And Automaton 2, Motel Hell
The big debate with Steve C. Miller’s Scream of the Banshee was whether or not the film was going to be one exclusive to the SyFy channel or if After Dark was going to release a more hardcore version.
Miller answered those questions during an interview at San Diego Comic-con.
“We literally had to take notes from SyFy, so a lot of the gore elements were removed and for a hardcore gore fan like me, that’s a bit disappointing but After Dark didn’t want to do a big editing process to make it ready for TV,” Miller says. “So, I was handcuffed. But what helps is that it is a low budget film and the effects are practical, not CGI, so that comes across much better on a lower budget than CGI. We were lucky to have some good effects with the Banshee prosethetics. You have to roll with the punches when you are in that situation.”
Miller also warns that Banshee is a 100 degree turn in a different direction than his other movie Automoton Transfusion. “It is not an action gore movie, it is very much like a thriller,” says Miller. “It is a good change of pace for me and for those that like Automoton, and for that matter those that didnt like Automoton and all the shaky camerawork.”
As for the movie itself, Miller says it is akin to a throwback monster movie. “I call it The Ring meets monster movies,” he says, adding the Banshee in question comes from medieval times rather than the present day.
Scream of the Banshee arrives later this year under the After Dark Originals banner. Meanwhile, Miller tells us a sequel to Automoton Transfusion is in the works and financing is locked, it’s just a matter of finding a studio to take it.
As for the Motel Hell he was slated to do is in the hands of the ailing MGM: “They finally got me to the point where they needed to either do it or sell it on to someone else. The script is awesome. I think it is better than most remakes, and I’m not a remake fan at all so to get me to do the remake is a big deal.”
Source: Peter Brown
