The Horror Revolution: First off, what’s your favorite horror movie? What movie scared you the most?
Ben Etchells: Watership Down - pure evil.
THR: It Be An Evil Moon was an excellent indie werewolf flick! What inspired you to make the film?
BE: I liked the idea of making a film about transformation. I also was interested in folklore and how it would fit in a modern-day setting.
THR: I thought the humor in the film worked incredibly well, helping to balance the horror elements perfectly. Was there any particular reason why you decided to make the film as comedic horror?
BE: To be honest it wasn't meant to be a comedy. I only realised it was when people gave feedback from the first draft of the script.
THR: There were lots of points in the film that I felt like were hugely reminiscent of werewolf movies from the past. Which films from the genre are your favorite, and which werewolf movies would you consider the forebearers of yours?
BE: Maybe somewhere between Teen Wolf and The Curse Of The Werewolf.
THR: It Be An Evil Moon is your debut feature, which must be so exciting! What surprised you the most about directing a feature after having a few short films under your belt?
BE: Making an Indie Feature is like a “roller coaster of vomit”. Most of the time it is a lot of fun but inevitably hurdles will appear - weather, illness, technical problems, lack of time etc. I made a few shorts really just to learn cinematography. Making a feature is completely different, and infinitely harder. Before starting this film I had worked on around eight Indie features on the same budget as a sound mixer, so I knew what to expect. Needless to say, it was very fun making this film but also very stressful and at some points…
THR: You’ve done a little bit of everything in film, working in every department from sound, to writing, and now to directing. Which of those roles do you enjoy the most?
BE: I enjoy working in the sound department on set and in post. Boom operator is probably the most fun job and it puts you in a position in which you can watch how the director works with actors and the DP’s workflow. I would like to know everything about the filmmaking process and constantly try to learn from others on set. The only thing I wouldn't like to attempt is Hair and make-up. This I think, would be a disaster.
THR: Indie horror is one of my passions, and I’m always looking to support indie filmmakers. I’m also a huge detractor of people who denigrate films for having a smaller budget. What was the budget for your film, and what constraints did it put on the making of the movie?
BE: The shooting budget was 25k and we shot it in 12 days with a crew of six people. The film was written as an indie feature so it is what it is - I think with a larger budget it would have been nice to have had a car chase sequence and we would have probably done a few more on-screen kills.
THR: If you could work with anyone in the industry, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
BE: Oliver Reed - Great actor.
THR: What’s next for you? Do you have any other features planned for the future?
BE: I've just started pre-production for my next film. It's a Sword and Sorcery film called The Bones Of St Cuthbert. It's set five years after the fall of Camelot—something in between Excalibur and Hawk The Slayer.
THR: Finally, and I’ll keep this werewolf related, what toppings would a werewolf include on his pizza? Would you eat that pizza with them?
BE: I consider myself an expert on the dietary requirements of werewolves. I’ve found they enjoy red wine, cheese and crackers. I think I have a picture of the lead actor Ian semi-werewolfed eating a pizza, I’ll try and dig it out.
