Late last week I attended the US Premiere of Chillerama at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. After a tranquil hour milling about the interior of the main mausoleum (I’d obviously seen screenings in the cemetery but had never been inside the crypt before), sipping something called ‘Chill Out” (actually kind of tasty, but I like weird sour stuff), it was time to hit the red carpet.

The next hour would not be so tranquil. The red carpet was about 20 feet long (very, very small) and was EXTREMELY crowded. In short, it was utter chaos. The line started out orderly, but then Tim Sullivan (director of the Chillerama segment “I Was A Teenage Werebear”) started ‘directing’ the actual press event. He was pulling people in and out of interviews with various outlets and shuffling the order of who would walk where. Pretty soon it descended/ascended into chaos. Fun and exciting with lots of cool people, but chaos nonetheless. In fact, Tim was so busy hopping around I never got the chance to interview him. Maybe next time!

I did, however, get to spend a few minutes with the other three other directors of Chillerama. Adam Rifkin, Joe Lynch and Adam Green were all incredibly gracious and spoke with genuine enthusiasm about their love for this film, their upcoming projects and the horror community in general. Joe Lynch (despite being punched in the groin during our interview by Joel David Moore) also had some surprisingly fond comments for the MPAA.

Because the press line was so hectic I actually had to chase Green down a bit for my final interview of the night – right before he took the stage to introduce the film. He seemed incredibly grateful to be there (after a full day on set shooting “Holliston”) and his appreciation for his success and his fans was palpable. It was clearly a big night for him, and his fondness for the genre was legitimately infectious. It was a nice primer before I joined the audience to watch the film.

I also snagged a few quotes from Joel David Moore (“The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein”, Avatar), Lin Shaye (“I Was A Teenage Werebear”, A Nightmare On Elm Street), AJ Bowen (“Zom-B-Movie”, You’re Next), Kane Hodder (“The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein”, Friday The 13th Parts 7-10) and Derek Mears (Friday The 13th 2009, MacGruber).

Without further ado I present – in the order in which they appeared at the event – some of the highlights of the red carpet. Hit the jump to check it out!

Bloody-Disgusting: How did you come up with the idea for “Wadzilla”?

Adam Rifkin: We all wanted to make sure that each of our segments was an homage to a certain era of B-Movie or drive-in style movie. Adam’s is 1930’s monster movies, Tim’s is 1960’s beach movies, Joe’s is 1980’ zombie movies. I wanted mine to be 1950’s atomic-era ‘monster attacks the city’ movies. And so I thought, “what would be a funny monster to attack the city?” And so that’s what the idea came from.

BD: Was it practical sperm or was it CGI?

AR: We did use real sperm for most of the movie! No, the sperm effects were created by the Chiodo Brothers who did Killer Klowns From Outer Space and tons of other movies and they did the effects old school, stop motion animation, just like what would have been the case if we had made the movie in the 1950’s.

BD: How did you get involved with the whole Chillerama project?

AR: I invented it. Me and Tim Sullivan, when I was producing and he was directing Detroit Rock City we came up with this together. We wanted to make a monster anthology film and we thought it would be really fun to get four directors and have them each direct a segment and homage a different era of drive-in movie. And, years later, when we met Adam and Joe and were having dinner we thought, “this is the perfect four -way”. [That’s when] we took the movie off the backburner and put it on the fast track as they say.

BD: What’s next for you?

AR: I’m about to do a new television series, but I can’t tell you what network because it hasn’t been officially announced. But I’m very excited about that.

JOEL DAVID MOORE

BD: So you’re in “Diary Of Anne Frankenstein?

Joel David Moore: I am in “Diary Of Anne Frankenstein”! Which by the title alone you can assume how ridiculous and offensive it is. When Adam brought this to me he was like, “Look, I want you to play Hitler in something”. And I told him that was offensive and he said, “no, it’s the Diary Of Anne Frankenstein”. Then when I asked how he was going to get away with it he said, “I’m Jewish”.

BD: A get out of jail free card.

JDM: Totally a get out of jail free card. I don’t have it, everyone thinks I’m Jewish because my first two names are Joel and David but my last name is Moore which is very Irish. But I just played a Jew for the first time. This nose got its very first Jewish adventure in a project called Jewtopia, an off-broadway play turned into a movie.

BD: Did you watch a lot of Downfall to prepare for the role of Hitler?

JDM: It’s funny you say that. You remember in that thing where he trembles with his glasses a little bit? I do that in this as sort of a tribute.

BD: And you’re coming back for a second Avatar right?

JDM: We’re shooting 2 and 3 and that will be starting up next year. It’s all in Jim’s hands. I obviously can’t talk much about it.

BD: I imagine!

JDM: We all trust that he’s doing a good job. That’s all I have. Otherwise he’d kill me. Just walk up to my house and rip my tongue out. I’m kidding, he’s a nice guy.

JOE LYNCH: Director – “Zom-B-Movie” Segment

BD: So I have to assume you’ve been coming here for years, what’s it going to be like to finally see your movie projected onto that mausoleum?

