Directed by: Daniel Myrick
Over the last few weeks, HorrorCultFilms have had the pleasure to sit down and talk to many greats of the horror field, and now this week we can once again be proud to be associated with a legend of modern horror, a man whose first film has gone down as one of the masterpieces of the genre. A film that made the simple trip of going camping seem such a terrifying prospect. But not only is the great man here to talk about the film that set him on the road to stardom, but also to talk about his latest film, The Objective, a movie that is destined to be discovered because of its brilliance, a horror that we at HCF love with our blackest of heart. We hope that by doing this interview, you the reader who have missed the film when it was released last year will seek it out and spread the word, but before you rush out to either buy or rent, read the interview first, in which the Doc, Bat, Matt and Ross are proud to announce….
THE ONE AND ONLY….DANIEL MYRICK
First of all can we say how honoured we are at HorrorCultFilms that you have found time to sit with us and answer a few questions. Can we start by telling our loyal readers a bit about yourself, a little history, what inspired you to go into film making and where you feel you fit in with today’s market
I remember wanting to be involved with films in some way at an early age, I just had no clue how to go about it. I used to draw a lot as a kid and my mom would laugh, because I was always verbalizing “sound effects” as spent hours sketching out some elaborate scene on paper that was actually playing out as moving image in my head. It wasn’t until my Aunt gave me a book, called “Movie Magic” for Christmas one year when I learned the actual mechanics of how films were made. This opened up a whole world for me. When I was about eleven or twelve, I became enthralled with UFO’s, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the like (no doubt inspirations for Blair). Then “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” came out and that pretty much sealed the deal for me.
One of the reasons why we were so desperate to talk to you is about a film that you made which had a bunch of people stuck in the middle of nowhere and with some spooky stuff going on and we are not talking about that certain landmark film! We of course talking about The Objective, a film that all of us feel was one of the best of last year. Where did the idea come from to make a war based sci-fi horror set on location in Afghanistan?
I was inspired by a lot of the “night vision” footage coming over YouTube during the war. It was haunting to look at and made me feel that being out in the darkness, in a foreign land, with nothing but this green imagery lighting your way could be very scary. From this, I started thinking about a story line. I read the book, “The Men Who Stare at Goats” by Jon Ronson and started formulating a “paranormal” approach to this CIA agent that was on the hunt for something much greater than himself. Sort of a mission of discovery, not only for the CIA, but for himself.
Setting the film in the remote region of Afghanistan allowed for some beautiful and haunting scenery. Somehow the film felt both real and, at times, otherworldly with a real sense of something not being right. How did you decide on the location?
I really wanted to shoot something spooky in the desert. I liked the challenge of turning this normally “bright” backdrop into something haunting and foreboding. I went with Afghanistan, simply because that area of the world is steeped in mythology, superstition and conflict…at all levels. Much credit goes to my DP, Stephanie Martin who did a wonderful job interpreting the script and giving us such compelling visuals.
The sound in the film is fantastic, especially the wonderful scene involving a helicoptor flying overhead hidden by dust. In fact, the overall production value of the movie is very high quality, how did you pull this off?
For me, it’s all about picking your battles, (no pun intended). We shot on location in Morocco, mainly because we had our choice of several, amazing villages from which to shoot. Along with this, the people themselves have a certain “look” that really can’t be duplicated without spending a lot of time and money in casting and make-up. So, by just choosing to shoot on location, you automatically up you production values tenfold. The key then, is to just be strategic with your “big scenes”, the helicopter landing, the village search, etc. Spend your money on these key scenes, while tying them together with efficient, dialog driven narrative and you can give the impression the film is bigger than it actually is.
We at HCF saw ideas from Arabic mythology used in The Objective and upon reading a few other reviews it seems we was not alone. Without giving too much away to folks reading this who haven’t seen the movie, are you able to say if this was indeed an inspiration for some things in the film, or are we just barking up the wrong tree?
Absolutely. The VImanas, in particular, is from Middle Eastern mythology. Basically, I see this as some sort of “UFO”, just under another name. However, it’s repeated in various forms throughout history and has great significance in some cultures, so I wanted to play this historical phenomenon within a modern context.
