Thommy Hutson and Anthony Masi - Exclusive
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A chat with the producers of a groundbreaking new horror film anthology, currently shooting.
Staci Layne Wilson / Horror.com: OK, so… explain what Prank is.
Thommy Hutson: Prank is a horror/thriller anthology encompassing three stories and a wraparound. Each story revolves around horrific, suspenseful and thrilling events in the lives of the characters. The segments are being directed by genre-favorite leading ladies (Heather Langenkamp, Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell).
Anothony Masi: I was talking with Thommy one day about a horror script that a talented writer submitted to my company about a prank phone call gone wrong that I thought had great potential as a short. Thommy immediately mentioned he wrote a similar type of horror screenplay about an innocent telephone game turning deadly, and this idea kind of popped into my head about doing a movie about pranks getting out of hand.
Staci: What made you guys decide that scream queens should be directing horror movies?
Thommy: The fact that these three ladies have been through so much of the process in front of the camera, it made sense to work with them to share their sensibilities to an audience from behind the camera. We knew that their instincts on being a performer -- and working to bring the audience along with their character and story -- would be a huge asset in terms of directing. I think it is less a case of why SHOULD they be doing this, and more a thought of, well, why SHOULDN'T they be doing this?
Tony: Originally, Thommy and I were going to direct the movie. The idea was to do it quickly on a super-low budget, but that all changed when Danielle got on board. I am in development with Danielle now on another feature that she is directing, and since she had no film directing experience it made sense that she direct a short before she jumped into a full 2-hour movie. Since the Prank idea happened, I asked her if she might want to take a look at the script Thommy and I wrote for it, called Madison. I was actually surprised Danielle liked the script because she's very selective when it comes to material, but she said she immediately "got it" and would "love to direct it". So once Danielle attached herself to the project it was clear that if we attached two other well-known scream queens who had a genuine desire to direct to the project, that we'd have something unique in terms of concept.
Staci: What is it about horror that attracts girls and women to it?
Thommy: There's so many elements that make a good horror film work, and many of those are thrills, suspense, terror and being able to watch and "live" through an experience most people will never have. Also, because the great horror films have such well-drawn characters, I think it's easy for women to find a common denominator with, especially, the heroines of these films. They can relate to identifiable women (and men) through their intelligence, strength and the ability to overcome some horrifying obstacles.
Tony: Horror is definitely a male-dominated genre, and that's why Prank is a departure from the norm, at least in my eyes. Prank, to me, is a way for these ladies to creatively give back to the genre that made them famous. It's a way for them to celebrate their success, respect the genre, and actually groom new scream queens that are starring in their movies. And yes, each director makes a cameo in their own stories.
Staci: How did you decide on each of your actress-slash-directors? Had any of them directed before?
Thommy: None of them had any true film directing experience prior to this, but that didn't stop us from realizing that these women have such a following in the genre, really understand the conventions in which they have worked and want to tell good stories. That was one of the biggest points, the fact that they all wanted to put on screen a compelling, fun, thrilling and scary tale. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have such recognizable genre women at the helm...and that we knew them before hand and believed in what they could accomplish.
Tony: I have known Danielle and Ellie since the Halloween Returns To Haddonfield convention that I chaired in 2003, and Thommy is friends with Heather. The challenge for us wasn't "who can we get to direct", it was "who can we get to direct that really WANTS to direct". Prank is a true debut in every sense of the word.
Staci: How do you two know each other?
Thommy: (Tony stalked me for years! Kidding!) Anthony and I met each other through a mutual friend and we all immediately hit it off.
Staci: What are each of your roles as producers? Did you each write scripts?
Thommy: I think for a project like this, which is one that is not a huge studio film, but an independent genre piece, the question really is what AREN'T our roles as Producers? From concept to overseeing the writing to managing the production and being on set to put out the small (and not so small) fires and emergencies that arose, we really had a hand in every aspect.
In terms of writing, Anthony and I co-wrote the segment that Danielle is directing, MADISON. That was a blast to write b/c we knew we wanted a small, creepy, atmospheric piece. We also had a location to write around, which was nice because it allowed us to tailor the script and its moments for maximum effectiveness. It's a cool, brooding piece.
My writing partner, Catherine Trillo, and I co-wrote Heather's segment, JESSICA. That was something that was written a while ago and sort of "ripped from the headlines" in the sense that kids today don't always think of the consequences of their actions. When you add in the idea that a prank phone call to the wrong person can end up deadly, well, you get something right out of a horror movie!
Ellie's piece, Cassidy, is written by Nick Bennet and takes the concept of a murder mystery party to new -- and very surprising -- levels. It's fun, scary and has a lot of twists and turns.
Anthony and I are also co-scripting the wraparound segment, which will tie the tales together. The through line of the film really is some sort of joke, or prank or even one's own ideas of a situation gone wrong. The wraparound we've developed is a good way to intertwine the stories in an organic way, while still providing some twists of its own.
All the stories will have a great surprise or two in them...and the wraparound is no different! We really wanted to have fun with the film and play with the audiences (who are smarter and smarter these days).
Tony: I am a natural organizer/planner, so producing this project is a complete joy. A lot of people don't realize exactly what a producer does, but essentially the producer is the creative force behind any project. We are the ones that make sure the "vision" is being carried through, and we make sure we round up all of the right people to get the job done. Writing is my second passion and getting "Madison" made was of course a bonus. The stories in Prank are not linked in any way other than the general "prank" concept. Originally it was "prank calls going wrong" but when we examined the premise, the vision centered around the idea of what the word "prank" really means. Are pranks backfiring on the actors in the movie? Is the audience being pranked? Or is the prank something else entirely? To me, this playfulness is what Prank is all about.