Joe Lynch: You couldn’t show the movie at a better place, the only better place to show it would be at the drive-in but unfortunately The Smurfs is still playing there. This is just amazing, I remember seeing Evil Dead 2 here a couple of years back and going, “how cool would it be to show a movie here?” It’s an honor to show what is most arguably the most filthy and disgusting movie that has been shown here. If we’re going to get arrested, we’re going to get arrested at the right place.

BD: When people were burying their loved ones here in the 1920’s they probably didn’t anticipate “Zom-B-Movie” and “Wadzilla” being projected over their final resting places.

JL: I guarantee they had absolutely no idea that a film with more bodily fluids than a Northridge porno would be premiering on their hallowed grounds. I’m very thrilled that we get to show this very family friendly film here tonight, it’s very cool.

BD: So you’ve got Knights Of Badassdom just about to come out.

*Joel David Moore comes up from behind and hits Joe Lynch in the balls*

JL: Joel David Moore just hit me in the balls! Quote that one!

BD: I will!

JL: Honestly KOB was summer-camp for me. I get to be running around with Peter Dinklage, Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten and Summer Glau with foam rubber swords?! F*ck yes! It couldn’t be more fun! And to go from that to making the most disgusting zombie movie this side of Brain Dead. That was one of the major influences on the movie. The f*cking with the broomstick? I was just thinking there needs to be more f*cking in zombie movies. And then this little term came floating into my head, “when there’s no more room in Hell, the dead shall f*ck the Earth”.

BD: And you’ve got our own Brian Collins in this movie?

JL: Collins almost eats my kid! Which I’m very proud of. And he actually did the opening sequence in the film, which is very cool. It was all of our family and friends all helping out, it’s kind of like how we all started. It was a labor of love in the best way possible.

BD: Hopefully your child can wipe it from his memory!

JL: Oh dude forget it. It’s going to be one of those things where he either loves me or hates me in fifteen years. “You put me in that movie! You did that to me! I’m f*cked!”

BD: He’ll be like the Nevermind kid. Charging money to get into people’s pools.

JL: Exactly! So hopefully someday Remy will be making money off of this. I hope somebody does!

BD: So what’s next for you?

JL: We actually just wrapped our first day of production on “Holliston” which has been amazing. Then starting in March I direct my next feature film which is called Everly. Which is so far removed from what I’ve ever done before. It’s an experimental action film, in so many words it’s Die Hard in a room. It’s nothing like what I’ve done before and, personally that’s what my favorite directors do. They never stay in their comfort zones. You have to keep evolving. I want to be challenged and Everly is going to be my greatest challenge. To me it’s the most passionate thing I’m going to be doing. I’m so excited for it, I can’t wait. It’s my Christmas movie, that’s the best way to say it.

BD: Before you go, is Chillerama MPAA rated?

JL: There is going to be a version which is MPAA approved. One thing that I can say, and this is a direct quote from the MPAA, I love them very much and they’re great people, but the direct quote is “Too much sh*tting. There’s just too much sh*tting. People were leaving the room”. To me, that’s a win-win!

BD: You should use that as the pull-quote.

JL: I want that on the poster, “there’s just too much sh*tting. This picture is rated R for extreme gore, sexual situations and extreme sh*tting”. Honestly, they’ve been very gentle with this movie because they kind of see the humor in it. Except for the sh*tting.

DEREK MEARS

BD: So you’re not making an appearance in Chillerama are you?

Derek Mears: No, I make an appearance in the audience laughing and making fun of Adam Green and Joe Lynch. That’s my job.

BD: As a fan of Friday The 13th (2009) will you please tell Brad Fuller not to make Part 2 found footage?

DM: (laughs) I just heard that rumor recently. I don’t know if it’s true or not. I don’t know what’s going on with that. I’ve gotta make a phone call!

LIN SHAYE and GABBY WEST

BD: So you’re in Tim Sullivan’s segment?

Lin Shaye: Yes and also Adam Rifkin’s actually. In “Werebear” I play Nurse Maleva which is a tip of the hat to Maleva who is the gypsy fortune teller in the original werewolf films with Lon Chaney. I basically tend my beautiful little co-star here [Gabby West] who has a big problem.

BD: What’s your problem, Gabby?

Gabby West: I have a little bit of a crush on Ricky and I get a little wound up and I get hit by a Bronco and my brain is swelling out of my head!

LS: A Ford Bronco, not a horse. We should make that clear.

GW: And Nurse Maleva has to nurse me back to health and we discover that we have a comedic bond.

BD: And Lin, who do you play in “Wadzilla”?

LS: Oh I play a bum. It’s just a little tip of the hat but it’s very fun. You all are going to be very happy!

AJ BOWEN

AJ Bowen: Man there’s a lot of big dudes here with lots of cologne. I feel like I’m in a Turkish bath.

BD: And you’re in “Zom-B-Movie” right?

