Interview done by:
Paula Burr
Paula Burr
HF: Hello Philip, Thanks so much for giving us your time here at Horror-Fanatics,
and was hoping you could give us the usual interesting things people just die to
know about- where you are from, where did you receive your education, did you
go to film school, have you always wanted to be a film maker?
PHIL: We moved around a lot when I was a kid. I remember not receiving
compensation from the Tooth Fairy once, and when I asked my older brother he
said it was probably because The Fairy couldn't keep track of us. My brother told
me it was my father's fault for moving us around so much, and that I should
make things right by visiting the old man's wallet. For as long as I was toothless
after that I felt like I had my own personal ATM. Anyway, we finally settled in
Michigan and I graduated from Sam Raimi's high school. Then I graduated from
Michigan State, and here I would like to point out that Sam Raimi dropped out of
MSU-- Shoots the hell out of that Stay In School crap, wouldn't you say?
I did not go to film school, but I pretended to go to film school. I got a hold of the
USC film school curriculum and read all the books. To make the experience more
real, I even cheated on my exams.
HF: I noticed while interviewing Pennie that you and her have worked together
quite a bit. I had a lot of fun getting to know her and talk about DBE. Can you tell
me about your relationship with her and how you came to work together?
PHIL: Pennie was an actor first before she became a producer. A very, very
good comedic actor-- something few people can do well naturally. She taught me
a lot about working with actors, and their processes. I feel like I've known and
loved her forever.
HF: Before we get into DBE, can you tell me a little bit about your other films?
You have done 2 films prior to DBE. Face Down in the Family Pool, a holiday story
of a family who deals with the loss of family members do to AIDS. Also The A-
List, a comedy about "The Last Supper" and how Jesus Christ tried to pitch the
screen play to a super-agent. Sounds like you have an idea of comedy and
tragedy.
PHIL: Face Down in the Family Pool, being my first feature, will always be my
favorite. We had almost no money, so I was driving the grip truck, going to
garage sales to buy props, etc. It is the story of my brother's last days dying with
AIDS, and how my brothers handled it all with sick, gross, irreverent humor. I'm
very proud of it. However, if there is a genius distributor out there that can sell an
AIDS comedy, by all means give me a call...
The A-List was a short, and seemed easy, light, and fun after "Face Down." A
complete straight comedy.
HF: How did you get into horror?
PHIL: A producer saw "The A-List" and contacted me, asking if I could
write/direct a horror. The genre type is secondary to me after the characters, so
sure, I told him. His deal fell through, but I had the horror bug and it morphed into
"Death By Engagement" over time. I wanted to keep the elements of horror--
the blood, and the scares, of course. But I also wanted to have real entertaining
characters as opposed to the same six kids trapped in a VW, phone booth, or
whatever. That's what we attempted to do with "Death By Engagement."
HF: You have a great cast of characters. Was it a hard process for you and
Pennie to pick the right actors? Or did you just know it when you saw it?
PHIL: The casting process is one of my favorite parts of putting a movie
together. Sure, you have to sit through some less than impressive actors to find
your gem, but when Jeff Parise walks in wearing his very own pimp clothes,
including his skull-handled cane, it's the reason you've stifled the yawns all day.
It's also the first chance to really hear the dialogue and see whether it's working.
HF: Do have any stories of behind the scenes that you can share with us,
anything funny, or problems shooting?
PHIL: The shoot itself went pretty smoothly. But there was an incident that
made our FX blood maker, J.P. Petersen proud. I bought an old Volvo, 235,000
miles, original owner, to be demolished when the groom tire-irons (made up Dr.
Seuss word?) the bride. There was a tear in the original owner's eye as I drove
off, and he didn't even know what I had planned for his baby. Anyway, J.P. mixed
up his secret potion of crimson-- he cautioned against using anything "too Troma
red" if we were interested in realism-- and the white bride's dress was quickly
covered in bloodiness.
After a long, hot day of shooting, I drove the Volvo home, sitting in broken glass
and crimson blood. I parked it in front of my house, and was off to the set early
the next day. On my return home that night, I received a call from my wife telling
me two police cars had the Volvo surrounded. Apparently someone walking their
dog had freaked out, and called it in. The first cop on the scene thought he had
stumbled upon a major crime scene. It wasn't until backup was called in that they
found the shooting script in the back seat. Only then did they realize J.P.'s
crimson fooled even the LAPD.
