Hank Braxtan [Interview]

Welcome to Day 19 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Annual Month of Horror Showcase! We have a fully loaded month of all things horror for you fine folks! October is our favorite month for this very reason, and we are so excited to share 31 full days of film showcases and interviews with some of the finest folks from the world of horror, just as we have been doing for the last 5 years. What started as a simple 5 day showcase, has now blossomed into a full blown month long event. You’re going to love this! Enjoy!

What inspired you to get into the world of film and television? Specifically in the field of visual makeup effects? Was it an early aspiration to do so, or did you just happen to find yourself in this world one day?

Well as a kid that worshiped Halloween, I always loved November 1st almost as much as Halloween…because all the make up and costumes were like 75% off!  I used to stock up.  As a young do-it-all-myself filmmaker, I learned some special make up effects by necessity.  I also used to love behind the scenes documentaries, so I would often try to emulate what I saw in those. 

I am very intrigued by one of your latest projects entitled Snake Outta Compton. It’s such a unique sounding project that I feel compelled to ask one of the most basic questions: What made you want to put a project like this out into the world?

The title, really.  I had a couple of bad bounces as far as projects go, and needed something that I could just have fun with and be creative.  Snake was a good opportunity for that, and the timing was perfect.  Of course, it ended up being so much work (and so little pay), that I ended up spending almost 2 years on it.  Very stressful project…but I really like the film, and the cast and crew are great people.

You are an extremely multi-faceted person in your line of work. There doesn’t seem to be many gigs that you haven’t done, from writing or directing, to editing and special effects. With that in mind, I am curious to know what your favorite part of creating a film? If you were only able to work in one field for the rest of your career, what would it be? Why?

That’s tough…I can’t imagine myself not doing almost everything on set…especially in micro cinema where you don’t have budget for all the proper positions.  I suppose in this hypothetical, I’d have to be on big budget stuff, in which case I’d have to say directing would be my main goal.  Then again, I really enjoy producing for other directors.

While the world of horror is not the only one you work in, you have done some pretty amazing work in the genre.  And it is our Month of Horror Showcase after all, so I am inclined to ask you how you enjoy working in this genre? What sets it apart from other genres?

It’s probably my favorite (other than Sci Fi and Comedy…but I like to mix those into the Horror) mainly because I grew up with it.  The effects, the monsters, the mood…it’s all so fantastic.  Plus, horror fans are so forgiving…they want to like your movie, and so lower budgets can deliver a satisfying experience.  I think a lot of horror fans have suffered through a lot of tragedies in their lives, or themselves were outcasts as youth…horror is a great escape.

What is your favorite scary movie? 

It’s hard because not many of them scare me.  As a kid, I was pretty terrified of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, and also the super low budget “Monster Dog”…probably because I was 5 or 6 years old when I was watching them.  As an adult, I don’t think anything has given me nightmares like The Ring (or moving, ha ha ha!).

What are you plans for the upcoming Halloween? Any kind of traditions you try to uphold each year?

There are some parties I like to go to in LA, and of course, I like to cram the whole month with horror viewings…something about October just feels right.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

Watch Snake Outta Compton with an open mind…then we’ll see what comes up next.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I think it was a cat video.