We’ve been blessed as a horror community with a resurgence of the genre that has led to almost all forms and sub-genres coming out of the floodgates globally on screens both big and small. Due to the influx of content we are also getting to see other titles that have been around for a while getting new seasons and gaining new traction. One example is Netflix’s horror anthology Slasher, created by Aaron Martin (showrunner and writer for the greatest teen show of all time- Degrassi: The Next Generation. This fact is not up for debate.)
Each season of Slasher is a self-contained modern murder mystery with a unique killer on the loose seeking revenge- sound familiar? Season one centered around The Executioner and the aftermath of a blood-soaked Halloween night. Season two shifted gears to Friday the 13th in Winterland as The Camp Motega Killer stalked a group of former counselors and an off-grid community in the dead of winter. And now my patient readers- we have The Druid. A hooded figure with a neon mask picking off residents at an apartment complex over the course of twenty-four hours.
This season’s “Slasher: Solstice” was different not in just the narrative structure, but also in the fact it has a new showrunner and the same director for all episodes. Adam MacDonald, director of award winning Pyewacket, gets behind the camera with Ian Carpenter taking over show-running duties for twenty-four hours of pure hell.
I chat with Ian about season three, who shares some juicy sidebars and set tales.
Alex (BD): First- the obvious question. What are your favorite slasher movies, franchise, or what have you?
I grew up on Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 and saw them a million times and wrote about them a lot for my PhD thesis on comedic violence. Friday the 13th was massive for me. Nightmare on Elm Street was huge too and probably the most inspiring. I loved Psycho, thought Scream was tons of fun. And then years later I got heavily into Dario Argento. I think my favourite horror is still his film, Opera – the overt direction for me is incredible there. The two I’ve watched the most would be Evil Dead and Nightmare. And three years ago Adam MacDonald hipped me to Korean horror. I love the mess and gravity and relentlessness of films like The Chaser.
Alex (BD): With “Slasher,” the kills get more brutal and wild in each new season- this season easily had some of the most FX-fueled kills. What were your inspirations for approaching the FX and infusing that slasher relentless and kill style into the story?
Lots of those films I’ve mentioned. The relentlessness of something like Evil Dead. But you can’t beat that first POV kill in the first Friday the 13th film. It seems so nothing now but if that’s your first horror film (it was mine), watching someone get their throat cut and not cutting away feels insane. I think you can see that with our ax kill. For me the tension is all in us sticking with it and not offering the audience an escape. You can feel that in the car abduction (and the music is absent leaving you squirming with the reality of what’s happening) and the biology room where most shows and movies would set you free. Any time we’re talking about kills we’re looking to previous movies and shockingly to Dr. Zinn, our medical advisor, who helps us make sure we’re doing something realistic. And then the relentlessness of that… in many ways is my hunger for plot and kills and intense scenes. Tense or loaded quiet is great but like fans I want as much of what I love as possible.
Alex (BD): This season touches on a lot more socially jarring topics that are pretty on the pulse of what is happening in the world today whereas season one was more about trauma and season two was more about bullying and misguided/bad intentions. How did you guys know you wanted to tackle such subjects and what sparked the idea that it could work in a slasher format?
In polar times it feels like something so many of us are talking about passionately. So, if this kind of thing is pissing off lots of people you know it’s going to piss people off enough to kill. I’ve loved the connections viewers and fans are making to what’s going on in their own lives. I think horror can accommodate almost any story and that’s just one more way it’s amazing. And the best part of it is you end up with people going crazy, over the top and acting out their worst impulses. It’s a shockingly honest route to the truths and darkness in all of us.
Alex (BD): A facet about this season was that almost everyone in the apartment building is a terrible person or has some sinister dark side. Was there a particular reason you guys wanted to play with characters who represent extreme measures of the spectrum? (You have a white nationalist, a narcissistic viral hungry fame monster, and a bi-sexual-drug-addict-rent-boy all living on the same floor…and that’s just some of the “quirky” neighbors.)
Ha! I think it’s just natural when you’re in a claustrophobic transitioning environment to find lots to hate about the neighbours you can’t choose. And gentrifying neighbourhoods really force people together that have nothing in common with each other but needing cheap rents. It brings the worst out in all of us. And, I hope when you dig behind the hatefulness of some of these bigger personalities you can see something relatable. I don’t much believe in “villains” and I think it’s a rare character in here that absolutely everyone would root to see die. But, I also think as much as we tune in to horror to get scared and freaked out… it’s also an expression of our dark impulses. And, who hasn’t had murderous thoughts around a smug as hell barista who’s our gateway to the morning fix?
Alex (BD): As a massive fan of Degrassi I have to ask this so work with me- there are so many alumnis from the show throughout the series and I spotted three this season. Is there a reason for this?
