Azrael Director E.L. Katz on How Mad Max Ripoffs on Tubi Inspired His Revenge Thriller

As a filmmaker who has had the privilege of working alongside the enigmatic and visionary Simon Barrett on “Azrael,” I can confidently say that this project has been a unique and exhilarating journey for both of us. The story, much like an obscure graphic novel found in a dusty corner of a foreign comic book store, seemed to come to us from another realm – a dreamy transmission straight from the future, if you will.

In a nod to his success in the horror genre, director E.L. Katz garnered widespread acclaim with his 2013 pitch-black comedy, “Cheap Thrills“, which was highly praised at numerous film festivals despite not being your typical scary movie experience. Since then, Katz has been involved in various genre TV projects such as “Swamp Thing“, “The Haunting of Bly Manor“, and “Channel Zero“. His latest feature film, “Azrael“, is a hard-hitting exploration within the realm of action. Starring Samara Weaving in an outstanding performance, “Azrael” provides viewers with an engaging yet thought-provoking adventure. Without uttering a single word, the characters take audiences on an unforgiving revenge journey that effectively delivers its intended message. The film will be released in select theaters on September 27th.

In a silent world, a secretive, deeply religious group pursues a woman named Azrael (Samara Weaving) who has managed to break free from their captivity. After being captured again by the brutal leaders of this community, Azrael is destined for sacrifice to quell an evil lurking in the nearby wilderness. However, she is determined to do whatever it takes to secure her freedom and stay alive. This gripping, unyielding story about sacrifice and redemption gives birth to a thrilling, real-time action horror narrative, crafted by the imaginative minds of Simon Barrett and E.L. Katz.

I had a chat with Katz to discuss the hurdles encountered during the project’s development, his unforeseen inspirations, and his contentment in shunning big-time Hollywood productions to concentrate on quirky horror tales instead.

Azrael Director E.L. Katz on How Mad Max Ripoffs on Tubi Inspired His Revenge Thriller

ComicBook: Looking back, how did your collaboration with Simon start? Did a conversation lead to you asking him to write for you, or was it the other way around where he approached you about getting involved in his work? Can you share the story of how this partnership came to be?

E.L. Katz: I think now I have known him probably for 20 years.

Since you were five?

Thank you so much for your gratitude! I’m 25 years old and have had the pleasure of meeting a talented director who’s known for his unique style. This encounter took place during his work on “Dead Birds,” while I was writing for Fangoria magazine. During that period, mainstream horror films were quite polished, but we both shared a passion for creating something raw, edgy, and eccentric.

When I shifted to L.A., our conversations often revolved around creating films, with a shared ambition to produce the type of movies we dreamed about. However, we found ourselves stuck in studio development, where our writing tasks included scenes involving microfiche or demonology professors like Sumerian calendars. This routine felt stifling and unfulfilling since we were growing disillusioned with horror films. Having entered the industry to create them, we yearned for fresh inspiration. In a moment of despondency, we decided to motivate each other by setting a challenge: write something that captivates us personally, as we were beginning to tire of horror movies and needed to reignite our passion for them.

He wrote this thing called “The Lamb” that was insane … It was like 68 pages. I’d never seen a script that short. I’d never seen a script that had no dialogue, and the world itself, to me, was just so strange and alien and everybody was so cruel and there was so much violence. I was like, “Yeah, this is totally something I want to see.” I didn’t write anything. I got very ADD, got in a bad relationship, scribbled on a notepad or something. I don’t know what I did, but I loved what Simon wrote and it was just something that … That was eight years ago and I always was like, “Oh, my God, Simon, you have to make this,” and I remember telling him, “You should shoot it in Estonia. Your money could go really far, this movie’s possible,” and Simon was like, “No, I wrote it. I don’t know.” He tried but most people looked at it like, “It’s very mean, it’s confusing, and it’s super violent.”

Later on, Dan Kagan, whom I had collaborated with during his time at Orion, proposed an idea to create a dark, twisted version of Pinocchio – almost like an evil Pinocchio film. This was around the same period when he was working on Gretel & Hansel with Oz Perkins, planning a series of fairytale movies. We traveled extensively throughout Eastern Europe, searching for castles that resembled an evil Geppetto’s lair for this movie. However, the project never materialized. Dan, who was an exhilarating and adventurous individual, wanted to produce unconventional films much like those we made with Simon. He encouraged us, saying “The world has evolved; let’s create a madcap movie and see where it takes us – just roll the dice.” His subsequent team for Longlegs showed interest in our idea, which fortunately came together seamlessly. As usual, things rarely go according to plan, but this time they did.

