“I think I’m still working out the details of my childhood dreams and nightmares. I have so many other influences, but the truth is most of my work seems to be most directly linked to dreams I had as a kid.” IDEAS ARE LIKE RABBITS: Jeremy Kasten Interview
“When I first spoke to Udo he suggested the idea of killing the fly on camera. I didn’t know what to make of it and worried that he’d be full of arbitrary ideas that would take lots of time on the set. Then I stopped being an uptight ninny and realized how great his idea was and how lucky I was to be getting ideas from Udo Fucking Kier. After that our real working relationship started.” FILM THREAT: The Interview Bizarre
“I think horror taps into that primordial part of our brain that responds to fear because fear is a part of us. There’s another way horror affects us in a more surreal way where a film can replicate the experience of having a nightmare. It’s like when you have a nightmare and you wake up and you’re happy to be alive. Horror movies can tap into our fears and affect us in that kind of way.” SUICIDE GIRLS Interview Jeremy Kasten
“When I was really little I think I was privileged to see the silent horror films. The Lon Chaney films and stuff, at a very young age. When I was 4 I had seen The Phantom of the Opera, the ’23 version, and Hunchback of Notredame and even obviously the Lon Chaney Jr. stuff like The Werewolf. All of that stuff, and even the silent stuff. It really deeply influenced me and I feel privileged for that experience because, obviously if you see those movies too much later than when you’re really young, the effect is gone. You’re inundated with television and sound and color everything else, so I feel like I almost got to live the history of horror movies because I saw those movies so young.” BLOODY GOOD HORROR Interview with Jeremy Kasten
“The Wizard of Gore is completely a love letter film to Downtown, it’s a love letter to Film Noir, which to me is very much rooted in downtown LA.” CITIZEN LA: The Horrors of Downtown – An Interview with Jeremy Kasten
“Downtown has a real sense of wackiness, where anything can happen. I love living in downtown Los Angeles ’cause it’s got a really weird broken special soul and I love that.” FATALLY YOURS: Interview with Jeremy Kasten
“When screenwriter Zach Chassler wrote his take on The Wizard of Gore, he set it in the post-punk goth/fetish-y underground world of downtown Los Angeles. The volunteers/victims in Montag’s shows were all naked, hot, tattooed and pierced girls from that world who get cut up by Crispin’s Montag.” GOREHOUND: HorrorHound Interview with Jeremy Kasten
“Crispin Glover in a white tux cutting Suicide Girls open and sniffing their intenstines — that’s over the top. But when I’m shooting the movie, you don’t say this is funny and ridiculous. You treat it with absolute seriousness.” ESPLATTER: Exclusive Interview with Jeremy Kasten
“Crispin called me and wanted to talk about it. It was important for him to have the ‘mind-fuck’ element from the original, which was strangely completely at odds with what I wanted to do, which was make a complicated mind-fuck movie where you absolutely know what happened at the end.” ICONS OF FRIGHT: Exclusive Interview with Director Jeremy Kasten
“Crispin worked to create this Librace-type approach with a huge codpiece custom built in every costume. The first day Crispin comes out onto the set one of the financing producers FREAKS! Sends the crew away and tells me that I have GOT to change Crispin’s mind or the budget will be slashed severely.” BLOGGING.LA: The Wizard of Gore, an interview with Jeremy Kasten
“Obviously Jeremy Sisto is amazing, and he had read the script and was on the fence about the film. He liked it but worried about doing something cheesy. He and I had a phone conversation where he brought up the strange “two-voiced-ness” of the character of Darius: an effect, quite possibly, of the film being rewritten so much leading up to production. We discussed the idea that Darius was really many different people from many different times and that these personalities were always slipping through. He immediately connected with the idea and he signed on just after that conversation.” GEEK MONTHLY: Jeremy Kasten Draws Blood For His Latest Horror Epic
