Following up the hugely successful PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, series creator Oren Peli released CHERNOBYL DIARIES a fictional horror set in Pripyat – an area evacuated following the Chernobyl disaster. We caught up with him and asked him about the film, and his newest project AREA 51 which he is very secretive about:
How did you come up with the idea for Chernobyl Diaries? Paranormal Activity is such a simple premise: single cameras, one house. Was it enjoyable to have a broader scope?
It happened almost accidentally – I was browsing the web one day and ran into a photo blog of someone who travelled to Pripyat, the abandoned city next to Chernobyl, and I was amazed by the photos and continued researching online. I found lots of photos and videos of people who went into Pripyat and I became fascinated by this unique location. It was sad, scary and haunting. I thought it would make a great setting for a scary movie.
Yes, it was fun and challenging to make a movie in a different environment. Whereas the Paranormal Activity films explore the fear of being unsafe in your own home, in Chernobyl Diaries you are in a remote, foreign location that’s been abandoned for decades, might still have dangerous radiation, and is unlike any other place on earth. Also… there might be something or someone still alive there…
This is Director Bradley Parker’s first feature. What made him stand out as the director you wanted for this film?
There were several reasons. Brad seemed extremely smart and totally got the story and the way we wanted to shoot it. He had great ideas and was also fascinated by Chernobyl. He had lots of experience as a commercial directory, VFX supervisor and 2nd unit director and we were confident in his talent and abilities. Also, we really liked him on a personal level and thought it would be a great and fun experience to make the movie with him.
With such a small group it is important to get the right selection of characters. How did you go about writing each part with the other writers?
We wanted to make sure that the characters feel real and are relatable. We constantly asked ourselves “What we do if we were in this situation?” There’s not always a correct answer, and people are human and can make mistakes, but it still needs to be motivated by something that’s real. Also important to notice that much of the dialog was improvised by the extremely talented actors – either in rehearsals or on the spot.
Did you feel a duty to the people of Chernobyl and Pripyat when making the film? Their situation was terrible and obviously you must have taken care not to offend any survivors.
It was never our intention to offend anyone or be insensitive. It never even occurred to us. It’s a fictional movie and we’re not trying to pretend it’s a documentary. It’s just a horror movie and no one should try to make any more of it. We did work with Nancy Spielberg’s ‘Chabad Children of Chernobyl’ charity and arranged a special early screening for them. Not only did they not find the movie offensive in any way, they were thankful that the movie might raise awareness and draw attention to the tragedy.
Your next project Area 51 seems to take a similar approach: people visiting a remote area and finding trouble. What can we expect from the movie?
Sorry, I never discuss details about other projects.
Having revolutionised the horror genre with Paranormal Activity, where do you see it going next?
Again, unfortunately, I never discuss possible/rumoured/current/future projects. You’ll have to wait and see!
Our review of CHERNOBYL DIARIES is available here, and we’ll keep you updated on AREA 51 as we receive news.
