Camel Spiders was just released on Blu-ray/DVD and I was offered the opportunity to interview star Brian Krause (Sleepwalkers, Charmed) about his experience filming the movie. While we only had a brief chat time, I learned about his hate of spiders, working under director Jim Wynorski, and acting with CGI camel spiders.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Camel Spiders is one of those movies that I’ve seen a lot of reader feedback on. Some are disgusted by it, some are excited, and others just don’t enjoy B-movies like this. Camel Spiders is out on Blu-ray/DVD this week and I wanted to find out more about your experience making this film. Can you tell me how you got involved with this movie?
Brian Krause: I’m friends with Matt Borlenghi who was attached to it. He pitched my name to director Jim Wynorski, they got a hold of me, and that’s how it happened.
What is your experience with Corman films before making Camel Spiders? Do you enjoy creature features?
Brian Krause: I like them. I’ve done a few sci-fi movies and they’re fun. We’re not playing brain surgeons trying to cure cancer or anything depressing. It’s a fun, campy make believe world.
These movies seem to have picked up more steam recently. In the past they might only appeal to the drive-in crowd, where now any teenager could check it out on Syfy.
Brian Krause: Yeah, look at movies like Dinocroc vs Supergator. With CGI you can create any type of creature you want and it doesn’t really matter if the audience recognizes the actors. It’s about the creature and having a campy good time. It’s entertainment at its finest.
Talking about CG a little bit, all of the camel spiders in the film were computer generated. Were you able to interact with any off set to see them up close?
Brian Krause: No, it’s illegal to bring any of them into the United States. I’m sure the government and scientists have brought them here, but no film crew is able to use them the way that you might with a tarantula. They can’t be privately owned, so I did what everyone else does and looked them up online. I had seen all of those pictures taken by soldiers and was completely grossed out. They run so fast and I can’t even imagine them over here.
I couldn't imagine waking up to something the size of a camel spider in my house. How do you feel about spiders in general? Do normal house spiders make you uncomfortable?
Brian Krause: I haven’t liked them since I was a kid. They just make me crawl. They’re gross and they need to be stepped on, squashed, and thrown in the toilet.
It probably felt pretty good to take out some of that spider hate in the movie.
Brian Krause: And to do it with a gun… heck yeah! Jim Wynorski made it fun.
How was the experience of fighting and acting with the spiders being completely CG?
Brian Krause: Fortunately for me, I had quite a bit of green screen experience on Charmed. That has all changed so much in the last 15 years into something wonderful. As an actor, using a green screen takes you from playing in reality to back to when you were a kid pretending on the playground.
There isn’t a big spider, but you have to make it real. That makes it fun and it’s everyone’s own creation in their own mind. Jim Wynorski painted a good picture for us of what the audience will see and we went from there.
Did you get to spend any time with Roger Corman on the set?
Brian Krause: I didn’t get to meet Roger, unfortunately. We were on location far away, but Jim Wynorski was our liaison. He’s the cream of the crop when it comes to this sort of movie and he knows how to get it done. He’s fast and efficient, and makes sure that we’re all having fun.
How long did the movie take to shoot?
Brian Krause: I think we were at about 2 weeks and the CGI took a couple of months. It was a fast turn around and Jim is renowned for being quick. You want another take and he straight up tells you: “It’s not going to get any better. We got it and we’re moving on.”
What can our viewers expect from you in the future on the horror front?
Brian Krause: Crackle is coming out a new original online television series, which Sony produced, called The Unknown. It’s very much like The Twilight Zone and I play one of the main characters in an episode. It has a high production value and I think your audience will love to check it out. It is a cool concept and the stories are really well done.
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