Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins and Sinclair Daniel talk Insidious: The Red Door

Summary

The speaker expresses excitement about reprising the role of Dalton in the Insidious franchise, reflecting on the character's development and the joy of working with a close-knit team. They share their experience of overcoming initial nerves and finding camaraderie, especially with co-stars Ty and Sinclair, who brought humor and support. The speaker also discusses their approach to directing, emphasizing the importance of positive attitudes and open communication, and their passion for creating a variety of horror experiences that resonate with themes of family and humanity.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The speaker expresses great pleasure in returning to play the character Dalton in the Insidious franchise, which holds a special place in their childhood memories.
• 🌟 They view the opportunity to portray Dalton as a fully developed character as an exciting challenge and are enthusiastic about it.
• 🏠 The speaker mentions that their family has been through a lot together, indicating a personal connection to the story or characters.
• 👻 The speaker was a fan of the franchise before joining it, which added to the excitement and nerves of becoming part of the established horror series.
• 🤝 They felt welcomed by the crew quickly, which helped to alleviate any initial nerves and create a sense of family among the team.
• 🔍 The speaker recalls being in a coma at the age of 10 but doesn't remember being sick, suggesting a mysterious or forgotten past.
• 🎨 The experience of working with Ty was particularly enjoyable, as they focused on finding fun in their role.
• 🤝 Working with Sinclair was described as amazing, highlighting the importance of levity and camaraderie even when playing serious characters.
• 🎬 The speaker values a positive attitude and open communication on set, aiming to create an environment where crew members can feel recharged and supported.
• 🎥 Directing is approached similarly to acting, from the inside out, with a focus on maintaining a positive atmosphere and achieving the best work.
• 👻 The speaker is drawn to horror movies that focus on relationships and humanity, rather than just scares, and sees the genre as a way to explore deeper themes.
• 🎼 The technical aspects of horror, such as the timing and variety of scares, are likened to music, aiming to keep the audience guessing and engaged.

Q & A

What is the actor's feeling about returning to play Dalton in the Insidious franchise?

The actor expresses a great sense of pleasure and excitement about returning to play Dalton, describing it as an exciting challenge and a fond memory from their childhood.

How does the actor describe the experience of joining the Insidious franchise?

The actor describes it as walking into an established horror empire with a mix of excitement and nerves, but also mentions feeling welcomed into the family of the franchise quickly, which helped alleviate their nervousness.

What was the actor's strategy for dealing with the nerves of joining a well-established franchise?

The actor didn't dwell on their nerves for long due to the welcoming nature of the crew, which made them feel like part of the family quickly.

How did the actor approach working with Ty, and what was their role?

The actor's job was to find the fun in the work, and they had a great time working off of Ty, implying that Ty was a key collaborator and possibly a co-star.

What was the actor's experience working with Sinclair and Patrick?

The actor found working with Sinclair and Patrick to be amazing, as they were funny and nice off-screen, which helped lift the actor's spirits during the serious and intense scenes.

How did the actor manage the pressure of directing while maintaining the focus on the movie?

The actor embraced the pressure and relied on having supportive people around who shared their vision, emphasizing the importance of positive attitudes and open communication.

What is the actor's philosophy on working with the crew and maintaining a good attitude?

The actor values positive attitudes and hard work, aiming to ensure that crew members can go home recharged for the next day, which they believe is more important than overworking them.

How does the actor view the role of surprises in the filmmaking process?

The actor sees surprises as a daily occurrence and believes in maintaining an open line of communication to handle unexpected challenges effectively.

What kind of horror movies resonate with the actor?

The actor resonates with horror movies that are about relationships, humanity, and less about the scares, mentioning 'Poltergeist' and 'Silence of the Lambs' as examples.

How does the actor describe the technical approach to creating scares in a horror movie?

The actor compares the timing and variety of scares to music, aiming to keep the audience guessing with a wide variety of scare tactics and maintaining a rhythmic structure.

What was the main focus for the actor when approaching the second film in the franchise?

The main focus was on exploring where the family goes after the trauma of the first film, aiming to depict the messy and ugly reality of their situation.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Returning to Play Dalton: A Memorable Experience

The speaker expresses excitement about returning to play the character Dalton after many years. They reflect fondly on the impact the Insidious franchise had on their childhood and how it’s thrilling to now portray Dalton as a fully developed character. The experience was a fun challenge, and the speaker is very enthusiastic about it.

05:01

🤝 Joining the Insidious Family: Overcoming Nerves

The speaker discusses their initial nerves about joining an established and iconic horror franchise like Insidious. However, the supportive and welcoming nature of the cast and crew helped them quickly overcome these nerves. They liken the experience to being part of a family and appreciate how the camaraderie allowed them to focus on their work without lingering anxiety.

