Source: Rue Morgue
June 8, 2015
James and Jon Kondelik on THE DIVINE TRAGEDIES
Call it a family affair.
Of the many good things that can be said for the up-and-coming crop of indy filmmakers, perhaps the most hopeful for the future of the genre is the level of cooperation found amongst them. From the Women in Horror Blood Drive to the VHS anthology series, today’s horror world has thrived thanks in part to the willingness of its’ creative minds to not only work alongside one another, but together, for the betterment of the horror world.
Case in point: Jessica Cameron — perhaps the busiest woman working in horror today —was kind enough to take time out of her own schedule to introduce me to the life and times of the Kondelik Brothers, James and Jon, former directors and editors for THE ASYLUM who’ve broken free from their padded cells to unleash their own visions of terror onto the world.
The first odious offering from the dazzlingly demented duo: THE DIVINE TRAGEDIES, the tale of what happens when impeccably dressed brothers (Graham Denman and Jon Kondelik) with delusions of grandeur get involved with a single mom (Hannah Levien, in a rivetingly vulnerable star turn). When the brothers’ plans for life as Nietzschian supermen diverge, things hit the fan in trippy fashion, especially once their toxic mom (Barbara Crampton) and a psychic detective (Ken Foree) decide to meddle in their business.
After getting a first look at TRAGEDIES — set to begin its festival run this year — I had the opportunity to sit down with the brothers and discuss what went into making the film.
How did THE DIVINE TRAGEDIES come about?
James: DIVINE TRAGEDIES came about from an idea from Jose Prendes when we were just hanging out… I think he was showing us the Orson Welles film COMPULSION, and we were just marveling at it, like, “Wow, this is a fun movie, good ideas,” and Jose was sort of saying “I want to do a movie kind of like that, with two brothers… And I want you two guys to be the brothers.” The more we were talking about it and whatnot, I just asked him, “Do you have a script?” He said, “No, but I can get you one in a week.” That was in November, then in February we started shooting. So it went really, really quick. It shows how much you can get done when you’re motivated and you’re passionate.
Did you have any creative input?
Jon: We tried to give Jose his space. Of course we’re not doing our job if we don’t’ give some creative input as far as ideas in the script. But all of us working together, Jose included, helped to produce the film… All of us were operating on the idea, “How do we make the movie better in all aspects?” I think just approaching it that way, in a collaborative way, made things smoother.
James: We tried to give him as much freedom as we could… We told him, “If you’re going to go weird, make it really weird, if you’re going to make it violent, make it really violent.” And there are some scenes in the movie that are iconic and memorable because of those very reasons, because we were constantly pushing him, because that’s where he excels: Bizarre, bizarre images that stick with you after the film.
How did Ken Foree get involved?
Jon: Ken and Barbara [Crampton] had worked together, and we got Barbara and then we got Ken. It was one of those great ideas where we were just talking one day, and we were like, “Well, Barbara’s great, and we got her, and you know who else would be great? It’d be Ken Foree, and have this sort of FROM BEYOND reunion in the middle of it. Let’s see if we can get him, see if he’d be interested. And he was. And he was amazing.
The movie sort of switches genres a third of the way through, with the revelation that Foree’s character can communicate with the dead. What was the idea behind the shift?
James: I think that was all Jose. The original idea he pitched to us sounded like a psychological thriller. All the characters seemed to be really grounded in reality. Then we read the script, and he said, “Oh yeah, the detective is psychic.” And I said, you know what? That makes sense to me. It made sense to all of us. And we were even more intrigued by it. It made things more interesting. So I think it might’ve always been in Jose’s head, he might’ve always had that ace up his sleeve, but we didn’t know about it, prior to reading the script for the first time.
What makes THE DIVINE TRAGEDIES unique among today’s horror films?
James: I think first and foremost, it’s Jose Prendes’ style. That’s the first thing you’re going to notice. I hate to make the comparison but I can’t think of anyone else that comes to mind. If you’re going to a Quentin Tarantino movie, no matter what genre, you’re going to see a Quentin Tarantino movie because of the dialogue, the intriguing characters, and so on. Jose is the same way. He comes up with sometimes over the top but very intriguing, unique characters, and puts them in these crazy situations. And you want to watch them interact with each other and see the whole crazy thing play out. So I think that’s what’s different. It’s not running and chasing and screaming. There’s disturbing, gruesome, and grotesque things in the movie, and pretty bizarre, awful, off the wall things, but at the same time, it’s so different than anything else; it’s not so glossy. The final look of the film is so fucking beautiful. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You’ll be like, “What the hell did I Just watch?”