Filmmaker Liz Adams has boiled horror down to the size of a little pill.
Adams, the writer/director responsible for the award-winning short “Side Effect,” checked in with WWTW to discuss her latest project and the horror genre in toto.
WWTW: What inspired “Side Effect?”
LA: I did some research on the side effects of SSRI anti-depressants and other medications that are being given to kids.
I think most people would be shocked to learn that the pharmaceutical industry has created the term “homicidal ideation” to describe a side effect for some of their products.
Certain drugs have been linked to both homicidal and suicidal impulses in a small percentage of people who had taken the medications.
I became fascinated with the idea that a medication could create an unintended side effect that would cause a normally non-violent person to murder a loved one. To me that is “true horror.”
That said, I want to be clear that I’m not against anti-depressants, I’m sure they have helped many people when prescribed and used correctly. I’m a horror film maker; as such I pick a point of view and tell a story to scare people with it.
WWTW: Horror films often include more biting social commentary than traditional dramas … so why don’t more directors, particularly prestigious ones like a Scorsese of Spielberg, get behind the genre?
LA: So many great directors (and actors too) have cut their teeth on genre pictures. Francis Ford Coppola “Dementia 13,” Jack Nicholson appeared in “Little Shop of Horrors,” Steven Spielberg’s first notable film (originally made-for-TV) was “Duel” before directing “Jaws” and then writing and producing “Poltergeist.” Martin Scorsese also got in the game with the remake of “Cape Fear.”
Maybe it is fairer to say that at one time they were very much behind the genre, and are now have moved on to other interests.
WWTW: Female horror directors are pretty rare … have you talked to other women directors about this? Why do you think so few female directors embrace this genre?
LA: To start with, female directors are rare. As far as horror goes, we’ve got a minority within a minority.
And, I think directors are drawn to direct movies that are in a genre they enjoy. In the past girls and women were a minority in the audiences for horror films. However, the phenomenon of young girls being a large percentage of the audience for horror movies is a big trend and more and more young female fans are turning out for horror.
I feel that as when these girls grow up and direct movies of their own, we’ll be seeing a lot more women gravitating to the genre.
WWTW: What has being a part of so many film festivals taught you?
LA: I’ve been to Europe three times with “Side Effect,” (Scotland, Germany and Spain), as well as to quite a few domestic fests.
The biggest thing I’ve learned during this experience is about how audiences react to it, both in the theater and when I’m doing Q&A’s. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to talk to the fans and learn about what they like and don’t like. That’s the kind of feedback that is just not available from friends, family or crew members.
Also, I’ve been really thrilled to learn how much support was out there for me from the other women I come across in the horror community, their support has been instrumental for me to get some of the early exposure that I’ve gotten.
Finally, I also learned how much I really love horror fans. These folks really support the genre and the filmmakers who set out to entertain them.
They are willing to embrace films without “known” actors and support projects that may have lower production values, without judgment for these things. They are just looking for some good scares, good gore and an unusual tale.
WWTW: What horror directors influenced you … any horror film favorites from your formative years?
LA: I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies in my “formative years” – ha ha. These are my vintage favorites and biggest influences: George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead,” Kubrick’s “The Shining,” Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby,” DePalma’s “Carrie” and Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
In my opinion the best horror movies are really scary and entertaining – on the surface, but also offer more if the audience wants to think more deeply either about human nature or about our culture as a whole.
WWTW: The horror genre today certainly has its flaws — too many remakes/sequels, too few original frights. What does the genre need to stage a comeback?
LA: One of the longest-lasting conventions of the horror genre is the unknown as a source of horror. No matter how far our society advances, I think that there is just something about the unknown or the unexplainable that makes the hair stand up on the backs of the audiences’ necks.
I think a careful balance of suspense, gore, and character motivation is the true formula for a successful horror flick - of course a baby in the oven never hurts, either.
WWTW: Talk about a possible feature-length “Side Effect?” And when might audiences be able to sample “Side Effect,” the short film?
LA: The script for “Side Effect” is the first ten pages of a feature length script called “Blood Level,” which I have written. “Blood Level” picks up the next day at a nearby high school where the kids are clamoring for the new achievement-enhancing drugs to help with test scores.
“Blood Level” is a tale of science gone wrong set in the twisted world of Generation Rx.
NOTE: “Side Effect”will be screening in February at San Francisco Independent Film Festival as part of the “A Scream and a Half” program at the following times:
Saturday 2/14 at 2:45pm
Tuesday 2/17 at 7:45pm
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
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