Ha! Yes. Aaron Martin the creator of the show was the showrunner of Degrassi Next Gen for the first four years. So, he’s given many people their first acting gigs and has a great eye for talent that he wants to work with down the line.
Alex (BD): As a showrunner- what was the most important aspect to maintain and flesh out for the audience that you focused the most on?
Structurally: The nuances of the mystery. I know hardcore fans are going to watch the show more than once and so I was very focused on the various secrets going on in the show and how many scenes had double meanings for the repeat viewer. And keeping track of who was where is obvious super important for our killer’s plan.
Scripts: The emotional journey of the characters. There’s so much crying in Slasher and it’s because the deaths mean something to lots of people.
Production and Post: Pace and making sure those kills are amazing. We cared so much about that and spent tons of time making sure those kills were something people would be talking about for a long time.
Alex (BD): Additionally, this round of episodes has more POC characters and many LGBTQ+ characters than seasons before…. They play into and subvert classic slasher characters like “The Mean Girl”, “The Best Friend”, etc. etc. How did this alter casting and whom you choose as writers?
It meant you were discovering lots of great talent outside of the usual suspects casting list. I love our cast and think they’re incredible actors. And then it also means you need writers and advisors (and actors) who can speak to the worlds and people you’re talking about.
Alex (BD): What movies or shows specifically inspired this season or your kills, structure, and color pallette?
Spring Breakers was my model for look and colour palette. With a little Moonlight thrown in for some of the darker stuff. I was thinking a little of the first two seasons of Fargo as I was writing it and putting it all together character and structure wise. And then for kills… really it’s just what’s in the sick heads of Aaron and I or the other writers.
Me: “Hey, I’d like to see a sword be jerked up and down in someone’s throat.”
Him: “I’d like to turn an asshole barista into a human coffee machine.”
I was thinking of The Human Centipede for the two people who get attached in the show. And a little bit of Korean Horror for some of the messier, blood-soaked fights toward the end of the season. But really, it starts with a sick impulse and then later we’re studying previous horror films for how they achieved it and how we can try to top it.
Alex (BD): When it came to showrunning- what was something unexpected or new that you had to learn or adjust to? Any advice to others interested in the realm of show running?
Advice: Writers need to become managers to run a show so if that’s something a writer wants to do they need to learn those social skills in a big way. I think a respectful, healthy work environment creates a space where all the incredible artists working on a show can thrive and produce amazing work. I wanted to hear their voices, I wanted them to surprise me and I wanted them to step outside of expectations creatively. I believe we achieved it and it’s probably partly why there’s such great work from all the departments on the show.
The surprise: Theme is the answer to most problems on a show, especially plotting.
Alex (BD): Describe the process and experience of working with Adam MacDonald and getting him on the ship for this wild ride.
Aaron Martin was pursuing Adam to direct the show before I was involved. The weird thing is Adam and I have been really good friends for a long time. He’s my big horror friend. We were close before, we’re super close now. We see eye to eye on just about everything. We disagree and talk things out in a really healthy way. He was very happy to deliver my vision and obviously he brought so much of himself to the show. His enthusiasm and love for horror can’t be matched. He lives and breathes it every day. And he is just so incredible at what he does. I am in awe of his work with the camera and with actors and I couldn’t be happier. We will be working together for a long time on lots of stuff and I look forward to helping deliver on his visions too. I couldn’t have been luckier there.
Alex (BD): Any personal experiences that you or members worked into the script and characters?
That’s happening constantly. The biggest would be Kit. I really get Kit and I lived my version of that life so there’s so much of me in him and his place and those parties. Because I was a big partier I set a high standard for what those things looked like. I’m in there dancing with everyone (under a different mask in each party) and going crazy.
Alex (BD): And If I may ask- why The Druid? What does he represent- also his machete/Final Fantasy XII buster sword is mad perfect.
The naming of the killer isn’t in the show but the Druid’s connected to the whole Solstice theme. Because of the costumes of the first party (angels, fairies, sprites, pagan imagery) it’s what people called the killer. The sword hunt was long and tough. I wanted something that would be the absolute worst for that victim’s throat. Glad you approve! (and have you clocked where the sword came from? It’s visible in one setting and suspiciously gone later…)
Alex (BD): For fans of the show or newbies go ahead and give some shoutout to social media they can follow for more updates or news from you guys!
The cast and creative teams are all using the #slasherseries #slashersolstice hashtags on IG and Twitter and our Twitter is pumping out all those posts. And our cast is very active. We love our fans. I can’t believe how many people have binged twice already. And I love the fans that are posting their reactions as they go along – the OMGs, the gore freakouts, the killer speculations and most of all… the tweets about puking.
Slasher: Solstice is now streaming on Netflix.
