What's wrong?
One example is that the first vampires from Balkan and Slavic legends did not usually drink blood. They will strangle the victim or have sex with the victim to death. If they drink blood, it's usually from the chest. It's a story about obsession and love. It seems like, okay, visually that seems like a good poetic motif.
But then I'm also thinking about where that folklore comes from. These are people with sleep paralysis where they are having waking nightmares about this vampire visitation. They have this pressure on their chest. So it's also grounded in a kind of reality, even though stabbing the sternum with a vampire's teeth is kind of ridiculous. So it's fun to explore things that can keep it fresh but also feel like it can be integrated into this world.
Was most of this movie done with practical effects?
I mean there's a lot of CG effects in the movie, but you try to do all the big crazy stuff that's usually done with CG practically. That way you can use CG to fix and expand things, and at the same time you're less aware of the sleight of hand because you're not paying attention to what looks fake, because things Often fake is real.
I ask because, while working at WIRED, I think about AI much. With filmmaking, people talk a lot about “AI can do this, AI can do that,” but I watch your film and I don't think AI can do that. What do you think about these too?
Guillermo del Toro's claim that AI's greatest achievement is to create “Semi-attractive screensaver” is fair. I think AI is best used to inspire humans to do more humane things. So that's all I have to say about that.
I know we're running out of time, but I have to ask: Which monster will you tackle next?
Teenage mutant ninja turtles.
I mean, I would love to see Robert Eggers' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
Maybe I should skip that joke, because it will probably go everywhere.
I mean you already have SpongeBob has been getting a lot of press lately.