8th June 2008.

It’s been two weeks since Cannes and my feet haven’t touched the ground. FrightFest is moving forward in interesting ways. There’s been loads of screenings to attend and more sets to visit. Favourite movie of the moment has to be Pixar’s latest animation classic WALL:E, which is now in my top three of 2008. That MARTYRS and DISCO. Talk about eclectic. I wonder what an analyst would say? Set-wise I’ve been covering practically every moment of THE DESCENT 2 currently in production at Ealing Studios. Director Jon Harris is clearly doing a sterling job continuing Neil Marshall’s deepest fears. The cast are fun and the new Crawlers look brilliant. I joined Paul on the set of LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS last week and had a great time with director Phil Claydon on that too. DESCENT/DOOMSDAY star MyAnna Buring sports a fab Sybil Danning hairdo in that one. Both films I think will deliver the goods and ensure Brit horror will be at the international forefront yet again next year. Especially with MUM & DAD and THE DISAPPEARED superbly backing the next wave up.

My one massive disappointment came with the news that star/executive producer Adrien Brody will not allow me on the set of Dario Argento’s GIALLO in Turin. I tried every angle; like not being on the set when the Oscar-winner was working, but Brody is one of those actors powerful enough to veto anything he wants. It will be the first Argento film in 25 years I haven’t seen being made. But it’s not just me it’s many of the creative team who can’t be there either.

This has only happened to me twice before. Sean Connery had me thrown off the HIGHLANDER 2 set in Argentina because I kept being in his eye-line, or so he kept saying. I wish I could reveal here the favour I was asked to do to get back in his good books! I got my own back though. I took his VIP guest pass to a Talking Heads concert and had a fabulous time backstage with David Byrne. No one questioned I had Connery’s name around my neck either. Strange that I’ve always thought. I had no problem after that booking up tables in swanky Buenos Aries restaurants and tango bars using Connery’s name and then on arrival saying he sadly couldn’t join us because of shooting commitments. The other grumpy star was Jeremy Irons when I went to Prague for DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. Another fantasy masterpiece! He didn’t want anyone seeing him possibly fluffing his lines.

I’ve also been spending quite a bit of time with Guillermo del Toro for my forthcoming book about his life and work too. Although he was hellishly busy editing HELLBOY II, he spent days with me as we went over his childhood and early career in Mexico. I learnt some amazing facts he’s never spoken to anyone about before and it has really fired me up to write the best book possible for him and his legion of interested fans. Especially in the wake of him signing to direct THE HOBBIT. I now have a maximum of four years to get it exactly right because an upside of THE HOBBIT situation for me is he can’t direct another film for ages so nothing is going to date. The perfect scenario really. He has been so gracious over the book idea I had prior to PAN’S LABYRINTH. And who really knew where that was going to take him. Love him to death, but then doesn’t everyone.

Before FrightFest organization takes off proper, I also have to go back to Glasgow to cover Nicolas Winding Refn’s Viking adventure VALHALLA RISING. Part of me wants to go to the remote loch locations (midge hell they are expecting) just for that experience. But I think I’m going to plump for the studio time in town. Let’s face it, all we see of Glasgow during February FrightFest time is three streets, the Playhouse and the Italian restaurant Sarti’s. So I do want to explore more of the city. Nicolas has rented a massive house in the city for his stay and invited me there so I’ve decided to make a very long weekend of it before the expected FrightFest madness takes over.

Until next time…