HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN hits cinema's on Friday and we at Snakebite Horror are very lucky to be able to bring you and Exclusive Interview from the lovely people at www.cult-labs.com With the Hobo himself Ruther Hauer:


Q: The reaction to Hobo With A Shotgun has been nothing short of phenomenal – and rightly so.

RUTGER HAUER: I’m pleasantly shocked at how well the film’s been received, because I really didn’t see that coming. I knew that there was quite a following, but the fact that part of the [movie] establishment also came on board and were so friendly, rather than being upset and pissed off, is great. I guess the film is very clear about what it promises to tell you.

You know, not since the first test screening of The Hitcher in 1985 have I seen [one of my movies] get such a great audience reaction as Hobo’ has. It’s the only time that I’ve experienced watching a film with an audience where they know exactly what it is, and what you’re doing, and they know how to appreciate it – it was lovely.

Q: Hobo With A Shotgun doesn’t seem like a project that many established actors would voluntarily sign on to. How did you get involved with it, and what attracted you to the project?

RH. I’d say that about one third of my work involves projects I think I should gamble with, and the more I do them, the more pleasure I get out of them, because you discover things. The script [for Hobo With A Shotgun] was a bit loud and flat, so I wasn’t sure if there was more to tell, or if maybe I hadn’t read it correctly. But once I connected with the director [Jason Eisener] on Skype for an hour – I was shooting a film in Cape Town [South Africa] and he was in Halifax [USA] – I knew I had to work with him because it would be fun. Going into it, I felt like I was making a dirty, naughty film, with no holding back: I understood what the game was and I enjoyed it.

The first thing in our discussion was that we needed to try and layer the characters so we could add more depth to them.

Q. So you did have input into the Hobo character and the script?

RH. Yeah. Jason [Eisener] had very specific ideas about the character, because the whole story was based on Dave Brunt, who is a real person walking around in Halifax with his own story – he was the inspiration. Jason wanted me to hang on to that, so my task was to see if I could bring the real character into my movie character. So I studied Dave. He was there [on set] most of the time, and he was very supportive of me playing him. He was very proud that I was pretending to be him.

Q: What is Dave Brunt’s story?

RH. He’s a damaged person basically, because he was disabled when a truck drove into him. He settled for a couple of thousand dollars or something, but a big part of his life was ruined. So he became somewhat of an outcast I would think; but he’s also a very pure character who loves nature and knows all about any wild animal you can think of.

Q: The movie is extremely violent, but also totally over-the-top ridiculous. Did you have trouble playing it ‘straight’?

RH. Jason felt that I shouldn’t play it for jokes; that I should be deadly serious and try and deal with the simplicity of his [the Hobo’s] own mind, his sense of pride and honour and purpose. My task was to be deadly serious, because Dave [Brunt] is also very serious about this stuff: you can’t fool around with honour and pride, and sensibility.

Q: Because things get so crazy, did you find it hard keeping a straight face during the really insane scenes?

RH. Every scene became such an over-the-top soap opera that it was a pure joy to see how everything developed into such ridiculous, crazy stuff – but of course it was my job to stay in character. Naturally though, after Jason said ‘cut’ you would piss yourself, because of all that had happened during the scene. It’s hard, sure, but I had a lot of fun shooting this movie because it was so wild, so creative, and everyone involved has a love for making movies.

Q: You’ve played some very extreme characters during your career. But were there ever moments while filming particularly insane scenes in Hobo’ when you actually questioned if it was too crazy even for you?

RH. Not really. I just thought that I had to pick my own moments of craziness, so it doesn’t repeat itself, so that it becomes part of the acceleration of shit, so to speak. In a story, you can only burn and kill so many people before it gets boring – you have to be creative. I think that’s what the audience was expecting also. We had to make a movie out of the original trailer and top it, because the expectations were so very high.

For more Hobo related goodness visit: www.cult-labs.com/hobo

From our exclusive feed with Cult Labs

BANE is one of many stand out British horrors that are coming out on DVD currently and a film which I enjoyed tremendously (Check out the review on our review page). I managed to get hold of  the film's Director James Eaves to ask him a few questions:


For people out there who may not know much about you, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

Ok easiest way to introduce myself is with a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I8In1Av1z8

BANE was truly a good show of British horror film making, where did the idea for the film come from?