Staci: The first story, Madison, directed by Danielle Harris of Halloween fame, is in the can. What are some of the surprises or happy accidents you encountered with this story’s evolution from script to screen?
Thommy: I think it really always comes down to how you, the writer, see something on the page and then seeing it come to life on screen. It's usually very different! From a writer standpoint, it's just always nice to see your words come to life. On Madison, I have to say everything was great. It was a fairly smooth shoot, Danielle was receptive to what we were thinking as both writers and producers and the film looks great. We shot almost all nights, which can really wear you down, but seeing the film come alive was one of the nicest surprises.
Tony: One of the "happy accidents" in Madison, for me, was the casting of Dana Daurey. As a writer, I envisioned Madison to play almost every emotion possible in a 30-minute story, and I honestly thought it was going to be a near-impossible casting job. I had visions of us auditioning hundreds of actors and still coming up with nothing. Thommy suggested Tori Spelling in the lead role but I just couldn't see it. Danielle knew Dana from making the rounds in audition circles and suggested her. I went in open-minded but secretly thinking it was a long-shot but when we did the table reading I was immediately sold on Dana. I actually had chills go up my spine during some of the scenes and I couldn't believe we actually found our Madison.
Staci: What’s the look and tone of Madison? Has Harris set a tone now, or do you think each story will be completely its own… I mean, are you looking for a consistent feel for Prank?
Thommy: I think each director will definitely have their own style and Danielle certainly imbued her story with her own vision. The three tales are markedly different in tone: from brooding to creepy to scary and mysterious. That will allow us to craft a film that has a lot of different layers and colors, as opposed to having one certain look. That, I feel, works in our favor: we can take the audience on a much more interesting ride in these three tales.
Tony: Madison is at its core a thriller, and Danielle wanted a "less is more" approach. It's somber, isolated and brooding, but climaxes to something that we hope will be a powerful ending.
Staci: It seems impossible, but is this really the first instance of a horror movie being directed by scream queens?
Thommy: It does seem impossible, but in terms of such high-profile genre women, I think we might be one of the first films to be doing this! And just getting the three women together one on project was already an achievement. And it's something we do take seriously; we aren't out to throw their names on just anything because it happens to be the genre. We want to have them bring the stories we've crafted to life in a way that makes us happy, makes them happy and satisfies an audience. But, that being said, while we're not saving the world, we're well aware that this should be fun, for everyone involved including the viewers. And yes, if it works out, great!
Tony: Yes, this is a first-time concept and that is why I was drawn to the idea. I would love to produce a Prank series, where many women of horror can jump behind the camera and direct. There simply aren't enough female directors in the genre and it's time for those who want to take the chance to strut their stuff. Prank 7? Sign me up.
Staci: How gory are these stories? I'd love to know how the horror elements factor in, especially with the one you’ve already completed.
Thommy: The gore content is pretty low. We're really relying on a more suspenseful "did you see it?" type of feel. There's blood, to be sure, but from the onset we consciously decided we wanted to go less visceral and more psychological. Still, have no fear, people are gonna die and it isn't always pretty.
Tony: In Danielle's story, the gore content is low. In the others it will be more prevalent. All of the directors involved in Prank agreed that a focus on suspense was the way to go. It's easy to show heads being ripped off and guts flying everywhere, but it's not so easy to pull off a psychological scare.
Staci: What’s Danielle like – give me an anecdote that will perhaps put her in a whole new light. Because honestly, we don’t know much about her aside from her film work and that E! True Hollywood story about her stalker troubles.
Thommy: Danielle is a bundle of energy. A total spitfire who cares so much about the work she is doing. Professional and fun. The set was such a nice place to be. There was always such a great vide and it was a tremendous help to have Danielle know exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it and how. And, though she is known for being serious and dramatic in the roles she plays, she is incredibly funny!
Tony: Danielle is probably one of the most focused, confident and sincere people I've met in this business. She is even-tempered (when things were stressful on-set she kept her cool), and very funny when she wants to be. As for an anecdote, I have a great one for you. Dana was filming a scene where she enters a house and gets startled by a knock at the door a few moments after she closes it. We kept doing the take and Dana was reacting to a "knock knock knock" vocal prompt coming from Danielle. Danielle quietly came over to me, handed me a walkie talkie, and asked me to go outside and sneak around to the front door and bang on the door as loud as I could when I heard her queue me from the walkie talkie. I had to crawl around the front of the house because Dana would have seen me through the large picture window. I got in place and just waited behind the door until I heard ACTION. When I got the queue, I pounded with all my might on the door and I heard Dana scream her head off and then I heard a THUD. When they yelled CUT I went inside and found out that Dana got so scared that she spun around and fell to the floor. Danielle had everyone laughing like crazy at something like four in the morning, and this made for really great on-set moment.
Another time, we were filming the opening scene after a twelve-hour all-night shoot. The sun had come up and almost everyone was either sleeping or near-sleeping, and Danielle had Dana in the kitchen doing one final scene before we wrapped for the day. The scene is a lengthy telephone conversation and although my eyes were closed sitting on the couch, I heard Danielle putting Dana through the wringer with take after take after take, and at one point Dana yelled, "I don't know what the fuck you want from me!" And Danielle calmly said, "You're almost there, I just need you to try it one more time." I remember thinking, "Jesus, she's done the scene ten times, what more could Danielle be looking for?" We all seriously wanted to just go home, we were all zombified after such a long night of shooting. But Danielle made sure she got exactly what she wanted from Dana, and this, to me, is the sign of a director who knows exactly what she's looking for, and knows when and how to push her actor to get it.
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· Click here to read our exclusive interview with dynamo Danielle Harris
· Visit the official PrankMovie.com website here