Horror Movie Q&A With Jeff Caxide of Isis

Horror Q&A With Jeff Caxide of Isis

TIS: What's our fascination with horror movies?

JC: I wish I knew but I have been fascinated with them since I was a little kid. I would always look at the VHS covers in the horror section of the video store wishing I were brave enough to rent one.

TIS: What's the first horror movie you remember seeing and what emotions did it elicit?

JC: I think it was Jaws. I remember seeing the little boy eaten really disturbed me. To see someone not much older than me get killed in a movie was not something I had seen before. It broke the rules I had in my little 5 year old brain that children were safe in movies. And of course like most people who saw the film at my age I have a deep fear of going into the ocean.

TIS: Why do 99% of today's Horror Movies suck?

JC: I would argue that 99% of everything sucks but I know what you mean. There seems to be a big lack of creativity and I don't consider coming up with new ways to kill people (Saw) creative. I have read hundreds of short stories from horror writers that would make great movies but instead we are stuck with remakes and uninspired teen driven crap that are made to open big, make it's money back and not leave a mark. I guess it's a generational thing. This is what people seem to want so this is what is going to get made.

TIS: What's the last great Horror movie you saw and why?

JC: Probably "Antichrist" by Lars Von Trier. It really shows the potential for artistry within the realm of horror. If you watch this with a group of friends I can almost guarantee there will be some debate afterward.

TIS: To this day I still get excited when I hear the eerie piano of John Carpenter's Halloween theme. What are some of your favorite and most memorable horror soundtracks?

JC: The Wicker Man (original) is easily for me the best soundtrack to a horror movie. It's mostly folk type songs and fits the movie perfectly. If you have not seen this yet, you are really missing out. It is my favorite horror movie of all time.

TIS: What are some of your favorite indie horror films?

JC: I really liked "The Last Winter". They obviously didn't have much money and some of the FX are pretty bad but Larry Fessenden still managed to make a nice atmospheric, creepy film. "The Burrowers" is another that comes to mind. It sadly, also suffers from bad FX but the movie has almost a Terrence Malick tone to it. It got dumped straight to DVD, which is too bad because it really is better than some of the stuff that makes it into the theater.

TIS: There's many genres of horror movies including Monster, Slasher, Supernatural, Zombie, Occult, Gore, Sci-Fi etc. In your opinion which is the scariest & which is the lamest?

JC: I think any genre has the potential to produce greatness as well as total shit. I would say that slasher films are not my favorite but still there are some great ones out there.

TIS: Who is your favorite horror writer & director?

JC: I would probably go with David Cronenberg or Roman Polanski. I wouldn't consider either of them Horror directors but they have made some amazing films in the genre. That's usually the case. Stanley Kubrick made "The Shining" and William Freidken made "The Exorcist". Those guys are definitely not horror filmmakers. Most directors who stick with horror their whole career seem to get worse with time. Look at John Carpenter, Wes Craven, George Romero and Stuart Gordon. They all started strong and each of them has made at least one classic horror film but they haven't done anything decent in years.

TIS: What the worst horror movie you've ever seen?

JC: Anything that Rob Zombie has done. I thought the Halloween remake was his best movie but I also thought it was terrible. He seems to think there is nothing more to a horror movie than violence and vulgarity. All the Saw movies that I have seen have all been laughable as well.

Steel Cage Match: Pick a winner for each match with the reason why.

Round I:

1. Michael Meyers (Halloween) Vs. Pinhead (Hellraiser)

Winner: Micheal Meyers. Why? Pinhead talks too much.

2. Freddy Krueger (a Nightmare on Elm Street) vs. Possesed Reagan (The Exorcist)

Winner: Reagan. Why? Was in a better movie

3. Norman Bates (Psycho) vs. The Birds (The Birds)

Winner: Norman. Why: He's crazy but smart. Could probably outsmart birds.

4. Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th) vs. The Shark (Jaws)

Winner: The Shark. Why: I hate the Friday the 13th movies

5. Pennywise the Clown (Stephen King's "It") vs. Xenomorphs (Alien)

Winner: Alien. Why: Alien doesn't have awful band named after it.

6. Ash (The Evil Dead) vs. Shaun (Shaun of the Dead)

Winner: Ash. Why: Shaun is great but me and Ash go way back

7. A Zombie (28 Days Later) vs. A Zombie (Night of the Living Dead)

Winner: Zombie 28 days. Why? Faster, still breathing

8. Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) vs. Candy Man (Candy Man)

Winner: Candy Man. Why? Street cred.

Round II:

1. Micheal Meyers vs. Regan

Winner: Regan. Why: Has the devil on her side

2. Norman Bates vs. The Shark

Winner: The Shark. Why: I'll just assume this battle takes place at sea. Guy with knife doesn't stand a chance.

3. Ash vs. Alien

Winner: Ash. Why: If he can take on a hoard of demons, he can take on an Alien.

4. 28 day zombie vs. Candy Man

Winner: Candy Man. Why: Is supernatural. And has street Cred.

Round III:

1. Regan vs. The Shark

Winner: The Shark. Why: Shark can't be intimidated by Regan's insults of its mother.

2. Ash vs. Candy Man

Winner: Ash. Why: Perfect opportunity to say "Gimmie some sugar" before he kills a guy called Candy Man can not be passed up.

Final Round:

1. Ash vs. The Shark

THE CHAMPION

Ash

Why: If Chief Brody can kill it with a six shooter and an air tank, a guy with a chainsaw for a hand should do just fine.

Chris Grosso

http://www.theindiespiritualist.com