When something has to get done, there are people who talk about getting it done, and there are people who get it done. Jack Hill gets that shit done. The venerable Mr. Hill had a hand in writing and directing over 20 movies from 1959 - 1982, and every one of them has a home here at Analog Medium. Anyone who isn't already familiar with his work will undoubtedly be familiar with his indelible mark on the blaxploitation genre. Jack Hill is responsible for making Pam Grier the iconic figure that she is today, having hand selected her to star in his films Coffy and Foxy Brown. The credits to his name go on-and-on. He directed Boris Karloff in some of his final acting roles. He pioneered the women-in-prison exploitation genre. His student film The Host was a major influence on the final act of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Not to mention the profound influence his work has had on Quentin Tarantino, Rob Zombie, and scores of other filmmakers. Basically, Jack Hill pwns all noobs. I recently had the chance to conduct an email interview with Mr. Hill. I already knew he is a man who likes to give back to his fans. Now I know that he is truly an insightful - and entertaining - person to chat with. Check it:
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You've led a damn interesting life. Has anyone ever tried to make a documentary on it?
Actually, yes and no. Elijah Drenner, a young documentary filmmaker, started making one, but then expanded it to cover the entire "exploitation" field. It should be ready to go out by the end of the year.
I am impressed with everything I've read about your spiritual transformation, and I understand you've come to limit your exposure to overtly violent imagery. Still, do you feel there is any artistic merit to exposing an audience to graphic imagery that might be shocking and disturbing? Well, you could criticize Shakespeare and his contemporaries, even the Greeks, on that score, so what can I say? "Artistic merit" is hard to define. Do the German expressionists, for example, have artistic merit? At my stage in life, I've had enough input of violent imagery and have decided that it has a negative effect on my psyche -- and I use that word only for lack of a better -- that retards my internal progress towards realization of the Truth.
Before becoming a director, you composed music. How has your musical background influenced your method of writing and directing? Pacing, which I believe is of utmost importance in any art form that exists in time as well as space. When to go fast, when to go slow, when to hesitate, pause, and when to hit with a cymbal crash. Within individual scenes and even speeches as well as the piece as a whole.
You have stated in past interviews that your all-time favorite movie is White Heat (1949) starring James Cagney. What is your favorite exploitation movie? (aside from your own, of course)To me, White Heat IS the ultimate exploitation film. So it's hard to categorize films in that way, other than the size of the budget. "Alien," for example, started out to be a Roger Corman movie, but the script got into the hands of people who realized what it could be with a big budget. And that method has been with us ever since.
How are modern exploitation films, and the people making them, different from what you were doing in the 60s and 70s? They have more money to spend. I can't say the same for the talent.
You're no stranger to problems with distribution, especially when it comes to your under-appreciated classic Cannibal Orgy (Spider Baby). How do you feel your films have been treated in the modern DVD / digital distribution markets?On the contrary, my Spider Baby is more appreciated today than I ever would have dreamed when it was made. It's now in DVD release on a HD transfer from the negative that I supervised personally, and has even played on Turner Classic Movies. Sales of the home video are increasing exponentially generation after generation, and it's one of the very few films that has 100% favorable reviews according to Rottentomatoes.com. I can't complain.
What is the latest news regarding Jeff Broadstreet's Spider Baby remake?
It's just now in a new draft which I'll be reading soon. Beyond that, I can't say.
What are you working on right now?A lot of stuff. Remakes of the four "Mexican" horror films that I did with Boris Karloff in 1968; a really fine romantic comedy; a couple of romantic suspense thrillers; and just starting on a sort of sophisticated suspense thriller story about the violinist Paganini.
You seem pretty internet savvy. How do you spend your time online?
Writing answers to interview questions.
Is there an official Jack Hill fan club? If so, where do we sign up? If not, would you give us permission to start one?Sure, if you want. But you might want to first check out:
[www.myspace.com] ...and...
[jackhillpresents.com] -----
All you loyal A.M. readers out there, stay tuned for a follow up post to that last question ;)
CHUD II - Bud the Chud is a completely worthless waste of time... so, why was I so entertained by it? Could it be that the sequel to CHUD somehow managed to slither into that space right between terrible and terribly good? I think so. The first 
