Read our exclusive interview with Joe Nimziki, who’s making his feature film directorial and writing debut with the upcoming ‘The Howling: Reborn.’ The horror film, which is set to hit Blu-ray and DVD on October 18, 2011, is the seventh sequel in the popular ‘Howling’ franchise. It follows Will, played by Landon Liboiron, who, upon his high school graduation, learns that he’s about to become a werewolf. Will’s discovery comes as he just starts bonding with Eliana Wynter, played by Lindsey Shaw, a girl he has long liked. In order to save their love and lives, they must battle not only Will’s growing lust for blood, but the beasts who are set on killing him. Nimziki discusses with us, among other things, why he decided to sign onto the film, and what it was like casting the lead characters.
ShockYa (SY): ‘The Howling: Reborn’ serves as the reboot of the popular 1980s and ‘90s werewolf horror franchise. What do you find so compelling about the series that convinced you to sign on as the new film’s writer and director?
Joe Nimziki (JN): I was a fan of the original when I was young…never saw any sequels. But I always thought werewolves could be such a great way to tell a coming of age story, so when I was offered the chance to write and direct a reboot and tell whatever story I wanted…I was interested.
SY: Being the writer of ‘The Howling: Reborn,’ did you solely create the movie’s story, or did the producers and Anchor Bay Films give you ideas of what they wanted you to focus the plot on?
JN: I wrote the script and the producers and Anchor Bay decided to make it. I was really happy they were all up for something that wasn’t just creatures killing a bunch of kids one by one, but had a coming of age and love story element. They were very supportive.
SY: The film follows Landon Liboiron’s character Will, a high school student who discovers he’s a werewolf. Given that werewolf films aren’t usually as successful as movies that feature their enemy, vampires, what makes ‘The Howling: Reborn’ unique, and why should horror fans see it?
JN: I think sometimes werewolves get a bad rap. People think they’re not as sexy or whatever as vampires. But hopefully this film will debunk that a bit. The urge to lose control and live just by instinct can be dangerous, sexy…the very things that I think people like vampire flicks for.
SY: Anchor Bay is known for releasing such horror franchises as the ‘Evil Dead’ trilogy and George A. Romero’s ‘Living Dead’ series. What was it like working with a production company that’s known for its horror division?
JN: Really great. Again, I was so appreciative that they were up for trying to tell a compelling story and not just make it about gore or thrills…which we have, but these elements always work better for me when they’re happening to people we actually care about.
SY: While writing and shooting the film, what elements did you add to the plot to differentiate it from the original ‘Howling’ and its first five sequels?
JN: I never saw any sequels or read any books… in reality it’s an original screenplay with a few nods to the groundbreaking original.
SY: While making ‘The Howling: Reborn,’ did you feel any pressure to make the film comparable to the original movie?
JN: Not really. Of course there are going to be fans of the original that aren’t going to be happy no matter what you do…but most of the people who see the film will, good or bad, have never seen any ‘Howling’ movie. I mostly wanted to make something that succeeded on it’s own terms (and hopefully satisfy and reward most of those who saw the original).
SY: ‘The Howling: Reborn’ marks your feature directorial and writing debut. What were the most surprising, challenging and rewarding experiences you had while working on the film?
JN: Well, I always joke I’m the most experienced first time director ever. Between all my years as a studio exec, directing commercials, and serving as a movie doctor (rewriting/directing/editing troubled features) doing the film didn’t feel like something “new.” That being said, you’re always learning on every project. This film had so many challenges I wouldn’t even know where to start…having little time or money, losing some of the days we did have to weather, some crew who didn’t speak English, losing the lead actor for several days due to an eye infection, etc.
But I think this film more than any project I’ve worked on taught me you just have to play the card you were dealt as well as possible and I think we did. The research screening and early reaction of those who have seen the film has been great…and you realize those people have no idea of about all the obstacles and challenges and what you thought the film was going to be when you started…it’s a clean slate and as long as it works for them, it’s all that matters.
SY: Many of the cast members in the film are experienced actors, but are relative unknowns. What was the casting process like, and what was it like working with the actors?
JN: Casting the leads was a wonderful process. I auditioned soooo many kids for two months in LA, NY, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, etc. To find Landon and Lindsey at the end, and then to audition them together and know I’d found my couple…that’s such a great moment of clarity and I think they’re both so wonderful in the film. We were also lucky to have some great options for Kay…but Ivana (Milicevic) is someone I’ve always been a fan of and thought she be great in the part. The rest of the casting was difficult as we had to hire everyone out of Montreal…and there just aren’t that many actors for our roles with good US accents up there. We actually gave up on casting Roland as an American, which is why I just went with the great French actor Neils Schneider and tweaked the part in the film.
SY: Before working on ‘The Howling: Reborn,’ you directed an episode of the horror television series ‘The Outer Limits.’ Did you take a different approach to television than film, and do you have a preference of one medium over the other?
JN: Actually it was similar in the sense that both times I was shooting about 6 pages a day. But the nice thing about film, at least this film, is I had control over the script, shooting, editing, etc. It’s really great to know the end product is the best you believe it could be.
SY: Do you have any future projects lined up, and would you like to continue in the horror genre?
JN: I have to say I had a really good time writing and shooting in the genre…and have always been a fan of it. But I think my next project will either be ‘The Sinisters’ (an action comedy) or ‘Love on Trial’ (a romantic comedy), so I can take a little break and do something a little lighter before returning to horror.
Written by: Karen Benardello
