sondramedia Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Hilarie Burton Morgan about Bloody Axe Wound. She mentioned her experiences producing the Shudder/RLJE Movies horror film, creating sensible gore, and extra.
“Abbie Bladecut is an adolescent torn between the macabre traditions of her household’s bloody commerce and the tender stirrings of her first crush. Within the small city of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut, has constructed an notorious legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and promoting them to keen clients, however as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly household enterprise, she begins to surprise if it’s time to take the household custom in a brand new path,” the synopsis reads.
Bloody Axe Wound can be launched in choose United States theaters on December 27, 2024.
Brandon Schreur: Are you able to inform me somewhat bit in regards to the origins of this challenge? It’s a extremely wild film, in a great way. There’s a variety of twists.
Hilarie Burton Morgan: It’s bizarre!
It’s bizarre! And there’s a variety of darkish comedy, however there’s additionally a variety of coronary heart to it, like I actually like the connection between Sam and Abbie that develops. What are you able to inform me about how you bought concerned with this challenge and what your response was whenever you had been going by means of all of this for the primary time?
My husband [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] and I’ve been producing issues individually for a couple of decade. It was the pandemic, we had been watching films. We had type of gone by means of all of the issues that everybody else was watching. Then there was this bizarre, little impartial film known as Uncle Peckerhead by a author/director named Matthew John Lawrence. We watched it and had been like, ‘What the f— did we simply watch?’ Proper? Prefer it was so bizarre and so humorous, the sensible results had been so interesting to me as a result of the CGI factor is so much for me.
Jeff is like, ‘I’m not used to you liking this style, that is particular.’ We reached out to Matthew on Twitter and had been identical to, ‘What else do you might have?’ He despatched us a stack of scripts. We learn this one and it actually was the proper marriage of all of Jeffrey’s horror style, blood and guts, killing zombies, gross stuff. And my teen drama years, the place I used to be in highschool for like a decade! With the ability to do a challenge that appealed to each of us, our histories, and our fanbases was thrilling. We signed on and simply hit the bottom working, attempting to name up all our buddies that cared about it as a lot as we did.
Positive, undoubtedly. That makes whole sense. And the outcomes are nice, it looks like you had an excellent staff that was engaged on it, it turned out so good. The results had been one thing I wished to speak to you about, too, simply because I believed the gore was so cool. Even past that, there’s not a lot CGI, if any, it appears. I beloved the look of the Roger Bladecut character. And simply the wolf masks and every little thing. I’m curious the way you guys went about that method. Do you know from the start that you simply wished to do all sensible like this?
Yeah. That was one thing that was vital to me as a result of that’s what I preferred about Uncle Peckerhead. That’s what I like about classic slasher films. I like a sensible impact as a result of it’s artistry, proper? I like realizing there’s an individual mixing blood behind the scenes. I identical to the backstory of a sensible impact. With this, we had been actually fortunate. Our head particular results artist got here from The Strolling Lifeless world, he works on Lifeless Metropolis with Jeffrey. He’s simply unbelievable. Having somebody from inside the household are available and take the lead on this film was nice.
There have been sure elements of the script the place we had been like, ‘How is that this going to work? We don’t know!’ Our staff was so nice. We teamed with Mary Stuart Masterson, who’s a really pricey buddy of ours within the Hudson Valley. When it comes to telling the story about cool, leather-based jacket-wearing women, she’s the OG from Some Sort of Great. I received to do it on One Tree Hill, and now we’ve received this new crop of cool women that we received to usher in. So Mary Stuart was additionally extremely vital to understanding our price range, what we might do, and the right way to shoot it in order that it made sense. I feel we ended up with a extremely enjoyable story that’s type of gross.
It’s type of gross, in the absolute best means. The women is one thing I wished to ask you about, too, as a result of I simply talked to Sari and Molly this morning. They’re so cool.
Aren’t they?
I imply, they’re nice within the film, however simply in real-life they appear so completely solid. Sari advised me a extremely shaggy dog story about how she didn’t know something about this challenge after which she received a telephone name and three days later she was off filming it.
We play quick and unfastened, man, that’s us!
Oh, I’m positive. I’m curious how the casting course of labored out of your viewpoint and the way you felt they labored their means into these characters.
