Posted in: Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: The Avenue, Witchboard

Witchboard: Chuck Russell on Horror Classic Remake, Creating New Stars

Chuck Russell (The Mask) spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest horror remake "Witchboard", casting, creating new stars and more.

Chuck Russell is a creative who's always looking to challenge himself, whether from the director's chair, writing, or producing the next big thing. He also doesn't want to bog himself down in one particular genre. Starting as a production supervisor in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw in 1976, he would expand into producing, starting with 1979's The Great American Girl Robbery. For his directorial debut, he had the tall task of infusing new life into New Line's A Nightmare on Elm Street with the 1987 classic Dream Warriors, the third film in the franchise. He followed up the success by tackling another horror classic in the 1988 remake of 1958's The Blob. Russell would go on to expand into different genres from comedy, action, adventure, and even TV, directing an episode of the Fox sci-fi hit Fringe. He spoke to Bleeding Cool about what appealed to him about remaking the Kevin Tenney franchise, Witchboard, and getting his core cast together of Madison Iseman (American Horror Stories), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things). Set in present-day New Orleans, Witchboard follows a cursed artifact that unleashes a vengeful witch, drawing a young couple into a deadly spiral of possession, temptation, and occult terror.

Witchboard Writer-Director Chuck Russell on His Triumphant Return to Horror

What intrigued you about the original 'Witchboard' and what inspired you to revisit it as a remake?
I have done two other what I call "reinventions." First, [New Line] wanted me to renew the 'Elm Street' series with 'Nightmare 3' (1987) when 'Nightmare 2' (1985) left New Line wondering if they were even going to continue. Apparently, it didn't do as well as they'd hoped, and then, 'The Blob' (1988), which was a property that I felt could be a lovely remake, and I'm quite proud of that. It seems to still have its fans. I honestly wanted to move on from horror, get into comedy, which I did with 'The Mask' (1994), and action-adventure with things like 'The Scorpion King' (2002), 'Eraser' (1996), and continue producing movies like 'Collateral' (2004) with Tom Cruise.

I've been too long gone from horror. I wanted to return, and I thought this film was the third in what I consider my own trilogy of reinventing classic horror. 'Witchboard' came at a time in my life and a lot of other people's lives. As a young man enjoying the genre for the first time, and there are three of those films from the 80s, this is an incredible franchise we can renew and expand it with new ideas. In particular, I was also looking to do a film about a pendulum board, which I've been fascinated with.

They predated Ouija boards (used in the original Tenney films), going all the way back to Egypt and possibly beyond. The Ouija board only happened after the French pope outlawed pendulum boards, and women were getting burned at the stake for having them. Thus, into the evolution of something not requiring a pendulum, this is the true history of pendulum boards, and they're quite visual. As a director, there were visual things I wanted to do. As a creator, I wanted it to return to horror, so 'Witchboard' has basically everything I didn't have a chance to do yet in horror that I've wanted to.

It knocks out my next question, so I'll go into the next one. What went into casting Madison, Aaron, and Jamie as the core trio? Why were they perfect as Emily, Christian, and Alexander?

It's a good question. First, Jamie, I was very inspired. I've had good fortune in my career helping new stars. Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in 'The Mask' were very new at the time. Dwayne Johnson, who had never done a lead in a feature role yet in 'The Scorpion King.' Jamie jumped off the screen on 'Stranger Things.' This guy's amazing. He's done other work, but that's the one that captured me, so I went right to Jamie. Fortunately, he loved the character and script, and we moved right ahead. He was my first casting.

Madison was sending me scenes, and she is a very accomplished actress, so when an actress, who already has a name and a following, reaches out, I know she cares about the film that much. When I saw her performance, I thought, "Okay, this is Emily," then we went through a normal casting process, which I thoroughly enjoy, to find Aaron Dominguez. By complete luck, or synchronicity, Aaron and Madison happen to be sort of in the same friend circle, and we're very familiar with each other.

As soon as I read them together, I saw there was some charm and a connection here. Aaron is a very special young man. He's very charismatic and comes from a very artistic family with dancers, and his father is a chef, so there are a number of things, but there is such a thing, it's a real thing, as chemistry in film. I'm very conscious of that, and frankly, they had great chemistry together. The audience can judge, but Aaron Dominguez is another new star and is charming in the role as Christian.

The Avenue and Atlas' Witchboard, which also stars Melanie Jarnson, Charlie Tahan, and Antonia Desplat, will be released in theaters on August 15th.

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