Interviews
[San Diego Comic-Con ’12 Interview] ‘Silent Hill: Revelation 3D’ Director Michael J. Bassett
With a clip already out of the San Diego Comic-Con, Bloody Disgusting’s Evan Dickson sat down with Silent Hill: Revelation 3D director Michael J. Bassett to chat about the highly anticipated sequel to 2006’s film Silent Hill. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D will be released wide October 26, 2012 in time for Halloween.
Directed by Michael J. Bassett (Solomon Kane, Deathwatch), original cast members Sean Bean (HBO’s Game Of Thrones, Lord Of The Rings), Deborah Kara Unger (The Game, 88 minutes, The Samaritan) and Radha Mitchell (Man On Fire, The Crazies, upcoming The Frozen Ground) return in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, starring along with rising stars Adelaide Clemens (X-Men Origins, upcoming The Great Gatsby, No One Lives) and Kit Harington (HBO’s Game Of Thrones) as well as Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix, Disturbia, NBC’s Chuck) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, The Artist).
In Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, Heather Mason (Clemens) and her father (Bean) have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn’t fully understand. On the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her forever.
Michael J. Bassett
What would you say to people who haven’t seen the first movie? “You don’t need to have seen the first movie in order to understand the second one. That’s really important to get across. People who are new to it will totally get it. Even though there are some recognizable faces too. Sean Bean is back.”
Were there any rating constraints? “Nope. It’s a mystery, fantasy hard R-rated thriller.” IN that case, when you were shooting were you ever worried about getting an NC-17? “Yeah. I shoot it all on set. And it’s my obligation to deliver the movie I want to see and I want to see a hard R. It scares people. By the way, this isn’t Saw, it’s not gratuitous. It’s just that the world and the environments and the imagery are pretty graphic. We have some really fun stuff.”
In addition to being a sequel, this is also based on the third game in the series. What attracted you to that particular one? “The third game is the only logical one that carries on the story from the first movie. It’s the game that explains why they have to go back to Silent Hill. The other games are fantastic and would make good movies in their own right. And if this one is a hit maybe we’ll do one of those.”
What was the most challenging thing to pull off? “Shooting in 3D. We didn’t post-convert, we shot in it. But we really had a 2D budget and schedule so that was hard. That being said, this 3D really immerses you in the world. And it’s practical effects mostly.” The clip we saw with the mannequins was CG though. “Yeah that was all CG. But most of the stuff in the film is practical.” Anything else that stood out as a challenge? “The world of Silent Hill is a dusty, dark and rusty place. So we were shooting in some pretty terrible places. Some horrendous places. Some abandoned warehouses, and an abandoned electrical generator factory out of Toronto.”
I know you’re a huge fan of the game, but as a director I know there’s some new stuff you want to bring to the world. How do you deal with fan expectations. “There’s the sense that proper hardcore ‘Silent Hill’ fans, there’s a chance they won’t like it. Because they have such a clear vision of what the film should be. And I can’t give them their vision, I can only give them my vision. I have to make it play in a way that’s not so particular to the game. It has to work as a movie as well.”
What’s up next for you? “I just got back from South Africa, I was shooting an HBO action series called Strike Back. I’ve got a couple of thrillers I’m attached to. And I’m talking about maybe doing Solomon Kane 2.”
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
You must be logged in to post a comment.