Corey Norman Talks The Witching and More!
Staci Layne Wilson
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Corey Norman is one well-rounded guy. He began working in the film industry at the age of 19 for the Lone Wolf Documentary Group, where he got to dive into the worlds of The History Channel, Nova, National Geographic Channel and Discovery (in fact, he was an assistant editor on Nova’s “Bioterror,” which won a Best News and Documentary Emmy Award.) But his true love is horror and in addition to all the superb shorts, his first feature, Hanover House, was shot in Maine and got kudos at film fests. His next short will be an adaptation of the Stephen King chiller called Suffer the Little Children.
Right now though, Corey is back in the spotlight now with his horror anthology, The Witching (NOW on Amazon Prime) of which he’s one of the directors.
Dread Central: What was the impetus to curate and present a horror anthology? Were these some of your favorite shorts, and how did you work to string them together on theme?
Corey Norman: We’ve contributed several shorts in the past to various anthologies that Ruthless Studios were curating (Invoking 2, Monsterland), but when they came to us with the opportunity to shape our own tale, we were beyond elated. We were assigned a handful of the shorts, and had the opportunity to request others that we thought fit the theme. Once the list was assembled, we quickly realized that they all felt like campfire tales, and from there our anthology concept was born.
DC: I thought all the shorts were really good, but I have to say one of my faves is Next Caller, which was written and directed by Patrick Rea – tell us why you chose it.
CN: Next Caller was actually one of the few shorts that we had a say in when selecting the films. I’m a huge fan of Patrick Rea’s work, and feel he has a very classic “Twilight Zone” feel that creeps into all his films, thus making it perfect for this anthology. There’s something great about the idea of a skeptic who finally starts to believe, and this film encapsulated that so beautifully.
DC: When it comes to wraparounds for horror anthologies, it’s crucial they’re every bit as engaging and scary as the films themselves. Usually, it’s one “horror host” ala The Cryptkeeper. Another good one is Debbie Harry in the wraparounds from Tales from the Darkside. What are some of your faves, and how did you decide on making yours a group of podcasters?
CN: Growing up, the two anthology programs that influenced me the most were “Tales from the Crypt,” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark”? When setting out to make this film, we wanted to capture the essence of those old campfire tales, but in a new way that hasn’t been done to death. The concept of podcasters telling creepy tales (ala Creepy Pasta) is something we found fascinating, and thought it would be a good vehicle in which to tell the stories. For the filming, we showcased some of the beautiful (and creepy) Maine wilderness, which, surprisingly for some, does boast a great WiFi signal.
DC: You have another short film anthology, 60 Seconds to Die. What’s that one all about, and how can folks see it?
CN: 60 Seconds to Die is a horror anthology in which filmmakers are given 60 seconds to spin their own web of death. We deviated from our normal tone, to create a lighthearted piece called “Silence.” You can find that, alongside work by some other fantastic filmmakers such as: Jeremiah Kipp (Pain Killer), Billy Pon (Circus of the Dead), Izzy Lee (Innsmouth) and 56 others when it releases later this year. In the meantime, feel free to visit their website http://60secondstodie.blogspot.com/ for more information.
DC: Tell us about the experience of making a short film based on a Stephen King novella (Suffer the Little Children). It seems like a dream come true! But were there any nerves, considering not only his fans base but the Master of Horror himself… do you know what his thoughts were?
CN: I have never done anything as stressful as trying to adapt a film by Stephen King. Growing up in Maine, we all live in the shadow of Mr. King. The first horror movie I ever saw was Cujo. The first horror novel I ever read was The Shining. King is such a huge influence, and I wanted to create a piece that was a love letter to his work. We stayed as true as possible given the modernization of the tale, and we had a blast working in little nods to his work throughout. In the end, it was a fantastic experience. Anne Bobby (Nightbreed), was amazing as Miss Sidley, and was such a joy to work with. My wife Haley and I have been blessed to have her along from this ride. Even more, the local community in which we filmed gave us an overwhelming amount of support; not something you’d expect when you’re killing their children!
DC: What is it about short films that you love so much? Most filmmakers use them as a stepping stone to features. What are the pros and cons of the short form, not only in the creative sense but in the business sense?
CN: I love shorts because I can afford them! But in all seriousness, shorts are great because you can really take chances and try new techniques. At the same time, our shorts seem to become longer and longer as we find we need the additional page count to fully develop our characters. With luck, our next project will finally bring us back into the realm of the feature.
DC: What are your plans for the future, and where do you think the horror genre in America will go in our new, and different, political climate?
CN: The real world is a scary place right now, full of hate and anger, and I think horror needs to offer its viewers an escape from that reality. It seems each time our socio-political landscape changes, so does our innate fears as a population. I hope we see our culture making a shift back to creature features and monster movies. After all, I think we could all use an escape into a world of monsters and mayhem.
Ian Carlsen, Ellen Elizabeth White, and Joanna Clarke star. Corey Norman directs along with George Bessudo, Sean Lee, Patrick Rea, Calvin Weaver, and April Wright.
Synopsis:
With Halloween only hours away, the members of a popular podcast, The Witching Hour, gather to swap scary stories in the dark. But they bargain for more than just ratings when they venture to the site where the Woodland Valley Witch was brutally murdered.
Categorized:News
