What a dumb question right? Well director (Lord) Adam Green ("HATCHET", "FROZEN") doesn't mind as he once again answers tons of fan-mail via his "FormSpring" account. We have all the goods after the break...

Follow up:

It's no big secret that Adam is a fan favorite of ours and we like to make that known on a daily basis. There's just something about the guy, his films and the way he interacts with his fans that we like to support. We joke around at Adam's expense every now and again and although we're pretty sure he thinks we're crazy stalkers (we are) we hope you enjoy his work as much as we do. So coming as no surprise to us, Adam will often answer fan-mail live via his "FormSping" account (CLICK HERE) and we will occasionally post potential interesting comments and discussions that come from those sessions. If your like us you're probably reading his entire "FormSpring" account as we speak but if you just want to know a few bullet points feast on the comments below. HorrorBid even got brought up in conversation. You can't beat that.

How did you feel about having to recast for Hatchet 2? Obviously Danielle Harris is a great actress, and has earned her place in horror's hallowed grounds for Halloween 4 and 5, but was it your decision or out of your hands to have to recast?


My decision. Everyone in the HATCHET camp spent a way too fair amount of time trying to make things work out with the original actress, however she is in a spot in her life/career where she is making some bad choices and associating with bad people who give bad advice/influence and this train needed to leave the station. As far as the movie goes, it all worked out for the best as it typically does.

As far as the original actress goes, she is someone I discovered and gave a chance to, someone I believed in, and someone I once cared for very much and I only hope she gets her act together again. Her losing the lead role in the HATCHET franchise should hopefully be the worst of her career/life mistakes and I hope things turn around for her down the road. But these days, I think you might be able to see her in a Payless Shoe Commercial or perhaps as a featured extra in the background on a TV show while the role of "Marybeth" is now owned by the biggest scream queen of our generation. Danielle is absolutely amazing and was a gift to all of us to work with. Again, great for the fans, great for me, and great for the movie- but a crying shame for the one left behind.



Do you see Hatchet going into more than two movies and if so any chance Victor leaves New Orleans?


Yes, I think there will be more HATCHET films and yes Victor Crowley could potentially leave New Orleans if it made sense for the story. But HATCHET 2 finishes the story I set out to tell with HATCHET 1 and at this time I do not see myself directing any more of the films. That being said, I once said I had no interest in doing HATCHET 2 and I passed on it a bunch of times. So don't listen to me.

I got to go do FROZEN, SPIRAL, and GRACE and then all of a sudden I couldn't WAIT to get back to my swamp and play with my monster again. I think with me it's all about getting to do different things. I wilt if I don't get some variety- thus my need to constantly be doing short films for the web, etc. People always say "Why do you still do shorts now?" Because I LOVE THEM and they are QUICK and always DIFFERENT. It's not about the money- it's about the creating.



So whats Danielle Harris like working with?


She is a dream! An absolute pro who truly loves her work. Sometimes (especially in the horror genre) you come across tired actors who have already been there/done that and just go through the motions- but she honestly LOVES this stuff and gets so into it. She is so prepared, so focused, and so gracious to have the career that she has had.

One thing I really love about her is that she isn't an overdramatic little queen when it comes to her set etiquette. Some actors, when they need to do an emotional scene... they want the set cleared out and they need all of this time to sit and cry and yell in the mirror or "get into it". To me that is the sign of someone trying to get attention or who is nervous about getting there in the moment. Danielle can be joking and smiling with everyone and then on "action" pouring buckets of tears and screams.

I also adore her because she truly respects and appreciates my crew. For me- that goes a long, long, long way and those are the actors that I keep around in my family.



Will there be more Frozen theater screenings?


It still keeps opening in other countries every few weeks and is kicking ass in theaters because it is being distributed by bigger places that have the real marketing push behind it, something we didn't have in the US. Though make no mistake, I am very grateful for the fact that Anchor Bay put FROZEN in theaters here and that it lasted for 8 weeks.

But aside from a city putting on a special night- I don't see any more theatrical screenings of FROZEN in the US between now and when it hits DVD/Blu Ray on 9/28.



