Essential Independent Horror Films: Neil Marshall on TALES OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween is only a week away, so we’re kicking off #EssentialIndependentHorrorFilms with thoughts on the conception and making of TALES OF HALLOWEEN from writer-director Neil Marshall (THE DESCENT, DOG SOLIDERS, GAME OF THRONES, WESTWORLD). Don’t get too scared!

Having been out of the horror scene for a while now, it was a real treat to dip my toes back into those dark and bloody waters with last year’s love letter to the spooky season — TALES OF HALLOWEEN.

Few movies have managed to encapsulate the spirit of independent horror in quite the same way as TALES did. Originally the brainchild of Axelle Carolyn, and conceived as a low-budget anthology movie based around the premise of Halloween, TALES ultimately became the story of a group of friends with a common passion joining forces and supporting each other in a rare and special way. Unlike most anthologies, all 11 directors have been great friends for many years. They say never work with your friends, but that was the whole point of the movie. Axelle pitched the idea to me first, as I recall, and then began assembling the other directors, like the Magnificent Eleven, beginning with Mike Mendez.

It was Mike who suggested we take the pitch — since all we had at this time was an idea, no scripts — to Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson at Epic Pictures. He’d recently shot BIG ASS SPIDER for them and formed a good relationship. Amazingly, they jumped at the chance to come on board TALES. It’s worth keeping in mind all this happened in a matter of days, not months or even years, as is more usual with movie projects.

Soon we were up and running, locking down the directors and working on our individual scripts while regularly meeting up to exchange ideas and thoughts about each other’s stories. From the very start, it was a collaborative process in the best possible way. No egos involved. Nobody trying to make the best segment at the expense of the others, because we all wanted the overall movie to the best it could be and there was no room for anyone’s segment to be the weak link, as is so often the case with anthology movies.

This collaborative process continued as we went into production, calling in favors from so many people working in different sectors of the industry. By now, there was a buzz about the project, a sense that the horror community of LA was coming together to make something very special, so it didn’t take much cajoling to encourage people to take part. However, many friends and colleagues happily volunteered their talents, and on occasion, when needed, they are would also show up in costume, bringing even more friends along, to act as our background players.

The end result became a veritable who’s who of horror, featuring cameos from the likes of James Wan, John Landis, Greg McLean, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Lin Shaye, Drew Struzan, Barbara Crampton…the list goes on and on. And believe me, nobody came for the money. They came out of love for the genre, for independent horror, and for their friends. From film-makers to festivals, I can safely say the nicest people I’ve encountered in this crazy business have come for the world of horror.

Happy Halloween!!

TALES OF HALLOWEEN is available from Amazon Video and other streaming services.

Back tomorrow with more #EssentialIndependentHorrorFilms!