Macabre Gets Masterful: The brilliant minds behind Kane Hodder doc Part I
By Joey Click
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story — Courtesy of Masterfully Macabre Entertainment
1428: Kane is known for being a tough guy, we all know what, but he becomes very emotional in the movie. Was it easy to get him to open up or…
DDH: Well Kane was willing to open up. I think Kane surprised himself by how willing he was to open up to us. He was completely open to it, but I think how comfortable we made him feel on set, and the fact that he had final cut really helped.
He had very few notes on the final version and nothing that changed the story at all. And I’m happy to say, because of that, must have done our jobs. Because we wanted to tell his story in his words, and I think that maybe helped him open up for us more than he may have with another team.
AB: And there were many times where I think he may started to become hesitant. For example, when we were in the burn unit. You see Kane gowned up and talking with a survivor. He was very very hesitant to have us record that because he does a lot of work with burn survivors but he doesn’t publicize it. He does it to help people, not for publicity.
So we ultimately said “look, let’s record this. We’re not going to show who this person is. We’ll put it in the film tastefully, and if you don’t want it in, we’ll take it out.” And he said ” Ok, fine. If I don’t like how it portrays the situation, I can always cut it.”
So we did it and Kane said it was great. Because in book deals and documentary deals, they don’t have control over it. And we were like “Dude this is your story, you have to be happy with it.” And I think that’s what sold him on it.
1428: That’s great. So the final cut approval situation was contingent on Hodder doing the documentary? Was there push back until you said you’re a co-creator in a sense? Because in the business, you can get screwed and it’s hard to trust.
AB: He actually very quickly trusted us. I think the first meeting…
DDH: Truthfully, and I can’t speak for him, I don’t know if we hadn’t have given him that option, he would have push back. But it was important for is that we made it clear that we wanted him to have the say, for him to open up. I think he would have trusted us, because he liked us, to make the film but I’m not sure if he would have opened up as much.
AB: Yeah we didn’t offer it up as a way to entice him to do it, he already agreed to do it. We just offered it because it’s something we thought would make the process go better as a whole. And ultimately it did. Every time there was hesitation, we could say “just remember, you have final cut.” But he opened up pretty quickly to the idea of doing the project.
DDH: From the first meeting he was sold on us.
AB: And I think what really made him comfortable was the first day he showed up on set. When you watch the doc and it’s Kane in this broken down house, that was all shot on the first couple days. And after the first day, he got comfortable with our crew, with us and Derek doing the interviews. After that, it all went smoothly.
Concluding the Carnage:
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And like a hatchet through flesh, that quickly wraps the first part of our two-part interview with masterminds of Masterfully Macabre Entertainment. If you’re digging on the info, don’t go anywhere as the blood is just beginning to spill.
If you’ve yet to see To Hell and Back : The Kane Hodder, there are more chances coming up. Fans in L.A can see the film on the 17th at Screamfest Horror Film Festival. That event features a Q and A with Hodder and the two crazy creators you’ve been hearing from above. And if you’re in New York, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is showing the film on the 14th and 15th. If I were you, I’d make it to one of these — the film is stunningly artful.
For everything of the documentary, visit the film’s official site. There, you can learn even more about one of horror’s best docs and sign up for the newsletter. You know you want to get in on that. Plus, if you don’t, Kane may come choke you..
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