The soldiers in the movie seemed very authentic in the way they spoke and acted. I’m sure I read somewhere that most of your cast were actually soldiers, though can’t remember where. Was this really the case and if so, how did they feel about re-enacting things like shooting guns for real?
I’m a stickler for authenticity. Part of my logic is to approach soldiers who can act, rather than actors trying to play soldiers. It doesn’t always work in every case, but that’s my starting point. We got lucky with many of the roles since most of our guys were former military and you can see, just by the way they talk, hold their guns (called “muzzle discipline”) and their physicality that they’re the real deal. One of the greatest compliments I’ve received on the film is from current Special Forces guys emailing me to tell me that this film is one of the most accurate portrayals of their kind they’ve ever seen.
Close Encounter of the Third Kind had what I was thought the best headlight scene in Film History, you know the bit where Richard Dreyfuss is sitting in his truck and you see a set of headlights come behind him and then rise! The Objective beat that moment for me with what I thought was a surreal imagery of that car coming towards the soilders, How did you come up with such a great set-piece?
That’s a HUGE compliment and I thank you. LOVE that scene in Close Encounters and it was no doubt, inspired by it, at least subliminally in some way. Spielberg is a master at making a few “little lights” do a whole lot to the imagination. The flying lights in OBJ were all CGI where we shot day for night on location, then my good friend, CGI artist Tom Moser, did the effect in post
The Objective is very script heavy, however you pull off the skill of making the story interesting and intriguing. Having written the story yourself, was the intention to bring something fresh, clever and highly original to todays movie fan? And do you believe your film will stand the test of time and become a cult classic?
I’m a big believer in story and character, no matter what the genre. I grew up reading Asimov, watching Spielberg, Kubrick, etc. When you think about the work from guys like these, I never categorized it into any particular genre until years later. I always thought of their work as just great story telling. That’s first and foremost. It’s only later that I think about anything I do falling into any particular genre and the same applied to OBJ. Whether or not it stands the test of time, is anybody’s guess
Lets move away from The Objective for a minute and ask you our regular HCF question, If you had the chance to spend an evening in a pub talking movies with any director, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I wouldn’t mind having a few shots with Stanley Kubrick.
I know it’s fashionable to say you worship the guy, but in all reality, I don’t know of too many directors that have a classic film in just about every genre on top of having so much influence as to how films are made.
Who are your influences?
Kubrick, Spielberg, Nichols, Fincher, Cameron, Scorsese, Stone, Curron, del Toro, the list goes on.
Back to The Objective and it follows many of your other films in that it tends to avoid gore and violence in your films. Are these things you dislike generally or do you think you’ll be up for using a more graphic approach if the subject demands it?
I really don’t have a problem with gore and/or violence. My issue usually comes from when it’s used in place of good story telling or building suspense. Also, treading lightly in this area, allowing the audience’s imagination to work for you, can be far more effective.
The ending, which some found difficult while others found fascinating, throws up a whole new range of possibilites. Was it hard coming up with an ending that did justice to the rest of the movie, or was it a part of the story right from the beginning?
The ending is the “big question”. Personally, I like the ambiguity it introduces, leaving the speculation as to what happened to Ben with the audience. It has made for some lively discussion. My intention was to allow for the viewer to make the ending whatever they wanted it to be. Was Ben abducted by aliens? Was it a religious experience? Was it a CIA experiment gone bad? Who really knows? For me, that’s the point. It’s whatever you make it out to be. Some people have a hard time with this, but I like to believe that
there are others that really appreciate not being told exactly how to think.
The Objective has a few moments that maybe seem to parallel moments in Blair Witch. Were you referencing your earlier movie or are these completely unconscious borrowings?
I knew that some people would draw similarities with Blair. With a film like this, “a group of people, lost, being messed with” are going to draw comparisons. It’s unavoidable, but I liked the idea of doing a slightly different take on a military film, that skewed more sci-fi, than horror, as did Blair.
