Grave Encounters is a film by the collaborated works of The Vicious Brothers (Colin Minihan & Stuart Ortiz). Staff member, Jacki Clark, caught up with the duo to talk about the Grave Encounters movie.
A reality ghost hunting television show called, Grave Encounters has decided to inspect the infamously haunted, Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital. Lance Preston and his show crew are soon pushed to their limits as they go deeper inside. Their sanity and will to survive are tested as they face the reality they may never escape...
Horror News Network: What brought you to the name, "The Vicious Brothers"?
Colin Minihan: We were writing our third or fourth script and we didnt want to brand ourselves by our names b/c its forgettable and boring. Stu would pitch me something new every morning... one morning he said Vicious and I was like YUP! Thats the one!
Stuart Ortiz: vi·cious
adjective /ˈviSHəs/
1. Deliberately cruel or violent, 2. Serious or dangerous, 3. Immoral.
That sums up the kind of films we're interested in making.
Horror News Network: About Grave Encounters, there are several reality based ghost shows on television right now. Did the increase in interest for this type of show inspire the making and release of this film?
Colin Minihan: It played a part. The format for those shows fit perfectly with the found footage style and it was really obvious to us that there was a really scary horror movie in there that had not been done. We figured it would help boost the popularity of the film because those shows are sort of a pop culture phenomenon that is still very much alive and thriving.
Stuart Ortiz: The concept of the ghost hunting show gone wrong was a no brainer. If we didn't go and do it, someone else would have.
Horror News Network: Can you tell us a bit about the main characters in Grave Encounters?
Colin Minihan: The main character Lance Preston basically is a confident TV show host who is all about getting the scares for the show and essentially is a non believer in the paranormal. They're shooting an episode in an abandoned mental institution and shit gets real fast... the building and the presence of all these spirits essentially drive him into madness. It was a really fun character to write.
Stuart Ortiz: There's also a hot goth girl, which satisfies any horror film's scream queen criteria. There's a techie who knows all the equipment and brings the scientific credibility to the show. There's a cheesy psychic who provides comedy relief. And then there's a camera guy who is the voice of reason and the only one who sees how far up shit creek they all really are.
Horror News Network: What can we expect in terms of scares from this film?
Colin Minihan: We go all out. The mental institution as the backdrop for the film really becomes a house of horrors. There is a really scary dark tone to being alone and walking through a hallway with a single flash light and not knowing what's in the dark up ahead. We're all about tone and vibe and because we shot this thing in a real location the vibe is legit. The scares are huge.
Stuart Ortiz: The movie starts off with (what seems like) a fairly familiar setup and I think lulls the audience into a comfortable place of thinking they know where its going....but then we pull the rug out from under them and everything changes. The movie is very unpredictable, so expect the unexpected.
Horror News Network: The two of you have collaborated on several other projects. This being your first feature film, can you share some of your favorite moments in making Grave Encounters?
Colin Minihan: This is a really hard question because there is so many. I think the raw energy the cast brought to the shoot was incredible. We shot this thing all during the night and everyone would get very tired and easily agitated, but they always were incredibly focused and brought their A game take after take.
Stuart Ortiz: Stuart Ortiz: It's easy to get very stressed out by the technical side of making a film - a lot of the process is very redundant and mechanical. But when you work with actors - blocking scenes and tweaking them and trying new things from take to take, its always very in the moment and inspired.
Colin Minihan: It was a very creative shoot in the sense that Stu and I did not use storyboards for the film. We made choices on the day that often times were totally different than what we had shot listed. Having that spark on set is important so that the process is always creative and fresh vs making a whole film off of a previs.
Stuart Ortiz: Another favorite moment was realizing I had the power to make PA's bring me cups of coffee on set.
Horror News Network: Where can we find out more about Grave Encounters?
Colin Minihan: facebook.com/graveencounters or follow us on twitter @viciousbros or @graveencounters The film will be coming out in 2011 in the U.S through Tribeca Film as well as Canada through D-Films.
Stuart Ortiz: We also have a Demand It!, which you can use to get the film into theaters in your city.
Horror News Network: Please share with our readers/followers what you think makes Grave Encounters a must see?
Colin Minihan: Its just a really fun thrill ride and anyone has seen a ghost hunting tv show can easily sink their teeth into.
Stuart Ortiz: It's a roller coaster ride in the dark, where you can't see the twists and turns in front of you so you're always surprised. And maybe a little nauseated. It's a smart and relevant horror film, and doesn't insult your intelligence when you watch it.
Horror News Network: As horror fans we all have movie moments that captured our personal fears and brought them to life. What are some of the scariest movie moments that have inspired you in this line of work?
Colin Minihan: Waking up on an alien ship in Fire in the Sky and then getting slugged by the aliens. Waking up in a hospital only to find the world has been overtaken by zombies... apparently waking up places is just scary to me.
Stuart Ortiz: That part in The Ring (American remake) where the closet door is opened and you see the dead girl inside. The part in Signs where the alien walks by.
Horror News Network: Should we look forward to more scares courtesy of The Vicious Brothers in the future?
Colin Minihan: Absolutely, we're gonna push the limits of the genre in the future way beyond what we do with Grave Encounters. We want to give you a heart attack and make you scared to turn the lights off in your house at night.
Stuart Ortiz: You can fucking count on it.
Horror News Network: Thank you for your time, guys. Comment on this film on our forum.
