Let’s talk about Nightmare Cinema. Did you have any creative control in that?
Joe Dante: No, it was pretty much Mick, and I believe it was an idea to hopefully backdoor into a new television series. He managed to get this financed after a ten year period with Mick and myself as the token American directors and the rest from overseas. It’s doing great in festivals and we’re hoping to get it distributed.
Do you feel like anthologies would be a good thing to have returned?
Joe Dante: There is a ton more freedom and you don’t have to play in an already established world, so yeah. Directors love working on anthologies.
What is your particular segment about?
Joe Dante: Well, I knew the other guys were doing some spectacular stuff, so I wanted to do something that wasn’t a lot of money. I decided to do something that was in one location with a limited number of characters. I did something with a female protagonist whose eyes you see the whole thing through.
It’s basically a plastic surgery horror that’s been compared to an episode of Twilight Zone which it is in a way. It was fun to do, but it was shot a little over a year ago because there were periods in between and financing issues. Getting the project to Fantasia was the first time most of us had seen how it all came together.
And what is the situation with distribution, do you have any knowledge of that?
Joe Dante: I really don’t know. I know it’s now making the rounds at festivals. We just premiered at Fantasia and it will be going to Telluride. So it’ll play, but we’re still trying to get distribution.
And is there anything you would like to let anyone know about?
Joe Dante: I would love to plug my podcast.
Please do.
Joe Dante: It’s been on for about three weeks and is doing very well. I was just on the Leonard Maltin podcast recently. I love podcasts, they are fun to do.
Joe, thank you so much again with sitting down with me. I cannot tell you again how much this means to me as a lifelong fan of your work.
Joe Dante: Well, thank you. This was great.
You can catch Joe Dante and Josh Olson’s podcast The Movies That Made Me on all podcast platforms.