We can not have you here without talking about the film that set you on this path, but you must be so proud that the Blair Witch Film is still talked about this day, I mean you can not go into any Film Forums and they are still discussing it! Are you amazed at how its lasted in the public eye?
Absolutely. It’s a great honor to be remembered for you work. It’s the ultimate compliment and I’ll never forget that experience. At the same time, my long term hope is that I’m also remembered for my body of work as well, but if not, I’m not complaining.
Even though film-makers utilised the shaky and ‘found footage’ approach before Blair Witch, how does it feel to know that you revitalized the style of film-making that has since spawned various other ‘found footage’ horrors, such as [Rec], Troll Hunter and to some extent, Paranormal Activity?
It’s a very compelling way to tell a story. This style is such a part of our visual language over the past few years and can’t help but be a part of our story telling process. Not to mention, it’s cheaper to shoot this style, which lends itself well for indie production, much as it did for us on Blair
We also have to ask you and I bet you sick of it but its probably because all horror fans live in hope but will there be a Blair Witch 3?
All I can say now is that it’s being discussed. Stay tuned.
Your other film Solstice has also managed to gain a cult status over the years, it also had a talented young cast including Amanda Seyfrield, was it great working with such a gang that were destined for big things?
Great cast. I had the good fortune of working with some very talented young people on that project and I still can’t believe what we were able to pull off in only 24 shooting days. Those guys came with their game faces on and worked as hard as anyone on the crew. No attitudes, no complaints, total pros.
To wrap this up, The Objective has gained great word of mouth since its release in the UK last year. I have seen it on many horror lists as one of the finest horrors of 2010. Reviews have also been very positive and it would seem there is a lot of love out there for your movie. Do you plan to continue with the sci-fi/horror genre and what have you got next to delight us horror fans?
I LOVE sci-fi/horror/thriller genre films. I will always be working in that world. However, I have a comedy or two under my belt, so expect the unexpected! It’s interesting, my films have always been better received overseas than here at home. I think it speaks to difference in our cultures more than anything. I greatly appreciate, especially in the UK, how nuance and complexity is embraced and consider it the greatest of compliments to be so highly valued among its film going audience.
As of now, I’m developing a thriller called “Under the Bed” (working title), based on a true story about a Valet that broke into a woman’s home (using a copy of her car key) and literally lived under her bed for several days unbeknownst to the woman. A great, “Hitchcokian” thriller if there ever was one.
Finally, what is your favourite movie of all time, and why?
Wow. Tough question.
“Close Encounters” in definitely on the short list. It’s the kind of film I can watch over and over and still find something new.
Thank you for this chance of an Interview, we at HorrorCultFlilms wish you the best for all you next projects and we hope to meet up with you again in the near future!
Thank you and I wish you all great sucess!
ALL OF US AT HORRORCULTFILMS WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO DANIEL MYRICK FOR GIVING UP HIS TIME AND DOING THIS INTERVIEW, AND WE WISH HIM ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE!
THE HUGHES VERDICT ON THE OBJECTIVE AND BLAIR WITCH!
“It’s the Blair Witch meets The Hurt Locker..
While his director partner Eduardo Sanchez has been busy releasing simple straight to DVD horror fare with the likes of Seventh Moon, the other half of the Blair Witch team, Daniel Myrick, has been more quieter, until now. Coming across as Blair meets The Hurt Locker , The Objective is a strong contender for one of the best horrors ever to be released straight to DVD. Its a movie that needs to be discovered by nearly all horror fans because its brilliance is in its simple approach. This is not gore-porn, just an intelligent horror that will have you thinking long after the credits roll.
This, released quietly on the market and only came to my attention thanks to Matt who stumbled across it one day, a fellow editor who would you believe WATCHES more horror than I could ever do, and thanks to his consant praise and word of mouth, The Objective soon made its way into my horror collection and on first watch, I realised that once again Matt was right in his praise. For a start there is a lot to admire from The Objective. Its plain to see that Myrick hsd the smallest of budgets but like before, he uses what he as got to maximum effect, creating a tense mood and a sense of wonder and panic at what is going on. It seems that while Sanchez has gone into a different path of horror, Myrick has no way forgotten his roots, even though The Objective comes dangerously close to certain moments of that Witch flick.
