We interview Ritesh Gupta about directing the indie horror film The Red Mask and its meta commentary on the current state of Hollywood.
The entertainment industry, for better and worse, is replete with sequels, reboots, and remakes. Executives want to chase after that nostalgic cash-filled sheen, and very often give up and coming writers and directors the revamped stories to prove their monetary worth. However, more often than not it seems, audiences generally aren’t happy with these remakes, often directing their ire at the creatives who are generally just trying their best, especially if they’re not white men.
Indie horror The Red Mask, written by Samantha Gurash and Patrick Robert Young and directed by Ritesh Gupta, fictionalizes such a a reboot situation, where a studio commissions Allina (Helena Howard) to write a screenplay for the latest The Red Mask reboot. Joined by her girlfriend Deetz (Inanna Sarkis) in a cabin in the woods for a meta writing situation, Allina and Deetz soon find that getting this script done is the least of their worries…
We interviewed director Ritesh Gupta on the process of making the film, including in only one location over the course of a few weeks, what he thinks it says about the Hollywood landscape now, his own favorite horror films, and much more. You can find our conversation on YouTube below.
The Red Mask will be screening at Nashville Soho House on Oct 30 and Sin City Horror Fest on Nov 7.