Very few movies in the genre catch my attention these days. Mainstream American horror has subjected my eyes to a multitude of moneymaking schemes that very rarely disturb their audiences, rather provide an outlet for crude humor and relentless amounts of bloodshed. Don’t get me wrong, I love gore as much as the next fella, but the horror genre as a whole has been traveling down the wrong path lately, substituting quality scares with predictable jump points and heavy emphasis on Hollywood eye candy.

Long lost are the days of Carpenter’s Halloween and the Thing, Tobe Hooper’s original TCM and the lot of other cinematic masterpieces that legitimately gave people nightmares. Or are they?

Beware world – the much hyped independent horror film “Malevolence” has been picked up for a theatrical run by Anchor Bay, its intent is to return to horror’s grassroots and scare the shit out of audiences everywhere. Recently, I was fortunate enough to spend some quality phone time with Writer/Director (and fellow New Yorker) Steven Mena to discuss his film, its origins and his feelings on the direction of the horror genre as a whole.

DFTD: Hey Steve, how ya doin’? Eric Schmitt from Horrorview.com.

SM: Good, good. Actually, you caught me at a really good time. I was just on my way out of the office for the day.

DFTD: So how are things going with the (Malevolence) theatrical run?

SM: Things are going great! We’re getting a lot of positive feedback from the audiences, so things are going great.

DFTD: Describe to the readers the premise of Malevolence.

SM: Basically, it’s about a group of bank robbers who have a hideout in the outskirts of town, which just so happens to be next to a family of serial killers. Actually, Malevolence is the middle part of a trilogy. It’s definitely a homage to the slasher films we grew up on, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw. You know – a lot of Carpenter, Hooper and Kubrick. Well, not a Kubrick slasher.

DFTD: Would you call Malevolence a conventional slasher then, or is it more of a thriller?

SM: It’s definitely a slasher, but not like what we’ve gotten used to. It’s definitely not about a bunch of teenagers doing drugs and getting killed. Malevolence is not a conventional film, it’s not full of humor like many of the horrors out now that are out there to make money. Malevolence was made with the intent to disturb the audience. Too often films let the audience off the hook by slipping in humor. When we made the film we made it a point not to do that. We don’t want to let the audience off the hook by breaking the tension with a joke or some elaborate CGI work. We wanted to create suspense and keep the film suspenseful.

DFTD: And what have the audiences been saying?

SM: One of the things being said is that it’s “a breath of fresh air.” In comparison to a lot of films out there, especially some of the remakes, it is. There is a lot of watering down with the remakes. I hope to get a lot of support from the hardcore fans out there. Too much of the audience is made up of people that are out of touch with the classics. I mean, you talk to a lot of teenagers that are huge fans of the remakes and they don’t even know that there was an original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They don’t know who George Romero is, or that Dawn of the Dead was originally made back in the 70’s.

DFTD: Well, I did a bit of research on the movie and I’ve found nothing but positive things said about your work. Quotes like “the horror of the millennium” and “should be held in regard with (the original) Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween” seem to be recurring opinions. Being your directorial debut, what do you think when you read comments like that?

SM: It blows me away. I wanted validity that my peers would get it. It’s great that people are getting it and that the film went in the right direction. Like I said, Malevolence is just part of the story. So when the other parts are developed people will get more of an understanding of things that happened in the film. With all the insanity that was associated with getting this film going, it’s really a great feeling.

DFTD: Which leads into another one of my questions – does it bother you to walk into a movie rental place and see the shelves lined with a bunch of “hack” movies while you’re clawing and fighting to get your film picked up?

SM: Well, Malevolence has been picked up by Anchor Bay. In fact, it’s Anchor Bay’s first official theatrical release.

DFTD: Damn the IMDB! Last time I checked it said the film was still seeking out a distributor.

SM: No, no. We were picked up. But back to the question, it bothers me to a degree to see these films that are put out just to make money. But that’s the nature of the business. Producers pick up movies that they know will make money. They’re a bit hesitant to pick up the independent films because they have little or no control over the way it was made. When we made Malevolence there was nobody to force our hand. We had a vision and followed it.

DFTD: Well, I understand that. You created a vision and the last thing you need is someone screaming over your shoulder for more breasts, blood and MTV music.

SM: When you watch those types of movies you know what you’re gonna get for your money after the first 5 minutes. When you do an independent film you’re creating a fresh idea and hopefully something that keeps the audience in touch with the movie. You don’t have to sacrifice good screenwriting to make a great film that will keep an audience’s attention. Take for instance 28 Days Later. Lots of people didn’t like it because it wasn’t explosions and humor and CGI. I loved that movie, it was extremely well done and intense.

DFTD: Okay, last three questions so I don’t take up too much of your time.

SM: (laughs) Go ahead, shoot!

DFTD: Best horror of 2004 and why?

SM: Shaun of the Dead. Really funny film that was made to be funny - and done extremely well. I liked how the plot twisted from joking to serious.

DFTD: Worst horror of 2004 and why?

SM: (Long pause) Geez, what came out this year?

DFTD: To be honest, I can’t even remember.

SM: Let’s leave that one alone (laughs).

DFTD: Finally, most anticipated horror of 2005?

SM: Haute Tension. I really want to see that movie.

DFTD: Okay Steve, I want to thank you again for your time and best of luck with Malevolence. Hopefully I can get my ass down to the Village East to catch it before the run ends.

SM: Definitely. We’ll have myself and Gunnar Hansen opening the film on Saturday (October) the 30th, so try and make it.

Malevolence is opening a run at the Village East theaters in New York City and is enjoying a great deal of success at multiple theaters in North Carolina. For more information on the film and to view the trailer, visit the official site at www.malevolencemovie.com .