I am a super fan of writer-director Mick Garris. The man started out making behind the scenes docs for the likes of such flicks as Joe Dante's THE HOWLING, John Carpenter's THE THING, and Richard Donner's THE GOONIES. From there, Garris became a screenwriter himself with such classics as CRITTERS 2, THE FLY II, and HOCUS POCUS.
He also directed PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING, SLEEPWALKERS, and various made-for-TV Stephen King adaptations including THE STAND, RIDING THE BULLET, DESPERATION, and BAG OF BONES.
Not to mention the man was the creative forces behind Showtime's MASTERS OF HORROR series.
This weekend Mick Garris will be awarding fellow genre legend Roger Corman with the newly created Master of Horror award at The Overlook Film Festival, which, for those unfamiliar, is the film festival that takes place in the very hotel that inspired Stephen King to pen THE SHINING. (Incidentally, we will have a man on the ground there this weekend, so keep an eye out!)
Also, Mick will be doing a LIVE interview with Roger Corman for the Post Mortem podcast, so make sure to tune in at 5:45pPST on Saturday!
Recently, I had the privilege to ask Mick Garris some questions, not just about the upcoming award, but about Roger Corman himself, Garris' must-subscribe podcast POST MORTEM, his new horror anthology, and (because I f*cking HAD to) the possibility of HOCUS POCUS 2…
Check out the full interview below!
Can you tell us a bit about your new podcast POST MORTEM?
In a way, it’s an offshoot of the FEARnet TV show we did by the same name. Kind of the Charlie Rose approach to one-on-one conversations with filmmakers in the horror genre. I started doing interviews when I was in high school, as a music, film, and literary journalist. My first-ever interview was with my idol, Ray Bradbury. During my rock’n’roll days, I interviewed people like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, while I was but a teenager. I started doing television interviews in the late seventies on LA’s Z Channel, the first pay-TV outlet here. I had guests like Steven Spielberg, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter, lots of inspirational people. But the difference here now is perspective. Rather than fan and journalist, I am fan and filmmaker. These are conversations, and with my experience in the field, I think it makes for more natural, relaxed, and informed chats than before. And many of these talks are with friends. It’s not always one-on-one; we’ve had a couple of theme shows with more than one guest, like John Landis and Joe Dante talking about politics in horror films. That got pretty lively.
I love the Post Mortem podcast and listen to every new episode. Can you tell us who we might expect to hear on future episodes?
Next up is PHANTASM’s Don Coscarelli. After him, we’ll be doing a live conversation with an audience with Roger Corman. Stuart Gordon has recorded a show with us, and AMERICAN GODS and HANNIBAL series creator Bryan Fuller is going to sit down with me. After that, nobody is locked in, but I’m lining up a bunch of really interesting people. I’ve signed with Podcast One to deliver 26 shows in a year.
You are presenting fellow legendary horror icon, Roger Corman, with the (newly created) Master of Horror award at the upcoming Overlook Film Festival. How would you personally describe Roger Corman's contribution to our beloved genre?
Well, his contributions are numerous and massive. Aside from the many great (and some, admittedly, not so great) of the movies he’s directed, he has brought such great film talent to the screen as Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coffola, Ron Howard, Richard Matheson, and many, many other shining lights who might not have gone on to such illustrious careers without him. He brought Poe and Lovecraft to the masses. He showed that you could bring important themes into play in the guise of a horror and science fiction film, showed that it was possible to do great work without spending a fortune (though some of that work might have been even greater had the budgets been not quite so penurious). His body of work spans decades, and still continues to this day. And though he is in his 90’s, he’s as sharp as can be, goes into his office every day, and still making movies!
I heard the news you were working on a new horror anthology. Is there any further info you can share on the potential film/series?
Well, it’s moving along really well, but we can’t really announce anything officially until we’re into June. But it’s a pretty exciting feature with filmmakers from around the world telling their own very unique and terrifying stories. It’s a feature film, but it might be the jumping off point for a new anthology series. I can’t wait to be able to tell you all about it!
Is there any hope for a HOCUS POCUS 2?
I keep hearing that it’s in the works, but at this point, anyway, I’m not involved. I hope it happens; the fans really seem to be eager for it, and I’d love to see what the next step into the Sanderson Sisters’ world would be like!