ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Hilarie Burton Morgan about Bloody Axe Wound. She mentioned her experiences producing the Shudder/RLJE Films horror movie, creating sensible gore, and extra.
“Abbie Bladecut is a teen torn between the macabre traditions of her household’s bloody commerce and the tender stirrings of her first crush. Within the small city of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut, has constructed an notorious legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and promoting them to keen clients, however as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly household enterprise, she begins to marvel if it’s time to take the household custom in a brand new path,” the synopsis reads.
Bloody Axe Wound will probably be launched in choose United States theaters on December 27, 2024.
Brandon Schreur: Are you able to inform me somewhat bit concerning the origins of this challenge? It’s a extremely wild film, in a great way. There’s a number of twists.
Hilarie Burton Morgan: It’s bizarre!
It’s bizarre! And there’s a number of darkish comedy, however there’s additionally a number of coronary heart to it, like I actually like the connection between Sam and Abbie that develops. What are you able to inform me about how you bought concerned with this challenge and what your response was if you had been going by way of all of this for the primary time?
My husband [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] and I’ve been producing issues individually for a couple of decade. It was the pandemic, we had been watching films. We had form of gone by way of all of the issues that everybody else was watching. Then there was this bizarre, little unbiased film known as Uncle Peckerhead by a author/director named Matthew John Lawrence. We watched it and had been like, ‘What the f— did we simply watch?’ Proper? Prefer it was so bizarre and so humorous, the sensible results had been so interesting to me as a result of the CGI factor is loads for me.
Jeff is like, ‘I’m not used to you liking this style, that is particular.’ We reached out to Matthew on Twitter and had been identical to, ‘What else do you’ve?’ He despatched us a stack of scripts. We learn this one and it actually was the right marriage of all of Jeffrey’s horror style, blood and guts, killing zombies, gross stuff. And my teen drama years, the place I used to be in highschool for like a decade! With the ability to do a challenge that appealed to each of us, our histories, and our fanbases was thrilling. We signed on and simply hit the bottom operating, making an attempt to name up all our associates that cared about it as a lot as we did.
Certain, undoubtedly. That makes whole sense. And the outcomes are nice, it looks as if you had a terrific workforce that was engaged on it, it turned out so good. The consequences had been one thing I needed to speak to you about, too, simply because I believed the gore was so cool. Even past that, there’s not a lot CGI, if any, it appears. I liked the look of the Roger Bladecut character. And simply the wolf masks and all the things. I’m curious the way you guys went about that strategy. Do you know from the start that you just needed to do all sensible like this?
Yeah. That was one thing that was necessary to me as a result of that’s what I appreciated about Uncle Peckerhead. That’s what I like about classic slasher films. I like a sensible impact as a result of it’s artistry, proper? I like figuring out there’s an individual mixing blood behind the scenes. I identical to the backstory of a sensible impact. With this, we had been actually fortunate. Our head particular results artist got here from The Strolling Useless world, he works on Useless Metropolis with Jeffrey. He’s simply unbelievable. Having somebody from inside the household are available in and take the lead on this film was nice.
There have been sure elements of the script the place we had been like, ‘How is that this going to work? We don’t know!’ Our workforce was so nice. We teamed with Mary Stuart Masterson, who’s a really expensive good friend of ours within the Hudson Valley. When it comes to telling the story about cool, leather-based jacket-wearing women, she’s the OG from Some Sort of Great. I received to do it on One Tree Hill, and now we’ve received this new crop of cool women that we received to herald. So Mary Stuart was additionally extremely necessary to understanding our finances, what we might do, and tips on how to shoot it in order that it made sense. I believe we ended up with a extremely enjoyable story that’s form of gross.
It’s form of gross, in the absolute best method. The women is one thing I needed to ask you about, too, as a result of I simply talked to Sari and Molly this morning. They’re so cool.
Aren’t they?
I imply, they’re nice within the film, however simply in real-life they appear so completely forged. Sari instructed me a extremely comic story about how she didn’t know something about this challenge after which she received a telephone name and three days later she was off filming it.
We play quick and unfastened, man, that’s us!
Oh, I’m positive. I’m curious how the casting course of labored out of your viewpoint and the way you felt they labored their method into these characters.