When satellites pick up a radioactive heat signature in the wastelands of Afghanistan, a CIA agent and a gang of Special Ops are sent to investigate the mystery as worries grow that the terrorists have created the ultimate War Weapon. But on arrival, and the more they go deeper into the desert, the soldiers soon realise that something is not quite right in the area they are in, and maybe, the enemy this time, are more far away from home than they think.
From its bleak landscape, to the fear of dread, The Objective is a rare beast that deserves a cult following. The slow pace and lack of gore may not be for the modern horror crowd, but for those who wish a horror to let us the viewer make our own minds up, then this is the one for you. The acting is spot on. All unknowns but raise their game that you wish for them to escape the nightmare they are in and it is such an original film that its a criminal shame that this will be ignored by many
It does not outstay its welcome either, the short running time means that no scenes drag on, and you be so compelled by the mystery that you be shocked when the end credits start to roll. The only complaint is when there are moments that rip off the Blair Witch. Voices in the dark, Soldiers vanishing on morning light, stumbling across body parts, there is even a map scene in which they are lost, all brief moments that questions the fact that can Myrick move on from the film that made him, but all that is soon forgotten by a sheer moment of class that raises the film above normal level.
Everyone remembers that scene in Close Encounters Of The
Third Kind, with the truck parked up, headlights from behind that first come up to the truck then are revealed to be a car, then second headlights arrive, only for them to start rising above the Truck. Well here Myrick pays homage to that scene, but its done so wonderfully well that it actually took my breath away. One of the best scenes in modern horror and one that makes The Objective a film that should be watched by all readers of HorrorCultFilms
The climax and final shot may bring things down a bit, there is no satisfying conclusion but then the makers have tried to do something different and should be applauded for that than giving an ending that sells out just to keep the basic horror fan happy. If this still does not get you interested, then I really can not end this review without giving the man who discovered this beauty a say, so Matt its over to you:
Matt’s quick word:
Now, what I love about straight to dvd stuff is every once in a while you come across a real gem of a movie that most people have probably never heard of. The Objective is one of those movies. A group of soldiers have been called in to investigate some strange goings on in the Afghanistan desert. A specialist has also been called in to monitor proceedings. There seems to be some kind of activity which has lead them to the conclusion Al Qaida are working on some new form of weaponry which could be extremely dangerous. Once they get to the desert strange things begin to happen. Once particular favourite scene of mine is when they call in for help and to be rescued because some of their group have been killed in a gun fight, a helicopter seems to appear above their heads, however they can’t see it in all the dust blowing around. It’s on their radar and everyone is frantically trying to see where it will set down when all of a sudden it just stops, all the wind stops and the noise of the chopper blades tops, everything stops and becomes deathly silent. Another is where a guy is looking through his night vision goggles and spots and old Arab man just down the hill from the group. He looks again but with his own eyes and sees the man again, but again uses the night vision goggles to get a better look, only when he looks through them again the old man is surrounded by strange men in black who all seem to be in a kind of heat haze and are a bit blurred. The man opens fire in a scene much like the scene in Predator where they all open fire and hit nothing.
The Objective is very cleverly surrounded in mystery and thankfully it never quite reveals the truth and leaves the conclusions up to you. I found this immensely satisfying as i think a proper conclusion would have ruined things. The cast are all exceptional and very believable. I often find with straight to dvd stuff that the acting, production and music can all be a bit crap, however, here it is all perfect. The film looks great and has a fantastic look and sound. Its very well paced and the story is extremely engaging. It’s directed by Daniel Myrick, one half of the Blair Witch team, and if he continues to make films as good as this then his movie directing days can only get better. This was a superb film, and you can pick it up pretty cheap. I urge everyone on here to give it a go.
