Karyn Kusama, the director of this year's opening Midnight Madness film, "Jennifer's Body" took some time to answer some of my questions about the film, her excitement for screening the film at Midnight Madness, horror films, and more.
Jeff Wright: Jennifer's Body" is having its World Premiere at Midnight Madness, which is known for its enthusiastic audience. Are you looking forward to being able to premiere the film in front of 900 rabid horror fans? It's going to be a very different experience from your past premieres.
Karyn Kusama: Are you kidding, I am gritting my teeth in anticipation of our Toronto premiere! I came to the festival in 2000 with my first film, "Girlfight", and I have very fond memories of the supportive, enthusiastic film-goers who came out to see my maiden voyage. This festival is clearly designed for movie-lover's of all kinds, so the idea of all these horror fans coming out for "Jennifer's Body" warms my heart. For real.
JW: "Jennifer's Body" is the first horror film and comedy you've made. In fact each film you've made has been your first film of a different genre. I guess with only three features that's not entirely unusual or unheard of but is it important for you to work in a new genre with each new film?
KK: I really love a spectrum of films that encompass a wide range of genres. So for me, it's important to feel like I'm covering new ground or trying something a little unfamiliar with each film -- I respond to the challenge of it. There are directors who work out their obsessions in the same forms, and directors who work in more unpredictable genres each time out -- both paths are totally valid, but I probably fall into the latter camp.
JW: I'm always interested in directors getting hired to direct films in a genre they haven't proven themselves in before. How did you land "Jennifer's Body"?
KK: Well, first of all, a script this good meant that I met with everyone more than once. We all knew the movie had a tricky tone and was essentially a feature-length balancing act between the horror and comedy you mentioned earlier. For "Jennifer's Body" I created a book of images that helped the producers get a sense of my feeling for the material -- thematically, visually, and emotionally. I tried to give everyone a sense of how I saw the characters, literally and figuratively, and how that would practically manifest itself in the finished film. I drew from all sorts of images and ideas: paintings, photographs, fairy-tales, pop culture ephemera, and music. When I prepare for a job my brain goes into a collage-mode, and hopefully all of that disparate material can be organized into a cohesive whole so that people can see what kind of approach I would bring to the material.
JW: Are you a big fan of horror films? I asked Diablo what the first horror film she saw was. Can you think of what yours?
KK: I am a big fan of a lot of horror films. One of my best friends is a horror film aficionado -- a true encyclopedia of the form -- so I learned from him over the years to appreciate all strains of horror films. But honestly, when I think of the first horror film I saw, I have to go a circuitous route to get there: as a young kid I watched Laraine Newman's spoof of "The Exorcist" on "Saturday Night Live", which led me to read the William Peter Blatty novel under my covers at night (not a book for a child), which eventually led me to the movie (not a movie for a child either!). The memories of that childhood terror and anxiety, coupled with the inability to look away, framed my early experience of the horror film.
JW: Thanks so much for your time! Looking forward to the film.
"Jennifer's Body" screens:
Thursday, September 10th - 11:59PM @ Ryerson
Saturday, September 12th - 12:00PM @ Ryerson
Thursday, September 17th - 8:30PM @ Varsity 8
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