Read our exclusive interview with filmmaker, screenwriter and make-up effects supervisor Robert Hall, whose latest directorial effort, ‘ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2,’ is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. The film is a sequel to the 2009 cult classic horror movie ‘Laid to Rest.’ The follow-up chronicles the infamous killer ChromeSkull, played by Nick Principe, as he relies on his assistant, Preston, portrayed by Brian Austin Green, to take care of his business. When Preston develops his own taste for killing, ChromeSkull reemerges with a new gory massacre. Hall discusses with us, among other things, why he decided to continue the story of the killer, and how the sequel differs from the original film.
Shockya (SY): You directed and co-wrote ‘ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2,’ after helming and writing 2009’s ‘Laid to Rest.’ Why did you decide to continue the story?
Robert Hall (RH): Honestly, the fans. The fans of the first movie were far and above what we ever anticipated. We started seeing people getting ChromeSkull tattoos, and they were talking about it. They were talking about the characters, and talking about the kills. We thought we had something, and we thought we could give people more of what they liked about the first one.
SY: While you were filming the sequel, did you feel any pressure to exceed the effects that you included in the original?
RH: Tons. (laughs) Yeah, tons. A lot of sleepless nights over that stuff. Any movie that I do, because of my effects background, I can never have bad effects, especially in the ‘Laid to Rest’ movies. I set up a precedent in the first movie, and if I didn’t deliver in the second movie, people would turn away from it. So a lot of pressure. There were also pressures to have great performances, pressures to stay under budget and pressures to make the kills bigger and better than the first one. So there were a lot of sleepless nights.
SY: Besides the effects, how is the sequel different than the original? Are there any similarities between the two films?
RH: The sequel is really a completely, completely different movie. It’s really apples and oranges from the first one. The first one has a super simple story with a mysterious killer that takes place over the course of one night. There’s very few characters. The second one picks up right where the first one leaves off, but this film has a completely different look. The new movie is an ensemble piece. Brian Austin Green has a really big part, and Thomas Dekker has an expanded part (from the original film). The sequel has about 27 speaking parts, and the most in the original was maybe eight or nine. So it’s a much bigger scope, and a lot more to deal with. The only similarity is the kills, I wanted to have really stellar kills. The kills in ‘ChromeSkull’ is the only similarity (to the original film), everything else is completely different.
SY: Nick Principe reprises his role of ChromeSkull in the sequel. What was it about his performance in the original film that convinced you to cast him again?
RH: It was his undying commitment, more than anything. His performance goes a long way, and it’s difficult to do what he did without speaking. It’s his commitment to the character and the genre that really sold it for me. He wears this stuff on his sleeve. If he didn’t play Chromeskull, he’d probably have a tattoo, or at least a Chromeskull shirt. But I think he was just born to kill.
SY: Like you said before, ‘ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2’ has an ensemble cast, including Brian and Gail O’Grady. What was the casting process like?
RH: Well, when you’re doing a movie that’s not a studio film, and this isn’t a studio film, it’s an independent movie, you don’t have a big studio. We didn’t even have a casting director. When you watch the movie, and watch the credits, there isn’t even a casting director credit. I pretty much cast the movie myself. You have to go in doing a lower-budget movie, if you don’t have a studio behind you, knowing that you have something achievable in location and what’s happening in the context of the script and with roles you know you can cast. So pretty much every part in ‘Laid to Rest 2′ was written with someone in mind. So I had someone in mind for pretty much everyone, except for Jess, the female lead. Mimi Michaels auditioned for it, and then (Jess’) mom, Gail O’Grady. Gail didn’t have to audition, but we didn’t have anyone in mind for those two parts. One of our producers had worked with Gail before, so she wanted to come down and do it, so that was super awesome and fun. Mimi was the only one who came in, and screamed her a** off, and was believable and consistent. So the casting was pretty simple. (Co-writer) Kevin (Bocarde) and I wrote the part for Thomas, and pretty much everyone we thought of we got. But we did have some casting issues early on. For Owain Yeoman’s part (of King), he’s on ‘The Mentalist,’ and we didn’t think that we were going to be able to use him. So that part was going to be played by Michael Bean, but he dropped out at the last minute, so there were a lot of issues with that character, but we finally got it worked out.
SY: Once you secured the actors, what was their working relationships like once you began filming?
RH: Honestly, it was really great, and everybody says that. But when they’re working on a movie where they’re not getting paid, they still really liked working with me for some strange reason. I think we had a cool sense of camaraderie. No one was there to get any money out of the deal. In the end, everyone was there to show what they had for their reel, or because I guess they liked working with me, or they wanted to flex some muscles. Brian doesn’t need to do a movie with me. But I got to see a dark side of him when I worked on the ‘Terminator’ show (creating the make-up effects). Actors love juicy parts like that. He’s never really gotten the chance to show that he’s a really great actor. He’s not just a good guy, he’s a good actor. He can be scary, and in this case, he can be a psychopath, and he has a great arc throughout the movie where he can become that, and that’s what he is in ‘ChromeSkull.’ That’s something they wanted to bring to the table. Thomas got to expand his role from the first film, as it wasn’t very big. But that’s what the cast was like, we were all there for a common cause, which was to see ChromeSkull spill more blood.
SY: Besides a director and writer, you’re also a special makeup designer for your studio Almost Human. Did your work as a makeup designer influence the way you wrote and shot the death scenes in ‘ChromeSkull: Laid To Rest 2?’
RH: Yes. I think when you’re doing the effects on other people’s films, no matter how many times you have meetings with directors and directors of photography, everyone says “Look, it has to be shot this way.” But when you get on the set, and you build everything, there’s always deviation from the plan. That can be all the way at the very end. Deviations from the plan is usually pretty bad, but it always happens. So when I’m doing films for other people, I hold for that deviation that inevitably occurs. So when I’m doing my own stuff, I write and design kills and effects sequences I know I’m going to shoot a certain way. I know we’re not going to deviate from the plan. At the end of the day, we’re doing the visual effects as well, and we’re going to stick to the plan until the very end, until we finish the shots. Then I’m editing in the next room as I’m putting the shots in myself, and making sure that they’re right. So when you have that kind of control over the practical shots, they wind up looking the way they’re intended to.
SY: You also directed the horror show ‘Fear Clinic.’ How did filming that series compare to filming the ‘Laid to Rest’ movies?
RH: Shooting ‘Fear Clinic’ was pretty similar. I got to work with a childhood idol, Robert Englund, who I still very much love. We’re working on a feature version of ‘Fear Clinic.’ But you’re taking all this information that was told in five to 10 minutes on the show and expanding it into 90 minutes, so that was a little different. But in terms of directing, and style and effects, it was all pretty similar. The shooting process was actually pretty similar.
SY: Do you have a preference of filming movies or television?
RH: That’s a very good question. I’ve probably had more creative freedom and fun on television over the years on television. Television has probably been more kind and good to me. But I don’t know. Television can also be a very big drain after a season or two. It can be very difficult. When the bills are due, I want to get out and work with some new people. But it depends on the state of mind.
SY: You’re currently in pre-production on your next horror film ‘Mile Marker 381.’ Can you discuss any details about the project?
RH: We actually never got the financing for that. The next film on our slate is the ‘Fear Clinic’ movie, we’re really pushing that pretty hard-core. So honestly, that would be the next film we’re working on. Also, I’m writing and directing a cool little dark love story. So those will probably be the next two things (I shoot).
Written by: Karen Benardello
