The crew behind AllHorrorMovies.com is extremely excited to see the latest work from BC Furtney, the director behind New Terminal Hotel. Judging by our research and the trailer for the film, this looks like one horror fans, especially those who are into the gritty horror that many consider old school, will not want to miss. The director was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for us that we hope will shed a little bit of light on this dark piece about one man’s unraveling in the grimy belly of the beast we know as Hollywood.

AHM: For New Terminal Hotel you’ve stated in other interviews that you were inspired during the script writing process by music. Could you give us an idea of specific bands or songs that helped light you up to write this movie?

It was the music of Elliott Smith that gave rise to our main character, Don Malek. That beautiful-yet-melancholic feel was the essence I wanted to capture with his words, his actions, his surroundings, and his backstory. Combined with a very rainy season L.A. had awhile back and my spending more time roaming the bleaker parts of downtown, I found my way into the story pretty easily. To a lesser degree, songs by Aimee Mann & John Frusciante inspired our landscape, too. The whole thing’s a uniquely Angeleno ball of wax. Anyone who’s spent any time disillusioned, disenfranchised, pissed-off, or heartbroken in Hollywood will understand the world of the New Terminal. And if they don’t, they’re not doing it right, they must be a mannequin. A place like L.A.’s nothing if not a rollercoaster.

AHM: The character Don Malek is a man coming apart at the seams, but at the same time an anti-hero. How did you try to balance his humanity with his personal ’solution’ to the problems he’s facing?

I let him lead the way, which is how I tend to write. I’ll follow the character’s voice through a script for as long as they let me, and I know they’ll take us where we need to go. On paper, Don’s motives and the choices he makes as different obstacles present themselves are very clear. Bringing that to multi-faceted life is up to the performer who steps into those shoes, and me as a director. In this case it was easy, we landed a great leading man and he knew exactly who Don was.

AHM: The hotel that serves as the setting for your movie provides a cast of damaged and downright twisted characters. Are there any real places (you can choose to name them or not) that inspired this particular setting that you’ve encountered yourself?

Pieces of things, yeah. Only in tone, not in terms of specific incidents as far as this story goes. But I’ve stayed in those Sunset Blvd motels, and over the years I’ve filmed in them, too. I’ve seen some shit.

AHM: When I look at the trailer and the promotional materials for New Terminal Hotel I get a sense that you’re creating psychological horror rather than purely a splatterfest. At the same time, there’s a serious thread of social commentary that speaks of society’s tendency to turn away from ‘difficult cases’ such as the characters in your film. As a complete package, what do you hope your audience will end up discussing with their friends after the credits role?

I think everybody will get something different from NTH. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual and what they enjoy in a movie, but this is a character piece, not a splatterfest, and I say that proudly. I think the viewer can follow any one of our people down their particular rabbit hole and come away with something dissectible. Hopefully, they’ll feel something. There are elements of the ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ ethic that tends to arise whenever society’s forced to look at the fringe, but I think there’s a strong identifiability, too. These characters are all justified in their own minds, and no one commits an act just to deliver a formula ‘horror moment’. Don Malek could be next door to you right now, or he could be across the dinner table. It’s not just escapism, it’s also shining a light on an element of the human condition, and the human condition oftentimes isn’t pretty.

AHM: Do you have a favorite memory or memories from the shooting of this film? Could you tell us about them?

It’s all been rewarding, from pre-production in ‘08, all the way to this moment with you now. I love talking to mags & sites that really care about this stuff and treat it like the art it is. Another project with the usual suspects, director-of-photography Nickolas Rossi & composer Trevin Pinto, always makes for a cool memory or ten. Anytime I have the opportunity to work with those guys makes it all worth it, and this time we got a great editor in Ernesto Galan. He had the unenviable task of wading through our footage and building the beast once we wrapped. Working with bona fide icons like Stephen & Corey was great too, as was the whole cast.

AHM: You mention that you appreciate the works of Harmony Korine, Larry Clark and Werner Herzog. These are pretty avant garde filmmakers. In a time when we see a lot of over-polished Hollywood or cheesy low budget B horror flicks, how do you feel your movie will stand out thanks to your influences? How will it stand out from the crowd and give cinema fans something truly unique?

I think we’re a little broader than what most people have come to expect from horror. True cinema fans will hopefully be interested because we’re one of the very few genre films in recent memory that delivers story & performance over CG gags and gore for gore’s sake. I personally wouldn’t watch anything that hinged solely on special fx or t&a. I just expect more, and won’t waste my time on the lowest common denominator. If you’re relying on fx to tell me your story, either the script stinks or the performers stink and that’s the bottom line. NTH isn’t a by-the-numbers shock flick for the fast food crowd. To best appreciate what we offer, you should be ready to turn off the iphone and take the ride, listen to what Don Malek & Ava Collins are talking about, because there’s a lot of subtlety and foreshadowing sprinkled throughout. I think we pack a punch without dumbing it down to fit a formula…and yes, we have blood & boobs, too. There’s nothing wrong with horror films that cover a chick in blood and send her screaming into the night, as long as they’re true to what they’re trying to achieve and not just painting by the numbers. Horror’s got enough cheap shocks and fx gags. Our characters tell a story.

AHM: You mention that you shot this film in just a couple of weeks, did the pressure of that shooting schedule work to build tension on screen? Were there other constraints or limitations that worked in your favor as a director?

Oh, yeah. We shot a 15-day schedule with no days off, and for me, it was one of the easier shoots I’ve done. I remember Rossi laughing at a guy on crew who was tired one day, like, “you don’t understand, man, this is the best schedule I’ve ever had with BC, camera’s up!” I think the fact that the cast & crew were actually housed on-site in that hotel went a long way toward keeping the intensity high, for sure. A few days in and we were all starting to feel the script’s claustrophobia firsthand, but everyone was a trooper…and hey, there was heat & running water…except for one room. It was our last one and didn’t even have a doorknob. We put a PA in there, but he was packing a gun, so we figured he could handle himself.

AHM: Did any members of the cast go through interesting rituals to get into the frame of mind their characters would be in? Did you explain the characters a certain way to be sure that they understood what you wanted from their performance? How did you all work together to get the New Terminal Hotel that we’ll see soon?

Steve Geoffreys jogged…a lot. We were actually right next to a sprawling college campus, so despite the insanity going on inside, it was a fairly safe & pleasant neighborhood. He kept to himself much of the time, and some of the crew wondered if he liked them, but it was his way of sort of preserving Don’s solitude. Don Malek is a real ‘I walk alone’ type of character. And Tiffany talked on her cell phone…a lot. Her character’s a very type-a Hollywood agent, so it fit perfectly. The whole gang was fun. I’d worked with many of them previously, so we were already familiar with each other and what to expect. We all did our thing and made it happen.

AHM: Had you been friends with lead character Don Malek in person, what would you have said or done to try and avert the events that take place in the film?

There’s an interesting question! Nothing. If I knew him well, I’d know there was no stopping him, so I’d step aside. Or I might mysteriously go missing one day…

AHM: If you could pick one other character in your script and do an entire film centered around them, which character would it be and why?

Y’know, it’s funny you ask that, because every character in this film is a whole other film in and of themselves, and I swear I’m not just saying that. They really are that complex. So, I’ll tell you what: check out the film and if you enjoy, tell me who you’re most curious about, maybe we’ll spin it off. Good talkin’ to ya.

http://www.bcfurtney.net
http://www.newterminalhotel.com