Eduardo Sanchez [Interview]

Welcome to Day 10 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 6 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!

Hello Folks! Today marks an incredible feet for us here at Trainwreck’d Society. Not only do we have an incredible guest to share with you all today….he’s actually our 500TH GUEST! I am so excited that the showing of our 500th guest happens to land during or covenanted Month of Horror showcase, and that it is the incredible filmmaker Eduardo Sanchez! Sanchez is one of the most inspirational figures in independent cinema, alongside his working partner Daniel Myrick, who we were fortunate to have on the side a few years ago. Together they created the now 20 year old film that shocked the world known as The Blair Witch Project. The shock to know that this film is now 20 years old has still not subsided. I truly feels like just a few weeks ago, and the internet was new, and we were all convinced that we were seeing something real and terrifying. But, we will get into more about this next week where we talk a bit more about a very special 20th Anniversary screening that will be happening in Brooklyn, New York with one of the film’s stars, Michael C. Williams, and the legend himself Eduardo Sanchez. Details are below. I implore everyone in the NYC area to get yourself down to King’s for this truly special event.

I truly cannot think of a better person to be appointed as being our 500th guest here today rather than Eduardo. He is a pioneer in the world of independent cinema, and as a long-time independent publication like ours, we respect the architects. And his brilliance definitely expands beyond creating the most successful indie film of all time. He has been consistently putting out incredible horror, thriller, and beyond, projects for the last 20 years in both the world of film and television. From shows like Queen of the South and From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, to films like Altered and Lovely Molly, Sanchez has an awe-inspiring career, and we so so excited to have him with us today!

So Folks, as we’ve said 499 times before, please enjoy some wonderful words from our 500th Guest here at Trainwreck’d Society, the legendary Eduardo Sanchez!

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What inspired you to get into the world of entertainment? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having since your youth, or did you just find yourself in this world one day?

I’ve always felt like I wanted to make films and entertain, but growing up in a suburb of DC, I didn’t know anyone in the entertainment industry, let alone someone that made films. So I just kept it as an interest until High School where I took a TV production class and was hooked from day one. I realized I could actually make a living in this field, something that until then had just been a dream.

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any kind of lessons learned from this project that still affect your work today?

I was a PA for a local production company. It was pretty fun and exciting but also a lot of hard work. Just learned how tough it was on a set – long hours and such – but also learned about working as part of a team, skills that I still use to this day.

20 years ago, yourself and our old friend Daniel Myrick, brought one of the most exciting and original stories to life with the insanely successful film The Blair Witch Project. Looking back two decades later, and the inspiration that the film became, what would you say is Blair Witch’s contribution to the world of horror?

I think the biggest contribution to the genre was the inspiration that a tiny film could still make a big impact on the cinematic world. We came out of nowhere with a pretty unique idea and somehow we made it onto theater screens around the world. It showed people that a small, cool idea still has value in the film business if you played your cards right and had some serious luck on your side.

How do you want the film to be remembered in say another 20 years from now?

As a testament to the power of independent film. Like I said above, that a spark can come from anyone and anywhere.

In the world of television, you worked on a few episodes of one of our favorite recent series, in which we have spoken with quite a few people who have worked on, entitled From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. What drew you to this series?

Robert Rodriguez offered me a job. How could I turn it down?

And how was your time working on it?

It was nerve-wracking at first. This was the first episode of television I ever directed and somehow I ended up with the third episode of the first season. I was the first director to take over the show (Robert did the first two episodes) and I was doing scenes directly taken from the film. It was hard-core but I planned accordingly and the cast and crew were very welcoming and once I got into the groove, I was fine.

But it was pretty trippy to be directing scenes directly lifted from the film. It’s such an iconic movie so it was definitely tricky trying to bring my vision to it but not betraying what had come before.

Was there anything that set itself apart from the several other shows you have worked on?

It was a tough show. Lots of acton, stunts, make-up and practical effects in every episode, so we had to move quickly. But it was a blast and the people that worked on it were wonderful. Such a great education for me as an upstart TV director.

In your own personal opinion, what do you believe it is that makes the horror genre special?

Horror films are the perfect form of escapism. People love to be scared – but they also want to be safe. With horror, you can go on this wild ride where all kinds of horrible shit is happening to people on screen and you can share in their plight but then it ends and the lights come on and you can go on with your normal, relatively safe life. It’s great fun if you’re into that kind of stuff.

What sets it apart from other genres you have worked in?

It’s a great genre to work in because there are so many sub-genres within it that allow you to spread your wings creatively as a filmmaker. You can go from monster movies to straight dramas to action and comedy – you can do almost anything as long as it falls in some way under that horror umbrella.

What is your favorite scary movie?

The Exorcist is the scariest movie for me in terms of basic fear. But I have many favorites in the genre: Jaws, The Amityville Horror, The Shining, The Changeling, Evil Dead 2 just to name a few.

Do you have any plans for this coming Halloween?

We are pitching a tv show with Sam Raimi right before Halloween that I’m pretty excited about. Going to be cool pitching with him in the room…

Any fun traditions that you try to stick to every year?

Unfortunately, I’ve been working out of town for the last 2-3 Halloweens so I’ve missed all the fun. But this year I’m home so hopefully we can go all out at the house. I don’t do that much but I do set up a smoke machine and some props from some of my films and then blast scary music over some speakers. It freaks the little kids out a bit but that’s kind of what it’s all about, isn’t it?

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

Doing some Blair Witch 20th anniversary screenings in October which will keep me busy. Also, my partner Gregg Hale and I are working on some TV show ideas that we’re pitching soon and I’m directing a new show for FOX called NeXt that I’m pretty excited about. Loved the pilot and the concept of the show and we’re shooting in Chicago, which is a first for me, so really looking forward to it.

Then in January I go to Vancouver to direct my fifth and final episode of Supernatural, which is going to be really special since it’s the last season of the long-running show. Lots of people to say goodbye to after that one is done…

What was the last thing that scared the hell out of you?

Besides my credit card bill, nothing that I’d want to share right now.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World. It was even more magical than I expected it to be!