We love horror movies. We've watched approximately 274 gazillion horror movies. It's possible with all this horror viewing that we've become a little jaded since it's extremely rare that a movie description catches our attention. Then we ran across this one...

Every Halloween at midnight, the devil simultaneously appears in two places. The high plains of India and a quiet cemetery in Kansas. It's now Nov. 2 and two federal marshalls report to the small town of Shin Bone, Kansas, moments after a tornado warning. They're there to transporta prisoner. One with no past and no identity. He is simply known as Sin-Jin Smyth.

We can hardly believe it...this isn't a sequel...it's not a remake...it's not based on 'the horrifyingly true story.' This one actually has that neat little element so ofter overlooked in horror filmmaking recently...an original damn thought. We thought we'd go look for whoever was behind this one and director/screenwriter Ethan Dettenmaier was gracious enough to have a chat.

REALLY SCARY: Your bio mentions scripting and TV direction work, is Sin-Jin Smyth your first foray in film directing?

ETHAN: Yes.

RS: You also wrote this as well? Realizing you can't give away too much, can you pass along the premise and what, if any, your inspiration was in writing it?

ETHAN: The premise follows two federal agents on a midnight prisoner transfer, over Halloween weekend, of a mysterious man with no identity…

And it is set against a Halloween legend that warns of a midnight appearance of the Devil in a quiet Kansas cemetery...It was inspired by some art and old photographs...

RS: Getting a movie made can be an incredibly arduous process and logistical challenge can you give us a bit of the background on how Sin-Jin Smyth came about?

ETHAN: SIN-JIN SMYTH was built out of a fire-fight! I scratched together a very rough, inferior draft back in 2004, the idea, I thought was solid but, the script itself was far from my best work (which most people inside the system would probably tell you my best work isn’t even horror) but I was getting a lot of attention based on some previous ‘horror’ scripts that I had written and in turn optioned, so I put SIN-JIN SMYTH together out of this mean---very dark---idea, thinking I would sell it. But once the idea started to get attention, my agent came back to me and said ‘They want the script but they don’t want to guarantee you a re-write in the contract’ and I though ‘What! I’m good enough to give you the idea but I can’t consult on how it develops?’ and following the film market as of late, most of it is inferior and I didn’t want an idea like SIN-JIN SMYTH being packaged with inferior talent and re-worked by inferior script doctors---not that all script doctors are inferior---but most specialize in taking dictation from a ‘creative’ exec who has no imagination and they do this so they can be considered ‘easy to work with’ and get the next big job!

When I work on an original piece, I put everything I have into it, everything! I don’t want to be excluded because I want to protect that work. I felt---on this script---it would be a bad decision to release it. So rather watch this idea get commercialized, I put the bullet in between my teeth and decided to make it myself and for those of us who know---not imagine---but know this business, that is a very dangerous decision! It takes financial fire-power which I did not have, it takes support which, at the time was very limited and it takes contacts of which, I had only a few. And also, once you tell someone ‘no’ in this town, they want you to fail, unlike me, I root for young filmmakers to keep their vision and make things work, even when the odds are unstoppable, I’m rooting for you, as any true artist would for their peers but, the Studio is run---primarily---by accountants and lawyers, not artists and when you tell them no, they want to watch you fail as punishment and I compensate for that by giving the film absolutely everything I got, everything! Then, when we close the film out---love it or hate---I can walk away with a smile because it was my best effort…

RS: Has shooting gotten underway - how long do you anticipate filming to take?

ETHAN: No, shooting starts next month and the current schedule had us mapped out at 22 days…

RS: I saw a mention of the swamp set you're using (used in Disney's Haunted Mansion). Where are you primarily shooting? Is it a lot of on location, or is the majority set shooting?

ETHAN: Most of the film is on location…there is some stage work but for the most part we’ll be out in the Wild West some place…

RS: It would seem potentially costly to be moving a B-52 wreck into a swamp. What sort of budget range are you working with?

ETHAN: The budgetary numbers are not what I’d like but, I maximize our resources. First, by not taking money for myself and second, as a unit, we avoid ‘Hollywood’ spending and plan every detail, constantly striving to invent. We also maximize our relationships meaning, we asked some top-flight professionals for a break in good faith and got it…

RS: Where did you come up with the name Sin-Jin Smyth?

ETHAN: I wanted a name that---to me---sounds wicked yet also had a common element in the last name, like this wicked individual is trying to fit in so he takes this common last name as if to cover up his wicked presence…

RS: Filming was pushed back wasn't it? At one point, were you under some pressure to use certain actors (we'll just kindly call them the WB kids). Can you tell us how that affected the movie and who you actually did cast?

