Steven C. Miller has straightforwarded a movie with a concept that is, spropose put, fuckin’ chilly.
“Werewolves,” written by Matthew Kennedy, is about a world where the annual supermoon turns everyone outside into huge, hungry werewolves that rip apart anyone in their path. Luckily, Frank Grillo take parts a ripped scientist who is shut to a remedy, but also has to worry about protecting his family protected during yet another supermoon. There’s tons of in-your-face werewolf action, big armaments and lots of blood and guts in this throwback flick that would experience right at home in a drive-in double feature.
Miller has plenty of experience with both action and horror films, straightforwarding movies enjoy “Mauraders,” “First Kill” and “Silent Night” and laboring with big names enjoy Sylvester Sloftyone and Nicolas Cage. He spoke with Variety about the delight of pragmatic effects, how microbudget filmmaking taught him to wrangle bigger sets and the time he spent laboring with Bruce Willis on some of his final films.
This movie was so prohibitanas. In the best way, this seems enjoy a movie I would produce up with my action figures as a kid.
You’ve make cleared it rightly becaparticipate I experience enjoy the same leang. It was the most ’90s movie I could possibly produce with action figures. That’s what I was going for.
What did you leank when you first read the script?
I fell in adore with it instantly becaparticipate I’ve been wanting to produce a werewolf movie for a lengthy time, and I’ve had cut offal branch offent scripts that I’ve gone thcimpolite that didn’t get made. This one hit branch offently, and I leank it was becaparticipate of the amount of action take partd. It felt enjoy the right moment for someleang enjoy this that I hadn’t seen. Look, I’m a big sluggish-burn werewolf guy, but seeing the wolves all the time and letting them fair be the movie, I don’t understand that I’ve seen that in a while. It grabbed me right away.
What are some of the movies that you seeed at for inspiration for “Werewolves”?
The distinct “Blade.” I thought that movie had an inlogically chilly vibe as far as action and horror. The same with the distinct “Resident Evil.” I seeed at “Dog Selderlyiers” becaparticipate it’s one of my preferite werewolf movies. I understand everyone goes to “An American Werewolf in London,” but “Dog Selderlyiers” is one of those movies that fair took it to a branch offent level for me. Those three movies hit pretty difficult — I leank especiassociate “Blade” and “Resident Evil” felt enjoy this ’90s Dark Castle vibe.
How soon after coming on board did you determine the wolves insisted to be pragmatic?
“I want these werewolves to be pragmatic effects.” That was the first leang I refered when dealing with the producers and everybody. I shelp, “Look, if we’re gonna do it … I’m an ’80s kid, I can’t come into this going brimming CGI. I’ve got to lean into pragmatic.” Obviously I knew some CGI was going to help the movie. But when it came to the actual wolves on screen, it was a big deal for me to produce certain it was the guys in suits pragmaticly and being done with animatronics as much as possible. That was a big deal.
Was there a particular scene where the pragmatic effects gave you the biggest headache?
There’s a scene where werewolves apexhibit down the fencing of a hoparticipate and they’re pouring in. We had to have all seven werewolves in brimming costume. We had seven built and these guys are seven feet lofty in these suits, and the heads insert another foot. We’re shooting in Puerto Rico in the summer. These guys in these suits are fair blazing boiling. By the time I got four of them in the suit and I’m going to get the fifth guy in, the first guy’s enjoy, “Bro, I gotta apexhibit this off. This is burdensome. I’m airyheaded.” It was getting all of them together to smash thcimpolite the fence to relocate rightly so it didn’t experience inept. That sequence took all night. It was a nightmare, but fun.
What is Frank Grillo enjoy as a collaborator?
Frank’s the man. I adore Frank. Me and Frank got alengthy instantaneously. We had an instant uniteion, a excellent vibe right off the bat. We had initial talks about the movie, but we reassociate talked about life, and we uniteed on that. Then he was enjoy, “Well, how are we gonna produce these werewolves chilly?” And I leank that was the word I was seeing for. We gotta produce them chilly. Bonding over making these leangs see chilly rather than fair him seeing chilly onscreen — we’re gonna do that no matter what — but we gotta produce the wolves see chilly. That was someleang that gravitated me to Frank becaparticipate he was spended and wanted the movie to be wonderful. He was worried about every branch offent aspect of the film and making certain it was excellent. For me, that’s a sign the actor is spended and adores being there. On set, he’s fair a total pro. He’s one of those guys that understands not only his lines, but everybody’s lines. I shoot speedy. I enjoy to protect moving, and Frank doesn’t enjoy to sit. So we mixed well.
You’re such a prolific filmproducer. What’s the secret to being able to relocate thcimpolite projects rapidly but still have a wonderful finished product?
