ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Hilarie Burton Morgan about Bloody Axe Wound. She mentioned her experiences producing the Shudder/RLJE Movies horror film, creating sensible gore, and extra.
“Abbie Bladecut is an adolescent torn between the macabre traditions of her household’s bloody commerce and the tender stirrings of her first crush. Within the small city of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut, has constructed an notorious legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and promoting them to keen prospects, however as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly household enterprise, she begins to surprise if it’s time to take the household custom in a brand new course,” the synopsis reads.
Bloody Axe Wound will likely be launched in choose United States theaters on December 27, 2024.
Brandon Schreur: Are you able to inform me somewhat bit in regards to the origins of this undertaking? It’s a very wild film, in a great way. There’s lots of twists.
Hilarie Burton Morgan: It’s bizarre!
It’s bizarre! And there’s lots of darkish comedy, however there’s additionally lots of coronary heart to it, like I actually like the connection between Sam and Abbie that develops. What are you able to inform me about how you bought concerned with this undertaking and what your response was whenever you have been going via all of this for the primary time?
My husband [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] and I’ve been producing issues individually for a few decade. It was the pandemic, we have been watching motion pictures. We had type of gone via all of the issues that everybody else was watching. Then there was this bizarre, little impartial film known as Uncle Peckerhead by a author/director named Matthew John Lawrence. We watched it and have been like, ‘What the f— did we simply watch?’ Proper? Prefer it was so bizarre and so humorous, the sensible results have been so interesting to me as a result of the CGI factor is so much for me.
Jeff is like, ‘I’m not used to you liking this style, that is particular.’ We reached out to Matthew on Twitter and have been similar to, ‘What else do you have got?’ He despatched us a stack of scripts. We learn this one and it actually was the proper marriage of all of Jeffrey’s horror style, blood and guts, killing zombies, gross stuff. And my teen drama years, the place I used to be in highschool for like a decade! With the ability to do a undertaking that appealed to each of us, our histories, and our fanbases was thrilling. We signed on and simply hit the bottom operating, attempting to name up all our buddies that cared about it as a lot as we did.
Positive, undoubtedly. That makes whole sense. And the outcomes are nice, it looks as if you had a terrific staff that was engaged on it, it turned out so good. The results have been one thing I wished to speak to you about, too, simply because I assumed the gore was so cool. Even past that, there’s not a lot CGI, if any, it appears. I liked the look of the Roger Bladecut character. And simply the wolf masks and every part. I’m curious the way you guys went about that method. Do you know from the start that you simply wished to do all sensible like this?
Yeah. That was one thing that was vital to me as a result of that’s what I appreciated about Uncle Peckerhead. That’s what I like about classic slasher motion pictures. I like a sensible impact as a result of it’s artistry, proper? I like realizing there’s an individual mixing blood behind the scenes. I similar to the backstory of a sensible impact. With this, we have been actually fortunate. Our head particular results artist got here from The Strolling Lifeless world, he works on Lifeless Metropolis with Jeffrey. He’s simply unbelievable. Having somebody from inside the household are available in and take the lead on this film was nice.
There have been sure elements of the script the place we have been like, ‘How is that this going to work? We don’t know!’ Our staff was so nice. We teamed with Mary Stuart Masterson, who’s a really pricey pal of ours within the Hudson Valley. By way of telling the story about cool, leather-based jacket-wearing women, she’s the OG from Some Sort of Great. I obtained to do it on One Tree Hill, and now we’ve obtained this new crop of cool women that we obtained to usher in. So Mary Stuart was additionally extremely vital to understanding our funds, what we might do, and easy methods to shoot it in order that it made sense. I feel we ended up with a very enjoyable story that’s type of gross.
It’s type of gross, in the absolute best means. The women is one thing I wished to ask you about, too, as a result of I simply talked to Sari and Molly this morning. They’re so cool.
Aren’t they?
I imply, they’re nice within the film, however simply in real-life they appear so completely solid. Sari advised me a very shaggy dog story about how she didn’t know something about this undertaking after which she obtained a telephone name and three days later she was off filming it.
We play quick and free, man, that’s us!
Oh, I’m positive. I’m curious how the casting course of labored out of your standpoint and the way you felt they labored their means into these characters.