Sari and Molly had been names that had been floated very, very early on. We knew that we needed them, however we didn’t know if we might get them. So a number of the casting course of was form of engaged on contingencies — like, if we are able to’t get them as a result of they’re so nice, what else can we do? We had a terrific casting agent, right here, within the Hudson Valley. And we received to include some pretty actors. It was a terrific alternative for me to satisfy them and see what they’re able to. Molly is working with Christian Slater proper now on Dexter, and his son is likely one of the kills on this film.
Oh, actually?
Yeah, he’s the man who’s killed on the lake. That’s Christian Slater’s son. So it was cool to have this small little world the place everybody was enjoying good within the sandbox. You’d hang around on set and everybody was so blissful to be there. So the casting course of was fairly simple. As soon as we had Billy Burke in place and Sari and Molly, like, what a dream. As a result of Sari has such a terrific friendship with Eddie [Leavy], having Eddie be part of was additionally like, this was our wish-list. We actually felt very fortunate that, as one individual signed on, it opened the door for an additional individual, after which one other individual. It speaks to the reputations of all of the individuals concerned, you recognize? If you learn all these names, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah. I would like that.’
Oh, positive. Everyone goes to need to see it as soon as they see all these names on there. And I’m so excited for individuals to see it, too, as a result of I really feel like that is so distinctive and going to be such successful when it will get on the market. Tremendous thrilling. One other factor I needed to speak to you about concerning this film is the precise location of the video retailer rental place. I believed that was actually cool. It appeared actually particular. I imply, I used to be born within the 90s so earlier than my time, nevertheless it made me consider stuff like Video Nasties and stuff in that entire realm. I’m curious how that every one got here to be. Clearly, I’m assuming there’s not a video rental place giving out movies of actual murders or something, however…
I imply, I wouldn’t be shocked if there was, the world is a f—ed up place. However as somebody who was not born within the 90s, there have been sure video rental locations we might go to in highschool that weren’t Blockbuster. Erol’s was additionally one other one which predates your lifespan. They weren’t chains. They had been simply unbiased, mom-and-pop rental locations. That’s actually what this house was based mostly on.
And I appreciated that Matthew grew up in the identical world that I did, the place you’re a child within the suburbs and people video rental locations are your escape. That’s your one outlet to see what it appears like on the skin. We discovered the sh—iest little nook, strip mall place. And it’s nice! It’s a spot that I might have frolicked in highschool.
Yeah, I imply it appears cool, it appears enjoyable. It simply appears so actual, I needed to be there. Perhaps not for the homicide video half.
It may be! Who is aware of?
Precisely. I liked how humorous this film is. It’s a horror film, you typically count on that, however the darkish comedy in right here simply appears so particular, once more, with what it’s heading. Did it’s important to stroll on eggshells or something? I imply, it’s a film about excessive schoolers being murdered. Had been there a number of conversations about what you are able to do so far as the comedy goes, what’s too far, and tips on how to discover the precise line? As a result of, in the long run, I believe you nailed it, I’m simply curious what that course of regarded like.
Yeah, no, for me, the social and political undertones of the story had been actually necessary. As a result of if we’re telling the story of misogyny within the style, but additionally violence in opposition to younger individuals in our nation, yeah, you’re proper, tremendous sensitive points. When individuals have requested, ‘Oh, this can be a fictional world?’ I’m like, ‘No, this sh— is going on day-after-day.’ Loopy, terrible issues are occurring day-after-day. So we’re going to deal with it and we’re going to have a humorousness about it so that you guys see how ridiculous it’s that it retains occurring.
It wasn’t the comedy that I used to be fearful about. It was the violence in opposition to ladies that I used to be fearful about. We wanted our kills in opposition to the boys to be each bit as grotesque because the kills in opposition to ladies are. So, no, make sick jokes all day. Simply watch out about how you chop somebody on display, that was my concern.
Certain. And you’ve got that nice kill proper originally with the trophy. That one is a lot enjoyable to look at.
Everybody wants a trophy. I want we might simply ship trophies to everybody in a present field who’s watching this film, just like the screeners.
Because of Hilarie Burton Morgan for discussing Bloody Axe Wound.
