Exclusive: Graham Skipper Talks The Mind’s Eye, Re-Animator the Musical Album, and More
Staci Layne Wilson
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You may remember Graham Skipper from his wonderfully wacky portrayal of Dr. Herbert West in the musical stage version of Re-Animator, but if you’ve been paying attention, he’s become so much more than that in the past couple of years – he’s certainly one of the best and busiest indie horror film actors, and guess what? He’s also a writer-director! He has Space Clown and Sequence Break coming up as a filmmaker, and right now he’s starring in The Mind’s Eye, which is heading our way on Friday.
In The Mind’s Eye, Graham plays Zack Connors, a young man born with incredible psychokinetic capabilities. When word of his supernatural forte get out, he and another mind-bender find themselves the prisoners of Michael Slovak, a deranged doctor intent on harvesting their powers… by any means. After a bold and life-endangering escape, the pair find that they are far from free.
Dread Central: The Mind’s Eye has gotten some great buzz from its festival run; many folks compared it favorably to classics like Scanners and The Fury. What were some of your thoughts when you read the script, and what made you want to play Zack Connors?
Graham Skipper: Well, my first thought was, “Holy shit, I get to be in a telekinetic action movie!” I think for me what I loved most about the script was that, while it certainly has roots in Scanners or The Fury, it takes this very specific sub-genre and goes in its own direction. When you look back at Scanners, one thing you notice – I did, anyway – is that there aren’t that many telekinetic “fireworks” really. There are a couple of amazing scenes, but for the most part it’s a pretty slow burn with a conspiracy theory spy film vibe. Same with The Fury – while it ends with a bang, pun intended, so much of that movie centers around the search for the guy and not big action battles. So what I loved about Joe’s script was how it took the idea of telekinesis and funneled it through an action and gore lens. Nobody had really done that yet, and so it felt exciting and original.
As for playing Zack, what I like about him is that he’s a reluctant warrior. In his perfect life, he’d live quietly away from the world in peace. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the film force him into action, and it was that struggle that I think made Zack really appealing to me as a hero.
DC: This is the second time you’ve worked with director Joe Begos – tell us how your working relationship has evolved since the first time on Almost Human, and also… what are the upsides and downsides of acting in a friend’s movie?
GS: It was an even better experience the second time around! I think our shorthand – which was already really strong – has only gotten better, and from the beginning we were both very much on the same page as to what kind of movie we were making and what kind of character Zack was. As for Joe and I being friends, I really think it just helped us have fun on set, which in turn strengthens the work itself. And any time a disagreement would happen – of which there were very few – it helped that we were already friends so that we were both able to come to a reasonable solution quickly and move on with having a blast making the movie together.
DC: On that note, there’s no denying – at least in the indie horror film scene – that social media seems to have made a huge difference in actors not only getting cool roles, but also forging friendships and partnerships. Tell us how social media interaction has affected (or not?) your career.
GS: I think it’s affected my career only in that it’s afforded me an opportunity to get to know lots of other horror directors, writers, actors, and fans in a way that would not exist without social media. I don’t know that it’s helped me get jobs or anything, but for me that’s not the point. For me the point is to be a part of a community that I love very much and get to know other like-minded artists that want to make the same kind of thing that I do. And the horror community is one of the most giving, supportive communities in the entertainment industry that exists. I’m very thankful that through the help of things like the internet – and just going to events and screenings around LA – I’ve been able to become a part of that community.
DC: We love a good psychokinesis thriller as much as anyone… and The Mind’s Eye is gorier than most! Tell fans what they can expect in the way of mayhem, and what was your favorite scary scene to shoot?
GS: There is so much gore! And it’s all so awesome! There’s a pretty gnarly fist fight I get to have in a bathroom with Noah Segan that was a blast to shoot – lots of telekinesis and big stunts in that one – we got to basically destroy a bathroom, and it got shot on my birthday! So that’s a great memory. I’d say gorehounds can expect lots of practical gore FX – which are phenomenally done by Brian Spears and Pete Gerner – that just get more and more insane as the film progresses.
DC: Larry Fessenden plays your dad in The Mind’s Eye… how awesome is that? He’s mostly known for directing (Habit is a classic, and of course Wendigo) but it seems all the fanboys-slash-filmmakers now want to cast him in their films. Tell us what it was like to go psychokinetic-head to psychokinetic-head with him!
GS: It was a dream to work with Larry! I’ve been a big fan of his for a long time (Wendigo in particular is one of my all-time favorites), so to work with him was really incredible. He’s such a giving performer, both on and off-screen, and never gave less than 100% in every take. And he was happy to share stories and wisdom when the cameras weren’t rolling, which was really special. I’m so lucky to have gotten to work with him, and any filmmaker would be wise to do their best to connect with him. It’s like soaking up horror genius through osmosis!
DC: You’re working a lot! You’ve got a few more cinematic tricks up your sleeve for 2016, looks like some good horror films on the horizon – what’s one of your faves that should be on our radar?
GS: I’ve been very fortunate to work on a lot of very cool stuff! Coming up I’m in Beyond the Gates, directed by Jackson Stewart and where I got to act alongside Chase Williamson, Brea Grant, Matt Mercer, Justin Welborn, Jesse Merlin, and the always amazing Barbara Crampton. That’s playing a ton of festivals this year so keep your eyes open for it.
I also just wrapped production on a sci-fi/horror film I wrote and directed called Sequence Break, which stars Chase Williamson and Fabianne Therese, and is a sort of Cronenbergian metaphysical mystery about biomechanical mutations and a strange video arcade machine. It’s really cool and I’m excited for the world to see it! We’re in post on that right now but are hoping to get it out to the world as soon as possible!
And another recent exciting development is the recording of the Re-Animator the Musical cast album! I got to play Herbert West under the direction of the amazing Stuart Gordon in that show, and we’ve finally recorded an original cast album. No word yet on when that will get released, but hopefully soon!
Other than that, I’m in Mickey Keating’s Carnage Park, which is out now on VOD, as well as his upcoming Psychopaths, which I’m very excited about. And of course anyone who hasn’t caught Almost Human yet can find it on Blu-ray, DVD, and on VOD everywhere.
You can find out a whole list of what I’m in that’s out now or coming soon on my website GrahamSkipper.com, or I’m on Twitter @GrahamSkipper. Thanks so much!
DC: Wow… a movie written and directed by Graham Skipper?! We are so there! Thanks, Graham.
Look for The Mind’s Eye in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on August 5.
Synopsis:
Zack Connors and Rachel Meadows were born with incredible psychokinetic capabilities. When word of their supernatural talents gets out, they find themselves the prisoners of Michael Slovak, a deranged doctor intent on harvesting their powers. After a daring escape, they are free from his sinister institution, but the corrupt doctor will stop at nothing to track them down so that he may continue to siphon their gifts for his own use.
Categorized:News
