Interview: Alexandre Aja

By Michael J Edwards / June 24, 2011

Before I start, loyal readers, let me just announce to those of you who watched my Kit Ryan interview that this happened before it and will thus not contain a GREMLINS reference. I did, however, interview Franck Khalfoun soon after and that will be up soon for you to peruse to see if I rose to the challenge... Here, however, we can enjoy a candid chat with a man deep in the bowels of Hollywood's gore machine - Alexandra Aja!

How's work going on PIRANHA?

The script is almost finished now and hopefully we'll be shooting after we finish with MIRROR in December.

I've read a lot of fanboy comments recently that're concerned that you're doing a lot of remakes- is that a direction you've actively chosen?

This is like my worst nightmare that you're expressing, I don't want to be the remake person because it's really not me. I made HIGH TENSION was like an original story, then I accepted and I did THE HILSS HAVE EYES which was a real remake with the same story, same character and we just added the new background, but then we went to P2 and that is a completely original story. Now MIRRORS is NOT a remake of the Korean movie, it's based on the concept that was in that movie, and the only reason why I accepted to make it was because the studio, Fox, let me take the concept and create a completely new story with new characters, a new story and everything. So besides maybe with the exception of one scene MIRRORS is not the same sort of remake. Now PIRANHA - it's completely different again, I mean it's really a completely different idea of what a remake is. You can hear from the sound of my voice that I don't believe I'm just remaking a film. If I was on the other side and on the internet looking at the projects I'd say "why is he remaking everything?" but I'm not remaking everything, I'm telling you I'm also like them , you won't believe the titles that they want to remake here in Hollywood and I think it's stupid, I love these movies they're talking about remaking. I mean when Wes Craven approached me and was talking about remaking THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and I said basically no because that was one of the best movies ever made, it can not get better and THE HILLS HAVE EYES that wasn't the case, it was kind of dated and needed a new vision: so basically there is a good reason to make remakes, it is when you can really improve them and can make them much better so I'm not totally against remakes.

What about Michael Haneke remaking FUNNY GAMES, what do you make of that?

Well you know, I saw the original, and the remake was done shot by shot the same so I don't know. I have to see the new one I haven't had time yet, but I was told it's exactly the same so I don't really understand the purpose of redoing the same movie shot by shot... but I don't know.

Back to your work then! Where did the idea for P2 come from?

After HIGH TENSION we were with my crew and looking for ways that we could push the envelope even further, and maybe an idea where we could work within one location. The underground parking garage came in a very obvious way, we all have a relationship to the underground parking garage, we have all in life been walking alone and had the feeling that there is someone with us. Even if there is CCTV cameras or nice music it's not safe, you feel like something very strange and very dark could happen. Growing up in France during the 80's I remember that the parking garage was always the place where women were raped or attacked or killed, it was really something we all had in our subconscious so it became that making a movie in a parking garage was obvious and we were even wondering how it's possible that such a movie was not made before. So basically what we started with was the idea of doing something more in the slasher way, like William Lustig's MANIAC kind of movie with not a lot of dialogue and a lot of gruesome scenes where the guy was killing people in the garage and working with Franck Khalfoun on the script we developed it and moved to something much better which was the twisted fucked up love story and I really think that made the movie much more interesting.

I read a quote from you saying that Europe can't do horrors, has your opinion changed after seeing some of the recent Spanish efforts?

It's very very very hard in France to make these things, I mean last year we've seen things like FRONTIERES but still it's very hard to make things like that in France. It's the opposite here in the States where the genre is so successful that you can do what you want, the studio will give you the budget and the toys you need so it's a great time here in the States where on my scale I can do what I want.

You know, that surprises me. It looks to me like Europe seems to be producing all of the small budget, innovative stuff and all Hollywood wants to do is remake them.

Yeah, that's the lazy way of Hollywood we're trying to avoid. We're trying to find our own concept and the studio are scared to go on the big market with an original plot, most of the time what they want to do is find something that already exists and just change the language, the action and keep the title and I think that can be a mistake. I mean I'm not going to hide, I mean MIRRORS is based on the Korean movie even if it's rebased far away but I think there's many good scripts and the evolution in the genre is the key element - we need to be building the genre al the time and remakes aren't the only solution to produce good movies. I know a lot of people who have made these interesting low-budget movies in Europe that are now coming the the US so it'll be interesting to see what happens with these new waves arriving every year. We're growing and growing and going to take power!

Let's hope that happens! You seem to have a good working relationship with Franck, can I ask was it difficult for you to take a back seat and let him direct P2?

Yeah, of course it was very hard, it was the first time I produced a movie! Of course every time he was taking a decision a had my own ideas but it was my work to stand back and let him do it. I was still there to give him tips and ideas and stuff and we were all together though, we were really making the movie as a bunch of friends. I've known Franck for 15 years, I knew Greg for like 20 years and we are all together making the movie together. It wasn't really about who is directing or who is producing it was just trying to make the best movie possible and get out of that parking garage!

So there were no moments you look back on and think 'that was definitely their decision'?

No, the opposite. I think if it was me directing I would've made a straightforward slasher - very gruesome, very violent. But Franck he brought that other dimension and when we realised it was good we wanted to push it even further in that direction, and I think the movie works much better like that so I'm really happy it happened in such a way.

How did you and Franck meet?

Franck was a PA on one of my father's movies, so I met him when I was still a kid in fact. So he became like a big brother, we have a very brotherly relationship.

What's the scariest place you can imagine being locked in?

A trunk, in a parking garage! You're locked in twice so you have such a small chance to be found.

P2 is out on Friday, distributed by Tartan Films.