Darren Lynn Bousman's remake of Mother's Day wrapped up filming in 2010. While the movie was available in the UK last year, fans have been anxiously awaiting this week's US Blu-ray/DVD release.
I've caught up with Darren Lynn Bousman a couple of times for The Devil's Carnival, and had a chance to ask him some questions about Mother's Day and The Barrens:
With as busy as you've been with The Devil's Carnival, I'm surprised you have time to work on and promote other projects.
Darren: It's insane. I'm in a van right now driving across the country to Ohio. We're in Canada and about to cross the border.
When we talked last time, you said that Mother's Day was one of your favorite films that you've directed. What in particular made this such an enjoyable experience compared to your past films?
Darren: It's something I can look at as a whole and feel that I've really done what I set out to do. With any movie, you usually get 50 or 60 percent of your vision. With Mother's Day, I feel like I got a lot more of my vision across than in other movies.
I also think that the acting is great, especially with Rebecca De Mornay and Jaime King. I was proud of the whole experience, from shooting and acting, to the way it was edited.
I've read online that there was a 20 minute scene cut from the film. Is there any truth to this?
Darren: There was a 20 minute section that dealt with a character I cut out completely, because the entire character arc didn't work. It was a really cool scene, but sometimes you have to be willing to throw your babies away for the sake of everything else.
You put together a solid cast, which isn't always the case for these types of films. Was it easy to get Rebecca De Mornay on board? Was there anyone you wanted to cast, but were unable to?
Darren: Rebecca De Mornay was not easy to get on board. She had some concerns, and rightfully so, over the subject matter. After I spoke to her and told her what I wanted to do with it, she got it. Luckily we were able to sign her and she was fantastic. We had pretty much got everyone we wanted. There was no one I can think of that we weren't able to get.
This was a pretty intense film and I was wondering about the mood on set. Was this a tough shoot for you and the actors?
Darren: It was actually one of the easiest shoots that I've done. It was a lot of fun and everyone was friends. We all hung out together and there was no drama. It was probably one of the most easy experiences during the production phase. It started getting complicated when we had problems with distribution, but the actual shooting couldn't have gone smoother.
This film was released internationally last year. Is the cut that was sold in the UK the same that the US is getting on Blu-ray?
Darren: I believe that they have a different version with a slightly different ending in the UK, but it's not going to be that different. There are miniscule changes and maybe slightly different music, but not big scene changes.
The ending leaves things open for the possibility of a future film. Are you interested in directing a sequel?
Darren: If you had asked me that question two years ago, I would have said yes. Now, with what has happened with the movie and the amount of time that has passed, I don't know if I can say that confidently. I love the brothers and had an idea that I wanted to do, but I'm not so sure that will happen now. I just hope that people find and respond to this one.
I know the problem with moving forward on a Repo! sequel was that Lionsgate owns the rights. Is a Mother's Day sequel more of a rights issue?
Darren: Anchor Bay bought the film and they've been great, but it comes down to financials. It has to make enough money to allow us to make a sequel.
I understand you recently wrapped up work on The Barrens. Can you tell me a little bit about the movie?
Darren: The Barrens will be out later this year through Anchor Bay as well. It's my version of a monster movie. I just turned the movie in last week. It's The Shining meets Jaws in the woods.
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Keep an eye out for a contest later today, where you can win a copy of Mother's Day signed by Darren Lynn Bousman and Briana Evigan. To learn more about Mother's Day, check out our recent coverage:
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