Fans of the Saw franchise or even the demented and quirky Death to Smoochy should keep an eye out for Your Host, hitting VOD on October 14. Directed by DW Medoff (I Will Never Leave You Alone), the movie stars Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Shutter Island, Watchmen) as Barry Miller, a warped game show host who kidnaps four young people and puts them through the game show from hell.
Each decision the contestants make either brings them closer to escape or ensures they suffer a grisly fate. Haley especially offers a memorable performance. He gives the half-masked villain nuance, while ratcheting up the frights.
We recently spoke with Medoff and Haley about the concept, the inspiration for Barry Miller, and the film's brutal kills. This interview was edited slightly for clarity.
1428 Elm: DW, what drew you to Your Host and the script?
DW Medoff: I think it was the ability to play with some heavy violence. My other two movies have a little bit of violence here and there. In the first one, you don’t really see the violence. In the second one, I was like okay, let’s try more. When I read this script, I said, let’s do some stuff. [Laughs].
1428 Elm: Jackie, you've had a versatile career and several horror roles, including Freddy in The Nightmare on Elm Street remake and even some horror elements as Rorschach in Watchmen. What is it about Your Host that drew you back to the horror genre?
Jackie Earle Haley: It's just a really intriguing role and definitely challenging and almost play-like. It was a challenging character, trying to take someone who had this past life as a showman and something traumatic has happened in his life that has completely shifted his essence and being. There were these two colliding forces to me, this guy he has become, which is this unhinged maniac, while still maintaining this odd showmanship that he's trying to perpetuate with that inner Barry Miller. It really created this wild place in my mind of trying to juxtapose these two competeting foces within him.
1428 Elm: Your Host has a lot of shocking and bloody moments. Did you have a favorite kill?
DW Medoff: I have favorites, for sure. I’ll be vague with it. I definitely have some favorite scenes I got to shoot. There’s one in particular that I’ll nickname head pop. I like to have a head pop in all my movies. With the first movie, we had intimated scenes of head pop. My second movie had a head pop, for sure. This movie I got to do a very up close and personal one. I was very happy to do that.
1428 Elm: Jackie, what was it like to film some of those brutal kills?
Jackie Earle Haley: It was pretty intense. The graphic makeup and special effects are all practical. It was gnarly. It was life-like. It definitely reminded me of moments like Rorschach taking off the guy's head and some of the stuff Freddy was doing. It was pretty gnarly, but again, it came from this insane place. It was kind of so surreal, not just to me, but to the character himself.
1428 Elm: What was it like shooting some of the scenes that incorporated familiar games, like rock, paper, scissors, and then put a demented twist on them?
DW Medoff: It was really fun. There’s that wheel that spins. I made up all the games on the wheel. I did the drawings. I said, you’re going to use my terrible drawings for this? The production designer said they’re perfect. They worked out really well. It was really fun to spitball with my friends and my wife and ask about childhood games we played. I came up with them and drew a little picture of how messed up they could be. It was a lot of fun.
1428 Elm: Jackie, as the host, were there any games that you enjoyed performing the most?
Jackie Earle Haley: Introducing the character with rock, paper, scissors was really informative, not only for me, but I think to the audience. We shot the movie in order, which was really helpful and unusual. Usually, you shoot out of order. This one, we shot in total chronological order. The whole thing came alive for me when I was with the other actors. Those young guys are so talented. They're excellent actors. When we were finally there, doing this moment, everybody was so good. The kids were just screaming and going crazy, which made me go crazier. It was intense. I definitely liked that this character was completely unhinged. He was completely grounded on one hand and an utter nutter on the other hand. It was wild.
1428 Elm: Talk about the character of Barry Miller. How fun was it to work with that character, and Jackie, how did you prepare for this character? Did you study any game show hosts?
DW Medoff: Jackie is a genius. He’s been acting since he was a kid. He’s a writer, director, producer, and actor. He’s everything behind the camera and everything in front of the camera. Working with him is really cool. I’m a very collaborative person and so is he. It was never my way or the highway. Whether it was his idea, my idea, or the producer’s idea, everything we did was in service of the film and the story. Working with a guy like him, who has so much experience, and other actors who are so talented, was amazing. I’m so thankful for the opportunity.
Jackie Earle Haley: I didn't really study anything except for stuff I experienced throughout my life, meaning growing up with my mom watching Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and The Price Is Right. There is one interview I recalled. It's been a long time since I've seen it. It was with Bob Barker. I believe he retired or was close to retirement. I remembered this guy talking about his career with such animation and joy.
I remember that he talked about what a great life he's had and no regrets and how wonderful it's been to go to the studio five days a week and play this fun game. People came from around the country. Everybody was lit up and happy. He felt it was a wonderful life to play this game and give the winners a free kitchen, a free trip, or whatever it was. Everybody just loved being there. It seemed to be this real positive, joyous force.
To me, that's who this character thinks he is. Then, he experienced the type of trauma he experienced in his life. It was this real juxtaposition of trying to have a good, strong sense of who Barry Miller was and the fact that being is still inside of him, even though the trauma has pushed him over the edge to where he's a homicidal maniac.
I tried to live the moments between action and cuts and even hopefully surprise myself, the other actors, and the director by trying to keep it alive. A lot of the juxtapositions kind of happened as we went. That kind of made it fun and interesting.
There's also a charismatic and charming side to the guy. At the end of the day, he's trying to relive his old life. He's trying to bring that old life into being as this showman, a guy who's putting on a game show still. He loved the fact he was doing good things for people. Now, he's flipped that world on its head. For him, in this particular situation, it's incredibly personal. I think that's one of the fun things about the contestants. They're constantly trying to figure out who this guy is.
1428 Elm: For me, the set designs were another standout of Your Host. They enhanced the atmosphere and the sense that any four of the contestants could go at any time. What was it like working with those set designs?
DW Medoff: The set designs were super important. Because we shot chronologically, we started with a much cleaner place than where we ended. There were little bits of blood from past game shows, but after this game, it was painted with blood.
The production designer and his team were incredible in building what my vision was, which was making a game show studio in a way that he [Barry] could build only with the things around him in the factory. That was very important to me. I hope that translated into feeling like a more authentic place. They did such a good job not going over the top, not making things that are out of the world and timeline, and I loved that.
1428 Elm: Can you talk about the tone of Your Host, how it balances the really dark kills with the over-the-top game show host and even a few funny moments?
DW Medoff: I approach a story as sad, depressing, and as twisted as I can. That’s the subject matter. It’s grotesque and terrible, but due to my nature as a friendly guy, I think funny moments just happen. Movies that have some levity and moments of laughter can really balance a watching experience. I don’t mean you need to have moments of laughter for a movie to be good. One of my favorite movies is Manchester by the Sea. I don’t think it’s possible to smile during it.
But I truly feel that some joy in a sad movie makes it something you can walk away from and talk about. Maybe you can have a laugh here and there. It is tough subject matter, but I think all the characters have something that makes us smile at some point.
1428 Elm: Anything else you’d like to add about Your Host that we didn’t cover?
DW Medoff: it was one of the best times of my life. It became a bunch of friends at summer camp. Everyone got sent away at some point because we shot chronologically. When it came down to me, Jackie, and one other person, it was much heavier on set.
We still talk to each other today. I couldn’t be happier with the people I got to work with and the memories I got to make. I hope that translates into a movie that people enjoy watching and maybe throw up during parts of it and laugh at other parts. That’s all I can dream of as a storyteller. [Laughs].
Your Host arrives on VOD on October 14.