Okay, kiddies, set the wayback machine to June 29th, 2004. I have the pleasure of popping a DVD called Suburban Nightmare into the ol’ DVD player and brace myself for another indie crapfest. You know what I’m talking about, where the box looks groovy but the contents of the disk usually end up smelling like something still mildly alive eeked it’s way out of the dark recesses of your rotting digestive tract. Definitely not so in the case of Suburban Nightmare. Although I had more movies from Trent's arsenal to see before forming a more educated opinion, Suburban Nightmare is the film that made me a card carrying member of the Trent Haaga secret society, a society where each and every member has a firm grasp on the pleasures of witty, well performed dialog, “splatstick” horror movies, and most of all, a commanding prescence in and around any sort of septic system hijinks. Fecal matter fun aside, Trent is a witty, down-to-earth kind of guy who’s got a bright future. If this dude isn’t the next household name in horror, then maybe it’s time for the horror genre to hang it up. Keep your eyes open for his name as either writer, actor, or producer (hopefully director someday soon), it is my pleasure to present this interview of the one, the only, TRENT HAAGA!!!

Horrorwatch: Trent, you are an actor/producer/writer, and have done some pretty damn impressive stuff that I’ve seen. You’ve got my attention, and I want more. Give us the skinny on the projects you are currently working on? What can we expect from Trent Haaga in the near future?

Trent Haaga: Thanks for the kind comments, man. Right now I 've got two completed projects in the pipes - Chad Ferrin's The Ghouls, which still doesn't have a solid North American distributor (despite the fact that it's a multiple award-winning festival pic) and a killer giant scorpion movie called Deadly Stingers which Fox Home Video owns the rights to and have been sitting on for the last couple of years. I haven't done much acting as of late because I've been concentrating on writing and developing projects. I've written two vampire films - a movie and a sequel - that will be shot in North Carolina in early 2005. Another script I wrote, Dead Girl, is optioned and is currently being looked at by some Producers. It's going to be shot in Spring of 2005. I was one of the writers on a television show for MTV called Damage Control which is currently shooting and is supposed to air in Spring of 2005 as well. In the meantime, I've had some interest from a company looking to make larger budgeted horror flicks than I'm used to doing - from the $1 to $15 million range. Hopefully something will come of that soon!

HW: You look like Steve Buscemi, anybody ever tell you that? Just kidding, I don’t buy it; you guys may have some of the same mannerisms, but looks? Nope! Care to comment?

TH: I get told that I look like Buscemi all the time. And, to tell the truth, I can see why people think that. Hell, I'd rather be told I look like Buscemi than Vin Diesel any day!

HW: Let me just say that you obviously have a natural talent for acting. Especially given that so many independent films don’t seem to have stringent acting experience requirements. Any formal training? Or just doing what comes natural?

TH: I have to admit that I have had absolutely no acting training whatsoever. Never done a play, never took a class or a workshop or anything. I think that making movies is the best training for acting in movies and - as those who have worked with me or read my book know - I will do anything, sacrifice anything, to make the best possible product. If you ask me to cry on camera or to wear an adult diaper or to get naked and have a sex scene, I will give it my all to do the best that I can. Since I'm not worried about my "acting career," it frees me to do whatever I can to make the scene good. So I guess I am just doing what comes natural when it comes to acting.

HW: Terror Firmer was your first job in front of the camera correct?

TH: Yes, and aside from student productions it was my first time doing anything on a film set.

HW: On that note, in your first ever film appearance, your character Jerry gets to have a pretty rockin’ sex scene with Alyce LaTourelle, that had to have been interesting eh?

TH: Not only was it my first film, but that was the first scene I shot! I guess Lloyd's theory (and it's a good one) is that if I'm willing to walk around bare-ass in front of a billion crew members, actors, and strangers, then he could count on me to do whatever else needed to be done. Definitely a first day to remember, though.

HW: You cut your acting/writing/producing teeth on Troma flicks, and they took you through the paces and I assume treated you well. However, it had to be kind of nice to get away from “not-so-serious” horror and breakout into some deeper, darker subject matter like in Suburban Nightmare, and The Ghouls.

TH: Definitely, I love Troma and the whole "splatstick" aesthetic, but let's face it; it's a lot easier to make a movie that's bad on purpose. That way if your acting or effects aren't up to par then you can always say that you meant to do it that way. It's a hell of a lot harder to try and pull off something serious for little or no money. When you succeed at doing this, it's the most rewarding thing in the world. When you fail, it's painful and embarrassing for both the filmmaker AND the viewer. But ultimately I like doing the more serious films even though there's always a chance that you'll fail miserably.

