I try to look at the films as I make them from a distance, in a way. I think of them as kind of pop culture artefacts. I'll often make posters and tag lines as I'm working on them, and not just conceive of them as a story I'm going to tell, but as a whole, a piece - a whole object that exists in the pop culture realm.
When I was a kid I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies at all. And actually, one of the genesis points for 'Mandy' and 'Black Rainbow' was this memory I have of being in video stores, reading the backs of videos and looking at the art, imagining some kind of non-existent imaginary film based on that.
I've always liked the idea of merging esoteric art cinema with down-and-dirty exploitation films.
I don't know if I'm a sequels kind of person. I prefer each film to have its own unique identity.
I want my films to be very tactile, visually and sonically.
My goal from the very beginning was to make very visually lush, juicy films that you can really sink your teeth into. That's always been part of my modus operandi.
The thing I do miss about the way some sequels were in the past was that each film felt like its own unique, complete tone. Now, sequels are tonal facsimiles of the ones before them, like a television series, whereas back in the past sequels would often be radically different from the ones before.
In the night there's sometimes a sort of cursed quality to the Pacific Northwest.
There was a time in my life when I would literally go see every single film that came out in the theaters. No matter what. I just became obsessed with movies, and wound up getting drawn to the pulsating grain of film and the flickering of the light.
Well, when I was really young and we lived in Sweden, the only films that were around at that point were... We had this collection of these super-8 highlight reels that they used to sell; like, they sold these super-8 reels that only had the best parts from a movie. So early on that's what I was seeing.
The idea of creating a quote-unquote 'retro' world isn't all that appealing to me by itself.
I guess a little bit of delusion can go a long way.
Being compared to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' is a huge compliment.
A lot of films mistake convolutedness for complexity. To me, a simple story can be a powerful spine to build around.
I don't know anybody who goes horseback riding at sunset, but everybody watches TV and eats.
The last thing on earth I wanted to do was make a movie that plays directly to a sort-of frat boy audience, you know?
When you're working with an actor who's prepared and brings it when you need it, it's just a very validating creative experience.
Black Rainbow' is about control and your emotions being repressed and controlled, and 'Mandy's' about all a volcanic eruption!
Well, I think if you're telling a story, a three act structure will just naturally emerge out of it. But I also love it when a film doesn't feel like it's anchored too rigidly to that structure and you feel like anything could happen.
Well, I think it's important to have some kind of a narrative engine that pushes the audience through the landscape. But I love films like 'Apocalypse Now,' which is a very mood driven film. It's a magnetic force that's pulling them through.
