Axelle Carolyn Talks Tales of Halloween and More!
The 10-part horror anthology Tales of Halloween (review) has hit theaters, VOD, and iTunes today; and it’s definitely a must to put on your 31 days of horror list this month. Featuring entries from the horror elite including Neil Marshall and Lucky McKee with cameos from the likes of Joe Dante, Adam Green, and Drew Struzan, one of the more memorable stories, “Grimm Grinning Ghost,” comes from director and Tales of Halloween producer Axelle Carolyn.
Just before the film’s release, Carolyn was kind enough to sit down with us to discuss her love of Halloween and how a 10-part anthology was able to get off the ground in the current climate of Hollywood where it’s harder than ever to get the greenlight.
Dread Central: You must really love this time of year, especially seeing how you were married on Halloween. What’s your favorite thing to do in the month of October?
Axelle Carolyn: I love going to all the theme parks – Knotts, Haunted Hayride, etc. There’s also a lot of special screenings around this time of the year, classics you get to see on the big screen with filmmaker Q&As. But my greatest pleasures are probably the simplest: getting out of town with friends to go apple picking and do some corn mazes, watch horror movies, and eat pumpkin bread…
DC: Do you remember how you started to love the horror genre in general? Were you watching a lot of Dutch horror growing up like The Lift or Amsterdamned?
Axelle Carolyn with Lin Shaye at the Tales of Halloween premiere at Screamfest LA
AC: As far as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by ghosts and skeletons, the spookier side of everything. I had this poster in my bedroom when I was 5 or 6 of this classic Donald Duck on Halloween illustration by Carl Barks, and it was my favorite thing ever. I grew up on the French-speaking side of Belgium, so Dick Maas I didn’t discover until much later, but I’d read all the books I could get my hands on from Belgian author Jean Ray by the time I was 12.
DC: Having this number of stories seems like a good amount instead of just 3 or 4 stories or 26 like in ABCs of Death. How did you wind up with 10 stories, and was there ever an idea to do more and round it off at 13 or less originally?
AC: For a while we thought of 13, but our producers rightfully thought it’d be a few too many, so we found a good compromise with 10. It’s just enough time to have a beginning, a middle, and an end; and they don’t overstay their welcome.
DC: One thing that really works with Tales is how the segments complement each other and it feels like one vision in some respects. As a producer, was it difficult to work with so many different directors to find a consistent look throughout the entire film?
AC: Thank you! It was a conscious effort, but to be honest, it also developed organically. Because we worked together every step of the way, from pitching each other stories to discussing the tone, they naturally developed as part of a shared universe. My job in prep was also to gather all the scripts and make sure they all made sense within the same town and the same world. Then, on set, we all used the same camera, lighting, and grip equipment and for the most part filmed in the same part of town, which all also helped keep it consistent. And post-production was done as one feature. too.
DC: I know you’re biased, but if you didn’t include your segment and your husband, Neil Marshall’s, which Tale would be your favorite and why?
AC: I love them all; I really do. “Sweet Tooth” is a fantastic homage to 80s horror. “The Ransom of Rusty Rex” has such great, hilarious performances, and it feels like a mini feature. “Friday the 31st” is so crazy and outrageous. I guess the one that amazes me every time, though, is Lucky McKee’s “Ding Dong” – it’s such a unique, artistic, personal piece, I’m in awe because as a filmmaker I wouldn’t know how to do something like this.
DC: Having directed a number of shorts before yourself fairly recently, do you feel like you could get into the rhythm of shooting your segment a little easier than some of the other directors that may have gotten used to more time with features? Or did your feature, Soulmate, spoil you a little?
AC: I don’t think it’s that different to prep, to be honest. In both cases you have to assemble your crew, pick your locations, cast the right actors, list your shots…
DC: Did you initially want to have so many nods and winks to Carpenter’s Halloween and some of his other films in Tales, or did a lot of them just come together as the process went along? For example, how early did you all go after Adrienne Barbeau as the radio DJ?
AC: The radio DJ came up pretty early on, when we were developing our stories. We didn’t know exactly how she would be used or introduced into the story, though; that became clearer in post-production. But her voice was always going to be our guide. Other references came up either at script stage or while we were shooting.
DC: Are you open to doing more Tales of Halloween installments in the future? It’s a pretty great team that’s been assembled. Is there a chance of seeing a Tales of Halloween TV series?
AC: Definitely open to it; there’s lots of different variations on the concept that could be explored. But that’ll only happen if come October 16th people go see the movie and like it and spread the word!
Tales of Halloween is in theaters and on VOD as of today, October 16th. Support it if you love anthology horror!
Related Story: A Jack-O-Lantern Full of New Tales of Halloween Images Come Haunting
The film is an anthology of 10 Halloween tales, directed by David Parker (The Hills Run Red), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV), Adam Gierasch (Night of the Demons), Axelle Carolyn (Soulmate), Lucky McKee (All Cheerleaders Die), Paul Solet (Grace), John Skipp (Stay at Home Dad) and Andrew Kasch (Never Sleep Again co-directing), Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider!), Ryan Schifrin (Abominable), and Neil Marshall (The Descent).
Pat Healy, Barry Bostwick, Noah Segan, Booboo Stewart, Greg Grunberg, Clare Kramer, Alex Essoe, Lin Shaye, Dana Gould, James Duval, Elissa Dowling, Grace Phipps, Pollyanna McIntosh, Marc Senter, Tiffany Shepis, John F. Beach, Trent Haaga, Casey Ruggieri, Kristina Klebe, Cerina Vincent, John Savage, Keir Gilchrist, Nick Principe, Amanda Moyer, Jennifer Wenger, Sam Witwer, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Ben Woolf, Caroline Williams, Robert Rusler, Cameron Easton, Austin Falk, Madison Iseman, Daniel Dimaggio, Natalie Castillo, Ben Stillwell, and Hunter Smit star.
Synopsis:
Ten stories from horror’s top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night. This creepy anthology combines classic Halloween tales with the stuff of nightmares.
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