“Horror allows for experimentation and fun in the film making. Of course you can get off track by ‘playing’ too much or getting into show-offy student film territory but in the best case scenario it can allow for healthy experimentation and risk taking. Plus, I’ve always loved horror movies the best. I just do.” A Zone’s Eye View with Director Jeremy Kasten
“To be William Friedkin’s personal assistant, I picked him up at home every day and brought him to the set. One time, I was in the car with him and Howard Stern did some kind of send up of The Exorcist. And I was driving on the freeway thinking, ‘My god, the man who created the mythology is sitting next to me right now.’ And he didn’t even bat an eye.” UGO: The Attic Expeditions, Jeremy Kasten Interview
“Seth Green came and auditioned for Douglas. He seemed to know that the character is both incredibly likable and dynamic, and also frightening and unnerving. Seth really came to the role with that.” CLASSIC-HORROR.COM: Jeremy Kasten Interview
VIDEO INTERVIEWS
Inside, you’ll find our chat with Kasten, who previously helmed All Souls Day, The Thirst and The Wizard of Gore remake. The director talks about working with Udo Kier, the challenges of his contribution to The Theatre Bizarre and his upcoming film The Dead Ones. CHOICE CUTS: The Theatre Bizarre’s Jeremy Kasten
Next, in quick succession not unlike the horror anthology film they were there to talk about, we had three of the directors from The Theatre Bizarre. David Gregory is the ringleader, so to speak. He’s the one who put this whole Grand Guignol tribute together, plus directed one of the segments (“Sweets”). We also had Buddy Giovazanni on, who’s perhaps best known for his stark Combat Shock, but is making his horror debut with “I Love You” in The Theatre Bizarre. Finally, we had the director of the interstitials, Jeremy Kasten, to talk about working with one of the great genre actors of all time, Udo Keir, who plays a trippy automaton in the film. INSIDE HORROR: The Theatre Bizarre Director Interviews
This segment is from the Q&A following the Los Angeles premiere of American Grindhouse at The New Beverly Cinema on August 24th, 2010. Featuring Fred Williamson, Jack Hill, Lewis Teague, Bob Minor, Joe Dante, Jeremy Kasten and Robert Forster. American Grindhouse Los Angeles Premiere
Snippet of G4TV show “Icons” featuring the Suicide Girls’ appearance in the upcoming horror film, The Wizard of Gore. G4TV “ICONS”: Suicide Girls in The Wizard of Gore
In this episode of The G-Spot, Joseph Matheny and Marijana Wotton take you to a premier party and movie premier at the Los Angeles Film Festival. No, not some craptastic, over budgeted, Hollywood piece of doody! It’s an honest to god independent blood and guts fest from Jeremy Kasten and company, The Wizard of Gore! G-SPOT: The Wizard of Gore
AUDIO INTERVIEWS
Clare Kramer and Tory Mell go Five by Five with Jeremy Kasten who is in studio to talk about what’s happenin’ in Kasten’s world. Five By Five Podcast: Episode 38 with Jeremy Kasten
A different take on The Wizard of Gore. Another great way to get your audience to accept crazy things. Misogyny. The geek show. Robbing Chicago of films. Bijou Phillips and the nameless chinese guy. Jeremy Kasten on misogyny. The Suicide Girls. DOUBLE FEATURE SHOW: Interview with Jeremy Kasten
Joseph Matheny talks to Jeremy Kasten about why this is a perfect time to make an independent film. G-SPOT Audio Interview with Jeremy Kasten
The definitive The Attic Expeditions plot explanation. The film that never was. Experimental? What works, what doesn’t. Jeremy Kasten launches into an unprompted verification of the previously mentioned plot synopsis using a humorously mocking tone. Critical reaction to cult films. DOUBLE FEATURE SHOW: Interview with Jeremy Kasten
We talked about the upcoming The Wizard of Gore remake, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Crispin Glover, the Suicide Girls, Jeffrey Combs, Brad Dourif, Bijou Philips and much more. WITHOUT YOUR HEAD: Jeremy Kasten Interview
A great conversation with writer/director/friend Jeremy Kasten about The Attic Expeditions, the trails and triumphs of being an indie horror director in this day and age and his newest- All Souls Day. GPOD RADIO SHOW: Jeremy Kasten Audio Interview
Finally, the ring master behind this twisted circus speaks on creating such a sick piece of art! DREAD CENTRAL Interviews Jeremy Kasten
JeremyScareMe.com 