Thank you that’s very kind. It’s so long ago that the idea first came to me it’s hard to remember. I guess it started with the fear of knowing when you will die, in the film the Surgeon turns up and carves the exact time the women will die into their skin, once I had that element I knew I could have some fun creating scenes and tension around it.

Did making BANE on a Micro-Budget make the film affect your overall vision of the film? Or did it give that little more freedom to be more creative?

Yes it did affect the film in a massive way. When I was writing I was conscious of the constraints we’d be under with the effects and the locations so tried to write with them in the back of my mind, I say back of my mind as if I’d actually thought about it I’m sure I could’ve written a much more filmable script!

Half way through the film you jump from a Horror to a more SCI-FI horror hybrid, why did you decide to move away from an all out horror flick?

I always knew I wanted some sci-fi in the mix – as a genre its my preference to horror and without spoiling the film I had an idea of the visuals and what I’d like to see appear in the film if I was watching.

Who inspires you the most in the industry?

I watched ‘Monsters’ recently and have to say I was bowled over by Gareth Edwards.  He’s really put love and care into his movie and having the skills with the effects he can literally have a hand in all the visual aspects of the film. It was a great movie and you can tell from the behind the scenes stuffs that he has passion for film making and a ton of talent.

What are your thoughts on the current British horror film scene? And if you pick one stand out British horror what would it be?

That’s a toughie… ok there’s a ton of great horror films being made, and most of them on a micro budget. I really have to name check Pat Higgins here – he’s prolific and an amazing writer/film maker. I’ve recently finished a film with Pat called ‘Bordello Death Tales’ – it’s an anthology horror and Pats segment is awesome!

Standout British horrors– ‘The Omen’ (original) does that count? or maybe ‘Don’t look now’.

What are your thoughts on the stream of horror remakes coming in the America?

I like them, a lot of classic movies have been remade but that’s fine, it’s hard to explain to a teenager why the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was SO good and if it takes a remake for them to be introduced to it then I can live with that. Also you get some surprises in the remakes (even the Schlocky ones).

What would you say is your favourite horror film?

Oh I can’t name one that’s not fair…. I’ll hit you with top five Sci-Fi Horrors– Alien, Aliens, The Thing, The Mist and The Fly – just noticed all the ‘The…’ film titles – maybe I should do one….(see next answer)

What is next for James Eaves?

I am working on raising finance for my next feature film ‘The Spectre from the Void’ – I’m really excited about the script and hope to shoot it in 2012.

Here at Snakebite Horror we love new writers. Some of the best works of fiction out there are done by new and upcoming names or unknown writers who just need to be known in the world of Horror. One such author is Mark Allan Gunnells. He is the authors of several short story collections and the novella ASYLUM. I caught up with Mark for a quick chat:


Welcome to Snakebite Horror Mark, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m extremely boring; are you sure your readers wouldn’t like me to tell them a little bit about someone else?  I’m just a guy rapidly approaching 40, living in the small southern town where he grew up with his partner of almost 10 years.  I work as a security guard to pay the bills and write in my spare time.  I’ve been publishing for the past 6 or so years.

You are making a name for yourself within the short story side of horror writing, how do you think up so many ideas?

I get ideas from a million different places: conversations I have or overhear, things I hear on the radio or see on television, random thoughts that drift into my mind as I drive to work.  Sometimes the ideas are fully formed and I see the story in them; other times the ideas are merely notions that I have to put aside until a full story forms around them.  I honestly have more ideas than I can get to in a timely manner, and therefore I keep a notebook just full of story ideas.

I don’t know that it’s true I’m making a name for myself with short stories, but it is something I aspire to.  The short form is my passion, where I find the most joy, and while I do write longer pieces as well, I will never turn away from the short story.

Your short story DOOR TO DOOR was showcased in Film4 FrightFest’s e-Magazine as well as our own snakebite shorts section. What was the inspiration behind it?

I was musing on religion, specifically religious people who like to pick and choose parts of the Bible, ignoring some passages that don’t suit their pre-conceived prejudices and focusing only on those that support their view of things.  Got me to thinking, why not have a religion that is completely tailor-made for the individual, where you get to choose what you want to believe and what you don’t?  Seemed like it could be a fun idea to explore, and in fact I did have a great deal of fun with the piece.

