Ted Raimi Interview – Exclusive – How the Horror Icon’s Latest Failure! Is Poised for Success by Susan Leighton

Ted Raimi is a bona fide horror legend. A talented character actor who is comfortable playing everything from an unsightly female demon named Henrietta (in his brother Sam Raimi’s genre classic Evil Dead 2), to Ash Williams’ goofy sidekick, Chet Kaminski (Ash vs Evil Dead) to his recent turn as the sinister cop, Travis in Supermassive Games’ terrifying new production, The Quarry.

While he has been keeping busy during the pandemic, his last appearance on the silver screen was in Josh Becker’s western, Warpath in 2020. It was in that same year that the actor teamed up with acclaimed director, Alex Kahuam and Grammy nominated producer, Marco De Molina for the disturbing short film, Red Light starring opposite Brian Krause (Charmed). The duo portrayed a pair of demented siblings who terrorize an obnoxious millennial influencer and his friends.

Now, Raimi has reunited with his Red Light partners for an exciting full length feature venture entitled, Failure! Currently in post-production, the movie tells the distressing story of a conflicted man named James (Raimi) who has to make the most harrowing decision of his life. In addition to headlining the effort, the thespian is also producing the motion picture as well!

What makes Failure! different from mainstream Hollywood fare is the fact that the entire film is shot in a single take. According to Ted, “it is a stylishly photographed theatrical play with no intermissions.” In effect, audiences will be viewing James’ struggles in real time.  

At Crash Palace, we were fortunate enough to speak with Raimi prior to his trip to Cannes where he will be promoting his production with Kahuam and De Molina.

The Interview

Crash Palace: Your upcoming project, Failure is shot in one take which is something that modern movie going audiences are not used to seeing. Hitchcock did it with Rope in 1948 and your friend, Josh Becker followed suit in 1997 with Running Time. Did you experience any challenges during filming that you wouldn’t on a conventionally shot picture?

Ted Raimi: They are similar films in that they all use long-form takes to build suspense. That’s true. Hitchcock’s Rope, though, is quite different in that it has ten different shots in that movie; a minuscule number compared to hundreds of shots in a typical film.

Though they appear seamless they are there nonetheless. Failure! is only one single shot – no cuts – no tricks. You’re seeing what is essentially a three act, hour and half play with no intermissions. The audience, like a play, will be privy to all the live tension and possible mistakes and improvisations a play brings while also being immersed in some very stylish filmmaking from director Alex Kahuam.

CP: Without giving too much away, tell us what attracted you to the character of James?  

TR: He’s a man who is trying to keep his life together after his father dies. I lost my father recently and could relate to that quite well.  Also, there are countless movies about women who are trying to cope after the death of their mothers’ but not too many films that dealt with men and the mental strain that it takes on them after losing their father.

Also, the premise of the film is a thriller and not a straight-up horror movie.  It’s a very different type of part for me.

CP: You also produced this feature as well. Prior to Failure, your first foray into that world was with Alex Kahuam’s Red Light. Did you find it daunting wearing two hats since you are used to focusing solely on acting?

TR: It was quite challenging to produce this while I was starring in it.  The trick, though, is that one has to have excellent partners to go forward with. I had that. Most of the day-to-day production went to my co-producing partner Marco De Molina who is an incredibly experienced producer.  

Actors, directors and writers will often say they can do two jobs at once but it’s really nearly impossible while one is shooting as it takes immense concentration.

CP: Congratulations on being accepted into Cannes! Do you have any other festivals lined up for the film?

TR: Thank you.  Not yet as we’ve just wrapped a few days ago but we are very confident we’ll get it into a bunch of other festivals.

CP: Would you prefer a theatrical release for Failure or a streaming network?

TR: Theatrical. This film is the most stylish pictures I’ve ever worked on. Eventually, it will make it to streaming and VOD. Alex’s direction is geared for the big screen – not TV.  He imagines images to be presented 50 feet wide.

CP: Do you and your partners have a date in mind for when audiences will be able to see your production? 

TR: Not yet. We’ve still got some post to do but we’re looking forward to seeing it with a live audience.

Our thanks to Ted for giving us the exclusive scoop on Failure! For updates on his upcoming film, follow Ted on Twitter @tedraimi, Instagram and Facebook. 

 

 

Susan Leighton has written for many entertainment sites over the years. Currently, she is retired from journalism and enjoys hiking with her two dogs and taking pictures of her “backyard” in the Phoenix Mountain Preserves. 

 

Her musings on life & her photos can be seen on her WordPress site Pix & Words.