ETHAN: Once I decided to retain the rights, we made a move to see what Studio and Production Outfits might cooperate with us and some were willing under certain production conditions, cast and script approval being two of the most common…and that kind of politics will always slow down production…that is unless…you’re a sell out! In which case, you’ll be up and running over night!

RS: You recently met with Jonathan Davis (Korn) about the film? How did that go and is there any news on that front?

ETHAN: That went very well! He, himself, as a person, landed the part. We had made it clear once casting had started on the picture (The Casting Director is Robi Reed-Humes, Malcolm X, Antwone Fisher) and we we’re looking at all our options, some people loved the script, some people were scared of the script, some agents wanted their clients to have a bigger part and started to get political. So we started working through our options when Lota (Hadley, The Producer) walks into my office and says ‘How ‘bout Jonathan Davis?’ We’d seen a DVD reel of his work and he can act but, some people on the Production Team, myself included had their reservations in regards to what kind of person he was? What was he into? Could he get to work on time? Is he angry? Is he gonna wreck the place? So we took a meeting, he was actually the third actor we met that day and we walked into the Studio dining room and he worked his voodoo, he was extremely pleasant, completely clean meaning no drugs and he didn’t drink and most importantly, he had a skill---that most actors lack---he could listen and he listened to everything I said from a script vision stand point. I went through the entire film over lunch even discussing character theories and motivational issues, everything and he would throw his ideas out and say, ‘Yes, I get it! Like this? Or like that? What ever you need!’ And on top of that, THE FIRM which represents him had a representative at the table, Jimmy Bryant who---if we’re not careful---will be running this town cause Jimmy was all about making the deal work and making the movie work, not creating road blocks and obstacles like most agents or managers would do, he was right there saying ‘Jonathan wants to do this! This film will work! Tell me what we can do?’ and when you get that kind of cooperation by the representatives, they become an ally and you want to make it work for them, you want to justify their confidence and you want to build a relationship through success. And when everyone was giving us trouble over salaries and budgets and the part we wanted them to play being too big or too small and such and such, Bryant walked in and said ‘We’ll worry about that later, if you, as a director, think this can work, we’ll back you up!’

RS: How did you get connected with Midnight Syndicate for the score? Are they producing the score in 7.1?

ETHAN: Through e-mail if you can believe that! I had heard the music---in a Halloween store of all places---not where you usually find composers---but I heard it, picked up some additional discs then looked into it. I originally contacted Ed through e-mail, told him I liked the work and would he be interested in possibly scoring a film? And that, just so you know, was a hard Studio sell, it was one of the breaking points in fact, once I said I want to experiment and try to use these artists, they were like ‘No, no, no, we want Hans Zimmer or John Williams’ and I said ‘Those are great composers but, what are we gonna make the movie with once we pay them?’ So I went back to Ed and made it clear, that this was gonna be a trench by trench operation, it won’t be easy but if you, as a composer, have something to prove then do it here, right now, with minimal resources and we’ll show ‘em!’ and Ed said ‘Damn right, we’ll show ‘em! Let’s get started!’

RS: It's very rare that a film creates a monster that truly sticks with an audience but Make-up & Monsters is a make-up FX team that did just that with the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers-

ETHAN: Don’t they do great work?

RS: Absolutey. What drew you to them for Sin-Jin Smyth and how extensive a part do they play in developing entities for your film?

ETHAN: Their work had a reputation all its own. What they had done and in a short amount of time was impressive and if you’re gonna work with this Production Outfit (Meaning SNAP KICK INC.) you better be ready to invent! We come to you---not to take our instructions---but to give us your ideas and put forward some designs and create! I don’t always know the answer to what I want something to look like, I have an idea but, as a film maker, I think it is best to bring in the best people I can find and say ‘get to work’ and they design and design and design and I say ‘No, no, no, wait, there’s something, what if we add this?’ Then they go back design and design and design and I say ‘Yes, no, what about this? Or that?’ And eventually they put their expertise to work and give you something amazing. I’m amazed at the ego some of these filmmakers run around with, like they’re the best, in all facets of filmmaking like they already know everything and don’t want to hear your ideas. Me, I’m different, I like to ask the question: ‘You’ve been doing this for over 20 years, what do you think?’ and then I can look forward to the result.

RS: Are there other teams involved in then film's special effects? Are you more a fan of old-school effects or computer-generated?

ETHAN: There are some special people on the film, Rob Howeth our Production Designer who just wrapped up Tobe Hooper’s Mortuary. Jonathan Zimmereman who has long history and also served as Hooper’s AD (Assistant Director)on Tool Box Murders and Mortuary. Denis Maloney who is one of the best Cinematographers in the business...and then several others who work their magic in a big way! I could spend several days talking about this crew of which---I’m only a small part—--it’s what THEY do that makes it special! And yes, I am old school with the effects…everything on Sin-jin Smyth is practical. I do not think that CGI has been perfected yet and therefore, I don’t like to use it as a crutch.