What got you writing horror in the first place?

I fell in love with horror as a kid.  I was staying up late to watch horror flicks long before I was old enough to be doing so.  I found them an exciting thrill ride, and there was a limitlessness to them that appealed to me; I mean, almost anything can happen in horror.  So when I started writing, I just naturally gravitated to the genre.  It’s not all that I write, but it is mostly what I write and I make no apologies for it.  None of that “I don’t really write horror, I do psychological or supernatural thrillers, I do otherworldly suspense fiction.”  I’m a horror writer and proud of it.

Your new collection, GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC, is now available for Kindle download, for our readers can you tell us a little bit about the collection?

Well, I’ll start out by saying that because of my passion for the short story, a collection has always been my dream.  I love novels and novellas, but when I was younger and would dream of having a book published, it was always a short story collection.  The problem I kept running into (and still run into) was I kept hearing from publishers, “We don’t do collections, they don’t sell, especially from unestablished authors.” 

Luckily Sideshow Press decided to take a chance and make my dream come true.  They released my first collection, TALES FROM THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT VOL. I, earlier this year.  I was beyond ecstatic the first time I held the book in my hands.  It contains fifteen stories, most never before published, that range from gentler pieces to some of my more twisted stories.  It is available here: http://sideshowpressonline.com/?page_id=4&category=3&product_id=38

I was more than a little surprised to end up with a second collection out the same year.  GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC came about because I took a chance.  I was familiar with Bad Moon Books as a customer, so I sent an email asking if they would be at all interested in considering a collection.  Much to my delight, I received an answer that said to get something together and send it in.  I did, this time collecting a lot of my works that had been published in small magazines and e-zines over the years; I sent it in, they loved it, and next thing I knew, wheels were in motion.  We discussed doing an actual book, but Bad Moon is pretty full and it would have been years down the road.  I knew they were starting to branch into doing reprints as ebooks, so I suggested the collection become their first original ebook.  And here it is:http://store.crossroadpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=101_22_29&products_id=372    It is also available at Amazon and barnesandnoble.com.

Which Authors out there inspire you and who are your idols in the business?

So many.  May seem obvious, but King of course.  He is a great storyteller, master of character, and he is still putting out great stuff.  Joe R. Lansdale is probably my favourite writer.  I admire his diversity, his shifting between genres, and his dialogue is to die for.  As a short story lover, I have much respect for Clive Barker, one of the few modern writers who initially made his name with short story collections before moving on to novels and films.  There are a lot of lesser known writers I have recently discovered who I’ve become huge fans of: Brian Knight, James Newman, Michael McBride, Gene O’Neill. 

I loved Asylum! Did you get much backlash over the Gay Character aspect?

Surprisingly little.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, since more than a lot of my other work, ASYLUM dealt very frankly with gay themes and gay sexuality, but the reception of this one has been overwhelmingly positive.  I just tried to create believable characters to start with, and let their sexuality inform them without defining them.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, I did receive one reader review that said my characters were gross stereotypes and that I wrote like a self-loathing homophobe, so I guess you can’t please everyone.

A question I like to ask everyone I interview (and I know you like your films) Are you more a fan of film or fiction?

While I do love the art of film and a good movie is a joy, fiction is always my first love.  I get to create the movie and cast the actors in my own imagination, my special effects are always better than CGI, and you can get much richer into character in a piece of fiction I believe.  Just my personal preference.

What is your Favourite Horror film of all time?

Why you gotta put me on the spot like that?  Well, the original HALLOWEEN is definitely up there, I think it’s a wonderful film that relies on the gradual building of tension and suspense over blood and gore.  Characters that feel authentic and you become invested in.  Great film.  Also have to give a shout-out to JAWS, which is a wonderfully constructed machine that just keeps delivering the fear and the suspense.  A common thread between these two would be the great character work.  In horror, I honestly believe you have to start with character, because if you aren’t invested in the characters, you aren’t going to be that invested in what happens to them.

What is next for Mark Allan Gunnells?

Right now I’m working on a semi-sequel to ASYLUM called FORT, as well as a collaboration with recent Stoker winner Benjamin Kane Etheridge.  As for publishing, I have a few projects lined up with Sideshow but nothing that will be out in the immediate future.

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