Gehenna, directed by debutant Hiroshi Katagiri (a well-known sculptor, make up artist and designer in Hollywood) is a unique independent horror film. The film, for the most part, takes place in a single location, a cave that was previously used as a bunker by the Japanese during WWII, in which a few people get trapped and must find their way out.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Five people travel to the remote, pristine Pacific island of Saipan to scout locations for their company’s new luxury resort. They find curious natives, strange dolls, and learn of historic curses, but they finally find an ideal spot.
Recently, I got the chance to have a chat with the executive producer of Gehenna (who happens to be Malaysian), Kee Saik Meng, a Chief Strategy Officer for a furniture E-commerce by day and a filmmaker by night. Check out the interview below.
How did you venture into this world of filmmaking?
I’ve always wanted to make movies. It was my dream. One day, I found out that you can invest in movies on Kickstarter and I began exploring. When I first started, I did one B grade movie (Cyborg X) that went straight to DVD, later I produced Dearest Sister, which was shot in Laos and was a great art film. Gehenna is my third and most commercially viable movie. It has creatures, characters and elements of world building. It’s the kind of movie that can even be translated into an Escape Room concept.
What about Gehenna caught your attention first?
The intriguing poster of the shrunken old man, to be honest. On Kickstarter, you will see a video of Hiroshi pitching the project, in which he says that the script is ready. But it was the poster with a creature design on it that really got me excited. It was very detailed and mysterious. So I contacted Hiroshi and found out that he’s a well-known creature designer who has worked together with Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg, so I immediately jumped on board the project.
What’s the role of an executive producer in a small indie movie like this?
Initially, I come in as a financier, after which the film was successfully funded on Kickstarter. We collected a US$ 400K, which is still today, the horror film that raised the most money on that platform. But even after the movie was funded on Kickstarter, it didn’t have enough money to take it to its fullest potential. So we raised another US$ 600k outside of Kickstarter, from various private investors.
After that, we moved on to the production stages, which I really wanted to get involved in. The first part of the movie was shot in LA. The second part was shot in Saipan. I joined the crew and helped them with some groundwork here. It was an awesome experience!
How is Hiroshi as a director?
Oh, he’s a very disciplined guy, one who is very clear about what he wants to achieve. But also, we had a great team. There was a sense of camaraderie on set, among the cast and crew alike. We had cast from America, crew members from Japan, a production designer from Finland and an executive producer, myself, from Malaysia. But everyone was determined and passionate. We would wake up at 4am and shoot right up to 7pm every day. It was tough, but we had a good time.
How does it feel to watch your movie on the big screen?
It’s definitely one item of my bucket list checked. I mean to finally see my name on the big screen, it’s surreal. People who know me, know how much this means to me.
How much of creative input did you have in this film?
I always gave my input where I saw fit. But I trusted Hiroshi 100% and the script which was co-written by Brad Palmer was solid. Hiroshi wanted to make the movie independently from the studio system because he believed in his vision. And all of us wanted to give Hiroshi the freedom to fulfil his vision.
How did you guys manage to get Doug Jones on board?
When this movie was in production, it was before Shape of Water, and so Doug Jones wasn’t this huge name in the industry yet — though he still did stellar work with Del Toro in films like Hellboy and Crimson Peak. Hiroshi became friends with Doug Jones while working together with him in those films. Doug Jones is a really friendly person.
Why practical-FX over CGI?
Because practical-FX is something that Hiroshi really specialises in. Hiroshi wanted to showcase the beauty and authenticity of practical effects. And I think it paid off.
What’s unique about Gehenna?
Well, honestly, there are too many formulaic jumpscare horror movies out there. Gehenna is something different, it’s like a puzzle that will keep your wheels spinning constantly. It’s guaranteed to be a conversation piece over Teh Tarik.
Why choose to invest in the horror genre specifically?
Not only do I love horror films, but it’s also a very profitable business model as far as cinema goes. It’s a genre where the budget of the movie may cost half a million USD but it may be a breakout movie and gross over US$ 100 million. So, I’ve always focused on the horror genre. And moving forward, I will continue to focus on the horror genre.
What are some of the future projects?
I’m actually working on a second project now with Hiroshi. It’s a South East Asian inspired horror movie that would most likely be shot in South East Asia as well. But for now, we’re still at the scripting stages of the film. It’s a very exciting time to make films in South East Asia, if you look at what’s happening in Indonesia and Thailand. Besides, South East Asia has a very rich mythology and folklore that should be explored in depth.
Gehenna is currently screening at Premium-X cinemas One City Subang. In conjunction with Halloween, Premium-X One City will be giving a 25% discount to Gehenna is you show up in costumes. This promotion will run from the 24th-31st of October.
If you’d like to talk movies with me you can hit me up on Twitter here: @dashtalksmovies
