Interview by Rafy Mediavilla with Adult Swim’s “Yule Log” – Writer & Director Casper Kelly. Now Available on HBO Max & Digital!
Get in the holiday spirit with this cozy, crackling fire. Contains violence, adult language, and brief nudity. Parental guidance suggested. Adult Swim Yule Log is written and directed by Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks) and stars Andrea Laing (The Game) and Justin Miles (Half Baked 2).
Interview with Adult Swim’s “Yule Log” – Writer & Director Casper Kelly. Now Available on HBO Max & Digital!
Criticólogos:
It’s going to be two different versions. One is going to be shown in Adult Swim and the other one’s going to be shown in HBO Max. What was your initial reaction when they told you, hey, we’re going ahead with this?
Casper Kelly:
Oh, yes. Yes. Because it was such a weird idea when I pitched it. Yes, it was a delight and a shock that they let me do it. But at the same time, it’s Adult Swim and they’re known for doing a lot of crazy stuff. So. So and I felt like. Just the first hook of you see a Yule log a tight shot and then you hear offscreen a door opening. I’m interested. Like a sad story. What’s going to happen? So I feel like there’s a pretty good hook.
Criticólogos:
How much did Warner Discovery push you? did they set some limits or they were just, you know, do whatever you need to be done?
Casper Kelly:
I think that Adult Swim was very supportive. And I mean, they read the script and looked at the cuts, but there was nothing that they were they, you know, gave me suggestions, but really they did let me go. They wanted me to go for it and try to go as crazy as I could. So they were very supportive of that. And the two versions are pretty similar, like the really one that it’s going to air after Rick and Morty have commercial breaks and there are some words that are bleeped and a little bit of blurring of some very brief nudity. But other than that, they’re very similar. But the uncensored version will be on HBO Max the next day.
Criticólogos:
You mentioned Rick and Morty. I wanted to ask you, What it means to you that your project is basically following such an iconic series and basically they’re the prelude to Yule Log. What does that mean to you?
Casper Kelly:
It’s a big thrill and an honor. I mean, I’m a super fan of Rick and Morty Justin Roiland, and Dan Harmon, and it’s exciting. And I, I, I know it’s a shift from sort of a comedy, animated comedy to a live-action horror. So that may not be for everybody. But I hope a lot of people will stay tuned and enjoy the ride.
Criticólogos:
I wonder when you wrote the script and you got the cast together and you don’t want to ruin the surprise. Did you give them the whole script or did you get them some part of the script? How did you manage the casting with the story to make sure that everybody gets into the situation and the stuff that happens between different acts?
Casper Kelly:
Oh, that’s a great question. I think. I think we gave everybody the whole script and I think we’re lucky in that. This isn’t like a franchise movie. This isn’t like Thor 4. So there’s less temptation to talk. And people are on board with this. They love the idea of this surprise, too. So there was less temptation to tell people about this movie about a log because they’re just like, What the hell are you talking about? I don’t, you know? So it’s different than if it was like a franchise movie.
Criticólogos:
Who did you use for inspiration when you’re telling a story? I think I see a lot of Evil Dead and I saw all this old school horror which is the best of the best.
Casper Kelly:
Yeah, I definitely Evil Dead Inspiration and David Lynch. Definitely. And a little bit of, you know, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and then sort of the more modern neon horror and, you know, a little bit of Mandy in there, you know, and but I think that a lot of it is when you’re writing it, I’m not thinking about movies. It’s just that I’ve seen so many movies that are kind of filtered into my unconscious and it’s like it’s minerals in the soil. So when this idea sprouts out, the minerals are there, but you don’t always know where it came from. You know.
Criticólogos:
There’s one specific scene I think that happens in the third act that I don’t think people are going to see coming. And there’s this thing that comes from far far away. That’s the only thing I’m going to say. Was that something that you thought, hey, what if we add this other layer to the story and we bring in this thing that came? Oh, yeah, You know where I’m going right, was that always in the script?
Casper Kelly:
That was in the script and, well, it was like I remember getting there and I was like, Should I add this? And I’m like, Why not? Let’s go for it, you know? Yeah, let’s go for it. So yes, that’s my thinking.
Criticólogos:
Finally why people should go watch Yule Log on HBO Max?
Casper Kelly:
I think you know it’s a horror movie and when terrible things are happening, you’re bound to drop a lot of F-bombs. So if you want to hear the dialogue as it’s intended, you should also watch it on HBO Max. Yeah. Oh, and one last thing is, the ending song in the ending credits is on Spotify. Oh, and one other thing. If people don’t have HBO Max, they can also buy it digitally if they prefer.
See the interview below:
