Exclusive Interview: Director Darren Lynn Bousman talks The Devil’s Carnival

Yesterday marked the start of The Devil's Carnival road tour. Director Darren Lynn Bousman will be taking the film on a 30+ city tour with Terrance Zdunich in an event that combines a film screening with live elements unique to each stop.

This is unlike anything we've seen recently and and I was happy to have the chance to talk with Darren Lynn Bousman about the project in more detail. Continue reading to learn about the incredible amount of work required to get this show on the road, what you can expect at different stops, and plans for a TV series.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I understand you've been quite busy recently working on both The Barrens and The Devil's Carnival.

Darren Lynn Bousman: I've been busy with The Barrens, but The Devil's Carnival has been such a huge undertaking. There's no studio behind us, so it's us doing everything. We're booking the theaters, sending out prints, and getting merchandise. It's me, Terrance, and one other guy doing it all, so it's an 18 hour day every day.  We've been involved in everything, from communicating with theaters, to booking the theaters, getting insurance, and selling tickets.

I'd imagine that this is a new experience for you. Was it more difficult than you imagined?

Darren Lynn Bousman: It's the most difficult thing I've ever done. The job of the director isn't to book theaters and deal with insurance policies. However, it's the coolest thing I've been a part of and I wouldn't change it for the world. I love it because it has given me an understanding of how the process really works and it's making me smarter on how I will do business for future movies.

The tour kicks off this week in LA. Is everything set and ready to go?

Darren Lynn Bousman: We're going to be getting ready for this right up until the 5 minutes before we hit play. It is a very hard process, because it contains elements of a live show as well as a movie screening. We have live actors, a sing-along, contests, a Q&A, and a press line. It's not just about the show itself either, because we have to make sure that the theater tickets work and handle lost tickets. It is a full time job, never sleeping to pull this thing off and get it ready to go.

With as crazy as your schedule was before The Devil's Carnival, what made you want to jump into this and take on this new responsibility?

Darren Lynn Bousman: I'm not sure if I have an exact answer for that. We had problems with Mother's Day, which is one of my favorite films that I have directed. [The distributor] told me that it would only show in three theaters. That amazes and pisses me off. How is it possible? The movie tested high, but they tell you "that's just the way it is." It doesn't have to be that way. You could start it in 30 or 40 theaters and it doesn't cost that much money. I heard the same with 11-11-11 and you can only hear that so many times before you say "I'm going to prove to you that it can be done."

That's partially what it was about: to show people that you don't have to give into what everyone says. If you believe in something and have passion for it, you don't have to wait for someone to do it for you. Just go out there and do it yourself.

Others who were in your position may not have taken the same path and opted for a traditional studio project. It's refreshing to see you guys take this on and call all the shots. How has fan reaction been to you taking this path as opposed to making a big studio picture?

Darren Lynn Bousman: Fan reaction has been great. They are who I answer to, because they are the ones buying the tickets. They should have the final answer on everything because they determine whether this has been a success or a failure.

I couldn't be happier with their reaction. We're just a couple of dudes doing this through our apartments, yet we're in magazines and all the main websites. This is done through tireless emailing and beating doors down. It's exciting because we're doing something not a lot of other people do.

If fan reaction and ticket sales for the 30-city tour are looking good, do you plan to add additional stops?

Darren Lynn Bousman: We have been doing that already to some extent. As of right now, we're at 37 engagements. Some of those are two screenings per night, because we sold out the first night quickly. The problem is that while we stand a chance to make some money back on this, the best case is breaking even.

The tour costs quite a bit of money because you're dealing with 6 fulltime people working on the road. You have a tour manager, a box office person, and you have to stay in hotel rooms every single night. We have 37 stops, with 37 hotel rooms times six people. And there are things you don't think of like gas, which is upwards of $15,000, not including the cost of renting the bus. We had someone who asked why we were charging so much for tickets, saying that they should be $10. They should be $10 if you're seeing a movie at AMC playing in 3,000+ screens, but this is different from that.

For our readers who may not have been following all of the news on The Devil's Carnival, can you tell me a bit more about what they can expect? I know you mentioned costume contests and sing-alongs. I also heard that there will be guests from the movie. Will you and Terrance be on every stop?

Darren Lynn Bousman:  Yeah we will, but the other special guests will change. For example, Clown from Slipknot will be in LA and San Diego, but it changes depending on their schedule. As of right now, we have at least one actor per spot. Throughout the road show, I want to get as many actors as I can to appear in at least one or two stops.

The interesting part about that is that it makes each show unique for your most dedicated fans who follow you from stop to stop. The same can't be said for most musical acts.

Darren Lynn Bousman: That's absolutely what's happening. Every act is different. We don't have the same act twice, so one time you might get a contortionist or someone juggling chainsaws.

I talked to Terrance earlier about the future of the show and he mentioned this being episodic with the possibility of future episodes. In a best case scenario, what would you like to see happen with The Devil's Carnival? Is this something you want to continue to direct or do you plan to hand it off to others in the future?

Darren Lynn Bousman: I want to do at least the first couple of these things and the big plan is to turn it into a TV series. The idea is to get different directors to come in once this is really going. We'll always be bringing in different musicians and actors. Each episode would be like Tales from the Crypt, with every episode being a story of the macabre, but it would be interlaced with recurring characters.

Tales from the Crypt only had one recurring character, the Cryptkeeper, but he didn't have an arc. He was the same from when he started to when he ended. With this idea, the characters all have arcs, but there would be a different story each week. So I think that lends itself to having different directors and actors, yet the same main theme.

Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me. For readers who may not have seen Repo! The Genetic Opera or don't usually care for musicals, can you tell them why this is something they would be interested in?

Darren Lynn Bousman: The main thing is that people complain about originality being dead and everything playing in theaters being sequels and remakes. Terrance and I wanted to make something that is completely new and different, but the only way that originality thrives is by people supporting it. It shows the world that there is an audience for the macabre, the strange, and the different. The only way we can make an impact is to show people that we sold out the road tour. This is all self funded and no one is getting rich with this tour. The reason we're doing it this way is to prove that you don't need a conglomerate to make a difference. I hope that people will give it a chance. This is something that is unique and different, so if you like music and the macabre, please come out and see it.

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For more information on the tour and the list of dates/cities, visit: http://dailydead.com/the-devils-carnival-updated-tour-dates-soundtrack-and-video-clip/

If you’re interested in learning more about The Devil’s Carnival, don’t forget to check out our recent interview with Terrance Zdunich: http://dailydead.com/exclusive-interview-terrance-zdunich-talks-the-devils-carnival/