Interview with “The Murder Game” Filmmaker Robert Harari
Submitted for your approval, I bring to you the writer/director of the indie film The Murder Game (read review), one Mr. Robert Harari. I have to warn you kids, this one contains SPOILERS so don’t cry foul if we give away too much! I did warn you!
The Dhampir: I would like to thank Mr. Harari for taking this time to talk with us here at Fatally-Yours.
Robert Harari: Happy to.
The Dhampir: So you co-wrote and directed The Murder Game tell us what it’s about?
Robert Harari: Well, it’s about a group of teenagers who, out of sheer boredom, invent a game where one of them is secretly and randomly chosen to be a killer, while the other remain innocent victims. After placing prop weapons all around their chosen location, the teens then scatter. The killer attempts to knock off the others before being discovered, while the others try to figure out who’s killing them off. One night, the group decides to sneak into a larger, self-storage warehouse to play the “ultimate” game. At first, everything goes as planned and everyone’s having a blast. But, in true slasher fashion, things take a serious and drastic turn when one-by-one, the kids begin dying for real.
The Dhampir: How did you come up with the concept of The Murder Game not the film, but the game itself?
Robert Harari: It’s actually a game my brother and I “invented” when we were kids. It was inspired by the movie Clue. We’d play it just as it was depicted in TMG. It was a lot of fun too.
The Dhampir: So it became a case of art imitating life?
Robert Harari: I suppose so. To be honest, an early draft of the script for the film depicted our group playing the board game version of Clue before trying the “real thing”. Unfortunately, the powers that be (Parker Brothers) didn’t want their game associated with the likes of our little indie cut-up. So, we had to modify that scene to include a friendly game of Go Fish instead.
The Dhampir: You had a young, attractive cast of unknowns. was it difficult to get what you wanted from them or did they just fall into their characters?
Robert Harari: With young, inexperienced actors, it’s always tough. As expected, some did better than others. But we really threw them to the wolves in this movie. Because of our monster shooting schedule, we relied heavily on rehearsals prior to production because we knew we wouldn’t have time to hold anyone’s hand during filming. But the cast really rose to the challenge. I think they played off each other very well and really learned a lot from the experience, while discovering new talents of their own.
The Dhampir: Your main character Eric (Steve Polites) is kind of the leader of the group, the “popular” kid in school kind of type. He’s the kid that most fans want to see die, yet you kept his character around for a while, why?
Robert Harari: Though Eric isn’t the most likeable character of the group, his aggressive and overbearing personality is the main driving force behind the group’s actions. He’s very much a do-er. It’s that attitude that kept everyone else constantly on their toes and moving. Without Eric, I think the rest of the group may have just leaned against the exit door for hours until it opened. What fun is that?
The Dhampir: Good point! Of the cast from TMG is there anyone specifically you want to work with again?
Robert Harari: Well, everyone really brought their own flavor to the film. But if I had to choose, I’d say Steve for sure. We get along really well and he’s very dedicated to his craft. Also Vince Eustace and Katie Sirk. Vince is a very talented actor who can do SO MUCH more than what we had him do in our film. It would be great to really exploit his talents a bit. Katie is the same way. She’s smart, fearless and a lot of fun to work with.
The Dhampir: Cool, let’s talk about special effects for a moment. Firstly, who were/was your effects people/person?
Robert Harari: We had two main make effects people, and one visual effects person. Daniel J. Mazikowski, whom we call “Maz,” had the horrible displeasure of finding ways for us to pull of some really crazy effects with very, very little money. He’s a very talented, and creative guy. Any crew would be lucky to have him. Sandy Andrle, who was our basic makeup person, also handled some of the gore effects herself, including the infamous “fire extinguisher” kill. A very accomplished effects person in her own right. Our visual effects person, Jimmy Swierczewski, did a lot of subtle, and not-so-subtle digital post-production work for us. Everything from tiny makeup adjustments audiences would never notice (but make all the difference in the world), to the raging thunder storm throughout most of the film. A very, very talented individual.
The Dhampir: Wow, you led me right into my next question! How did the “fire extinguisher” effect work?
Robert Harari: That was a tricky one. What Sandy did was fashion a fire extinguisher cone for Ariana (Carrie) to place in her mouth. Hidden from camera behind the cone was a tubing which ran behind Ariana, down her back and off screen. On the other end, Sandy purchased several cans of compressed air. You know, the kind you can get at Staples for dusting off your computer keyboard and such. The thing about compressed air is that if you hold the can upright (as you should) when using it, the air comes out fast and transparent. But, if you flip the can upside down and depress the trigger, it comes out just as fast, but white in color. So, we dumped a lot of blood on our actress, rolled the camera, and Sandy (upside down can in hand) began pumping compressed air through the tube which then appeared white as it spewed out of the cone, thus mimicking extinguisher chemical. Gotta love movie magic. Of course, Sandy also applied a “shotgun blast”-like latex mask to Ariana’s face to embellish the gore a bit too.
