Adam Marcus interview: Tell your story, not someone else’s

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Adam Marcus – Understanding Horror Fandom 101 – Courtesy of Starz Entertainment, LLC

Understanding Horror Fandom 101

1428 Elm: Rob Zombie gets a bad wrap for those movies. He was being told “make it your own.” So, he told his own story and then that pissed off the fanbase. This is what I don’t understand about horror fans. Why do you think they can’t accept new approaches to franchises?

Adam Marcus: I think with iconic horror idols you have fanbases that are so rabid that they will go see Kane Hodder at 10 cons and will pay for new autographs at every one of those shows. They love their icons; they love the characters and they love the actors who played the characters.

They can always smell when somebody new is in the role. Ever since Kane Hodder took the hockey mask off, has there been a great Jason? I am not saying that Derek Mears didn’t do a nice job, he did. But is it really Jason?

Kane owned that character. Kane was as committed to Jason as Robert was to Freddy. Let me put it this way. I don’t want to go see Mission: Impossible 7 not starring Tom Cruise. I don’t want to see John Wick 4 and Jake Gyllenhaal is John Wick. I don’t want to see that movie.

1428 Elm: Well, you know Sam Raimi has come out and stated that he is working on a new Evil Dead movie and we should see something in 6 months. However, Bruce Campbell is adamant that he isn’t coming back as Ash so fans are out there saying if he isn’t in it, they won’t see it.

Adam Marcus: Why would anyone want to see Evil Dead if Bruce Campbell isn’t in the movie? I do understand why fans feel that way and I empathize with them because I am a fan.

I wish people would stop with the cash grab. I think if people were forced to come up with new things, I think they would be surprised.

I get branding. But isn’t there a way to create a new piece of material? In the case of Evil Dead, you have to have Ash in there to pass the torch.

1428 Elm: You know even if Campbell does come back and pass the torch, it is going to annoy fans because they want him in the complete movie.

Adam Marcus: You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That’s for sure. Nobody knows that better than me, trust me.

Do I think if you got an actor who has Bruce’s charisma and comedy chops to run along side him in an Evil Dead movie and Ash gets killed in that movie and passes the torch to that person? I think that could be freakin’ great.

I think there are ways to skin this particular cat but it should be done in a way that is respectful to the fans, that is an ode to the fans that also gives them the movie they want.

More from Friday the 13th

Tommy Jarvis was supposed to be in Jason Goes to Hell but Paramount said, “No, you can’t touch Tommy Jarvis. You bought Jason.” We couldn’t use anything from the Paramount films that wasn’t in the first movie.

There are so many rights issues in all of these universes. Especially with Friday the 13th. It’s so fractured. I know people are clamoring for another Friday the 13th movie. I don’t know if they really want it.

They say they do and when the movie makes $20 M on the first weekend and then goes away, they won’t want that either.

What Deborah Voorhees is doing right now is so cool! Make a meta movie about the Friday the 13th franchise. You can’t touch the movie itself but you sure as hell can call the actors who were in the movie.