Vincenzo natali
Master of PuzzlesCan you give us an idea of what we’re
missing with the Tremors series?
You know, the thing that was really
distressing about it was that I worked very
hard on it! And I’ve never done anything
that’s unavailable. I’ve made unsuccessful
movies before. I’ve made movies that very
few people have seen. But, if you wanted to,
you could see them. No one will ever see
this, because it’s going to be buried in some
studio vault. I never want to do that again.
To work that hard on something and then
just have it vanish is very odd.
So, it’s kind of saddening to talk about
- especially because Andrew’s conception
for the show was so clever. Talking about
how a remake needs to be in tune with
the time in which it’s made, Andrew’s
series was really about the moment that
America finds itself in. It was all being
played out through Val, a faded hero who
had his moment in the sun 20 years ago,
and when the Graboids vanished, his star
faded. He became an alcoholic and would
just go to the occasional convention. He
was somebody who was really stuck in the
past – the nostalgic, misremembered past,
much the same way that Donald Trump has
convinced many Americans that that was
the time when America was great. And all
the while, the Graboids are about to return.
Or at least, he thinks they’re about to return,
and it’s unclear whether that’s just a form of
wish-fulfilment for him, or whether it’s really
about to happen.
Andrew took this character to an entirely
different and much more interesting place in
this new version. The show was true to the
original film; it had all the fun and the thrills
of an old Fifties B-horror movie, and really
strong character work, and was emotional,
and touching, and funny. I don’t know how
the people who asked him to make the show
could not have been happy with it.It’s so disappointing. What other projects
from you can we look forward to instead?
I have a TV series that I’m doing with Jonah
Nolan and Lisa Joy who do Westworld, and
it’s based on William Gibson’s last novel,
The Peripheral. That’s with Amazon Studios.
It’s not ordered yet, so we’ll see if it really
happens. But we do have a script which I
think is really amazing. I’ll be directing the
pilot of that, and I suppose as many episodes
as I could – as I’m permitted to!Vincenzo
natali:
Greatest Hits
cube (1997)
If Saw took place inside one of Pinhead’s
puzzle boxes, you’d have something close
to the weirdness of Cube. Several strangers
wake up inside a cube made of lots of little
cubes, some of which are booby-trapped.
Gripping tension and some entertaining
gore make Natali’s first one of his finest.nothing (2003)
Cube’s David Hewlett and Andrew Miller
star as housemates having an especially
bad day in this Gilliam-esque comedy-
drama. After the world outside their house
is replaced by a blank white void, the
housemates’ friendship is severely tested.
Minimalist, inventive, and philosophical,
Nothing is classic Natali.Splice (2009)
Natali’s first major studio release, Splice
sees genetic engineers Adrien Brody and
Sarah Polley create life – but not as we
know it. Part creature-feature, part family
drama, and horror through and through,
the film boasts some impressive makeup
effects, high emotional stakes, and one very
weird sex scene.haunter (2013)
Natali’s last feature-length film before
moving primarily into TV, Haunter revolves
around a self-aware ghost stuck living the
same day over and over. Unfortunately,
that happens to be the day before she
was murdered. Bummer. Not Natali’s best,
Haunter is nonetheless an affective haunted
house movie with an interesting premise.hannibal (2014-2015)
Directing six episodes of Hannibal’s second
and third seasons, including the first three
episodes of Season Three, Natali left his
distinctive mark on Bryan Fuller’s acclaimed
horror series. From a social worker inside a
horse to a skull-splitting drug-addled dinner
party, Natali’s episodes are as aesthetically
pleasing as they are strange.The deeply weird Splice
is one of our favourites.
His debut Cube remains
a cult classic.