AJ: Yeah I’m in Joe’s segment. The wraparound. I’m basically playing Joe. You call Bowen and you get a favor!

BD: And You’re Next just premiered in Toronto, right?

AJ: Yeah on Saturday night we had a really good response to it, so we’re in kind of a bidding war right now. So hopefully there will be good news on that front. I’m actually going to Austin next week for Fantastic Fest because I was shooting a movie in Atlanta so I didn’t get to go to the premiere in Toronto. Last year we had another movie there called A Horrible Way To Die that they responded to really kindly so we came up with another one.

BD: And what’s next after You’re Next?

AJ: I just got done doing a time travel movie, a did a movie a few years back with some friends called The Signal and after six years we decided to get the band back together and do another one. And Danielle Harris and I just made a movie together, it’s her directing debut called Among Friends and that was awesome. So it was a good time. We’re all close-knit so whenever one of us gets a movie going we call the other one and force them to work for free. It’s a good community.

KANE HODDER

Kane Hodder: It’s a little crazy out here. Very crowded. It’s making me angry. You know what happens when I’m angry.

BD: I do know what happens. So it looks like you’ve got Hatchet 3 on the horizon right?

KH: It looks like it, yeah.

BD: Any idea on who the director is?

KH: Oh yeah! I know who it is!

BD: Want to say anything more about it?

KH: [smiles] Nope!

BD: And you play Frankenstein tonight in Adam Green’s segment right?

KH: Yes and he made me do something else I’ve never done before in this movie. Dance! Can you imagine me dancing? Not pretty.

BD: You’re a physical guy. If you can whack a girl in a sleeping bag against a tree I imagine you can dance a little.

KH: Maybe.

ADAM GREEN: Director – “Diary Of Anne Frankenstein” Segment

BD: So how did you come up with “The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein”?

Adam Green: Well actually Rifkin had the title. When they first approached us they already had titles in mind. So when I came on they were like, “Oh Green, you’re Jewish, you should do this one”. And the first thing that came to me was I don’t want to do anything about the Holocaust, I don’t want to do anything serious. I just want to make fun of Hitler for 20 minutes. So I decided to shoot it all in Black & White and all in German with an all German cast but then cast Joel David Moore and not teach him a word of German. Have him struggle through it! And now we’ve shown it in Germany and in the UK and not one person has been offended so I feel like I did my job right [with this subject matter]. It’s very Mel Brooks, mine’s actually the most PC out of all of them even though with the title you’d think it would be the most offensive. And Kane Hodder gives a phenomenal performance as Meshugannah, the Frankenstein monster.

BD: He said you made him dance?

AG: Yes. And the make-up we did was so thin he could really unload and be really funny in that makeup. It was great.

BD: So you’re filming “Holliston” right now. How many episodes are you doing?

AG: Six. We have a six episode order and, it’s a bold thing to say, but I’ve never cared about anything the way I care about this. It took 13 years to make happen. It was what I came out here to do was this sitcom. And now that it’s happening, and it’s a horror sitcom, which it’s been set up at various networks over the years but I never got to do the horror stuff. So now that I’ve got a sitcom where I get to cast all of these horror legends and do funny stuff. Like what if you were watching “Friends” and Phoebe’s head exploded all over the wall or there was a monster in the closet. This is something that I feel is for us. Everytime there’s been a sitcom offered to guys like me or you, it’s the standard network thing. This looks just like “Friends” and it feels just like “Friends” but there’s something so f*cking wrong about it. It’s about that time of your life where nothing is working out the way they told you it was going to. And you’re stealing toilet paper to wipe your ass with but you still have these big dreams. There’s stuff in the show that is very emotional and heartbreaking and it’s all my real stories. But most of all it’s just really fun. I think people are going to love it and I’m going to be devastated if they don’t. We’re having such a good time. Every movie you make you’re always wondering, “is it good?” And on this we just had our first day of shooting today and no one wanted to leave. I mean, it’s our premiere tonight and no one wanted to come because we wanted to keep shooting! The fact that it’s a job is a crime. If I could do this for the rest of my life and work on this TV show for 6 months a year and then do a movie in the other 6 months I would love to do that. Because I don’t really want to do a big studio movie. I keep turning down the ones they come to me with because it’s always a remake and it’s always a remake with stipulations. “We want to do Hatchet but we don’t want Victor Crowley in it” stuff like that. I mean I do have a big studio film in the works, Killer Pizza with Christopher Columbus, but it’s like Ghostbusters. It’s an original movie. I’m not anti-remake. The Thing is one of my favorite movies and The Texas Chainsaw remake I like just as much as the original, yeah I’m that guy! I’m guilty! I mean some of them are f*cking good! But I’m fortunate that my original stuff does well enough that I don’t have to chase it. I know it sounds cliche but the fans gave me this. A studio didn’t give it to me, no one else gave it to me. The fans gave it to me. They have always rallied behind what I do and I don’t know what I did to deserve it except be one of you and it’s f*cking humbling. Very humbling.