What is Elsie Hooper about?
It's the story of a gentle young man named Ridley Hooper who is forced to fight brutally for his stolen sister, Elsie. In his travels across town, he joins a young boy, Trent, who wields a chainsaw and has a bizarre connection with Elsie's captors. It's about love, friendship, chainsaws and shotguns.
How did you come up with the story?
I always wanted to tell a quirky horror story. When I was younger, I got sick and hallucinated with the fever. I saw these tall gangly creatures wandering around my neighborhood. When it came time to do Elsie Hooper, the serial, I just borrowed from my nightmare delusions.
Why did you decide to put Elsie Hooper online?
Because friends who were away at college couldn't see them otherwise. It was on a whim to be honest.
How long have you been working in the whole project?
Over 5 years since I wrote the first screenplay, but as for the comic, just over a year.
When were you approached about the movie?
Early this August.
Who is producing it?
It was with Impact Entertainment. It's just moved into new producer's hands. They're a little more connected. I'm under the guidance of the great Mike Donaldson now.
Are there any actors signed up yet?
Nope. I'm just about finished with the second draft of the screenplay. Once we have a final draft we can move ahead with the more intense stages of production.
Is there a certain director that you would like to work with, or do you plan to direct it yourself?
I'd love to direct, but if I can't, I have a list of people I'd go to. I'd love to see what Joe Carnahan could do with it. I'm a big fan of his, and it's from only one movie that I regard his work so highly. Narc. It made a big impression. I think he's directing the latest Mission Impossible though, so I guess he just leapt out of our league. Right now, I'm doing all I can, jumping through all the hoops I must, to direct it myself.
Have you started pre-production, scouting for locations and such?
Yes. Indeed we have. We'd like to shoot in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. It's a mirror of the comic's Campbell Falls. It's where I've lived most of my life since I moved from New York when I was a kid. It's the most exact and suitable place to shoot the movie. Everything in the comic is within a three miles of each other.
Do you have a date to start filming?
Maybe July or August. That might be wishful thinking. Next spring is more likely. We could get lucky, though. We'll see what happens as it falls together. We're cutting it close, I can tell you.
On average, how much sleep would you say you've lost?
I don't sleep enough, but I'm finding new ways to get things done when I'm awake. I'm finally working out a schedule. I'm getting better at these late nights of writing and drawing. I've probably lost a lot of sleep in the process though. Live and learn, right?
You're shooting for a PG-13 rating, will the story be toned down to reach that?
Nope. It's alien killing. You can splatter alien brains all you want. It's human brain-splatter that causes real trouble, and we don't have any of that. We won't have to tone it down too much, if at all. It's all in the way you go about it. If you can show the creatures without emotion and without feeling, you can kill them and remain safe because they're just bad guys. Once you dress them up with feelings and emotions, you start to enter dangerous ground of not suitable for children under 17. Think about the original Gremlins. I think they were stuffed in microwaves, stabbed with butcher knives, and melted to bubbling goop. It was only PG. I'm sure we'll be okay.
The movie is going to be serious, but Tim Burton serious or Sam Raimi serious?
Bob K. serious. You know the tone of the comic. It's half fun, half dark. It's weird balance, like a John Hughes film meets dark horror. The latest script I wrote for Elsie Hooper was very, very dark, and I liked it more than ever. The movie might be darker than I'd originally thought it'd end up being. It's fun to toy with these characters and see what they're capable of. You might be surprised with where we've taken it from the comic's kind of tongue-in-cheek roots. You'll still have the fun little gags, but the horror and misery of the whole situation is upped several notches.
Will Shadowmen, the plentiful enemies, be CGI or really good make-up?
Really good makeup if I have anything to do with it. CGI wears very thin on me. I think we need to stop relying on computers so heavily. There's things I see in movies all the time that'd be so much more impressive if they were physical effects. I know everything can't be physical, but if you look at a movie like Harry Potter, you'll see what I'm talking about. The movie was great, and there were some incredible sets and creatures, but the computer-laden Quiddich Match looked like rubber dolls on broomsticks. It just wasn't up to par with the rest of the film. It was very distracting. I'd like to keep the audience well within the film from start to finish. It's got to be true to life; true to our fears. We'll see what we can do with the resources available. I'm a stickler for the details. I think you'll be pleased.
Will most of the town be built on a lot, or is there going to be a lot of blue screen editing?
The town is standing about a mile from my house. I hope to rely on few special effects. This is a stunt and creature flick. I want to wow the audience with smart filmmaking and high action. I'd like to stray from conventional computery, blue screeny filmmaking. Like I said, these new effects are not as impressive as a real stunt, or fantastic creature shop work. I liked how Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy blended cartoon backgrounds and real streets for a surreal comic book feel. I'm not sure we're going to try anything like that though. Original ideas like that are intriguing when it comes to set design though.
Your drawing style is very cool, will that impact the visual style of the film?
Boy, it'd better. I didn't make everything look the way it does for nothing. It evokes a tone that's working with its fans. I don't want to disappoint them, or stray from the groove that's making this thing work. A lot of the comic's best areas will spill over into the film. It's important to make the movie work through proven means. The comic was a test run in a lot of ways.
Are you thinking of writing more screenplays?
Already writing two others as we speak. I love to write. I have some neat ideas floating around. One of them might actually become a movie before Elsie Hooper, but I won't get into that now...
Who would win in a cage fight, Ridley Hooper or Bruce Campbell?
Ha ha. Um. Boy. Bruce and I talk now and again, so Bruce would win because Ridley can't retaliate if I say he loses. Ridley would win only if he were to black out. When he blacks out it's like you've flipped on the insane-o-switch. Otherwise, yeah, Bruce is a man's man. Ridley's kind of a wimp when it comes to non-aliens anyhow. I don't picture him willfully punching any man. Bruce would clobber him. Put Bruce in an alien suit, and he's toast.
Any words for aspiring movie-makers?
Work hard and be willing to put in a lot, and I mean a lot of hours. Don't expect things to fall in your lap, they don't. You have to be absolutely tenacious in every factor of your goals. Get your work out there and build a following no matter what anyone thinks or has to say about it. Try to have fun and take your passions very seriously at the same time. You never know what might come of it. Seriously.
Elsie Hooper is written and drawn by Bob Krzykowski, and gets better and better as the serial goes on.