🎭 Finding Fun in Collaboration with Co-stars

The speaker talks about working closely with Ty and how they aimed to find joy in their daily interactions. They describe their job as finding the fun in their scenes and how working with Ty was particularly enjoyable, as they mostly worked together.

🤣 Working with Sinclair and Patrick: Lifting Spirits On-Set

The speaker shares their experience working with Sinclair and Patrick, noting how their humorous and uplifting presence helped maintain a positive atmosphere on set. Playing a serious character like Dalton could be intense, but having supportive and funny co-stars made the process much more enjoyable.

🎥 Approaching Directing with a Positive Attitude

The speaker reflects on their approach to directing, emphasizing the importance of having a positive attitude and maintaining open communication with the crew. They value kindness, hard work, and ensuring the crew feels recharged and appreciated. The speaker likens their directing style to acting, focusing on creating a supportive environment while navigating the challenges of filmmaking.

🎬 Blending Drama and Horror: A Unique Creative Vision

The speaker explains their creative approach to horror movies, highlighting how they blend family or domestic drama with horror elements to create resonant and impactful stories. They reference classic films like Poltergeist and Silence of the Lambs, emphasizing the importance of relationships and humanity in their work. They also discuss the challenges of balancing technical elements like jump scares with the underlying emotional themes.

🎶 Crafting the Scares: A Musical Approach to Horror

The speaker describes their approach to creating scares in horror films as a musical process, focusing on timing and variety to keep the audience engaged. They intentionally design the pacing of scares to be unpredictable, drawing the audience in with periods of calm followed by intense bursts of horror, much like the rhythm of a musical composition.

Keywords

💡Dalton

Dalton is a character in the 'Insidious' franchise, a horror film series. The speaker mentions returning to play Dalton after a long time, indicating a personal connection to the role and the film. This character is now 'fully fleshed out,' suggesting a deeper exploration of the character's personality and backstory in the new installment.

💡Insidious franchise

The 'Insidious franchise' refers to a series of horror films that the speaker has a history with, having played a character named Dalton. The franchise is significant to the speaker as it holds a 'distinct moment in my childhood,' indicating a nostalgic and sentimental value.

💡Fleshed out character

A 'fleshed out character' is a term used to describe a character in a story that has been fully developed with a rich backstory, personality traits, and motivations. The speaker expresses excitement about playing Dalton as a 'fully fleshed out character,' which implies a more complex and engaging role.

💡Horror Empire

The term 'horror Empire' metaphorically describes the established reputation and influence of the 'Insidious' franchise within the horror genre. The speaker mentions 'walking into this established horror Empire,' which conveys a sense of awe and the pressure of joining a successful and well-known series.

💡Nerves

In the context of the script, 'nerves' refers to feelings of anxiety or apprehension the speaker experienced before joining the established franchise. However, the speaker mentions that these feelings did not 'linger' due to the welcoming nature of the crew, indicating a supportive environment.

💡Family

The speaker uses the term 'family' to describe the close-knit and collaborative nature of the film crew. This term is used to emphasize the sense of belonging and camaraderie among the team members who have been working together for a long time.

💡Directing

The speaker discusses their approach to directing, which is likened to acting, suggesting a personal and intuitive style. The term 'directing' refers to the process of overseeing the creative aspects of a film, including working with actors and making decisions about the visual and narrative elements.

💡Technical proficiency

Technical proficiency in this context refers to the speaker's ability to execute various types of scares in the film, such as 'jump scares,' with precision and variety. It shows the speaker's attention to the technical aspects of filmmaking that contribute to the horror experience.

💡Trauma

Trauma is a significant theme in the video, as the speaker mentions the second film being 'incredibly traumatic' for the family. This term is used to describe the emotional and psychological impact of a deeply distressing or life-altering event, which is a central element of the narrative.

💡Compromise

In the film industry, 'compromise' often refers to the adjustments and concessions made during the creative process due to various constraints, such as budget, time, or technical limitations. The speaker talks about the pressure of having to compromise while trying to maintain their vision for the film.

💡Supportive vision

A 'supportive vision' implies a collaborative environment where the team supports the director's creative goals. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having people around who can uphold and reinforce their vision amidst the challenges of filmmaking.

Highlights

The pleasure of returning to play Dalton in the Insidious franchise after a long time.

The character Dalton is now fully fleshed out, adding excitement to the role.

The challenge of reprising the role of Dalton was enjoyable.

