Insidious: Q&A w/ Leigh Whannell & James Wan [Plus Ticket Giveaway!]

I am a huge fan of the Saw franchise, especially the first film. It was like nothing I had seen before. It was a fresh spin on the tired slasher sub-genre, and in the end it gave you a twist ending that made even M. Night wet his pants.

Last month in support of Insidious, which hits theaters April 1st, I got to sit down with both the director of the original Saw James Wan and its writer and co-star as well Leigh Whannell; both preforming the same roles on their new foray into the haunted house sub-genre Insidious.

It was a true fan-boy moment for me to speak with these guys and talk about how they scare people in their own films, and what films have scared them as well. Enjoy!

Was this film an opportunity to do something different that you hadn’t done before? Not only with the PG-13 rating, but making an old-school haunted house film.

James Wan: I think partially, but more importantly Leigh and I just wanted to make a scary movie. It really doesn’t matter what sub-genre it falls into. [We] just wanted to make the kind of scary movie we loved, and the sub-genre of haunted house films is one we truly love.

When we came into it we realized this particular sub-genre had been pretty much done to death, so we wanted to see if we could put a new spin on it.

Leigh Whannell: I feel like after Saw we were sort of having our 15 minutes running around doing a victory lap around Hollywood and we had a chance to make another film quickly.

The problem we fell into is we made it with a studio, and that film was Dead Silence. I really felt Dead Silence did not represent the best horror film we could make

So there was always that lingering feeling that we still hadn’t made our definitive horror film, and this opportunity came up with the producers of Paranormal Activity. They just said we could make this film right now and we want to do it with you guys, James and I looked at each other and both thought this is the perfect opportunity.

James Wan: As a director I have definitely been pigeonholed as the guy who started off this whole “Torture Porn” trend.

For me, in the back of my mind it was a very conscious decision on my behalf to make something that has very little to no violence, gore or blood. I wanted to prove that I was capable of making a scary suspenseful film without the need to shock with blood and guts.

Is there anything you kept in mind as not to fall into any of the clichés most films fall do?

Jame Wan: (Laughs) We didn’t need to!

Leigh Whannell: We know the genre so well, that we knew going into this what we didn’t want to do. Its funny you should say that, because before I started writing I had a list of commandments printed out on a piece of paper of things I would not do, that I had seen done in countless films before Insidious.

We wanted to take all these things we hated about modern horror films and reverse it and make something that was more pure.

What were some of the films that influenced Insidious and scared you as kids?

James Wan: In terms of a shopping list both Leigh and I have very different lists and they both cross-join at some point. For me it was Poltergeist, Jaws and The Exorcist these were the films that scared me growing up.

The interesting thing is these films still stand really great on their own, even in today’s world where we have had plenty of horror films come along. The most recent films for me though would be The Sixth Sense and The Others both or these are PG-13 films as well.

Some of the lesser-known films that had a direct influence on Insidious though was Carnival of Souls, The Innocents and The Entity. Dead of Night as well that was the film that definitely inspired the score for the film.

Leigh Whannell: When I was a kid I was a total wimp. When I first saw Jaws I couldn’t sleep with my feet in the sheets on my bed for a year, because I thought that it was water and that Jaws was under there.

James Wan: (Laughs) He was a very strange child. He had issues.

Leigh Whannell: Flowers in the Attic as well in Australia though it went straight to TV. When I saw the film as a kid it scarred me. But if I had to pick one that still holds up over my entire life it would be The Shinning. Even if I watch it on my own late at night, it’s still too much for me.

My favorite part of Insidious definitely is the ending. Were there any concerns with going that route for the film?

Leigh Whannell: No, because one of the main reasons we did Insidious was creative freedom. The producers from the start said, you aren’t going to have much of a budget, or a schedule all stuff that made our lives hell.

I had to write this film quickly and then James had to direct it and get it done quickly as well. I think we shot it in 22 days.

James Wan: Insidious is the lowest budget film we have made. That is saying a lot because Saw was made for nothing. The entire budget for Insidious was probably less than the catering budget for a film like lets say Inception.

Leigh Whannell: The payoff though in that situation was complete creative freedom. The fact that these guys just let us go off and make the film we wanted, the way we wanted was a big reason for us to do it.

James Wan: This definitely the first movie I have made, but I have only directed four films, where the theatrical cut of the film is the director’s cut. What I put out there is what I wanted.

And finally a Saw question. Now that it is over would you like to share any thoughts on the now finished franchise?

Leigh Whannell: (Laughs) It’s interesting.

(Pause)

Look, for us personally we love the first film the best in many ways. Nostalgically we love it, because it is indicative of this great time in our lives where we made this film. Quality-wise it’s the best and has the best story and twist ending.

I do think it is a necessary evil of the world of sequels that its diminishing returns. So I think the quality of the films got less and less as the sequels went on. I think its good the producers finished the franchise when they did, because if they went on any longer it would have been ridiculous.

A lot of people would argue that it had already become ridiculous, but I think its good they finished the franchise when then did and they managed to keep a lot of fans happy.

The fact that they serialized the films the films so each one ties into the last, it has this almost soap opera-like aspect to it. And I know from going to these conventions where you meet these Saw fans they love that about it. One kid came up and said that Saw was like the Star Wars of horror films just in the way the film ties into the last and there is this huge mythology.

James Wan: And when he was referencing Star Wars he meant …. Episode 1….. Episode 2….. Episode 3. (Laughs)

I’m kidding.

Wanna check out Insidious? We are giving away 50 free passes for two to a Secret Screening Tomorrow at the Pearl Theater at 7:30 PM, simply email InsidiousSecret@gmail.com for tickets.