In your past films, “Cheap Thrills” and “Small Town Crimes,” the focus was primarily on dialogue in confined spaces. However, “The Old Man & The Gun” is an action-packed film, and the visual style is quite distinct from what fans may anticipate. Can you discuss the most significant challenge this project presented for you, either from a logistical or conceptual standpoint?

Essentially, everything. However, if we consider conversations happening among groups of people, it amuses me because sometimes I find myself thinking, “I haven’t created enough that others are anticipating anything from me,” in certain aspects. This thought process, however, provides a sense of liberation after producing something like “Small Town Crimes” because it allows me to pursue projects that catch my interest without any specific expectations.

I believe some of the television projects I was involved with allowed me to delve into genres that were particularly heavy on special effects, such as prosthetics. Shows like Channel Zero offered an incredibly wild and daring environment that, while perhaps not directly leading to Azrael, certainly paved the way for a unique, engaging experience. It was a full-blown genre spectacle in a very peculiar manner, enabling me to have fun in a way I hadn’t before, which aligns with the type of content I generally enjoy watching.

During the pandemic, my taste in movies became quite peculiar as I found myself immersed in a variety of genres. I watched numerous Tubi imitations of Mad Max or adventure films, along with ’80s horror movies and every Eastern European art film from the ’70s, not to mention Soviet movies. All these viewings, fueled by my deep anxiety and paranoia about global events, edibles, and a sense of confinement, seemed to blend together into an idea: “Wow, it would be amazing to create something that somehow encompasses all of my interests.” As I was unable to leave my home, this idea felt like a personal adventure.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been pondering over some intriguing aspects about this movie that aren’t explicitly shown or explained, like the events leading up to it and those happening afterwards. It’s fascinating to delve into the rich backstory of Azrael with Simon, almost like uncovering pages from a comprehensive guidebook titled, “The Chronicles of Azrael: A Comprehensive Account of All Events Leading Up To This Movie.

This narrative seems quite captivating and unusual, as if Simon conceived the story in his mind, often speaking about it as if it were a mysterious broadcast that somehow found its way into his thoughts, similar to a dream. It carries an eerie resemblance to “Prince of Darkness.” He frequently discusses how it feels like a distorted radio transmission from the future, suggesting it just manifested for him.

There was a degree of him investigating what he felt was, “This is the stuff that led to it. This is some idea of the world.” I think it’s been a mixture of that world-building, but also a bit of a philosophical exercise and I think that’s what both of us were excited about, where it’s like, there’s a texture to the world, there’s ideas we have about how it functions and what led to it and who the burnt people are and what’s going to happen, but I think I’m also interested in the unknowable. I think the unknowable is really fun and I always looked at the experience of it as like picking up a mucky, old graphic novel from the ’80s from another country that’s not translated and you don’t completely know what’s going on, but the atmosphere is dope and you want to keep following the lead character and you understand on some visceral level, “Okay, it’s about revenge. Okay, cool,” and that’s enough.

I find that some people might feel excluded because the narrative doesn’t provide clear explanations, which is understandable and acceptable. However, for those who enjoy immersing themselves in a mystery and still experiencing it, I believe this approach is fantastic. In our genre, opportunities to delve into the unknown without constant explanation are rare due to the talkative and explanatory nature of much of our work. The lack of clear explanations creates an allure; nobody’s explanations can match the excitement of experiencing it yourself, guessing, and wondering. Even if Simon and I attempt to explain things in interviews, it will never provide the same level of satisfaction as engaging with the mystery directly.

Adam Wingard and Simon are working on King Kong and a sequel to Face/Off; these large-scale projects. If Azrael gains global fame and you receive an unlimited budget, which creative playground would you choose to explore? Is there a particular universe or project that you’d like to resurrect? A franchise, classic blockbuster, or cherished memory from your past that you’d love to revisit?

It’s challenging since many remakes seem pointless to me, and I believe there comes a time when one must prioritize their preferences over financial gains. I enjoy unique, offbeat genres, and that often means not producing a $150 million blockbuster. The next project I’m working on is a modest, twisted relationship horror story set in an apartment.

I tend to gravitate less towards big Hollywood productions and more towards niche projects, especially those involving horror genres with an eccentric twist. If a truly intriguing opportunity arises, I might consider it, but I find the conventional production process somewhat restrictive. Instead, I take pleasure in creating peculiar, dialogue-light movies that may not make immediate sense to everyone. It’s not about using these projects as stepping stones for something else; rather, they are the spaces I’ve always enjoyed working within. This upcoming violent film might not revolutionize my career, but it could offer me the chance to create more eccentric horror movies, which I consider a remarkable privilege if given the opportunity. My agent may advise me to tone down my language, but these types of projects appeal to me.

Azrael lands in select theaters on September 27th.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter.

2024-09-25 22:40

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