HF: What is in store for us in the future, is there another DBE in the works?
PHIL: There has been some interest in another DBE, but what we've discovered
thus far in making a movie is that you start down one path, and suddenly the
sidewalk explodes, sending you flying†to the next sidewalk, until finally your ass
lands on the right sidewalk. Huh? I think I'm trying to say that one thing evolves
into another†before you get to shout "action!"
HF: What are you currently working on?
PHIL: I just finished writing a thriller, yes, with horror elements. Another polish
and Pennie will work her magic, taking it around town to see where we land.
HF: Who do you think are you favorite directors, inspirations?
PHIL: In an obvious attempt at kissing up, my favorite director is my high school
alum Sam Raimi. I like how he has the rare ability to mix humor into his movies
without destroying tone. That, and he bounces from movie type to movie type
so well.
HF: What do you think about horror films today?
PHIL: Like any type of movie, some are good, some not so good. I think the
horror genre is still strong, I mean, I loved "Saw." It was a great story with real
scares. It amuses me that one week horror is pronounced dead, the next week
it's alive and kicking and strangling. I think horror is like Michael Myers. You can't
kill it.
HF: Growing up who or what got into your head? Do you recall the first time you
watched a scary movie or was frightened?
PHIL: Oh yeah. I watched Vincent Price's "The House on Haunted Hill" with my
older brother. It scared the hell out of me. "The Exorcist" is also an early memory
of being haunted by a movie.
HF: I'm sure at times you go through difficult moments where things are not
going right. How do you keep your spirits up, when getting knocked around?
PHIL: All I need to do is listen to the morning traffic of those hustling to work a
nine-to-five on Monday morning.
and was hoping you could give us the usual interesting things people just die to
know about- where you are from, where did you receive your education, did you
go to film school, have you always wanted to be a film maker?
PHIL: We moved around a lot when I was a kid. I remember not receiving
compensation from the Tooth Fairy once, and when I asked my older brother he
said it was probably because The Fairy couldn't keep track of us. My brother told
me it was my father's fault for moving us around so much, and that I should
make things right by visiting the old man's wallet. For as long as I was toothless
after that I felt like I had my own personal ATM. Anyway, we finally settled in
Michigan and I graduated from Sam Raimi's high school. Then I graduated from
Michigan State, and here I would like to point out that Sam Raimi dropped out of
MSU-- Shoots the hell out of that Stay In School crap, wouldn't you say?
I did not go to film school, but I pretended to go to film school. I got a hold of the
USC film school curriculum and read all the books. To make the experience more
real, I even cheated on my exams.
HF: I noticed while interviewing Pennie that you and her have worked together
quite a bit. I had a lot of fun getting to know her and talk about DBE. Can you tell
me about your relationship with her and how you came to work together?
PHIL: Pennie was an actor first before she became a producer. A very, very
good comedic actor-- something few people can do well naturally. She taught me
a lot about working with actors, and their processes. I feel like I've known and
loved her forever.
HF: Before we get into DBE, can you tell me a little bit about your other films?
You have done 2 films prior to DBE. Face Down in the Family Pool, a holiday story
of a family who deals with the loss of family members do to AIDS. Also The A-
List, a comedy about "The Last Supper" and how Jesus Christ tried to pitch the
screen play to a super-agent. Sounds like you have an idea of comedy and
tragedy.
PHIL: Face Down in the Family Pool, being my first feature, will always be my
favorite. We had almost no money, so I was driving the grip truck, going to
garage sales to buy props, etc. It is the story of my brother's last days dying with
AIDS, and how my brothers handled it all with sick, gross, irreverent humor. I'm
very proud of it. However, if there is a genius distributor out there that can sell an
AIDS comedy, by all means give me a call...
The A-List was a short, and seemed easy, light, and fun after "Face Down." A
complete straight comedy.
HF: How did you get into horror?
