Horror News Network Interview with Director Paul Morrell

Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust is a modern day slasher film with an unconventional
cast of characters. Despite being of different races, from different socioeconomic
classes, and in some cases from separate sides of town, this motley crew of
teenagers does have one thing in common, they are not perfect in the eyes of Purge.
Purge has taken it upon himself to cleanse the earth of these teenagers one by one,
even if he has to do it with his bare hands.

Staff member, Annie Minervini, caught up with director and co-producer Paul Morrell to talk about Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust.

Horror News Network: I think this film is unique among the constantly growing list of slasher movies. The
connections between the characters, as well as what motivates their actions gives
great dimension not usually found in a horror movie these days. How do you think
this film separates itself from just another bloodbath slasher film?

Paul Morrell: I think a lot of low budget horror films forget to actually attempt to tell a story.
They lean on the gore and nudity to push it along (which is probably what the fans
are actually seeking… ) I find it the cheap way out to just go campy and make a
film that is obviously intended to be cheap comedy. We actually attempted to make a
real movie. One with story and characters along with combining elements of the old
school slashers with the gore and blood you typically find in the gore fests of
late. I think we did a pretty rockin job.

Horror News Network: Emotions run high with all of the characters; how did the actors take to these
roles, and was it a challenge to direct the highly charged emotional scenes?

Paul Morrell: Challenge is a loaded question. We shot this film in 12 days. We didn’t have a lot
of time for rehearsals nor mistakes. The actors really stepped up and did their
job. They brought themselves to the characters and really shined. Bianca LeMaire
was probably the biggest surprise. She was a last minute recast of the role and she
absolutely nailed it. As for the actors “taking to the roles”….. The opening
scene was first thing we shot. It was intense. We actually had someone throwing up
on set. It was pretty gnarly.

Horror News Network: What did you find to be most challenging about creating Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust?

Paul Morrell: Probably the most challenging was the budget. The Budget defined how many pages we
shot per day, how much prep time we had, how much crew we had, etc etc etc.
Unfortunately, in these types of films, the budget really defines the project…
Fortunately for us, we were able to cash in a ton of favors. Even tho we had a very
low cash budget, we had over $200,000 in time, labor, locations, props, product
placement and equipment donations. Without these, this film would have been a
disaster.

As for a specific challenge… on 2 different occasions we lost an actress and
had to rewrite the story on the fly. Specifically in the scene where Shelly is
taken by Purge, the actress playing Shelly (Diana Quezada) became very ill and was
not able to make it to set. We actually shot that entire scene with a double
(Meredith Laine – the actress playing Kimberly) and overdubbed her lines in post.

Purge’s lair seemed extremely claustrophobic, at times it even resembled a cattle
run. Was it difficult to film so much action in such tight areas?

Talk about tight! The entire lair was 1 hallway and a room. We varied the angles
added plastic sheets, props, changed lights, everything we could think of to vary
that hallway to feel like you were in different places. Cinematographer Royce Dudley
and Production Designer John Nasby made that possible by constantly giving me
options. Michael Muscarella (known for his work on many of Clint Eastwood’s films)
actually came up with the set design. He had used pallets once to create a set for
Tales from the Crypt and looking at the limitations of space and time we had to
build this set, it was the perfect solution. We spent a solid 3 days planning out
where each scene in the lair would take place, from which angle and how we would
vary it. These guys really made me look good!

Here is a Behind the Scenes video of the set being built :

Horror News Network: What can we expect in terms of blood, guts, and scares in Filth to Ashes, Flesh to
Dust?

Paul Morrell: We did a really good job with our kills. You will have to watch to see…. but we
had an award winning Stunt and FX Dream Team. They were badass. From wire rigs to
fresh liver…. we got it done…. and did it right.

Horror News Network: Where can our readers find out more about Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust?

Paul Morrell: Gordon Vasquez over at RealTV Films has done an amazing job at getting the word out.
He maintains a site for us at: www.filthtoashes.com Other than that we are at
the mercy of word of mouth and sites like yourself to spread the word. So, Thank
you.

Horror News Network: What are you currently working on?

Paul Morrell: I have a day job in advertising. I am the creative director for a direct response
advertising firm (Cort Howell Productions) that has the Zumba Fitness account. If
you see Zumba Fitness on TV, my hands were probably all over it.

I just wrapped production on a show last week called “America’s Superwoman : Next
Action Diva”. We took 8 girls and put them thru a 5 week action, stunts and acting
course in search of the next female action star… The Judge panel included UFC’s
Big John McCarthy, 2 Time Golden Globe Winner Karen Black and “The Toughest Man
Alive” Gene Lebell (trained Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and more) as well as Action Diva
herself, the fabulous Mimi Lesseos (Million Dollar Baby, Scorpion King). Girls,
Guns, Bikinis….. I don’t think it gets any better than that. It was a fun show and
will make for a lot of great TV.

Horror News Network: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about Filth to Ashes, Flesh to
Dust?

Paul Morrell: I’ve cut my chops as an editor for nearly 15 years now. Over the years, I have been
told by so many peers that I wouldn’t last as a director… And I would love to
thank all those assholes who said we couldn’t do it. And I have 3 other films in
pre-production. Whatever it is…. if you want it: Go get it.

Horror News Network: Thank you for your time, Paul. Good luck with Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust. Comment on this interview here.