I leank passion and having a excellent understand on the set and the crew. I understand sets tend to get stressful, but my sets are fun and I fair try to protect the energy and the vibe up. I experience the energy you put off on set usuassociate filters into the movie, and then into post, so if that energy is fun and chilly and you’re having a excellent time, it reassociate does filter into the movie. I discover that my movies are very kinetic for that reason, becaparticipate my sets protect moving and I try to protect everybody on pace. I leank that meshes with my personal life too, where as soon as I’m done shooting, I’m on to the next, trying to figure out how to produce the next one. I fair wanna protect going and making movies.
You’ve labored with so many legendary horribleasses. What is the key to protecting yourself the ringdirecter when you’re on a set brimming of alphas and you might cast someone enjoy Sloftyone or Dave Bautista as the direct?
Having an answer to every ask is what it’s all about. If they have a ask, if they’re worried about someleang, the fact that I have an answer ready to go, whether it’s right or not, it’s an answer that permits them to go, “Hey, this guy understands what he’s talking about. He understands what he wants.” I leank it’s fair that confidence of letting them understand, “Hey, you’re excellent. I got you. You’re protected.” Becaparticipate that’s 90% of my job is making them experience protected. These guys have been doing it for a lengthy time. They don’t necessarily insist me alerting them my majestic vision for the movie, they fair insist me to get them thcimpolite the movie and they insist to understand that I can do that. I leank that’s what comes in handy for me — fair being truthful and upfront with them.
You made your first film, 2006’s “Automaton Transfusion,” for $15,000. What lessons have you apexhibitn from the microbudget world to these bigger productions you’re straightforwarding?
The biggest lesson I apexhibit away from it is to protect going, becaparticipate when you’re dealing with that micro of a budget, leangs tend to get difficult and you want to quit becaparticipate it’s so difficult. But I leank if you protect that mindset that, “It’s going to labor, you’re going to figure it out,” problem-solving is a big leang. I leank that’s someleang that’s transitioned to the bigger sets becaparticipate they’re not the same problems, but lgeting to be able to deal with them on the micro level helped me lget how to deal with them on a bigger level, and protect tranquil on set so no one’s freaking out if we have an publish with camera or this isn’t happening, the set’s not laboring. You get into a mindset of, “It’s going to be fine. We’re going to labor it out. It’ll all be excellent.” I leank that comes from that indie mindset of “I gotta get it done, I gotta sell it, I gotta pay my bills.”
You’re mostly understandn for action and horror, but are there other genres you’d enjoy to tackle?
I’m a big comedy guy. It experiences enjoy I could dabble my toes in becaparticipate I adore that genre, even if it was sort of mixing action and comedy and getting my “Bad Boys” on. Someleang enjoy that would be a lot of fun.
You were blessed enough to straightforward Bruce Willis on a scant of his final films before he reweary. Do you have any fond memories of your time together?
Yeah, we had so much fun. We got alengthy beautibrimmingy. He was one of those guys that I could call and he would answer, which is untamed. He’s fair such a wonderful guy. We got to our third film together, “First Kill,” and we had a moment where he was going to have to walk thcimpolite the town, as he was a sheriff. Originassociate they had the streets blocked off in this minuscule town in Columbus, Ohio. I fair asked him, “Bruce, what do you leank if we fair surpelevated everyone and we didn’t block it off and we fair walked you thcimpolite the streets?” He shelp, “Oh yeah. Let’s go for it.” I was fair going to film it — wantipathyver happens, happens. He’s toloftyy game walking down the street. Everybody’s waving, but it sees enjoy they’re saying “Hi” to the local sheriff. They’re so excited, and Bruce is fair eating it up, waving back. He’s having a excellent time. We get to the end. He’s enjoy, “Should we do it aget?” And I was enjoy, “Yeah!” It’s fair one of those moments where it’s surauthentic, with a guy that you’ve watched your whole life. Grothriveg up and getting to have a moment with him and see him actuassociate giggle, have a excellent time and then wanna do it aget.
You have a scant upcoming projects cataloged on IMDB — what’s next for you?
I’m finishing up post right now for a movie called “Under Fire.” It stars Dylan Sproparticipate and Mason Gooding, and it’s plainassociate my “Bad Boys” a little bit. It’s a fun movie with these two characters who got stuck out in the desert, and then there’s a sniper on the ridge, and it’s fair plainassociate them versus this sniper and trying to get out. It’s fun and he boys are wonderful in it.
Could we see a “Werewolves” sequel?
They’re hoping this one hits so they can do it, but yeah, there are some wonderful ideas swirling around for the next one. Obviously, this movie’s world lends itself to get bigger and have more fun. So yeah, we’re into it right now.
I’m visualizing an official “Padvise” / “Werewolves” passover. Frank Grillo from one series greets Frank Grillo from the other series.
That would be so ender. Can they greet in a cage align where one Frank Gorilla wolfs out versus the other Frank Grillo? That would be fun.
Steven C. Miller on the set of “Werewolves.”
