CraveOnline: Another thing we talked about before was the ideas of sequels or spin-offs to The Purge, and now we hear that Frank Grillo is going to starring in it. That is really cool.
Jason Blum: We starting shooting that on Monday, so we shot our first week this week, and I’m really happy with it. We’re on a real tight schedule with that one but I think it’s going to be really, really good.
Is it safe to say that it’s an unrelated story set within the same universe, or have Ethan Hawke’s kids grown up and are now going out for revenge?
That’s top secret, my friend. [Laughs.]
Damn it! Let me ask you a question about the first Purge that I forgot to ask before. Some people have asked, in the first Purge, why – if murder is legal one night a year – so many of the killers wore masks.
Right.
I’m wondering if you think that motif will continue in the series. I have a theory about that, by the way.
Well, just because murder is legal doesn’t mean you actually want your next-door neighbor knowing who you are. I mean, if you really think through the idea – which is a pretty sick idea – I think I wouldn’t be out killing people, I’d probably be hiding under my bed, but if I were I can imagine that in that society where people go out and kill people… I think a lot of people would think that was a pretty awful thing to do. So our call was that the people who did would probably want to be disguised.
Here’s my theory, and you’re welcome to use this…
Alright, good.
Since it’s the future, and these kids have grown up in a society where murder is legal one night a year, they look back on all the slasher movies and they now play very differently to this new generation. They’re sort of taking the masks back.
I think that too. I like it.
Alright, feel free to use that.
[Laughs.]
What are the odds that you will ever produce a Paranormal Activity movie that isn’t in the found footage format?
[Thinks] What are the odds? I’d say it’s possible. We certainly haven’t thought of that yet, but I’d say it’s possible. I don’t see why not.
I really liked Dark Skies last year. I’m wondering if it performed well enough to warrant a sequel. Is there any talk about it right now? Is it something you’d be interested in doing?
I would love to, but sadly it didn’t. For whatever reason not enough people came. We can’t make a sequel to that one but I loved that movie too. I thought it was really good and I’m working with the director on something else and the moment.
You’re connected to Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes, and there’s a rumor going around that that’s no longer in the cards. Is there any truth to that?
Nope. Still going, still going, still going, still going. We’re going to make that movie and it’s very cool. But I don’t quite know yet when.
Are there any other existing horror franchises that you’d like to get your hands on and put the “Blumhouse Presents” stamp on?
[Thinks.] Nothing comes to the top of my mind now. We remade The Town That Dreaded Sundown, which was a movie at MGM. I’m really pleased with how that came out. Ryan Murphy brought us that and it came out pretty damned cool, so I’m excited about that. But a lot of times directors or other producers find ideas like that that they’re interested in doing. Rather than just grabbing the I.P. [intellectual property], I’m as much interested in who’s doing it as what it is, so if Ryan Murphy brings me Town That Dreaded Sundown, I’m like, “Wow, that would be really cool, Ryan Murphy’s interpretation of something like that is compelling to me.” More compelling than just taking I.P. without another creator involved.
Tis the season… Are you ever going to make a holiday horror movie?
Yeah, I have talked about it. Yeah, I have. I have actually. I want to do one of those, yeah.
Is there something in particular you like about that genre that you want to make your own?
I just think the two worlds colliding are great. I love that Insidious comes out Christmas Eve. It’s a great stocking stuffer. [Laughs.] Halloween at Christmas to me is hilarious, and I’d like to play with that at some point.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
