FrightFest Special: Exclusive interview with IT CAME FROM THE DESERT director Marko Mäkilaakso Ahead of FrightFest Debut
Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film IT CAME FROM THE DESERT at the Horror Channel Frightfest Halloween event, director Marko Mäkilaakso shares his admiration for Roger Corman, love of B-Movies, spoofing and overcoming homeland obstacles.
A pulpy, action monster movie, inspired by Cinemaware's cult 1980s video game "It Came from the Desert". A nostalgic tribute to creature features from the 1950's, It Came From The Desert features rival motocross heroes and heroines, kegger parties in the desert, secret underground military bases, romantic insecurities... and of course giant ants.
IT CAME FROM THE DESERT is inspired by Cinemaware’s cult 1980s video game, which in turn was motivated by the giant creature feature craze infesting 1950s Hollywood. What was the main inspiration for you?
There’s so many movies and makers which inspired ICFTD, but the main inspiration was exactly that; creature feature infested 1950s Hollywood films, and the legendary Cinemaware Desert games and creature features and action comedies I grew up with in the 1980s. I love B-movies and mainstream filmmakers who give homages to those in their works, like Joe Dante, John Landis, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg etc. There’s something so pure and honest about B-movies and even though done with tight budgets you can see and feel that the makers put their hearts and souls into making the movie. That’s really inspiring!
I’ve always loved Cannon Films action movies like American Ninja and Delta Force, and comedies like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Ed Wood, The Burbs’ as well as creature features like Piranha and Gremlins. 1980’s TV shows like V, Knight Rider, Street Hawk, Amazing Stories and I am sure there’s a little bit something from all of those in my movie.
The modern creature feature craze are the Syfy channel movies. Some of them are fun, but most of them are too lazy and poorly done. I don’t mind low budgets, but when companies just want to cash in without any passion to the project then it’s doomed from the very beginning. Roger Corman did it correctly! He hired passionate filmmakers to give their everything and in the end the movies had something extra, something special. Like the It Came from the Desert game was spoofing those and other 1950s monster movies, my movie is also spoofing the modern creature feature craze of Syfy movies.
It Came From the Desert receives its UK premiere at Horror Channel FrightFest Halloween 2017 on Saturday 28 Oct, Empire Haymarket, 4.10pm.
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