Tony Timpone is the longtime editor ofFangoria, the magazine thats always in the know when it comes to the latest horror movies both in the theatres and on DVD.
Recently Fangoria has started moving into distributing horror movies in the US. One of their first releases is Japanese auteur filmmaker Shinya Tsukamotos first film, Hiruko the Goblin. I tracked down Timpone at the Fangoria offices to talk about Tsukamotos work and the ever changing trends in the modern horror film.
Buy Hiruko the Goblin
Daniel Robert Epstein: I just read an article on CNN.com which attributes all the horror films coming out to the success of Rob Zombies House of 1000 Corpses. What do you think of that?
Tony Timpone: I think that was what got Lions Gate really excited about making low budget horror films and catering to that crowd. But also some other films have led to the big horror boom. Both House of 1000 Corpses and Cabin Fever were kind of moderate successes but when films like The Ring and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake started coming out, those movies were making tens of millions.
Also it was really the success of the PG-13 horror craze that started with The Ring which has led to this new explosion. I think its a cumulative effect because R-rated movies like the Dawn of the Dead and Freddy vs. Jason did well too. It seems like audiences have an insatiable thirst for horror. They are making more than ever before.
DRE: Isnt it weird how big PG-13 horror films are?
TT: Yeah it is. The diehard hardcore horror fans are kind of turned off by PG-13 horror but its really opened up the market especially to a part of the audience which this market has never catered to before, teenage girls. They are finding that 50 to 65 percent of the people attending horror films in their opening weekend are teenage girls. They are making films like The Ring 2 and The Amityville Horror a success.
DRE: Its bizarre.
TT: It is and I think it all started with the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That kind of empowered teen girls for seven seasons and now they are looking for something else to get their horror fix. Ten to 20 years ago horror movies was just a boys thing and they went opening weekend and they were lucky if they were able to drag their girlfriends but now horror films have legs at the box office.
DRE: What do you think of the horror remake boom?
TT: Im glad theyre doing well but theyre going to burn themselves out pretty quickly. When they start getting into the 80s movies you know they are in trouble. In fact they are making a remake of The Hitcher right now. If they do something different like the Dawn of the Dead remake at least we wont feel like its the same old same old. Of course I prefer originals.
But remakes are certainly better than an original movie like Van Helsing. I thought The Amityville Horror was pretty lousy but its a huge hit. I think that if that came out even five years it would have bombed.
DRE: Many of the 70s horror directors that Fangoria have championed have fallen on hard times making bad or bomb films and often both at the same time. Is there a chance for many of them to come back?
TT: Well its very exciting to see George Romero have his first zombie film in the theatre in 20 years. Its just amazing and exciting.
DRE: What about someone like Tobe Hooper?
TT: Tobe is constantly working. He shot The Toolbox Murders last year and hes got two movies going this year. Hes got his own horror label called THHorror. He constantly works but unfortunately most of them go straight to DVD.
DRE: Are they good movies?
TT: I thought The Toolbox Murders remake was pretty good.
DRE: How tough was it to get the rights to release Shinya Tsukamotos Hiruko the Goblin?
TT: It wasnt too difficult because that film had been ignored for years so we just happened to luck out. Its very tough to find good Asian horror movies because there is a lot of competition to find those movies. But there are still a few that are sitting on a shelf and not discovered yet.
DRE: So many of Tsukamotos movies have not come out in the United States. Are you surprised that he hasnt broken out yet?
TT: I think this is going to be his year. Not only is Hiruko the Goblin coming out but all the Tetsuo films are coming from Tartan USA in Jun. Then his most recent film, Vital is coming out in the theatres from the same company. More Tsukamoto will be available than ever before.
DRE: Did you first hear of Tsukamoto with Hiruko the Goblin?
TT: It was when the first Tetsuo: The Iron Man movie played at Film Forum in New York City. That just blew me away.
DRE: Youve seen so many horror movies, what do you find special about his work?
TT: Tetsuo is more of an experimental highly adrenalized Evil Deadesque movie. It's very film schoolesque and Gigeresque. Hiruko is almost a combination of the works of John Carpenter, Poltergeist and Friday the 13th all rolled into one. Its this totally off the wall monster movie.
DRE: What kind of extras will be on the Hiruko the Goblin DVD?
TT: We have a really good interview on the DVD with some behind the scenes stuff. We also have an interview coming with him in the magazine.
DRE: Whats he like?
TT: Hes a maniac [laughs] and very interesting. He also likes to act. Hes the lead in the new Takashi Shimizu called Marebito which is also coming from Tartan. It was shot on video and is very off the wall.
DRE: How well can these Asian films do on DVD when you can walk into any convention and buy a bootleg?
TT: There is no better quality than an original. The legitimate DVDs have all the extras and the bootlegs arent as collectible.
DRE: What other DVDs is Fangoria putting out?
TT: The next big release is Dead Meat, the very first Irish zombie movie. Thats coming out on our Fangorias Gorezone label on June 14. Then after were releasing a movie called Plaga zombie: Zona mutante from our Fangoria international label. Thats the first zombie film from Argentina in the style of Peter Jackson.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Recently Fangoria has started moving into distributing horror movies in the US. One of their first releases is Japanese auteur filmmaker Shinya Tsukamotos first film, Hiruko the Goblin. I tracked down Timpone at the Fangoria offices to talk about Tsukamotos work and the ever changing trends in the modern horror film.