The Dhampir: It was an especially great and original effect! In the film, you had “Collin” the “lone new guy with a past.” Didn’t you think that was a little cliché, in that the fans almost automatically know these days at least that he’s not going to turn out to be the killer?
Robert Harari: Certainly. We knew most people wouldn’t believe he was the killer. But, his character wasn’t there purely to be the one to blame. Collin is often the audience’s guide as well. As the “new guy,” from the beginning he learns a bit about all the characters, the game, etc., thus introducing these elements to our audience as well. Plus, it’s his checkered past that enables him to remain an outsider from the rest of the group which plays a pivotal part in the film’s ending. So, his character is a bit more important than just an audience ruse.
The Dhampir: Well, you’ve told us how the actual game came to be, but what about the story and film themselves, how did it go from a game played with your brother, to film?
Robert Harari: Well, it really all started with the location. My co-producer, Jason Contino and I found this great location. It was dark, with only motion-activated lights. It had long hallways and very maze-like layout. We actually got lost on our first visit. Once we learned we could film a movie there, we had to figure out what type of film would best lend itself to this place. We knew horror was the way to go because of the built-in scariness of the atmosphere. So, that was easy. The next step was to figure out what kind of horror. Ghost story? Monster movie? Psychological horror? What? Well, being our first film, Jason and I decided to subscribe to the Lloyd Kaufmann school of thought: Write what you know. The one thing Jason and I had been huge fans of our whole lives were slasher films. Between us, we’d seen every single slasher ever made multiple times. We knew how they worked and felt we could bring it off. After that, it was just a matter of the storyline. That’s when I told Jason about this murder-esque game my brother and I used to play. The rest speaks for itself.
The Dhampir: You took a different route, making your killer a woman. Not many writers go that way, why did you decide to do it?
Robert Harari: Well, horror films (especially slashers) are female-driven films. Usually, the hero or “Survivor Girl” (to quote Behind the Mask [read review]) is a young woman. This is because it’s much scarier to watch an innocent girl get chased around by a psycho than an innocent guy. In our case, for the sake of originality, we thought it might be cool to turn that tradition on its head and go the other way for once. Whatever happened, we wanted a psycho-girl chasing a “Survivor Guy” by the climax of the movie. Since we really hadn’t seen that before, we figured it’d be a cool way to go. Of course, you also gotta know when to pull the plug. I think if we had let the “Survivor Guy” actually survive, it would’ve hurt the ending. So again, we went the other way. Rather than the typical, “evil-thwarting” happy ending, we let her off the guy and get away with it. Why not? It’s all in good fun.
The Dhampir: You left it open ended for a sequel. Don’t you think that there are too many movies that do this these days and leave some fans feeling like, “I just spent ‘X’ amount of money on this and it’s not even over?” Or are you planning a sequel?
Robert Harari: I don’t know, I think that goes both ways. While some sequels are absolutely pointless DVD shelf fodder, others actually help raise awareness about the previous film and open it up to audiences who missed the first time around. In rare cases, movies actually get better with sequels. For instance, I think a couple of the Saw sequels were much better than the original. As for a Murder Game 2, I’d never rule it out. But it likely won’t happen. Not that I wouldn’t do it. I mean, I would. I actually have the whole story already mapped out in my head. But the reality is that Jason and I funded TMG out of our own pockets. It was a tremendous hardship that I just don’t see us doing again. So, unless someone actually wants to invest in it, it probably won’t happen. But, I’d do it. If for no other reason than I’d get to work with some of the same great people again.
The Dhampir: So what projects do you have coming up in the future?
Robert Harari: Well, my next task will likely be working on David A. Cross’ upcoming film. Dave’s a good friend and colleague of mine whom I’ve worked with before. He served as A.D. and editor on TMG, and I did the same on his last film, GhostWatcher II. After that, I’d like to jump back in the driver’s seat and make another film. But, I suppose only time will tell.
The Dhampir: Well, I would like to thank Mr. Harari, writer/director of The Murder Game once again for making some time in his schedule to talk with us here at Fatally-Yours! It has been a privilege to talk to you sir and we here at FY wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
Robert Harari: I’d just like to thank Fatally Yours for the opportunity to do this interview with you. I’d also like to thank anyone and everyone who read this. If you get the opportunity to see The Murder Game, please drop by our website and/or Myspace page to let us know what you thought: www.murdergamemovie.com, www.myspace.com/themurdergame. Thanks so much Dhampir. It was truly my pleasure. You guys rock!
Check out The Murder Game Trailer:
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