The Blair Witch Project: The Verdict
In 1999, the world was all set to celebrate the year Millennium. The 90’s were coming to a close, a new decade, later to be called The Noughties was on its way, and horror at box office was limping along and dying a slow death because of a figure called GhostFace. The Scream sequel from 1996 was the best and worst thing that happened for the impact of horror at the box office. While it introduced the fun factor and gave a new generation of fans something to talk about in the Slash genre, it also brought back a horror trend that died on its backside only a few years before.
The 90’s was notorious for its bad sequels that saw the likes of 80’s icons wave a final goodbye. Freddy had his final Nightmare and a post modern new one, Jason was sent to the pit from where he came, not before a game of Quantum Leap, and even the likes of Ripley had bumped into that ALIEN too many times for the viewers liking! While Scream was the new kid on the block, a fun ride with an enjoyable guessing game at its core, the overwhelming success of the film made other studios jump onto the bandwagon. This resulted in the once tired and bust Slash genre burst back into life, but once again a victim of its own story when the market was diluted by inferior rip offs that made the viewer weep. Anyone who has the seen the awful A Clown At Midnight will tell you the state that horror was in, and with J-Horror being born but the other side of the world not quite ready for the likes of Ringu, it was time for a new vision of terror to take shape! And that was in the form of a little thing called the Internet!
Its amazing now that all the film studios use the web as a tool to advertise their latest films. Yet way back in 1999 this was not seen has a practical thing to do. The only time the Internet was linked to any film was two years before when a well known website ran an early review of Batman And Robin before it was even released, which was so harsh and critical that it stung the film studio who totally underestimated the power that the Web has. Even to this day, many within the film corridors blame that one single review for wrecking that Dark Knight Franchise even though its not hard to admit that the film was actually a piece of crap and maybe that was more to blame for its stinking box-office takings than a well written review!
Two people who did not underestimate the power of the web were Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, two budding film makers who decided to do an horror. A year before and desperate to break into the film world, they wrote a script that only contained 68 pages and hoped the rest would be improvised by the actors they cast! They struck up a simple idea about an haunting, a concept that did not need a massive budget, and in some ways brought horror back to its roots. There is nothing more scary than a horror film that plays on natural fear, and the duo believed that they had come up with a story that would do just that
Advertising in Black Stage magazine for actors with exceptional improvisation skills, they came across their three, Amanda Donohue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, who would also use their real names in the film. This enabled the directors to start their plan and exploit the Internet to their advantage. In a crazy way, it was this campaign that took more time than the actual making of the film, which only lasted seven days! Their story was to be presented as an “actual true story!” about three hikers who while filming their hunt for a local ghost, go missing never to found again. Over the Internet there were actual sites asking people had they seen these three actors, and when it was announced that their camera’s were found and what was on it, you would not believe your eyes, even before the film was released, the story was in crazy meltdown!
How can I describe the scene? While if Facebook was invented back then, the amazing hype would have crashed the site. Fans who had logged onto this story were foaming at the mouth to see this footage. It was so unbelievable, I was twenty two years of age and being a full horror fanatic, I was longing to see this footage that explained what happened. I remember reading one article that explained “there was now 100% proof that Ghosts exist”, and even now writing this rewind review, I can feel the excitement that filled my bones back then! Never again will I see this happen! A once in a life time lightening in a bottle moment that I feel privileged to have been apart of. The new directors played it a perfect hype game that no one would expect to have such a profound effect on the industry. By the time the film was released on July 30th 1999 with the consent of the families involved?, the queues were unbelievable. Over 90% of those going believed what they were about to see was real, and that is why it upsets me that the new generation dismiss this film! They simply do not understand that no matter what, this film did the impossible and made everyone believe there was something out there. For that alone the film should be applauded for its ingenious ability to actually scare those before they had actually seen even a glimpse on screen!, and oh boy, even if the film was not “real” Sanchez and Myrick still delivered a mighty fine film!
The plot was simple, Heather believes in the Blair Witch. a story of a woman who was killed many years and haunts the woods of Burkitsville. To prove this is true, she and two friends venture into the woods to find some evidence, but they never return. A year later their backpacks are discovered along with a Camcorder that contains footage of what happened on their trip. What follows on those tapes is enough to make anyone never go camping again!
