thePULSEBy Craig Lindberg
When does one first experience passion?
When does passion become obsession, take control, and drive an individual to pursue this “mania” and strive to make it his own at any cost?
Why, the tender age of 8, of course.
At least that’s how it happened for writer, producer, director, actor and twisted entertainment prodigy from Massachusetts, Adam Green (pictured right).
“I remember seeing E.T., leaving the theater and knowing that’s what I wanted to do,” Adam explains.
A product of Holliston, MA, Adam grew up with more traditional minded parents who, while supportive of what he wanted to do, weren’t shy about encouraging “alternative” career choices as he got older.
“My father was a gym teacher and I can remember telling him I wanted to make movies and him saying, ‘That’s great, but….’ Adam goes on to say, “I know they [my parents] were just being parents and looking out for me. They never prevented me from pursuing my dreams; they just wanted me to have options.”
With the seed of passion now planted, all that was needed was to nurture this new found love into a full blown obsession and follow it down whichever road it might lead ~ and that road, of course led to Los Angeles.
“I moved to L.A. when I was 25,” reminisces Adam. “I didn’t want to be another cliché who gets off the bus with stars in his eyes. I had a couple projects under my belt by then and was just out there to give it a legitimate shot.”
Cliché or not, Adam found it tough to get work and sought out a DJ position at the famous Rainbow Bar & Grill. “I remember hanging out there and asking if they needed a DJ, they said the waitlist for that job was 15 deep…I had no chance. Then I was just there one night and the manager came up to me and asked if I wanted the job because their regular guy bailed. I said, ‘Sure, when do I start?,’ and he said 10 minutes.” Adam continues, “Part of the reason I took the job was so I could eat the leftover food off the plates.”
Things have since gone very well for the former DJ, trash picker and even metal vocalist of the band “Haddonfield” from Halloween haven, Salem, MA.
In 2006, Green wrote and directed Hatchet, the first major release from his production company ArieScope Pictures (Green explains the beginnings of ArieScope as the brainchild of his, Will Barratt’s, who’s been his cinematographer on all his projects, and Cory Neal’s, a producer. He shared with a grin that the very first thing they ever made, back when they were still making crappy commercials in Malden, MA, was a short titled “Columbus Day Weekend,” where Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers terrorize the same campsite by mistake and then they fall in love with each other. If that doesn’t give you a glimpse into the gloriously twisted horror-comedic mind of Adam Green, nothing will!) . Touted as a return to “old school American horror,” the film has been called a “classic” by some, but at the very least it has turned into a cult classic which has spawned 2 sequels, 2009’s Hatchet II and the now-in-production Hatchet III (featuring horror film faves Danielle Harris and Kane Hodder).
“I wanted to make a movie that made horror fun again. Everything nowadays is torture and rape…there’s nothing ‘fun’ about that.” Green respects the genre as it is but wanted to make a movie that wasn’t just shocking but entertaining as well. “There are elements of humor in Hatchet [which has a cast that includes Robert Englund, Tony Todd, and Kane Hodder] , the characters themselves and how they interact with one another are pretty funny, but there is nothing funny about Victor Crowley [lead protagonist]. Everything about him is serious and downright scary. The mix of the two elements is what makes the movie fun and why, I believe, it’s done so well with fans.”
The success of Hatchet, Hatchet II, and other projects including 2010’s Frozen and the recent horror/comedy anthology “Chillerama” have provided Adam the clout and means to pursue an obsession a little closer to home, in many ways, the 2012 sit-com ~ yes sit-com ~ “Holliston.”
Largely based on Adam’s first project, “Coffee and Doughnuts,” the sit-com, set in Holliston, MA, follows two struggling directors (played by Adam himself and fellow genre director and best friend Joe Lynch) as they try to make it big in, what else, horror movies.
“Every day is like summer camp,” shares Adam. “I wanted to make a sit-com for people who didn’t like sit-coms, because, well, I don’t like sit-coms.”
Riddled with old-school horror references, plenty of blood and a (for some reason) fake cat ~ not to mention a cast which also features Gwar vocalist Oderus Urungus and best friend Dee Snider (who plays a cross-dressing boss at the cable station)of Twisted Sister, WidowMaker, and Strangleand fame, “Holliston” is the first original show for cable horror channel FEARnet.
“This was their [FEARnet’s] first original show, and for a horror channel to put out a sit-com, well, that took balls and gave me a lot of confidence in what this project could be,” Adam gushes. “FEARnet put a lot of faith in my vision and I’m grateful to them for the opportunity.”
“Holliston” screened for the very first time in, fittingly, Holliston, MA. The town packed the municipal office hall to showcase the prodigal son’s tribute to himself and the town he grew up in.
“That was one of the best moments of my career, being able to bring such a personal work back to show to people who, effectively, helped me write it.”
No stranger to good ol’ Worcester, either, Adam was a guest at our 2010 “Rock and Shock” festival. Worcester’s own annual slice of madness will be bringing Adam back this year as well ~ only this time…he won’t be alone.
“The entire cast of “Holliston” is going to be at Rock and Shock this year,” dishes Adam., “We will be holding a live script reading for two lucky people over the weekend. They’ll get to come up and read a few special scenes with the cast. It’s going to be a lot of fun; we’re all really looking forward to it.”
The success of “Holliston” has landed the upstart show another season on FEARnet and with Hatchet III in production and the big budget Killer Pizza also on the way, this native of Massachusetts with a passion turned obsession for scaring the hell out of people is not only living his dream…he’s creating new ones as he goes.
www.fearnet.com/holliston/index.html#!/close
ariescope.com/
Photo of Adam Green (top) courtesy of www.shallowgraves.org
Photo with Dee Snider courtesy www.deadfilm.net
Photo of Hatchet poster courtesy of my.spill.com