PHIL: A producer saw "The A-List" and contacted me, asking if I could
write/direct a horror. The genre type is secondary to me after the characters, so
sure, I told him. His deal fell through, but I had the horror bug and it morphed into
"Death By Engagement" over time. I wanted to keep the elements of horror--
the blood, and the scares, of course. But I also wanted to have real entertaining
characters as opposed to the same six kids trapped in a VW, phone booth, or
whatever. That's what we attempted to do with "Death By Engagement."
HF: You have a great cast of characters. Was it a hard process for you and
Pennie to pick the right actors? Or did you just know it when you saw it?
PHIL: The casting process is one of my favorite parts of putting a movie
together. Sure, you have to sit through some less than impressive actors to find
your gem, but when Jeff Parise walks in wearing his very own pimp clothes,
including his skull-handled cane, it's the reason you've stifled the yawns all day.
It's also the first chance to really hear the dialogue and see whether it's working.
HF: Do have any stories of behind the scenes that you can share with us,
anything funny, or problems shooting?
PHIL: The shoot itself went pretty smoothly. But there was an incident that
made our FX blood maker, J.P. Petersen proud. I bought an old Volvo, 235,000
miles, original owner, to be demolished when the groom tire-irons (made up Dr.
Seuss word?) the bride. There was a tear in the original owner's eye as I drove
off, and he didn't even know what I had planned for his baby. Anyway, J.P. mixed
up his secret potion of crimson-- he cautioned against using anything "too Troma
red" if we were interested in realism-- and the white bride's dress was quickly
covered in bloodiness.
After a long, hot day of shooting, I drove the Volvo home, sitting in broken glass
and crimson blood. I parked it in front of my house, and was off to the set early
the next day. On my return home that night, I received a call from my wife telling
me two police cars had the Volvo surrounded. Apparently someone walking their
dog had freaked out, and called it in. The first cop on the scene thought he had
stumbled upon a major crime scene. It wasn't until backup was called in that they
found the shooting script in the back seat. Only then did they realize J.P.'s
crimson fooled even the LAPD.
HF: What is in store for us in the future, is there another DBE in the works?
PHIL: There has been some interest in another DBE, but what we've discovered
thus far in making a movie is that you start down one path, and suddenly the
sidewalk explodes, sending you flying†to the next sidewalk, until finally your ass
lands on the right sidewalk. Huh? I think I'm trying to say that one thing evolves
into another†before you get to shout "action!"
HF: What are you currently working on?
PHIL: I just finished writing a thriller, yes, with horror elements. Another polish
and Pennie will work her magic, taking it around town to see where we land.
HF: Who do you think are you favorite directors, inspirations?
PHIL: In an obvious attempt at kissing up, my favorite director is my high school
alum Sam Raimi. I like how he has the rare ability to mix humor into his movies
without destroying tone. That, and he bounces from movie type to movie type
so well.
HF: What do you think about horror films today?
PHIL: Like any type of movie, some are good, some not so good. I think the
horror genre is still strong, I mean, I loved "Saw." It was a great story with real
scares. It amuses me that one week horror is pronounced dead, the next week
it's alive and kicking and strangling. I think horror is like Michael Myers. You can't
kill it.
HF: Growing up who or what got into your head? Do you recall the first time you
watched a scary movie or was frightened?
PHIL: Oh yeah. I watched Vincent Price's "The House on Haunted Hill" with my
older brother. It scared the hell out of me. "The Exorcist" is also an early memory
of being haunted by a movie.
HF: I'm sure at times you go through difficult moments where things are not
going right. How do you keep your spirits up, when getting knocked around?
PHIL: All I need to do is listen to the morning traffic of those hustling to work a
nine-to-five on Monday morning.
Posted on:
December 28th, 2006
December 28th, 2006
As a screenwriter, Philip was a finalist in the prestigious Chesterfield
screen writing contest, a finalist for the Sundance Screen writing
Lab, a finalist for the ABC/Disney Screen writing Fellowship, and a
quarter finalist in the Austin Screen writing Competition— All for
different screenplays. “Death By Engagement” is Philip Creager’s
third film as writer/director.
screen writing contest, a finalist for the Sundance Screen writing
Lab, a finalist for the ABC/Disney Screen writing Fellowship, and a
quarter finalist in the Austin Screen writing Competition— All for
different screenplays. “Death By Engagement” is Philip Creager’s
third film as writer/director.
