Next week Brightburn will hit theaters and begin a summer of horror hits. Director David Yarovesky recently spoke with Dread Central about the film. And gave fans some insights on what happens when horror meets superheroes.
Over the past decade the superhero genre has boomed, mainly in large part to Disney’s Marvel expansion. But Brightburn shows us what happens when those powers are used in a sinister way. So what makes the story so interesting? Yarovesky says its because we’ve never seen a story like it.
“There have been many dark superhero tales and plenty of villains with superpowers, but we have never seen a superhero story told as a shit-your-pants horror movie. At this point, we have all been indoctrinated into believing that if someone started handing out superpowers that they would be used for good. It’s a lie. The cake is not real. Santa Claus is your parents. And if an alien baby lands in the woods RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE. “
“Making it something you would run screaming from”
When the trailer was released fans across both genres were ready to see the ultimate super villain. Shot in the style of a big budget comic book hero movie, it also blended horror imagery seamlessly. Yarovesky says thats because he drew inspiration from Horror icon, John Carpenter.
“The first seed of a visual I had in my mind was shooting Brandon like John Carpenter shoots Michael Meyers; wide lens, emotionless, watching from the distance. I have never seen a superhero shot like that, and I thought I could make that scary as hell…The idea was taking something that you always felt safe with, and making it something you would run screaming from.”
Finally when asked if he considered the film a superhero film or a horror movie he stated: “it’s something new, a superhero horror film.”
The film was written by Mark and Brian Gunn and produced by James Gunn. Directed by David Yarovesky, Brightburn stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Matt Jones. Check out the Red Band trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments. Brightburn hits theaters May 24th. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all things horror!
