Horror History: Director Tom McLoughlin Talks Inspiration for Cult Hit One Dark Night and Jason Lives
Steve Barton
|
To say we’re fans of Tom McLoughlin around here is a bit of an understatement. Not only did he create one of my favorite films of all time in One Dark Night (review), he also put some Gothic Universal monster-style fun in the much beloved Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives!
Recently Tom spoke during Roy Finch’s Modern Horror Workshop, one of the many interterm classes at Dodge College, and he shed some light on his influences.
Before filming One Dark Night, McLoughlin visited the Paris Catacombs. “The feeling I got walking through them stuck with me; it left a lasting impression,” he said. “I had a presentation about what the film would be [for investors] and set it to music from The Amityville Horror. I got letters of intent from people, saying that [they] would be interested in working on it if I got the money. Big names, so when investors saw the names, they were interested. The names gave me credibility. I still have a lot of people telling me their grandmothers took them to see it, and it traumatized them.”
Directed by McLoughlin, 1982’s One Dark Night (retrospective) starred Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman, Robin Evans, Leslie Speights, Elizabeth Daily, and Adam West!
https://youtu.be/QdiqdeehQyY
Luckily Friday the 13th producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., was also a fan of this spooky little gem. Mancuso wanted the next Friday film to be the resurrection of Jason, and who better to do that than a filmmaker with a deep love for the Frankenstein monster?
For his film McLoughlin first watched the others to see what hadn’t been done before. “At the time, it was just a job, one that came and went. I had no idea how popular it would be to this day,” said Tom regarding Jason Lives‘ staying power.
For more check out the entire article on the official Chapman University website.
Photo Credit: Roy Finch
Categorized:News
