With The 4th Reich coming over the horizon, it looks like we’ve got a zombie epic of monstrous proportions. AllHorrorMovies wanted to get an inside glimpse into the mind of filmmaker Shaun Robert Smith so we asked and he agreed to let us ask him a few questions. We believe you’ll find this interview to be a great way to get to know this dedicated horror movie director. We’re excited to bring you what he has to share because you’ll get a real taste of what The 4th Reich has in store for audiences!

AHM: What potential pitfalls of zombie films (or even horror movies in general) do you seriously intend to avoid with your own film?

SRS: The 4th Reich aims to take this genre to a new level. It is not your typical exploitation movie. We have avoided all the old cliché’s. I want people to come away from the cinema asking “Were they Zombies?”

AHM: In an alternate universe where the Axis powers defeated the Allies and won World War II in 1947, what would kind of film would you be making?

SRS: I would probably start the script from the Tripartite Pact signing by Germany, Italy and Japan in September 1940. Of course if that happened, to us that would be normal. So I would be looking at a story involving the evil Winston Churchill and how he tried to stop our savior Adolf Hitler from controlling the world and setting us all free, but of course Churchill was working on something dark and unspeakable.

AHM: In your quest to create a feature film telling the story that 4th Reich does, you began with ‘AWOL to Horror’ (a student film), then you released a wildly popular short titled ‘The Soldier’ that went further into wartime conspiracies. This is a truly remarkable feat of creative drive and endurance. Who and / or what kept you fueled through this length of time so that you could realize your dream?

SRS: There have been a number of influences as well as inspirations throughout that period. I guess the biggest lever has been my girlfriend Claire, she assisted me on ‘The Soldier’ and it was her idea to get together and produce it for the 2 days later film competition, she really has driven me, producing a feature from the very beginning is tough especially in this current climate. After the success of The Soldier it was simply a path I had to take, there was great anticipation for a feature length script. My producer, Philip Morris, brings an energy and drive to the project. We feed off each other which keep us moving forward.

AHM: Other than the normal things that a viewer expects from a movie (such as a good time, to be scared, etc) what do you hope that your film’s audiences will arrive expecting?

SRS: Something completely different and unique, of course it could be the fact that its in 3D, but our marketing campaign with be totally driven by the story, the 3D is an added bonus for the audience. The talent we have attached to the project so far will also create a buzz!!!

AHM: Throughout the years, horror fans have witnessed countless imaginings of zombies. How will the zombies in 4th Reich be unique? Could you give us a basic description of them?

SRS: We are keeping our creative designs strictly under wraps as we want to achieve the maximum effect when we hit the big screens. I have always wanted to revive the classic 70’s and 80’s zombies, but our Zombies will have something unique, I like Tom Savini’s take on the Zombie, looking into how that person became a zombie – all of them will be different and of course we have Tom Savini on-board in front of the camera playing SS Standartenfuhrer Von Genchler, an evil piece of work.

AHM: In previous interviews you have mentioned a fondness for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Saving Private Ryan, both impactful films for slightly different reasons. It seems clear that your intention is to create something seriously scary for the audience to experience. Can you tell us what you have done to help amp up the level of fear the movie will trigger?

SRS: There are so many elements that contribute to the fear factor, one of the biggest being the score, mixed with great cinematography. I genuinely intend to produce the first terrifying zombie movie, the situation leads the characters to unspeakable horrors. The film is more an exploration of fear and the desperate depravity of mankind. The Nazis are more an allegory for all forms of control. A fear that cannot be drunk or ignored away as it is the potential for what is deemed the ‘evil’ in all of us, plus we are shooting in 3D which will add to the intensity. There is a little bit of everything for everyone – famous faces, gore, Nazi’s, explosions, tanks and a shit load of blood – and that’s all in the first 10 minutes.

AHM: You did a great deal of historical research for 4th Reich, what about Dr. Mengele and his experiments really freaked you out the most?

SRS: It wasn’t a fun task researching that stuff. Whilst researching the script, I discovered much information about Adolf Hitler’s true intentions. Hitler’s firm belief, in the coming of a new race, the ‘Supermen’, a Fourth Reich, ultimately led to his expectations that a literal ‘mutation’ of Homo sapiens, could be achieved by arriving at ‘higher levels of consciousness. This vision alone leaves us plenty of room to engage an audience, having them at the edge of their seats. This alone freaks me out, what if he had succeeded? Cue ‘The 4th Reich’

AHM: In terms of accurate period clothes, weapons, locations and character mannerisms, how close do you think 4th Reich will come to portraying the era it is set within?

SRS: We are aiming for 100%, the historical aspect is so important to the story of the film, A few comments were made about the wardrobe and historical accuracy in ‘The Soldier’ that annoyed me considering our constraints, but I don’t want to bitch about it, lets do something about it, lets go ahead and make a badass piece of cinema.

AHM: In the movie’s development so far, what is the most fun memory that you have attached to this film at this point?

SRS: There have been a few, but one that springs to mind was the script writing process, I reached a point in the script where I got stuck, it seemed like the characters were going from place to place discovering something in each place it became repetitive. I was explaining my quandary to one of my friends, I said “What I need is a scene where…” I continued to explain one of the most pivotal scenes in the film, so I rushed back to my laptop and added the scene to the script.

AHM: Assuming that you had a merchandising budget on the scale of George Lucas, what unique piece of movie memorabilia would you like to make available to fans of 4th Reich?

SRS: Wow, I’m a real nerd when it comes to film memorabilia, so this question is exciting but yet insanely difficult to answer. My downfall is special edition DVD’s and steel books etc. I have ideas already on how I intend to release The 4th Reich to the public but you will have to wait and see. I’d really like to release ‘Busts’ of all the characters and featured creatures from the film on a limited edition basis.

Production of 4th Reich begins Spring 2010

Website: 4threichmovie.co.uk
IMDb: imdb.com/title/tt1456940/
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