That is the general plot which all fans love and know, but lets go deeper than that. The Blair Witch is in fact Elly Kedward, who several youngsters accuse of witchcraft and is for banished into the woods in one of the most coldest winters on record! Presumed dead, life returns to normal until children go missing, including her accusers and fearing something more sinister, the remaining town folk flee the town called Blair and vow never to utter the name of Kedward again. Many, many years later, the town of Burkitsville is named on the site and life carries on has normal until a young girl named Eileen Treacle is pulled into a creek from what witness call a hand coming from out of the stream. Her body is never found and soon more mysteries develop including the case of Robin Weaver, an eight year old boy whose vanishing act makes two search parties go out into the woods. While he is found alive, one search party vanishes and soon their bodies are found tied and cut to pieces over in a place called Coffin Rock.
The story goes on but one that is most interesting, is that of Rustin Parr, a hermit who lived in the woods and one day arrived at a police station and uttered the words “finally finished!”. The police arrive at his house and find the bodies of seven missing children in the cellar. Parr goes on and says “the old woman in the woods told me to do it!”, but interestingly and one that most viewers miss is that when he was killing them, he made sure the kids would turn to face the wall while he killed one, a notion that would be followed in the bone chilling final shot of this film!
Those who call the Blair Witch a simple and basic film must realise that the mythology of the concept is one or if not strongest in any horror film industry. For those who read the history before they even watched the film, they sat in the cinema all those years ago, shaking before even Heather said hello! It is a wicked conception of brilliance. I was one of the lucky ones who read into it all before I went in, and while I was too sceptical about what I was seeing, the film itself was so brilliantly executed that those themselves who did not believe we having their doubts!
When the three venture into the woods never to come back, the feeling of impending doom was unbearable at the time! When they set up camp and on the first night, the strange noises that were around them, made me feel an edge that I was not accustomed to while watching an horror. This was so far removed from the style of Ghostface and his in-jokes that the Blair Witch was putting an urban fear into the crowd. An unknown trip where everyone knew the ending was not going to be jolly!
But while at its core the Blair Witch is all about the Supernatural, the main aspect which I feel a sadness for because its always overlooked is the theme of human breakdown! Here on screen we have three humans who become increasingly despera
te to get out of these woods. Panic engulfs the soul and at times its heartbreaking to see! The image of Heather saying her goodbye is now an often target of spoof central, but its one of the greatest scenes in horror history. Here is an actual actress bearing her soul to the camera, all improvised and all from the heart!
The climax is one that has rightly gone into cinema history, a final shot that is still talked and debated about to this day. But it also springs a few surprises up on a repeated watch. A year after the film was released, the studio released a book about the police records of that actual case! Reading the book and then watching the film is a surreal experience. For example according to the records, that hill Heather and Michael walk up is impossible……there is no hill in those woods! That house they are in at the end……the police state that there is no house in the woods?……two little details that put a more scary slant onto the film!
Also, is it really the Blair Witch or Rustin Parr that are doing the haunting? The final shot hints at the latter and again it opens an endless amount of discussions!
The Blair Witch though was a film the horror genre so desperatly needed. It was a shot out of the blue that divided opinion and still does, but if it was not for this film then there would be no REC, maybe no Cloverfield and especailly no Paranormal Activity. All those films hold a huge thank you for the impact of the bitch in the woods. Those who dismiss it, simply do not understand or did not let themselves believe in the all hype. I was one of the lucky few who got sweeped away by the mania, a camp fire story without the need of a dead zombie at its core!
Even a terrible sequel which I will review on HCF soon can diminsh the impact and love this film has. But most of all, and the frustration of it all, is that Sanchez and Myrick have a third film planned, they want to do it, but the studio keeps on refusing. With horror once again killing its own self with excessive gore-porn and a need to shock, maybe now is the right time again for a simple story of an old woman who lives in the woods?…………
A great read mate, such fascinating and easy to read answers. Myrick interviews really well and I tihnk we all covered a good range of questions there. Excellent interview, as always 😉