The most depressing thing about the remake trend is that a whole lot of talented foreign film-makers seem to be jumping onto the first remake that gets offered to them. How hard it it to say no, and when does artistic integrity come into it?


The problem is that the studios will (for the most part) only greenlight remakes and sequels. So if you're a director trying to break in to that level, a remake may be your only shot right now. plus, it is like winning the lottery just getting a real movie MADE at this time. That's why you see so many directors taking that risk. I have been very, very fortunate that I have my own thing going with my own production company and I have just kept moving from one film to the next for 4 years straight without a break. My films have been successful enough that I don't need to jump at the studio things I have been invited in on and I just keep doing what I do. That mentality COULD have been very bad for me, but it paid off as I am now doing KILLER PIZZA (an ORIGINAL movie- though it is more like MONSTER SQUAD than a hardcore horror film) with Chris Columbus and 1492 Films. i held out and got the chance at something i actually love and wanted with all of my heart.

To me artistic integrity always plays in to it. But I am in a different boat than someone who may be desperate to just get a film going and who needs money desperately. Thankfully, I'm in a different place after these past 4 or 5 years.



What did your family say when you first told them you wanted to be a writer/director? Did they know it would be in the horror genre?


My family was pretty encouraging about all of it, but they also were very nervous about it, Given that the chances that this working out were so slim, they were very adamant that I get a college degree "just in case" I needed something to fall back on. The way they always put it, with that degree (which was in Film and TV Production, mind you) I could at least be the MANAGER and not just "the drive thru guy" if nothing else panned out. But they were always supportive of me going after this and always big fans of the stuff I have made- whether they get it or not. They were well aware of my love for all things horror and Halloween from a very early age, so I don't think it's really a surprise to them that I have done so much work in the horror genre. I think deep down they would prefer I did more comedy than horror (so at least their friends could go and see my films when they come out), but given how well things have panned out I don't think they have any complaints.

My Dad is also a huge HATCHET fan, which if you knew the guy- is a huge win for me.



You seem to have been able to make your movies the way you wanted, yet so many horror film-makers get screwed over. Are there any warning signs you have seen for dealing with producers and financiers who just want lowest-common-denominator trash?


Unfortunately when it's not YOUR money financing it- that risk is always there. But I have avoided it (so far) by aligning myself with very positive and good people and by conducting myself in a very good manner where I have never found myself at huge odds with producers, etc. I've also pretty much only directed my own scripts which also helps. From my years writing for TV pilots and being an assistant to show runners I watched the best of the best navigate studio and network "notes" and I have therefore learned how to handle them in a way that doesn't turn into a confrontation with bad blood. The biggest mistake a director can make is making enemies with the people that represent the money or investment. And I see it happen all the time.

In terms of early warning signs- just don't be desperate. Talk everything out and make sure you are REALLY on the same page. More often than not directors are so amped just to find someone to say "yes" that they don't listen to what those investors are saying. Be up front. Be clear. Make sure you are all making the same movie. And never, never, never think that you're going to win someone over later and that you can ignore a big red flag. One of the companies that wanted to make FROZEN (on a much bigger budget than I eventually accepted) gave me notes like "introduce the wolves on page 5" and "what is a Sarlacc Pit?" When I explained to the guy (who was the HEAD of a studio) that it was the pit in Return of the Jedi he told me "I never saw that film." That was all I needed to know to head for the door.

Lastly, I was very fortunate that my first film out of the gate (HATCHET) was a big success and became a franchise. Because of that, my company (ArieScope Pictures) has some serious cred and I've been able to keep making my own movies with my own people. Most do not have that luxury- so I never ever take it for granted . It's allowed me to keep going and doing the films I WANT to do rather than struggling and fighting for a studio job that (though it may get a better budget and release) I don't really care about or really want. I'm one of the few who has made a very successful career in independent film making as normally it doesn't pay or the films take years and years to get started. So I'm not the average or best example. I took studio and TV writing assignments along the way- but until my recent gig doing KILLER PIZZA, I had never really gone after a big budget film. This was the right one and it's with the right people.



Who'd win in a fight? Victor Crowley or Jason Voorhees?

Victor Crowley.