Scare Circuit

Piranha took me back to the 1980s. The movie was considered cool when I was growing up. It was scary and fun — there was a lot of nudity and gore — an amazing,entertaining ride. Piranha 3D is based in the the sleepy Lake Victoria,which is sunny and a fun place to visit during the spring break. However,suddenly a new type of terror cuts loose and a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish,as a result of which an unlikely group of strangers band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food.

Why do you prefer horror as a genre?

I know the psychology of the audience,so I am aware about what could scare them. A perfect horror movie is one that portrays something that could be real — you sit on the edge of your seats and close your eyes when the killer jumps on the screen. The genre will continue to grow,it will escalate in a society where violence is a norm. We read about it in the papers,watch it on the news and pay to see it in movies. I love horror. It takes me into a world full of imagination,possibilities and fear.

It is believed that horror films are often ignored in award functions and seldom get their due. Do you think they have come of age now?

It’s not like that. The genre has special awards like Scream Awards,Saturn Award,Bram Stoker Awards and so on.

What triggers you to make your work gory and bloody?

According to me,gore and blood make people feel awkward. The inspiration comes from the surrounding.

You have been voted among the top 10 directors to look out for in the field of horror and listed on Splat Pack too. Would you like to be associated with horror all your life?

It feels good,but I need to do many more things. I am looking forward to diversify into other genres and am also working on a sci-fi.

Which is the scariest subject that you have come across?

One of the most important aspects of a good horror movie is to create a sense of fear and dread without any hope of someone coming to rescue or to have the main characters to somehow escape the horrible fate that has been bestowed upon them. The best way to do that is to put all your main characters in a single confined space and give them no real means of escape. I would like to make a movie on this set-up —something like Night of The Living Dead.

One of Hollywood’s best horror filmmakers,Wes Craven,asked you to remake The Hills Have Eyes. How did you feel about that?

It was fantastic. When a maestro like him asks you to remake his masterpiece,it feels great. To remake the movie was a big challenge,but there was a potential to improve the subject.

Is it necessary to cast stars in a horror films or is the ghost/haunting enough?

The story and script are the strength of a movie,but to make sure that people come and see your film there should be some known faces.

What other projects are in the pipeline?

There are two movies that are scheduled to hit the screen next year — The Contractor and The Gospel According to Jimmy.

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