John Dies at the End will receive a limited theatrical release later this month, and I had a chance to talk with director Don Coscarelli about the movie. During our interview, he spoke about the challenges of adapting the novel, Paul Giamatti coming on board, and also gave me a status update on possible Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep sequels.
How were you first introduced to John Dies at the End?
Don Coscarelli: The first I heard of it was from this strange email that came in from Amazon.com. One of their robots told me that, based on the last book I read, I was going to love John Dies at the End. They were right... the logline was great, and after reading the book, I thought there could be a terrific movie here.
Out of all the projects you could have pushed forward with, why did you decide on this?
Don Coscarelli: There was just a wealth of creative riches here. There was a talking dog, a monster made of freezer meats, a drug from another universe that chooses you... and I could go on and on. There were all of these fantastic ideas and it was just about figuring out how to put it all together.
With all of these crazy elements, did you have a tough time adapting it into a screenplay that you thought worked well as a cohesive movie? Were there people telling you that this couldn't be done?
Don Coscarelli: I think I was overly ambitious, to tell you the truth. Many people were saying that it couldn't be done and I just had this vision that I could pull it off. Some parts were simple, like the bratwurst cell phone. It's a guy talking to a hot dog... what's difficult about that? Then we get into other manifestations of the evils of the universe, and they were demanding in terms of how we could create them on screen. The bulk of the shooting was fairly easy, but once we got to the effects scenes, I started to realize what a huge challenge this was.
Even from conception, trying to figure out where to use each tool available to us was a challenge. One of the big breakthroughs was when one of our illustrators came up with a great idea for the meat monster. It turned out that we could make it a man in a suit instead of going digital.
All through the process, I relied on friends and fellow directors who had a little more experience in the digital realm. I got a great education in the process and thank god I had time to fine-tune everything during the post-production period. It let me create the best effects we possibly could given our budget.
Did the budget hamper any of your plans or did you create the screenplay with the budget in mind?
Don Coscarelli: I don't know that there's a movie I've ever made where I felt the budget wasn't hampering me. My reach always exceeds my grasp, but I also feel a certain responsibility to investors to bring the project in reasonably. I did have pretty much full creative control to do what I wanted, so I'd happily take the exchange.
Paul Giamatti is not only an actor in John Dies at the End, but came on board as an executive producer? How did that come about?
Don Coscarelli: Actually, it was Eli Roth. He sent me an email and said he just had a meal with Paul in Europe. Paul was a big fan of Bubba Ho-Tep and Eli said I should talk to him. There was another project I was working on at the time and Paul was very interested in getting involved. He's just a kind, decent guy with a great sense of humor. He had a production company, and with his partner, we teamed up to work on the previous project that didn't pan out and then John Dies at the End.
I would think that Paul brings extra visibility to the project and potentially a new audience. Did that help when taking the film to festivals, such as Sundance?
Don Coscarelli: Yeah, I think there's no question. He's had success in certain demographics that are in sharp contrast to with the places where I've been successful. It was a dream to have the greatest living actor on the planet in my little horror movie. It's certainly opened up other opportunities and created additional visibility. It's really pretty amazing.
Looking ahead, are you interested in working on a John Dies at the End sequel as your next film? What's the chance of fans seeing another Phantasm or Bubba movie?
Don Coscarelli: I'd love to do something else, because I'm always looking to broaden my horizons and move in different directions. With that being said, working in the John Dies universe is terrific. If the movie gods smile on us and the success provides the opportunity to tell more stories in the TV or film mediums, I'd love to.
Unfortunately, the Bubba Ho-Tep sequel is in abeyance right now. It's something I'd like to pursue at some point, but doesn't feel like it's going to happen in the near future.
As far as Phantasm goes, I didn't think fans were so interested in getting a fifth installment. I felt like we pretty much wrapped up everything in the fourth, but it feels like there's a resurgence of interest and it's something to think about. For now, I'm hoping to get something original and different going on next.
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John Dies At The End stars Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Fabianne Therese, Jonny Weston, Paul Giamatti, and Daniel Roebuck. The movie will be released to theaters starting on January 25th and is now available on-demand. Interested in learning more? Check back soon for our exclusive interview with Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, and Paul Giamatti. You can catch up on our recent coverage with the following links:
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