The family dynamic in the Insidious franchise is significant and memorable.

The speaker was a fan of the franchise before joining it professionally.

Feelings of nervousness upon joining the established horror franchise were quickly alleviated.

The importance of maintaining open communication and surrounding oneself with skilled professionals.

The desire for a positive work environment and the impact of a good attitude on work quality.

The balance between work demands and ensuring crew members can rest and recharge.

The approach to directing is similar to acting, focusing on positive attitudes and support for one's vision.

The necessity to embrace pressure and make decisions in the face of constant compromise requests.

The speaker's preference for horror movies that focus on relationships and humanity rather than just scares.

The importance of exploring the aftermath and trauma of the second film's events in the franchise.

The intention to keep the audience guessing with a variety of scare tactics.

The comparison of horror movie pacing to music, emphasizing the importance of timing and rhythm.

Transcripts

yeah you know it's it's such a pleasure

to come back and play Dalton again after

after so long it's such a in City

Insidious franchise with such a distinct

moment in my childhood that I really

look back and remember uh fondly and now

that I get to come back and play Dalton

again as a fully fleshed out character

it's such an exciting thing for me uh it

was such a fun challenge to to be able

to do that so I'm I'm stoked about it

thank you

our family has been through a lot

together yeah I was definitely a fan of

the franchise

um before and it was very exciting to

walk into this

established you know

horror Empire and with that definitely

comes nerves but um you know it really

is like a family these people have been

working together for so long and they're

they welcomed me in very quickly and so

I did not get to linger in those

feelings of nerves for too long which

was really great

you told me that when I was 10.

was in a coma but I don't remember being

sick we're ready to forget I got to work

with Ty the most

super fun

our care

you know I felt like my job was to find

the fun and so that's what I was doing

all day so I had a great time working

off of Ty and almost nobody else

yeah you know I I'm working with

Sinclair was was amazing it was Dalton

is such a serious person and when I'm in

such a serious head space all the time

it's hard for me to kind of

enjoy my day but having someone like

Sinclair and someone like Patrick to

kind of be there and to lift your

spirits because they are both very funny

people off screen and very nice so it

was just a great kind of it was a great

group to have there to kind of catch you

and when you're falling down and yeah it

was a lot of fun

most everything was unexpected because I

just didn't know it so I would

constantly I would surround myself with

people and every day I would say listen

you guys are all really good at your

jobs and you've all done them more than

I've done this job so I know let's have

an open line of communication I I uh I I

I I really want kind people around me I

want hard workers

um it's demanding but

um I think the best work comes out of

people that have a good attitude and I

always wanted people to get home to

their families or loved ones and uh and

feel recharged for the next day that's

that's much more important to me than

just grinding a crew down you know just

to get your shot so

um yeah I I kind of approached directing

like I do acting sort of from the inside

out so uh I want I I I I want positive

attitudes and I I think if anything you

know there's surprises every day

um but you know having to keep the the

movie and the focus in your head when

you're constantly asked just by the

nature of the business to compromise to

can it change here can you do that you

think we can do it do you need this

scene here can we do it you know and

then you it's a house of cards and it's

really only in your head I mean

everybody else can give you notes and

tell you what to cut all day long or

it's up to you to do it so

um you have to sort of embrace that

pressure uh and hope that you have

people around you that are supportive to

your vision but uh but I did on this

ever since then I see crazy stuff with

my dreams

you know the drama the the that's much

easier and much more my wheelhouse just

uh but those are the kind of movies that

resonate with me those are kind of

horror movies that resonate with me uh I

I think you know you you can't get a

family drama or a domestic drama or a

maid uh in a studio setting anymore uh

but if you put it through the eyes of a

horror movie you know you can get it so

uh but even if I think about movies like

yeah of a poltergeist or even in a weird

way Silence of the Lambs the movies to

me that really are about relationships

and humanity and uh less about the

scares

um so you take the kernel of those those

themes that are important to you or at

least to me in the trauma and that was

really what was most important because

the second film is incredibly traumatic

for that family where do they go from

there this is where they go from there

that's all I wanted to ask this is what

happens so and it's ugly and it's messy

uh and then the technical proficiency

comes in with you know when we had jump

scares and when I had different kinds of

scares because I wanted a wide variety

just to further you know every count of

three there's this thing pops out of

somewhere like I I wanted to keep the

audience guessing so you know sometimes

there's not a lot for a long amount of

time and then when it comes it's Bam Bam

Bam Bam Bam then it goes away that comes

back it's like music it's it's it's it's

very musical to me

[Music]

the further you travel

the riskier the journey becomes