Welcome to the Unfilmable.com interview with Azathoth (Evil Tape) director:

Luigi Seviroli


image © 2003 Luigi Seviroli

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Unfilmable.com: I would like to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview.

What inspired you to start making films? Is there a specific film or director that has influenced your work or decision to enter filmmaking most?

Luigi: The director that has influenced my work is B.Yuzna.

Unfilmable.com: What made you choose Lovecraft as the basis for your short film "Azathoth"?

Luigi: I've chosen HPL because I think he was the most important writer in horror literature, a master in delirium-atmosphere.

Unfilmable.com: When did you first discover Lovecraft? What was the first story you remember reading?

Luigi: When I was a child I discovered HPL and my first and favourite story was The Mask of Innsmouth.

Unfilmable.com: What projects have you worked on in the past?

Luigi: Azathoth was my first project.

Unfilmable.com: When working in film, do you prefer to work with people you have worked with previously (like Stuart Gordon's frequent teaming with Jeffrey Combs), or do you prefer working with different people?

Luigi: I prefer to work with different people.

Unfilmable.com: What are some of the technical details of "Azathoth" (budget, schedule, financing, locations, etc.)?

Luigi: I've totally financed the film and I've chosen the locations. In this case a abandoned house , in the past lived in by satanic groups.

Unfilmable.com: What do you prefer to watch, Independent cinema or "Hollywood" films? Are you familiar with any of the American made indie productions of Lovecraft's stories, such as "Cool Air", "Return to Innsmouth", and "Nyarlathotep"?

Luigi: I like all types of film but I'm not familiar with [the] American indie productions.

Unfilmable.com: What are some of the problems associated with working on Independent films?

Luigi: The first and only problem is the money.

Unfilmable.com: Aside from Lovecraft's incomplete tale "Azathoth", what were your inspirations for Azathoth (evil tape)? Christian Matzke noted (in his review of "Azathoth") that the film has similarities with Clive Barker's "Hellraiser". Where you inspired in any way by Clive Barker's work?

Luigi: Yes, that' s right! I was very inspired by Hellraiser, and I love the work of Mr. Barker.

Unfilmable.com: There's a great scene in Azathoth where a television displays footage of Disney's Scrooge McDuck battling a giant octopus (A reference to Lovecraft's "Cthulhu"). How did this inclusion come about?

Luigi: There's a reference to The Call of Chtulhu and I've included this because I'm a collectionist of Duck Tales.

Unfilmable.com: The special effects are extremely effective. How were they achieved on a low budget, and what inspired Azathoth's design?

Luigi: That has inspired the design was a dream I've made after, I think, to have eaten too much. It's true!

Unfilmable.com: How would fans of Mythos cinema be able to obtain Azathoth?

Luigi: I don't know, but in the future I think to a regular circulation with audio bonus and good packaging.

Unfilmable.com: Have your films made the festival circuit? If so, what festivals screened them?

Luigi: Yes, the Torino Film Festival in 1990.

Unfilmable.com: What is your favorite Lovecraft story, and do you think it would translate well to the film medium?

Luigi: My favourite HPL stories are The Mask of Innsmouth and The Lurking Fear. In the future I think it's possible to translate these one to a high budget film.

Unfilmable.com: When making a film what is more important, atmosphere or special effects? Why?

Luigi: It's more important the atmosphere, the effects are "optional". It very very difficult to create a really terror atmosphere, it needs no money.

Unfilmable.com: Do you have any projects that you hope to do in the future? What is your dream project?

Luigi: Now my only project (and my job) is to create sound scores for radio drama, but I have the chance to make a CD inspired to HPL opera, a massive and obscured music in 5.1.

Unfilmable.com: What is your favorite Lovecraft film, and which one do you think translates his work to the screen best (if they are different films)?

Luigi: I think it's so difficult to translate the HPL delirium!

There's no film that is successful to reproduce the torbid atmosphere of HPL.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~