Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman Talk Hell and Back
Staci Layne Wilson
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Even though the Hell and Back movie may not have been to my taste, I did appreciate the artistry of the stop-motion animation; and I loved catching up with the writer-directors, Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman, to ask them about the making of the film. They’re really fun fellas with an excellent sense of what their movie is (not too serious) and who’s going to like it (horror fans into irreverent comedy).
I caught up with them at the press junket in L.A. to ask them not only about the star voice talent (Bob Odenkirk, Mila Kunis), but some off the wall questions as well – they were game! Read on to see what the guys had to say.
Dread Central: How did you guys come up with this zany idea?
Ross Shuman: Originally it was the idea that one of the producers had and we were brought on to flesh out the ideas and figure out a visual language; we wanted to make Hell not the typical Hell with fire and brimstone. The idea was, if this places exists, maybe the portal going down to Hell is a mystical kind of portal brought on by the Beelzebub kind of spell, but the idea was really flushed out over probably 6-8 months of a lot of people just trying to work it from every angle. Even our production designer had influence on ways we would do things and set up themes. It was really an establishment of so many artists. So this movie was, more than most, a giant collaboration.
DC: How did you guys chose Bob Odenkirk as the Devil; I think he’s perfect. I know you do too, but what was it specifically about him that sent him over the edge for your choice?
TG: He’s probably the funniest guy I know and he’s got that going for him. Bob and I worked together for like 20 years, 25 years actually; we are coming out of Chicago together. I directed him in Second City. So, it was really that I asked him, “Hey, can you be in our movie?” and he was cool enough to do it and be the great Devil. I’ve known before he played Saul on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” you know? So it’s weird everyone recognizes him now, but he’s just Bob to me.
DC: I love the way he plays the Devil; he has two looks in the film, and he changes his voice with those visuals. Can you talk a little bit about that, and how that decision to make two version of the Devil was arrived at?
TG: Ross is going to talk about the looks, but in terms of the character, he’s just a bad CEO but he’s the boss. The demons are like the guys who work in his office and they’re like, “Oh, we can do the job better than the boss does,” but the boss is the boss; you have to defer to him even though it’s maddening. So I think there’s a duality to this dynamic where you’re working your ass off at the job; whether it’s digging ditches or you’re in the office, whatever it is and the boss is just… That’s Bob. Bob puts on his coat to impress the guy, but he’s really a dandy in his private moments.
RS: Yeah, but the thing about his character is, he would prefer to be the smaller version, the more artistic version, the more thoughtful version, but in Hell with a bunch of demons that are really just about sacrifices — he would get no respect whatsoever, so he grows (big) and he even says, “Do you love this shit?” It keeps the demons in line. It’s his giant facade power suit, and then he goes home and he’s sad like normal kids, and he’s a sweetheart.
DC: Exactly. I thought your film was so well made and beautifully done visually, but it is in stop-motion and it is a cartoon that’s incredibly dirty and irreverent and definitely not for children so, who would you say your target audience is for Hell and Back?
TG: I think that’s pretty easy, I feel like it’s 18 to… any age. My father saw some clips and was laughing, and he’s in his 70s so, I feel like the target audience is probably 18 to 35 or 18 to even higher. The real thing here is that there are a lot of stop-motion movies that come out and even animated movies, and you can’t really pinpoint who they’re for because it’s cartoon and it’s like the movie should be for kids but at the same time, sometimes it’s not really for kids. It’s scary or it’s kind of a bizarre story and so, is it for adults? While adults are saying, “Well, this is not for me either” and it hits that netherland. So, this movie… what I like about it is we just say, “Okay, there are people that love mature content and love animation so let’s give those people what they want,” which is what I want. I would go see this movie in a heartbeat.
RS: I think these types of characters, the way they move, the way they look, harkens back to those holiday specials, Rudolph and Frosty, that everyone grew up on. Now, to add those kinds of characters we normally see in family [shows] to be acting out and saying the things they are in this movie is a really fun comedic juxtaposition. It turns everything on it head.
TG: Also, when we are working through all this, the idea was like somewhere in that animated movies when somebody got hit or they land in a situation that’s not very good, chances are if we’re being real, we want to go all “shit!” so what if we took that kind of Looney Tunes feel and mashed that up? Then we have something that’s really kind of edgy.
RS: Like the Road Runner in the Wile E. Coyote cartoons, if he could really articulate what he’s feeling, that is what would happen.
DC: We are a horror site, so of course we want to know what you did to make this film look creepy and give it that nightmare landscape?
TG: There are a lot of things in the shadows and in the darkness that you ultimately don’t know what they are so… I don’t want to spoil the movie or anything, but there are creatures that you would never imagine would come alive. And personally I feel that they terrifying.
RS: And probably the creepiest character in our movie is the Mila Kunis character; she’s half-human, half-demon. She gets things done, she throws one of the demons off the boat. But I think in terms of the horror aspect of it, she’s scary; yet, they are going to view her as this sweet young woman underneath, much like the Devil (has his other guise). And then she also has the coolest ship in Hell. It’s kind of like if the Millennium Falcon were a ship in Hell, what would it be?
TG: And also, the fact that you’re going into a Hell-themed ride at the amusement park and it actually took you into Hell, that would just make you [scared to death].
DC: I’ve often thought if I am ever sent to Hell, I would spend eternity peeling those little sticky, scored price tags off of merchandise for ever and ever. So, I”s love to know from each of you: What would your idea of Hell be in the afterlife?
RS: Mine would definitely ordering pizza and not being able to get the toppings I want [like in the movie].
TG: My torture is being in a parking garage behind someone who doesn’t know the dimensions of their car. I have to be patient, watch them back out real slow, readjust, back up, move forward, readjust… and you sit there all day. That drives me nuts.
Produced by ShadowMachine’s Corey Campodonico, Alexander Bulkley, and Eric Blyler, the film is being released today (October 2, 2015) by Freestyle Releasing.
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