michealjheininterview

Michael J. Hein wrote and directed the film Biohazardous , a zombie flick that looks to be very promising , and may just bring some respectability back to an ailing horror genre. I managed to catch up with Micheal , and discuss not only Biohazardous , but his thoughts on the current state of the horror genre, remakes, and also came up with one of the most accurate definitions I've heard on what a cult film is.

Blake : Michael , with the release of Biohazardous , the first major zombie film in quite some time , can horror fans expect a harder edged antidote to the recent spate of overly commercialised , totally non-visceral teen horror films ?

Michael : Well , Biohazardous sure isn't a 'Hollywood' type of film if that's what you're asking. It's nothing like a Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer movie. Not that I have anything against these films, I really did

enjoy the first Scream film a lot , but couldn't even sit through any of the sequels or spin off movies. I'm a fan of ALL cinema , but my love of the classic modern horror films is what I was trying to achieve. Films like Dawn and Day of the Dead , Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 + 2 , Zombie, Suspiria, these are the type of horror films that I want to try to help revive. Whether I achieved that or not with Biohazardous is something for the viewers to decide. I do feel Biohazardous will do very well with its core audience. And hopefully for "old school" horror fans , Biohazardous will be like a breath of fresh air ( just with a rotten smell ).

Blake : There are a number of zombie movies on the horizon in various stages of production , including Resident Evil , a fourth Romero zombie film , and even an ill advised remake of Dawn of the Dead. Has the interest in these projects helped generate distributor interest in Biohazardous , and how much will the hype for these movies help it at the box office , and in the rental / sell through market?

Michael : Of course the sudden re-emergence of the zombie genre is getting us noticed , but Biohazardous is a low budget independant production , and needs to be taken as such. While the upcoming movies you mention are all independants , they are very well financed , and have very large budgets. The Resident Evil movie is a forty million dollar film , and will be rated PG-13 here in the states ( a lot of horror fans are very upset about that , including me ). Romeros 4th Dead film which isn't even completely written yet will shoot for about ten million. Although it's my most anticipated horror film of the last 15 years , I don't think it will help out our production at all , but I'll be the first person in line to see it on opening night!

As for the Dawn of the Dead remake......... I get disgusted by the mention of it! Why remake the greatest zombie film of all time , except to cash in ? I will be bold and go on record now as saying that it's the worst idea in the horror genre since Wes Craven made Scream 2. I do hope the zombie hype helps our film get noticed , but we are not counting on it. I like to think of Biohazardous in the mold of the original Night of the Living Dead in the sense of it being a very low budget film , made by a bunch of very talented and professional people that have a true love of the genre , and just wanted to try to do something different.

Blake : Speaking of the pointless Hollywood phenomenon of making classics redundant by re-making them , Tim Burtons steaming pile of monkey excrement , Planet of the Apes has been less of a success than expected at the box office. Do you think this is a sign that audiences are finally sick of being spoonfed overhyped expensive trash , and what do you rate as being the worst film of the last twelve months ?

Michael : Hollywood has been re-making classics since the beginning of the film industry , this phenomenon is nothing new, and I don't see it ending anytime soon. Hell , to be honest, I even have a "Dream" project of making a straight out adaptation of Richard Mathesons I Am Legend , which could be considered a remake of the films Last Man on Earth ( Vincent Price ) , or The Omega Man ( Charlton Heston ). Although both of these films are great , they are terrible adaptations of the original book. That being said , I think any time a filmmaker re-makes any film ( classic or not ), there has to be a good reason behind it other than money. The only reason I'll ever feel re-making an old movie is acceptable is if it's the filmmaker ( him or herself) that has a vision of why that movie should be remade and a spin that they want to put on it. But remember , ninety percent of the time , it's the studios that come up with the ideas , then go find a big name director and throw bags full of money at them. You can't blame a filmmaker for wanting to make money, because in the film biz , you can make one big budgeted flop and you may never get the chance to direct again.

As for the worst movie I've seen in the last year..... Hands down I'd say Planet of the Apes. It broke my heart too , because I'm such a fan of Burtons work. Before Planet , I'd say that Burton had not made a bad movie. Everyting the guy has made is a masterpiece in its own way, until Planet. It is the first movie I have seen in years that I actually wanted to walk out on. I think it's just the first film that got out of Burtons control , and it seemed like he was just going through the motions. For big budgeted Hollywood movies , I'd say 2001 has been the worst year for movies in the last ten ( that being said , I'm not saying I could do any better....but I could ).

Michael : This is a very tough question for me , because what is a cult film after all? A lot of people might say Dawn of the Dead ( one of my faves ) is a cult film , but I consider it a cinematic masterpiece of modern horror ! I usually think of a cult film as a film on a lower budget that had no star power or heavy advertising and yet still found its audience regardless , and that audience will forever be rabid fans of the film and watch it over and over again. That being said , some cult films that come to mind are : Horror : Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things ( Clark) , The Evil Dead ( Raimi ) , Zombie ( Fulci) , The Toxic Avenger ( Kaufman ) , Don't Look In The Basement ( S.F. Brownrigg ) , Last House On The Left ( Craven ) , Dead Alive ( Jackson ) . Comedy : Crimewave ( Raimi ), The Dark Backward ( Rifkin ), Bad Taste ( Jackson ) , Rocky Horror ( Sharman ), Student Bodies (Rose), and of course anything by John Waters !!! Others: Blood Simple ( Coen bros.), Eraserhead (Lynch), TerrorVision (Nicolaou), Wild at Heart (Lynch).

Michael : A few........First person that comes to mind is John Waters. I think his story could be a great movie , and at the same time it could be a visually stunning 1970s period piece. Roman Polanski's life could also make a dark but uplifting film. From the rape charge , to the Manson family murders , the man has led quite a life ! And of course , Alfred Hitchcock ........ The Master !

I'd like to wish Michael , and the rest of the Biohazardous crew the best of luck with this film.Who knows , It may become one of this years more successful independant films. To learn more about it , click on the link below to visit the official site :

This interview was interrupted by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre , and the Pentagon. Here are transcripts of e-mails that Michael sent me during this time. The first was written minutes after the attacks took place, and has a very chilling, apocalyptic feel to it that really gives us an insight into the horror and confusion that Americans, and especially New Yorkers must have felt. The second is from a couple of days later. Micheal suggested that I include these with the interview as a tribute to the victims......they also give us a better insight into what it was like to be in New York at the time :

Blake, As I write this , the shit is hitting the fan here in NYC ! Two suicide bombers flew planes into both towers of the World Trade Center. About a half hour later , the news is now reporting that the Pentagon has also been bombed. Shit , I have freinds that work downtown very near to the Trade Center. This is incredible and the most horrific thing I have ever witnessed ! MJH

Blake , First off , let me say thanks for the kind words. As you can imagine, NYC is in a state of shock. Everyone here has been spending the last two days trying to contact everyone we know that might have been near or at the Trade Center at the time of the attacks. Imagine Sydney being attacked and they took out the Opera house during a major performance. Not only is it a tragedy for the loss of life , but it's the heart and soul of the city. New York city is like the capital of the world and the Trade Center is the heart of our city.

I was standing on the banks of the Hudson River today in New Jersey, directly accross from "ground zero" where the towers used to be. It's truly an unreal sight. The famous skyline forever changed, the thick dark clouds of smoke that seem to engulf the entire lower west side of the city. As we stood there in silence with at least forty other stunned people , we watched the last 8 floors of the south tower come down. Sad.