood. I wanted to do something really scary and intense.”
Moving on from Saw concession
“It’s very strange that I was sitting in my bedroom in Melbourne, Australia and creating a character, and then what I created now belongs to other people. If I see another billboard Saw a movie that I had nothing to do with, it’s a very strange experience. I can only compare it to watching your child leave the nest, go on and do something. You think, “Well, I brought this person into the world the best I could, but now he’s on trial for murder or he’s the CEO of a Fortune 500 company!” It’s like, “You are your own person, but I had a lot to do with your existence.” There were times when I didn’t like where the brand had gone, but I felt like it no longer belonged to me. This happens a lot in the world of film. You create something, but often you don’t have the rights to it. It’s a very strange experience, but look, it’s not a bad experience. The Saw movies mean a lot to people, so I’m grateful. I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you if these videos didn’t touch people’s hearts, you know?”
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About how success happens
In each episode of How Success Happens, we highlight the inspiring, funny and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, art and sports have taken to achieve fame. It’s a reminder that behind every great profession there’s a one that persevered in the face of self-doubt, failure, and whatever else stood in their way.