Q: I have heard horror films weren‘t always your favorite genre?

 

A: That's true, I was seriously traumatized watching “Hellraiser“ when I was far to young.

 

Q: Then how in the world did you end up making “The Key“?

 

A: Well, my re-introduction to horror came back when I first met Quentin Tarantino. As you can imagine I spent every available moment picking his magnificent brain about film. Now, I couldn‘t fully appreciate some of the references he made, because I just hadn‘t seen the movies. So there was nothing to do, but to pucker up and watch some horror films. And would you know it, even though it took me two or three tries to get through them with open eyes, wanting to connect the dots of Quentins perspective, gave me an introduction to a whole new realm of fantastic storytelling.

 

Q: So when you worked with him years later, on “Inglourious Basterds“, you where up to speed?

 

A: (Laughs) I fear “up to speed“, in relation to Quentin, is an oxymoron. But, in anticipation of getting to be on set with genre master Eli Roth, I had brushed up on everything he had made or was associated with. Which was just as well, because the “Basterds“ where essentially a pack of film nerds, who talked about nothing else.

(Laughs) And Eli ran a tight ship!

 

Q: Ok, let‘s jump forward. How did “The Key“ end up in your lap?

 

A:  I briefly met our producer, Claudius Rauch, a few years earlier regarding another project. And then one day, out of the blue, he called me with this idea to make a horror film. Initially asking if I would act in it.

 

Q: Do elaborate.

 

A: Well, everything happened very fast. Claudius had already set up a one week, detached block of filming only a month and a half away, and on top of that he decided we should shoot in english. So I just jumped right in, to what turned out to be the best time of my life. 

 

Q: So you guys shot an american tale of ghosts, crime and horror, in Berlin Germany?

 

A: (Laughs) It isn‘t as crazy as it sounds. Horror movies usually live in their own world, so you have to create that anyway. The crew had all worked on international productions before and we found great american actors in Berlin to fill the key roles. What also helped, is that a lot of the parts were gangsters and backward religious fanatics, where accents weren‘t a problem, but actually added some color.

 

Q: Speaking of problems, you hacked up your own daughter with a machete?!

 

A: Thanks a lot for putting it like that (laughs). But it‘s true, my daughter portrayed a crucial character, which among many other things, get‘s dismembered with a machete. I can only hope I haven‘t scarred her for life.

 

Q: No worries, when I talked to her she said ,“best halloween ever!“.

 

A: (Laughs) I‘m very happy to hear that. But seriously, we split everything, so in bloody or brutal scenes the kids were only acting with off screen direction, not with some scary guy attacking them with a machete.

 

Q: Was the double duty of directing and acting a big challenge?

 

A: Weirdly enough, not really. I was so consumed by the task of directing, I never got around to thinking about it (laughs).