RS: Why did you decide to shoot a horror film?

ETHAN: The situation dictated itself. The way things developed around a story I liked, the fact that I liked Horror films to begin with---it just seemed to work.

RS: What were some of your favorite horror films growing up? Did those sorts of flicks influence your work today?

ETHAN: I like film, period. Not just horror, but film! In fact, before I answer your question, I just saw one of the best films in years, Oliver Hirschbiegel’s DOWNFALL, out of Germany---amazing! The story, the acting, the Production Design, Costumes, everything on the film was impressive---I know it’s probably not the hot topic over at ‘Really Scary’ but you should see it…

In regards to Horror film, I like the films that specialized in mood, when I was a kid, most horror films---and there are a few exceptions---but most were treated like a low-budget side show and the film makers behind them were givin’ almost no resources to make them work and I think, to some point, it shows. There was just enough money to get the actor on their mark and roll film but back in the golden age of Hollywood like when Universal started with their ‘Monster Movies’ they had a scope to them, Whale made Frankenstein with an environment and mood that was impressive for it’s day. The forests, the fogged in cemeteries, all of it had life. Those films did more than just kill somebody, those films put you in an environment…

RS: As a horror filmmaker, you're a horror fan - so you realize the rabidness of this group. There's no such thing as a generic horror flick, there's splatter, subtle, gore, quiet, slasher, psychological, demonic, and on and on. How would you classify your film to horror fans?

ETHAN: They are a special group without a doubt! But I can’t classify this film. I’ve forced myself out of the habit of doing that and I try to appreciate film on different levels because, most of them offer more than just one thing. In one of my favorites, Carpenter’s The Thing, You have the alien Monster, the gore and FX, the violence but, also the paranoia, the action element, the sci-fi element, I mean what is it? Now days I just watch a good film and smile. If a movie works, it works period. I don’t know what demographics the studio thinks it applies to! I mean a great film is just that, a great film and it should be a great film for all of us…

RS: What makes a movie scary to you?

ETHAN: The fear of the unknown mixed with mood, mixed with things I can identify as real…

Slasher movies have their place but the systematic process of ‘The kids go to camp, the killer works the camp over, people get killed in creative but---rarely efficient ways---then the monster is killed… but wait! No he isn’t ‘cause we’ve got the script for the next three sequels ready to go! To me, like I said, it has its place but, I don’t find it very scary. What scares me is the unknown, ‘What’s out there? What is it? Or worse, where is it? How come we can’t see it when it’s closing in on us???’

I’d rather see what the fans out there are writing then watch Hollywood retread the market, let’s get something new, something we haven’t seen yet. My hope and I have said this before, is, that somewhere out there, some kid is revolutionizing horror in a way we’ve never seen it before! Somewhere out there, someone is at work in their garage without the big paycheck, doing it out of love and that is the type of filmmaker who is unstoppable, that is the type of filmmaker we should respect…

RS: If all goes according to plan, which of course it never does, but when do you expect Sin-Jin Smyth to be complete? Are you planning for a possible festival premiere? Is it already sold or set up for distribution?

ETHAN: You’re smart! It almost never does go according to plan but, Sin-jin Smyth should be finished by Halloween and the plan now is to have a screening in a Kansas cemetery on June-6-06 (6-6-6) with the fans. I also want to screen it for all the internet contacts---who have played a part in making this film what it is---at a red carpet affair in Los Angeles complete with a big thank you bash! Then…then we give it to the public!

RS: Realizing your hands are full right now, but any plans for your next project?

ETHAN: I don’t like to get distracted from the task at hand. I have too simple a mentality to zero in on the production of SIN-JIN SMYTH while a contract is being worked out for another movie. I would be doing a disservice to this film at that point. There have been a lot of offers for different things even a TV show but, there will be plenty of time to talk about that later if I’m fortunate enough to have this film do well but, not now. Now it’s all about trying to make the best film possible…

I will say this though, on this film, there have been some people who have backed me up through thick and thin! Lota Hadley, Paul Gallo and a few others and I would never turn my back or even consider making a movie in the future without them! They have sacrificed everything to make this film and while everyone else waits to see what we can do, while they (Studio Execs, Agents, etc.) think that after some success---God willing---that they can step in and act like they’ve always believed even though they were nowhere to be found! If they want to walk into my office and try to buy my loyalty---they can forget it! These people (The Producers and crew of Sin-jin Smyth) backed me up with everything they had! These people are more than my partners---they’re my friends…

RS: Ethan, all the best with Sin-Jin Smyth - we're really looking forward to it and thanks for stopping in with Really Scary!

ETHAN: You’ll get the best I’ve got! Thank you Valarie for your time, it was good to talk to you.