Wes Craven has long been considered the godfather of horror films. His films include such horror classics as The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Scream trilogy, and the original The Hills Have Eyes. His newest film, the recently released The Hills Have Eyes II, marks the first time he has ever collaborated on a script with his son, Jonathan Craven. The two of them sat down for a phone interview with the Daily Collegian to discuss horror movies, Halloween costumes and a very interesting idea for Wes's next project.

Q. What was it like working on the script together for The Hills Have Eyes II?

A. Jonathan: It was great. We didn't have a lot of time so we just attacked it relentlessly. I've worked with writing partners before, but weirdly I've never had a smoother writing process. We both had ideas that we loved and felt strongly about. But there's this kind of weird humor in discussing these upsetting and horrible ideas with your father.

Wes: Yeah, it's like, "Oh, that's gross and disgusting... write that down!"

Q. This movie deals with characters who are in the National Guard, and the movie takes place on a military zone. Are there any connections between this movie and the nation's current state of affairs?

A. Wes: No, not really. We were talking about ideas with the studios and we just found the idea of the National Guard intriguing. I don't think any of us wanted to make a movie that was political or to say, "This is right, or this is wrong."

Jonathan: A lot of it came organically since the first movie takes place on a military zone. It just seems obvious that the military would be there, and once we started pounding it out, it just worked. We didn't set out to make anything resembling the front pages, but there are parallels.

Q. Would fans of your old movies like this one?

A. Jonathan: I think that this would appeal to those fans, absolutely. Scream was a post-modern horror movie, but this is sort of post-post modern. It's back to a more sincere form of horror movie... more direct and brutal. But anybody who has an interest in horror and dark humor will enjoy this.

Q. Jonathan, growing up the child of a horror movie icon, did you have any fantastic Halloween costumes?

A. Jonathan: Well for one Halloween I had actually just had my bowels removed so I wrapped them around my head... I'm kidding. I had some great costumes, but I'm not really a Halloween guy. We'd celebrate in our little dungeon but we didn't really leave the house. (Laughs) We don't really trust outsiders.

Q. What are your favorite horror movies?

A. Wes: I'll say three: The Exorcist, the original Alien. And The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great example of a movie that was made for very little money and had a great energy. As for recent films, I was a really big fan of Hostel.
Jonathan: The Hills Have Eyes, baby!

Q. What are your thoughts on the horror movies that have been released lately?

A. Wes: Well luckily they've gotten past the PG-13 remake of great Japanese horror movies. Everybody wanted to play it safe, and everybody was terrified of offending anybody. I think we're back to hard-hitting, bare-knuckled horror films, and that is the result of a situation where society as movie goers wanted to get back to the nitty-gritty. I think this started with Saw, just in-your-face type of horror that's just so real and up-front.

Q. Are there any general guidelines that make for a good horror movie?

A. Wes: I guess the basic questions I always ask myself are, "Would I want to see it?" and "Have I ever seen anything like it?" If I'd go out of my way to see it and it seems original, that's when I'm interested in pursuing it.

Q. Finally, what's one project that you're dying to do?

A. Wes: The Donald Trump story. You can give him some kind of weapon, but mostly he just kills people with his hair.