Slayers Dir K Asher Levin on Howard Hughes and Vampires Inspirations Asherlevin - Slayers HEAD TOPICS

Slayers Dir K Asher Levin on Howard Hughes and Vampires Inspirations

10/23/2022 12:17:00 AM

Writer and director Asher Levin talks to Bleeding Cool about his latest action horror comedy in Slayers and horror inspirations

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Bleeding Cool

Writer and director AsherLevin talks to Bleeding Cool about his latest action horror comedy in Slayers and horror inspirations. TheAvenue ThomasJane MalinAckerman KaraHayward AbigailBreslin Interview Exclusive Writer and director Asher Levin talks to Bleeding Cool about his latest action horror comedy in Slayers and horror inspirations \nWhen writer and director K.K.The Halloween season brings with it an appetite for horror movies, and those featuring vampires tend to see a notable spike in popularity.Action writer Kurt Johnstad has been tapped to pen the screenplay for Prophet, the feature-length adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld. Asher Levin (Dig, The Shadow Diaries), along with writing partner Zack Imbrogno took on The Avenue's action horror comedy Slayers, it went to places he never could imagine, especially after he cast major roles played by Thomas Jane and Malin Akerman to lead an ensemble cast. He spoke to Bleeding Cool about the various inspirations from the life of aviation mogul Howard Hughes to contemporary vampire films and filmmakers. What started as a conversation to promote Slayers quickly turned into a discussion about genre filmmaking and the legendary filmmakers of the1970s.\nThomas Jane and Kara Hayward in Slayers (2022). However, Slayers puts a new spin on the vampire formula by blending it with modern online culture. Image courtesy of The Avenue\nThe Many Films That Inspired Slayers\nBleeding Cool: What's the inspiration behind 'Slayers?' \nLevin: 'Slayers' started a little differently and became what it became. Nevertheless, Levin is a student of the game, and Slayers is his attempt to inspire a new generation of genre fans. Initially, there was a fun riff I was going to do on the later years of Howard Hughes at the desert in Las Vegas, and it was going to be set in the late '60s. COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY In the comics, Prophet becomes conscripted by the German Army during the end of World War II, and gains superhuman strength and abilities following a series of experiments by a time-traveling doctor. Vampire movies are always about something reflecting in society. After years of hunting, Jones has found those responsible for his daughter’s death, but needs help infiltrating their layer. With the backdrop of social media and online life, Slayers is an engagingly different vampire horror-comedy. A little over a decade ago, I was obsessed with the idea of doing a vampire movie that reflected on addiction to media. From my experiences I had in the digital space running a couple of digital companies and programming for some big social media platforms, I met a lot of people very similar to those in our Stream Team, on which I based our young influencers in the film. When the team is invited to a billionaire’s estate, they quickly learn the compound is a breeding ground for vampires. I reached out to a buddy I'd written some stuff with before and pitched him on rewriting a movie with me with that in mind, and the rest is history. Filmmaker Talks Slayers Screen Rant: How did Slayers first come about? K.\nWe dove in headfirst into this idea of media consumption, social media addiction, and media as a prism in general. Framed as a vampire movie, Slayers is also a unique takedown of the media and its capitalistic principles. RELATED: A Brief History of Image Comics, As Told by Co-Founder Rob Liefeld The original script for the film was written by Mark Guggenheim, known for his work on the Arrowverse television shows for The CW, though it appears that he may no longer be involved with the project. That includes our bifurcated world of news media today, which is scattered, and nobody has the same story at all times now. We live in a world rife with conspiracy, and it's hard not to have a healthy dose of cynicism around the way we get our news feeds today on all sides. Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. There's a lot of weird mythology what happened to him between the Desert Inn and when he passed, and there's an incredible drawing of him on the cover of Time Magazine where he looks like a vampire. I wanted to ensure the film was agnostic to politics and equal opportunity skewering all sides.\nCr: The Avenue\nAny existing films and shows that were influential for the film?\nInitially, 'From Dusk Till Dawn' and 'John Carpenter's Vampires,' Kathryn Bigelow's 'Near Dark' were all big influences and a little bit of 'Blade. Have you had a moment to catch your breath? K.' Once we figured out what this movie would look like editorially, the references became a little closer to Adam McKay and some of his more recent work, as well as a little bit of Gaspar Noé, who made 'Enter the Void,' a French film. And then, finally the timing was really right for it. Hargraves is slated to helm Prophet through production house Studio 8, with the studio tapping Jeff Robinov and John Graham as producers. I also channeled [Sam] Raimi a bit because I like to tell myself my heroes and influences are a little bit more high-minded, like [Brian] De Palma, [Martin] Scorsese, and [Quentin] Tarantino. I had my second kid in April.\nI also have a bit of Raimi's sense of humor. A lot of times, even when I'm doing something that might be a bit more serious, my interest in how the camera's going to move and look is sometimes humorous. Thank you. This is obviously not news to people, but influencers, creators, everything is so driven by brand, you're controlling a narrative that is 99 percent untrue, and I loved the idea, even when I was focusing on Howard Hughes, of media as the vampiric element. Sometimes I embrace it. This movie is a lot with the visual effects, and the graphic design, which is my two biggest influences visually were Raimi and De Palma. A few months ago, I started prepping for a movie I’m about to shoot now. Collider's interview with Rob Liefeld can be read here. I used a good deal split diopter, which is a De Palma thing. A lot of the movie bred out of that, and then I just wanted to make a fun movie. The blood was much in his zone of sort of Giallo [genre] and the Raimi stuff. [Laughs] Hopefully, you get a well-deserved vacation soon. I cribbed off of an 'Evil Dead' shot where we did that poor man's Steadicam ramp-up when we first see Harry (CG Lewis) as a vampire.\nOnce you get into the editing room and you realize there's so much humor in the way that the film is shot, and there's a campy element to the movie. So, how recently did you watch the cut? Because I’ve noticed it’s really fun to talk to people right after they’ve seen it because it’s such a weird experience. And to an American degree, I suppose that some of the Sam Levinson stuff that he does is very sensory as well, and so I really wanted this to reflect on that. Another influence was 'Rocky Horror. ' I always wanted [Slayers] to be a midnight movie. Oh, amazing. I never thought of this as a straightforward horror film or anything else, for that matter. Not really for people over 25, but when you're younger and you're watching your phone and you're watching a movie and listening to music and talking to your friend, and all of that stuff is happening at the same time, what's the actual cinematic equivalent of that? And how do we make that here in a really, really entertaining horror movie, while at the same time, also reflecting on Qanon and the difference - or lack of difference - between Fox News, CNN, MSNBC. This was more of a midnight movie in the vein of 'Rocky Horror,' 'Repo Man,' or 'They Live. I like the unfiltered, right-away responses because it’s such a unique film.'\n\nSlayers, which also stars Kara Hayward, Jack Donnelly, Lydia Hearst, and Abigail Breslin, is in theaters, digital, and on demand.\n\n . When you say unique, it’s a vampire action-hunter film with this technological spin. As far as the more standard vampiric elements, what were some of your big influences as far as other vampire movies or horror movies? K. 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Bleeding Cool » K. Asher Levin on genre films and his vampire movie Slayers Digital Trends Director K. Asher Levin Interview: Slayers '300' Writer to Pen 'Prophet' Adaptation Starring Jake Gyllenhaal The Conjuring 4 in Development, Writer Set for Sequel

