Jane Rose ('The Statement of Randolph Carter')

In the world of female horror filmmaking, there is an unexpected trend! That of films in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft. From Anna and Matie Truwe's short collection of funny puns on Lovecraft titles, to Anna Gawilrow's animated story of Erich Mann, Lovecraft is a popular subject for women filmmakers in the horror industry (there are 7 female directors who have devoted their films to his subject matter). Who doesn't love Re-Animator, or The Beyond? But who knows about the more obscure films that never made it to the big screen that embody the very fear of Lovecraft? Director Jane Rose's film The Statement of Randolph Carter is one such film; with the eeriness of Lovecraft's stories from a female's eye, it's stark and oppressive colors demand creepy thoughts. Also, it's much better than Dagon.

So what is it about Lovecraft that makes him such a popular choice not only among female directors, but also among all horror fans and directors? Jane Rose sheds some light on the subject for us!

I'm particularly drawn to the old gent in part because of my upbringing in rural New England. His aesthetic - the crumbling old farmhouses, the lonely landscapes, the puritanical heritage, and the eccentric inhabitants - seems rooted in my memories somehow. I'm also attracted to a reoccurring Lovecraftian character: a shy daydreamer who is innocent in a way but also drawn to strange and unnatural things. They always seem to transform by the end, getting stranger and stranger until they go crazy. This is unpleasant for them but it's also like they come out of their shell and get less shy by becoming a raving lunatic, which is exciting. Finally, I like that there's always something going on under the surface in these stories. The quaint, New England towns look somewhat normal on the surface, but then there's a crypt full of amorphous half-human/half-beast things stewing right under your feet. It kind of makes the everyday world seem to have more potential.

There have been, like in all genres, successful and unsuccessful films in the Lovecraft mode. Most particularly Re-Animator really stands out as a great and frightening adaptation. What does a female director think of the other adaptations, and how does her work in the sub-genre differ, if at all, from the films directed by men?

I'm a big fan of both Re-Animator and From Beyond. Re-Animator in particular is one of my favorite movies ever. But besides definitely not being 100% faithful adaptations they have a really different feeling than a Lovecraft story. More humor, for one thing, and more of a sense of fun. They both go for the blood and guts gross out too, which is something Lovecraft would never do. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that really captures the way a Lovecraft story feels, but that's ok because the best adaptations are separate entities from the tales that spawned them, inspired by the story but not trying to reproduce it. That said, my movie is pretty faithful, I guess.
I was rather disappointed by Dagon, but there are some other adaptations that are fun to watch. The Dunwich Horror for one, mostly because Dean Stockwell is creepy and kind of sexy like his character in Blue Velvet. There are also tons of independent efforts, and many of these are quite inspiring because they're driven by such a genuine love of Lovecraft and a desire to pay tribute.
Actually, I feel a little guilty because apparently Lovecraft thought film was a vulgar and inferior medium and wouldn't want his works adapted. He's probably just rolling in his grave over all this.
I don't know if my work is distinctive on account of my being a woman. I haven't tried to distinguish it on that account nor have I tried to incorporate any feminist themes. Some typical horror movie fare is boring and distasteful to me; I know I'll probably never make a horror movie where a woman is a generic femme fatale or gets horribly mutilated by a man or gets chased by a demon and then trips lamely and dies. Weak! But mostly I just do my best to make what I'd like to see. I used to get off more on the idea that I'm a female horror filmmaker and there aren't too many, but now I think its better just to think of myself as a filmmaker and try to be a good one.

"The Statement of Randolph Carter" is a very vague story to begin with. How did Rose translate her personal take on it onto film?

Actually, I chose The Statement of Randolph Carter as my first film because it's the shortest and easiest. Two characters, one location, about 6 pages. It's hard enough to capture that Lovecraft vibe on film, I didn't want to over face myself. I do have a more ambitious Lovecraftian project in mind that I'd like to do one day.

When I read the story I thought it could be anything from any one of Lovecraft's tales: giant cone-shaped creatures or a giant octopus or whatever. Something very old and very alien. Something that they are at fault for disturbing, an act that they can't take back since events have already been set in motion. I think the movie is really more about Carter waiting up on the surface, not knowing what is happening or what will return, and all the scary images that are surfacing for him. I think it would be like any situation in which you're waiting for something and assuming the worst.


What stands out about The Statement of Randolph Carter among other horror shorts is the beautiful lighting and technical detail that comes together to create a really truly 'Lovecraftian' feel!
We were shooting in an abandoned waterfront area in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with no access to electrical outlets. The lighting gear consisted of giant flashlights and bounce boards. We had these cheap kerosene lanterns as props too and they provided additional light. I had wanted the movie to look like it was set in an indeterminate time period, possibly but not necessarily the past. The lanterns helped because they had a warm firelight glow that doesn't seem entirely modern. The DP Kevin Freeman was really great about climbing trees or down into the big hole that just happened to be by the waterfront and was our set. By getting shots from above or below I was hoping to create the impression that this 'eons old' area that Carter and Warren disturb was watching them from all over. Joe Renz built all the 'unnatural' elements in postâ€'?the glowing green hole and the images on the TVâ€'?to contrast with the natural outdoor location and edited together that great title montage that was meant to make Warren's pre-descent activities look chaotic and mad.

It was raining out that day too so we were lucky enough to capture some lightning flashes free of charge.

As a woman director, what is Jane's opinion as to why there are so few female horror film directors out there?

I have no idea. You'd think that horror would come naturally to female directors. Women are often thought of as being more in touch with the psychic or supernatural, if you believe in that sort of thing, and there are quite a few good and/or well-known female horror authors: Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, Ann Radcliffe, Joyce Carol Oates, Mary Shelley, Tanith Lee, F. Marion Crawford, and on and on. Also, women have to deal with a lot more visceral, bloody bodily stuff than men do as a matter of nature. I've seen a couple of fairly recent movies by French women directors that deal with horror of the body (Trouble Every Day and In My Skin). But overall there don't seem to be many women who make horror movies and I'm not sure why because it seems like there should be. Maybe it's because a lot of horror movies are t & a gore shows and I can see where a lot of women wouldn't identify with that. But that can't be the whole reason. C'mon ladies, what gives?

The HP Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, OR, is the best place to see new Lovecraft films, esp. those by women....