Posted in: Peacock, streaming, TV | Tagged: exclusive, horror, interview, john carpenter, John Carpenter's Suburban Screams, Justin Roberts, peacock

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams Showrunner Talks Horror Anthology

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams showrunner Jordan Roberts discusses the Peacock horror anthology, favorite Carpenter films, and more.

Jordan Roberts has been a lifelong fan of the horror genre and creative mastermind John Carpenter. When Peacock came calling to pitch an anthology series Suburban Screams with the Halloween director attached, he leaped at the opportunity to become its showrunner. The series explores the dark secrets and unspeakable evil that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of the sun-drenched streets, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors of suburbia. John Carpenter's Suburban Screams combines the best aspects of true crime and horror, immersing viewers into true tales of terror, told by the real people who lived through it, through firsthand accounts brought to life through premium cinematic scene work, news clips, home photos, and archival footage, combining the visual language of horror films with the tools and techniques of documentaries to create a uniquely frightening experience for viewers. Roberts spoke with Bleeding Cool about how Peacock came in contact, the Carpenter films that influenced him, stories he hopes to tell next season, casting, and more.

Bringing 'John Carpenter's Suburban Screams' Stories to Life

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved with 'John Carpenter's Suburban Screams?'

Roberts: Yeah. So, you know, I had worked with [EP] Tony DiSanto, who runs DiGa Studios, and he said he had this project from John Carpenter. I said, "When can I start?"

How has John influenced your work?

I went to film school, studied all of John's films, and grew up with them, whether it's 'Halloween' [1978] or 'The Thing' [1982]. I watched them all again to start making the series and tapped into some of his cinematic language to bring them across all the episodes.

What does an anthology like this allow you to do creatively as a storyteller?

It's a bit of a new genre. There's 'Unsolved Mysteries,' and these recreations aren't anything new, but looking at it our way, we're letting the storytelling and cinematic stuff breathe and using dialog while being able to use all the above. Everything we like from documentaries and techniques from cinema and film. In this case, John's style or whatever we interpret as directors and filmmakers. It lets us use this big sandbox. We're able to create a new experience that's scary but also thoughtful at various levels and can even be profound underneath the scares.

Was there a lot of stories you had to cut in this first season of 'Suburban Screams reluctantly?'

Absolutely. We go through hundreds of stories, and they must meet the criteria. They need to be suburban stories, something that exists or feels like it exists and could be your neighborhood. We need to all agree, and they need to have some sense of truth to them, something that can be quantified, and we do go from anything from true crime to paranormal. Tons of stories on the chopping block, some stories that I'd love to visit, and hopefully, we'll get a chance should we get a season two.

How many stories would you have ready to go to film right away if you get greenlit next season?

At least seven or ten, sure, plus, once the researchers dig in, there's going to be many more. Sometimes it's a matter of time, getting a hold of the people and making sure all the things fall in place when you're on a schedule. There are at least ten stories I'd love to do.

Are there certain criteria when it comes to casting? Perhaps making sure whoever you bring in isn't too well-known?

We try to find the best actors. This was shot primarily in the Czech Republic, and a lot of the actors come from the U.K., which is amazing because they're working as theater actors all the time. There's quite a good talent pool who can do various accents. With that, we also have budget considerations and what that allows, and the sky's the limit for something like this.

Did you feel more creative freedom on a streaming platform like Peacock? Was there a limit you couldn't go past?

Peacock's collaborative. Listen, everything's always going back and forth, and there's lots of opinions and notes. We take them seriously, and they're good and constructive. I interpret them through my lens, and I discuss them. It either helps it or hurts it; we talk about it a little bit more. It's a constant collaboration, and that's one of the things I enjoy about my job, quite frankly.

Was there a sequence in any of the episodes that you had to revisit that didn't quite work out, and you had to figure out what would work eventually?

A lot comes to life in the edit, and in the episode I directed, "A Killer Comes Home," I cut out a couple scenes of dialog that is a fine line because we're doing this Carpenter stuff with some of the over-the-top kind of performances on purpose. You're also fitting a tonality of a real story and real people who have died and been respectful to the victims. That was a tough balance. I cut a couple of scenes that were over-the-top dialog scenes that didn't quite fit the mood of the piece.

What was your favorite Carpenter work?

That's 'The Thing.' It's a masterpiece, and it's him firing on all cylinders. It's the descent into paranoia. Everything from the camera work, and performances to the location, to the incredible creature effects. It rocks.

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams is available to stream on Peacock.

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