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This Roast Chicken with Hot Honey recipe gets its flavor from cardamom, raw honey, and orange peel. Get the recipe from Food & Wine. Read more >> K. Asher Levin on genre films and his vampire movie Slayers Digital TrendsIn an interview with Digital Trends, K. Asher Levin speaks about the origin of his vampire horror film Slayers and his ongoing collaboration with Thomas Jane . Director K. Asher Levin Interview: SlayersWe chat with Slayers writer-director K. Asher Levin (asherlevin) about some of the big inspirations behind the movie, and his very different take on the vampire genre: '300' Writer to Pen 'Prophet' Adaptation Starring Jake GyllenhaalKurt Johnstad has been tapped to pen the 'Prophet' adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The Conjuring 4 in Development, Writer Set for SequelEd and Lorraine Warren are headed back to the big screen, as The Conjuring 4 is in the works, according to a new report that reveals the writer. The Conjuring 4 is Officially a-Go from Aquaman 2's WriterHopefully, this doesn't take five years to make happen. So 'The Conjuring 4 is Officially a-Go from The Conjuring 2 & 3's writer' then? The Conjuring 4 Confirmed With Previous Writer ReturningBREAKING: TheConjuring 4 has been confirmed at New Line Cinema with previous writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick returning to pen the script. jesus, can this family catch a break? \nWhen writer and director K.K.The Halloween season brings with it an appetite for horror movies, and those featuring vampires tend to see a notable spike in popularity.Action writer Kurt Johnstad has been tapped to pen the screenplay for Prophet, the feature-length adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld. Asher Levin (Dig, The Shadow Diaries), along with writing partner Zack Imbrogno took on The Avenue's action horror comedy Slayers, it went to places he never could imagine, especially after he cast major roles played by Thomas Jane and Malin Akerman to lead an ensemble cast. He spoke to Bleeding Cool about the various inspirations from the life of aviation mogul Howard Hughes to contemporary vampire films and filmmakers. What started as a conversation to promote Slayers quickly turned into a discussion about genre filmmaking and the legendary filmmakers of the1970s.\nThomas Jane and Kara Hayward in Slayers (2022). However, Slayers puts a new spin on the vampire formula by blending it with modern online culture. Image courtesy of The Avenue\nThe Many Films That Inspired Slayers\nBleeding Cool: What's the inspiration behind 'Slayers?' \nLevin: 'Slayers' started a little differently and became what it became. Nevertheless, Levin is a student of the game, and Slayers is his attempt to inspire a new generation of genre fans. Initially, there was a fun riff I was going to do on the later years of Howard Hughes at the desert in Las Vegas, and it was going to be set in the late '60s. COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY In the comics, Prophet becomes conscripted by the German Army during the end of World War II, and gains superhuman strength and abilities following a series of experiments by a time-traveling doctor. Vampire movies are always about something reflecting in society. After years of hunting, Jones has found those responsible for his daughter’s death, but needs help infiltrating their layer. With the backdrop of social media and online life, Slayers is an engagingly different vampire horror-comedy. A little over a decade ago, I was obsessed with the idea of doing a vampire movie that reflected on addiction to media. From my experiences I had in the digital space running a couple of digital companies and programming for some big social media platforms, I met a lot of people very similar to those in our Stream Team, on which I based our young influencers in the film. When the team is invited to a billionaire’s estate, they quickly learn the compound is a breeding ground for vampires. I reached out to a buddy I'd written some stuff with before and pitched him on rewriting a movie with me with that in mind, and the rest is history. Filmmaker Talks Slayers Screen Rant: How did Slayers first come about? K.