Buy Hiruko the Goblin
Daniel Robert Epstein: I just read an article on CNN.com which attributes all the horror films coming out to the success of Rob Zombies House of 1000 Corpses. What do you think of that?
Tony Timpone: I think that was what got Lions Gate really excited about making low budget horror films and catering to that crowd. But also some other films have led to the big horror boom. Both House of 1000 Corpses and Cabin Fever were kind of moderate successes but when films like The Ring and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake started coming out, those movies were making tens of millions.
Also it was really the success of the PG-13 horror craze that started with The Ring which has led to this new explosion. I think its a cumulative effect because R-rated movies like the Dawn of the Dead and Freddy vs. Jason did well too. It seems like audiences have an insatiable thirst for horror. They are making more than ever before.
DRE: Isnt it weird how big PG-13 horror films are?
TT: Yeah it is. The diehard hardcore horror fans are kind of turned off by PG-13 horror but its really opened up the market especially to a part of the audience which this market has never catered to before, teenage girls. They are finding that 50 to 65 percent of the people attending horror films in their opening weekend are teenage girls. They are making films like The Ring 2 and The Amityville Horror a success.
DRE: Its bizarre.
TT: It is and I think it all started with the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That kind of empowered teen girls for seven seasons and now they are looking for something else to get their horror fix. Ten to 20 years ago horror movies was just a boys thing and they went opening weekend and they were lucky if they were able to drag their girlfriends but now horror films have legs at the box office.
DRE: What do you think of the horror remake boom?
TT: Im glad theyre doing well but theyre going to burn themselves out pretty quickly. When they start getting into the 80s movies you know they are in trouble. In fact they are making a remake of The Hitcher right now. If they do something different like the Dawn of the Dead remake at least we wont feel like its the same old same old. Of course I prefer originals.
But remakes are certainly better than an original movie like Van Helsing. I thought The Amityville Horror was pretty lousy but its a huge hit. I think that if that came out even five years it would have bombed.
DRE: Many of the 70s horror directors that Fangoria have championed have fallen on hard times making bad or bomb films and often both at the same time. Is there a chance for many of them to come back?
TT: Well its very exciting to see George Romero have his first zombie film in the theatre in 20 years. Its just amazing and exciting.
DRE: What about someone like Tobe Hooper?
TT: Tobe is constantly working. He shot The Toolbox Murders last year and hes got two movies going this year. Hes got his own horror label called THHorror. He constantly works but unfortunately most of them go straight to DVD.
DRE: Are they good movies?
TT: I thought The Toolbox Murders remake was pretty good.
DRE: How tough was it to get the rights to release Shinya Tsukamotos Hiruko the Goblin?
TT: It wasnt too difficult because that film had been ignored for years so we just happened to luck out. Its very tough to find good Asian horror movies because there is a lot of competition to find those movies. But there are still a few that are sitting on a shelf and not discovered yet.
DRE: So many of Tsukamotos movies have not come out in the United States. Are you surprised that he hasnt broken out yet?
TT: I think this is going to be his year. Not only is Hiruko the Goblin coming out but all the Tetsuo films are coming from Tartan USA in Jun. Then his most recent film, Vital is coming out in the theatres from the same company. More Tsukamoto will be available than ever before.
DRE: Did you first hear of Tsukamoto with Hiruko the Goblin?
TT: It was when the first Tetsuo: The Iron Man movie played at Film Forum in New York City. That just blew me away.
DRE: Youve seen so many horror movies, what do you find special about his work?
TT: Tetsuo is more of an experimental highly adrenalized Evil Deadesque movie. It's very film schoolesque and Gigeresque. Hiruko is almost a combination of the works of John Carpenter, Poltergeist and Friday the 13th all rolled into one. Its this totally off the wall monster movie.
DRE: What kind of extras will be on the Hiruko the Goblin DVD?
TT: We have a really good interview on the DVD with some behind the scenes stuff. We also have an interview coming with him in the magazine.
DRE: Whats he like?
TT: Hes a maniac [laughs] and very interesting. He also likes to act. Hes the lead in the new Takashi Shimizu called Marebito which is also coming from Tartan. It was shot on video and is very off the wall.
DRE: How well can these Asian films do on DVD when you can walk into any convention and buy a bootleg?
TT: There is no better quality than an original. The legitimate DVDs have all the extras and the bootlegs arent as collectible.
DRE: What other DVDs is Fangoria putting out?
TT: The next big release is Dead Meat, the very first Irish zombie movie. Thats coming out on our Fangorias Gorezone label on June 14. Then after were releasing a movie called Plaga zombie: Zona mutante from our Fangoria international label. Thats the first zombie film from Argentina in the style of Peter Jackson.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
evanx:
Interesting interview...but...where's ZombieQueen's? 
apostrophenow:
Tepid, lackluster, yawn inspiring... not DRE's fault, Timpone just doesn't seem as insightful or enthusiastic as I would expect the editor of THE Horror Magazine, the legendary and infamous Fangoria, to be.