Vintage audio interview featuring Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier discussing his 2009 horror film ANTICHRIST.
While combing my audio interview archives – which span well over a decade – I’ve unearthed scores of vintage clips of actors, directors, writers, composers and artists of every persuasion discussing their work. Some of these conversations were banked for various newspapers, RUE MORGUE magazine and/or FANGORIA magazine and many were simply conducted for my own interest and enjoyment.
Some of these interviews feature talent flashing back to films and media they made years prior.
Most of them are portraits of creators discussing their then-current projects.
So, I’ve opted to share select clips with you, dear SHOCK reader.
In 2009 I saw Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier’s gut-punch psycho-sexual horror film ANTICHRIST and was profoundly affected. I was always a von Trier fan, there’s no other filmmaker quite like him. And I always read his strange, experimental work as quasi-horror films, with their ventures into human darkness and their confrontational narratives, sexuality and violence. But ANTICHRIST, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe as a grieving couple fucking each other to death in the woods, was something far darker, far more unsettling and, very often, it was hard for me to even watch the picture.
I worship the movie. But it hit me so hard, I’m ultimately rather afraid of it.
Anyway, I was offered the chance to interview von Trier upon the film’s release; I had a 10 minute window and unfortunately no outlet to sell it to.
I was freelancing for various periodicals, including FANGORIA (I was not yet the editor) but this was a chat I could not turn down.
So I called the man at his Denmark home (I wish I had kept that phone number!) and asked him some questions about this shattering, controversial and wildly upsetting movie. If you haven’t seen ANTICHRIST, I highly suggest you do. It’s a landmark horror film. Just be prepared to have your senses battered…especially if you’re a member of the populace that happens to have a clitoris! You’ll never look at a pair of scissors the same way again.
Here then, is that audio recording.
I took it from a micro-cassette and tried to clean it up somewhat; the quality is sketchy, but its an interesting snapshot of the director at this point in time.
Enjoy…
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