Sari and Molly have been names that have been floated very, very early on. We knew that we wished them, however we didn’t know if we might get them. So lots of the casting course of was type of engaged on contingencies — like, if we are able to’t get them as a result of they’re so nice, what else can we do? We had a terrific casting agent, right here, within the Hudson Valley. And we obtained to include some beautiful actors. It was a terrific alternative for me to satisfy them and see what they’re able to. Molly is working with Christian Slater proper now on Dexter, and his son is likely one of the kills on this film.
Oh, actually?
Yeah, he’s the man who’s killed on the lake. That’s Christian Slater’s son. So it was cool to have this small little world the place everybody was taking part in good within the sandbox. You’d hang around on set and everybody was so completely satisfied to be there. So the casting course of was fairly straightforward. As soon as we had Billy Burke in place and Sari and Molly, like, what a dream. As a result of Sari has such a terrific friendship with Eddie [Leavy], having Eddie be part of was additionally like, this was our wish-list. We actually felt very fortunate that, as one particular person signed on, it opened the door for an additional particular person, after which one other particular person. It speaks to the reputations of all of the individuals concerned, you already know? Once you learn all these names, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah. I need that.’
Oh, positive. Everyone goes to need to see it as soon as they see all these names on there. And I’m so excited for individuals to see it, too, as a result of I really feel like that is so distinctive and going to be such a success when it will get on the market. Tremendous thrilling. One other factor I wished to speak to you about concerning this film is the precise location of the video retailer rental place. I assumed that was actually cool. It appeared actually particular. I imply, I used to be born within the 90s so earlier than my time, however it made me consider stuff like Video Nasties and stuff in that entire realm. I’m curious how that each one got here to be. Clearly, I’m assuming there’s not a video rental place giving out movies of actual murders or something, however…
I imply, I wouldn’t be shocked if there was, the world is a f—ed up place. However as somebody who was not born within the 90s, there have been sure video rental locations we might go to in highschool that weren’t Blockbuster. Erol’s was additionally one other one which predates your lifespan. They weren’t chains. They have been simply impartial, mom-and-pop rental locations. That’s actually what this house was primarily based on.
And I appreciated that Matthew grew up in the identical world that I did, the place you’re a child within the suburbs and people video rental locations are your escape. That’s your one outlet to see what it seems like on the skin. We discovered the sh—iest little nook, strip mall place. And it’s nice! It’s a spot that I’d have frolicked in highschool.
Yeah, I imply it seems cool, it seems enjoyable. It simply seems so actual, I wished to be there. Perhaps not for the homicide video half.
It may be! Who is aware of?
Precisely. I liked how humorous this film is. It’s a horror film, you typically anticipate that, however the darkish comedy in right here simply appears so particular, once more, with what it’s heading. Did you must stroll on eggshells or something? I imply, it’s a film about excessive schoolers being murdered. Have been there lots of conversations about what you are able to do so far as the comedy goes, what’s too far, and easy methods to discover the appropriate line? As a result of, ultimately, I feel you nailed it, I’m simply curious what that course of regarded like.
Yeah, no, for me, the social and political undertones of the story have been actually vital. As a result of if we’re telling the story of misogyny within the style, but in addition violence in opposition to younger individuals in our nation, yeah, you’re proper, tremendous sensitive points. When individuals have requested, ‘Oh, it is a fictional world?’ I’m like, ‘No, this sh— is occurring daily.’ Loopy, terrible issues are occurring daily. So we’re going to handle it and we’re going to have a humorousness about it so that you guys see how ridiculous it’s that it retains occurring.
It wasn’t the comedy that I used to be apprehensive about. It was the violence in opposition to girls that I used to be apprehensive about. We wanted our kills in opposition to the boys to be each bit as grotesque because the kills in opposition to girls are. So, no, make sick jokes all day. Simply watch out about how you narrow somebody on display screen, that was my concern.
Positive. And you’ve got that nice kill proper at first with the trophy. That one is a lot enjoyable to observe.
Everybody wants a trophy. I want we might simply ship trophies to everybody in a present field who’s watching this film, just like the screeners.
Due to Hilarie Burton Morgan for discussing Bloody Axe Wound.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25784220/247333_EOY_Package_Check_In_CVirginia_PODCASTS.jpg "What podcasts looked like in 2024 — literally")