\nWe dove in headfirst into this idea of media consumption, social media addiction, and media as a prism in general. Framed as a vampire movie, Slayers is also a unique takedown of the media and its capitalistic principles. RELATED: A Brief History of Image Comics, As Told by Co-Founder Rob Liefeld The original script for the film was written by Mark Guggenheim, known for his work on the Arrowverse television shows for The CW, though it appears that he may no longer be involved with the project. That includes our bifurcated world of news media today, which is scattered, and nobody has the same story at all times now. We live in a world rife with conspiracy, and it's hard not to have a healthy dose of cynicism around the way we get our news feeds today on all sides. Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. There's a lot of weird mythology what happened to him between the Desert Inn and when he passed, and there's an incredible drawing of him on the cover of Time Magazine where he looks like a vampire. I wanted to ensure the film was agnostic to politics and equal opportunity skewering all sides.\nCr: The Avenue\nAny existing films and shows that were influential for the film?\nInitially, 'From Dusk Till Dawn' and 'John Carpenter's Vampires,' Kathryn Bigelow's 'Near Dark' were all big influences and a little bit of 'Blade. Have you had a moment to catch your breath? K.' Once we figured out what this movie would look like editorially, the references became a little closer to Adam McKay and some of his more recent work, as well as a little bit of Gaspar Noé, who made 'Enter the Void,' a French film. And then, finally the timing was really right for it. Hargraves is slated to helm Prophet through production house Studio 8, with the studio tapping Jeff Robinov and John Graham as producers. I also channeled [Sam] Raimi a bit because I like to tell myself my heroes and influences are a little bit more high-minded, like [Brian] De Palma, [Martin] Scorsese, and [Quentin] Tarantino. I had my second kid in April.\nI also have a bit of Raimi's sense of humor. A lot of times, even when I'm doing something that might be a bit more serious, my interest in how the camera's going to move and look is sometimes humorous. Thank you. This is obviously not news to people, but influencers, creators, everything is so driven by brand, you're controlling a narrative that is 99 percent untrue, and I loved the idea, even when I was focusing on Howard Hughes, of media as the vampiric element. Sometimes I embrace it. This movie is a lot with the visual effects, and the graphic design, which is my two biggest influences visually were Raimi and De Palma. A few months ago, I started prepping for a movie I’m about to shoot now. Collider's interview with Rob Liefeld can be read here. I used a good deal split diopter, which is a De Palma thing. A lot of the movie bred out of that, and then I just wanted to make a fun movie. The blood was much in his zone of sort of Giallo [genre] and the Raimi stuff. [Laughs] Hopefully, you get a well-deserved vacation soon. I cribbed off of an 'Evil Dead' shot where we did that poor man's Steadicam ramp-up when we first see Harry (CG Lewis) as a vampire.\nOnce you get into the editing room and you realize there's so much humor in the way that the film is shot, and there's a campy element to the movie. So, how recently did you watch the cut? Because I’ve noticed it’s really fun to talk to people right after they’ve seen it because it’s such a weird experience. And to an American degree, I suppose that some of the Sam Levinson stuff that he does is very sensory as well, and so I really wanted this to reflect on that. Another influence was 'Rocky Horror. ' I always wanted [Slayers] to be a midnight movie. Oh, amazing. I never thought of this as a straightforward horror film or anything else, for that matter. Not really for people over 25, but when you're younger and you're watching your phone and you're watching a movie and listening to music and talking to your friend, and all of that stuff is happening at the same time, what's the actual cinematic equivalent of that? And how do we make that here in a really, really entertaining horror movie, while at the same time, also reflecting on Qanon and the difference - or lack of difference - between Fox News, CNN, MSNBC. This was more of a midnight movie in the vein of 'Rocky Horror,' 'Repo Man,' or 'They Live. I like the unfiltered, right-away responses because it’s such a unique film.'\n\nSlayers, which also stars Kara Hayward, Jack Donnelly, Lydia Hearst, and Abigail Breslin, is in theaters, digital, and on demand.\n\n . When you say unique, it’s a vampire action-hunter film with this technological spin. As far as the more standard vampiric elements, what were some of your big influences as far as other vampire movies or horror movies? K.