Sari and Molly had been names that had been floated very, very early on. We knew that we wished them, however we didn’t know if we might get them. So a variety of the casting course of was type of engaged on contingencies — like, if we are able to’t get them as a result of they’re so nice, what else can we do? We had an excellent casting agent, right here, within the Hudson Valley. And we received to include some beautiful actors. It was an excellent alternative for me to fulfill them and see what they’re able to. Molly is working with Christian Slater proper now on Dexter, and his son is likely one of the kills on this film.
Oh, actually?
Yeah, he’s the man who’s killed on the lake. That’s Christian Slater’s son. So it was cool to have this small little world the place everybody was enjoying good within the sandbox. You’d hang around on set and everybody was so pleased to be there. So the casting course of was fairly straightforward. As soon as we had Billy Burke in place and Sari and Molly, like, what a dream. As a result of Sari has such an excellent friendship with Eddie [Leavy], having Eddie be part of was additionally like, this was our wish-list. We actually felt very fortunate that, as one particular person signed on, it opened the door for one more particular person, after which one other particular person. It speaks to the reputations of all of the folks concerned, you recognize? While you learn all these names, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah. I would like that.’
Oh, positive. All people goes to need to see it as soon as they see all these names on there. And I’m so excited for folks to see it, too, as a result of I really feel like that is so distinctive and going to be such successful when it will get on the market. Tremendous thrilling. One other factor I wished to speak to you about relating to this film is the precise location of the video retailer rental place. I believed that was actually cool. It appeared actually particular. I imply, I used to be born within the 90s so earlier than my time, however it made me consider stuff like Video Nasties and stuff in that complete realm. I’m curious how that each one got here to be. Clearly, I’m assuming there’s not a video rental place giving out movies of actual murders or something, however…
I imply, I wouldn’t be stunned if there was, the world is a f—ed up place. However as somebody who was not born within the 90s, there have been sure video rental locations we might go to in highschool that weren’t Blockbuster. Erol’s was additionally one other one which predates your lifespan. They weren’t chains. They had been simply impartial, mom-and-pop rental locations. That’s actually what this area was primarily based on.
And I preferred that Matthew grew up in the identical world that I did, the place you’re a child within the suburbs and people video rental locations are your escape. That’s your one outlet to see what it appears to be like like on the surface. We discovered the sh—iest little nook, strip mall place. And it’s nice! It’s a spot that I might have frolicked in highschool.
Yeah, I imply it appears to be like cool, it appears to be like enjoyable. It simply appears to be like so actual, I wished to be there. Perhaps not for the homicide video half.
It is perhaps! Who is aware of?
Precisely. I beloved how humorous this film is. It’s a horror film, you typically count on that, however the darkish comedy in right here simply appears so particular, once more, with what it’s heading. Did you must stroll on eggshells or something? I imply, it’s a film about excessive schoolers being murdered. Have been there a variety of conversations about what you are able to do so far as the comedy goes, what’s too far, and the right way to discover the fitting line? As a result of, ultimately, I feel you nailed it, I’m simply curious what that course of appeared like.
Yeah, no, for me, the social and political undertones of the story had been actually vital. As a result of if we’re telling the story of misogyny within the style, but additionally violence towards younger folks in our nation, yeah, you’re proper, tremendous sensitive points. When folks have requested, ‘Oh, it is a fictional world?’ I’m like, ‘No, this sh— is going on daily.’ Loopy, terrible issues are occurring daily. So we’re going to handle it and we’re going to have a humorousness about it so that you guys see how ridiculous it’s that it retains occurring.
It wasn’t the comedy that I used to be frightened about. It was the violence towards ladies that I used to be frightened about. We wanted our kills towards the boys to be each bit as grotesque because the kills towards ladies are. So, no, make sick jokes all day. Simply watch out about how you chop somebody on display screen, that was my concern.
Positive. And you’ve got that nice kill proper at the start with the trophy. That one is a lot enjoyable to look at.
Everybody wants a trophy. I want we might simply ship trophies to everybody in a present field who’s watching this film, just like the screeners.
Because of Hilarie Burton Morgan for discussing Bloody Axe Wound.