HW: Your character Clift in The Ghouls, does a scene where he becomes epidermically challenged, and you did a GREAT freakin’ job with it! Where did you find the inspiration, or what did you draw from for that scene? I’d swear they really peeled your ass to get that kind of performance.

TH: Thanks, man. To tell the truth, we shot that entire sequence in about a half an hour. It took all day to get the makeup ready and to build the set and by the time we got around to actually rolling the camera, the people who owned the location told us we had to be out in a hour! I'm not one of those bitchy actor-types, but I think that the relatively uncomfortable conditions helped me out a lot. We were in a warehouse with no heat and I was slathered down in this slime and blood and started to get cold - so I was able to shiver and chatter my teeth convincingly. And full body work (especially when you've been in it for hours) can get bothersome after a while. And I got a rock stuck in my eye (because the blood is made from Karo syrup and every piece of dirt you roll in ends up stuck to you). Luckily I was able to use this stuff, because we really were rushed when we had to do that sequence. I, too, was impressed with how it turned out - the scene was long enough to make the viewer feel my pain but not so long as to become silly. Chad did a great job with it, as did Tim Muskatell.

HW: Suburban Nightmare sees you working again with Troma alumna Debbie Rochon, what was it like to work together again, especially being that Nightmare was much more serious than Troma’s productions?

TH: Debbie Rochon is perhaps one of the greatest human beings on the face of the planet. Not only that, she is immensely talented and (in my humble opinion) under-used in films. Unfortunately, Debbie wasn't present on the set of Suburban Nightmare. But I tried my damnedest to make her story become a reality. I hope she's happy with my work. I'd pretty much kill for the opportunity to work with her again, especially in a more serious film.

HW: You wrote the screenplay for the indie zombie flick Feeding the Masses, which I personally dug and reviewed for the site. How close did the movie come to the screenplay you wrote? How satisfied were you with the end result?

TH: I was quite surprised at how close the final film hewed to the script. There were a few minor changes - mostly for budgetary reasons - but overall it was VERY close to the actual script. I really liked the film. Sure, there were some budgetary issues that maybe limited the film a bit, but I was amazed at how Richard Griffin and crew were able to make such an epic-feeling film for so little money. And, although it had satirical moments, it was another one of those more serious films that could have failed miserably in less skilled hands. I'd love to work with Richard again (this was my second script for him - the first film, Rave to the Grave, is supposed to be finished in December) and I hope that we can get some more money this time!

HW: Writing, producing, or acting? I’ve read that you enjoy writing, and that producing is the most rewarding, but which is your true passion? Would you give up one for the other? I hope you don’t consider hanging up your actor’s hat, I think the horror community needs a Trent Haaga on the screen.

TH: I'll do anything for a movie if it's something I believe in - take out the garbage, clean toilets, write, act, produce . . . Obviously writing is the least physically stressful and I really like creating the blueprint by which the film will be made. I don't want to give up any of the hats I've worn, man. So, no, I wouldn't give up one for the other if I had a choice. If I HAD to choose, I'd take writing over all. Nobody even knows what a Producer does anyway. Man, I'd love to direct one day, though (but doesn't everybody say that?). As for the acting, I love to do it, but I'm not going to join SAG and go on auditions and send out my headshots to casting agents, etc. If the acting work comes, I'll take it and give it my best . . . but I'm not going to actively pursue it. So if anybody is reading this and wants a no-nonsense actor who can also double in various crew positions, email me!

HW: What are your thoughts on the current state of horror movies? (Hollywood, remakes of classics, indie)

TH: I wish that larger horror films would take more risks. They're still low budget compared to the action and historical epic films out there. Usually you don't even need a star. But they invariably feel like movies made by people who don't like to be scared or challenged and to be watched by people that don't want to be scared or challenged. But I will continue to watch damn near everything that gets released. I've got to admit, though, that I'm pretty much sick and tired of remakes and sequels.

HW: What are some of your favorite movies in the genre? What kinds of horror flicks do you gravitate toward?

TH: John Carpenter is my man, as is Alex De La Iglesia. Italian zombie flicks, slasher flicks, 70's sleaze . . . I like all kinds of stuff, but the films that creep me out are the ones that I gravitate toward. Session 9, the original Belgian version of The Vanishing, Irreversible, etc. I saw a screening of a twisted little flick called Chaos last summer, but don't know anything about it coming out. Gruesome. Half the audience walked out in disgust. Now THAT'S a movie!!

Thanks again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk. Please, PLEASE remember Horrorwatch if you ever need to whore any of your creations. I for one will be more than happy to watch and review anything that comes from your horrorcipital lobe.

Thanks for the interview, man! Great site . . . keep up the good work!