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Writer/director JT Mollner is currently the darling of the horror scene, thanks to his surprising screen standout Strange Darling. It’s his second feature following the 2016 Western thriller Outlaws and Angels, and a series of shorts dating back to 2008. But a year before that, he came close to helming another psycho chiller, one with a number of notable names attached.
Back in 2007, this writer reported for Fango on a project called The I Scream Man, then scheduled to shoot in June ’07 in Oregon (where Strange Darling ultimately filmed). Scripted by Mollner and Mikos Zavros, who were also producing with Nicholas Terry and Ami Werges (under the banner of “NoRemake Productions”!), it was about a homicidal ice cream vendor terrorizing a small town.
“I aim to make this one of the most graphic, controversial, character-driven, sociopolitically aware and visually innovative horror films to date,” Mollner told me at the time. “I grew up as not just a fan of horror, but of the great stylists like Polanski, Truffaut, Fellini, and Scorsese, to name a few, and it’s a serious goal of mine to blend high art with horror and give the genre the cinematic respect it deserves. This film is truly brutal; there is some heavy, gritty stuff, and uncomfortable situations that have never been put on film. It’s important that we counterbalance that brutality with a beautiful visual style, and a level of serious character development and story rarely seen in the genre.
“We have also subversively tackled a number of key social issues,” he continued, “one being the ‘cycle of violence’—is vigilante killing really the answer, or does it just inspire more violence?—and another being the hypocrisy and danger of extreme fundamental organized religion in America. So there is an element of satire and ‘message’ beneath the extreme brutality. All that aside, this film is good ol’-fashioned slasher cinema at its best. We’ve created an iconic figure for horror fans to get behind—we hope, one of the first true horror icons in years. And he’s a real person—complex, ambiguous and scary as hell!
“The thing horror fans will probably enjoy is the fact that we have purposely set up all the slasher-film clichés in the first act. All the archetypes à la the Halloween blueprint are there: the quintessential heroine, the slutty best friend, the private eye, etc. But we throw all the cliches out the window as the story progresses. These characters make real decisions in frightening and disturbing situations. And nothing—nothing—can prepare you for the end. I can honestly say there are some truly original and daring scenes in this film.”
“Our guy is this iconic killer who is somewhat a vigilante,” added Terry. “His psychological problems, which stem from childhood abuse, drastically outweigh the severity of his cosmetic physical ailment. There is actual emotion to this guy; he’s gotten to the point where he just can’t stop anymore. Therefore, there’s a real story to tell in our film. He’s not just killing for the hell of it; he actually has a motive—some reason. There’s a method to it all.”
The filmmakers assembled a strong team to bring their ambitious scenario to life, among them cinematographer Scott Kevan (Cabin Fever) and a cast of familiar faces. This ensemble included Haylie Duff as “all-American” heroine Lynda, Fred Ward (Tremors) and Dee Wallace (The Howling) as her parents, Michael Madsen as private detective Ronnie Gop (replacing initially cast Tom Sizemore), Judd Nelson as “Brent, a sleazy walking cliché from Hollywood,” Cabin Fever’s James DeBello, Theresa Tilly (a.k.a. The Evil Dead’s Sarah York), Kristen Karr, Bella Thorne, and Spencer Garrett.
And for the title role, they landed cult-favorite actor Crispin Glover, following his twisted turns in Willard, Simon Says, and The Wizard of Gore. “JT is very excited to work with Crispin,” Terry commented, “because here’s an actor who has worked with Robert Zemeckis, Milos Forman, Gus Van Sant, and David Lynch—it’s a real honor for us all. His role will really require him to bring some emotion to this character. The villain is not just a robot; there’s a real person behind it, which will require Crispin to really look deep into the character and his life, and work his magic.”
One more exciting name joined The I Scream Man as its scheduled start drew near: none other than George A. Romero, taking a small role as Earl, a bartender at “Carpenter’s Tavern.” It was to be his first onscreen appearance since his uncredited bit in The Silence of the Lambs, and Mollner was understandably excited about the prospect of directing the Living Dead master. “It’s going to be a great education and overall exercise for me,” Mollner said. “I’m really looking forward to it, and I know we’ll have a blast on set. And horror fans will really enjoy seeing a legend in front of the camera.”
Sadly, it was not to be, as for reasons we could not confirm, The I Scream Man never wound up rolling that summer. In May 2009, Zavros told 28dayslateranalysis.com that he and Mollner were “working on rewrites” on I Scream Man, now to be produced by Chris Eberts and Capitol Films with Glover still attached to star. Yet it is now one of those projects about which we can only speculate on what might have been—though all these years later, Mollner’s ambition to craft a truly impactful horror film has seen a happy ending.
For more JT Mollner, check out our Strange Darling interview with Mollner and DP/Producer Giovanni Ribisi. Strange Darling is now in theaters.
