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Adam Green's “Hatchet,” releasing in theaters on Friday, Sept. 7, isn't a horror remake. It isn't opening itself up to the masses via a PG-13 rating, nor is it a sequel. For those reasons, the slasher flick's director is surprised the film is being released in theaters. It helps when the film features three old-school horror icons in Tony Todd (“Candyman”), Robert Englund (“Nightmare on Elm Street”) and Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder. In “Hatchet,” Hodder plays Victor Crowley, who torments a group of 20-something tourists in the Louisiana swamp. In a recent interview with 210SA, Green discussed “Hatchet's” potential to be the next “Saw” and why, at age 32, “E.T.” still makes him cry.

“Hatchet” seems like a throwback of sorts. Is it an ode to horror flicks past?
I just made the movie I wanted to see, and I didn't really pay any mind to what's conventional right now. I grew up on villains and monsters that all had mythologies behind them. Those movies were fun, but by the end of the '80s, it had been beaten to death. In the '90s, Kevin Williamson brought it back with his script for “Scream,” and it was cool that someone was trying to make a good story out of a slasher film. That sort of gave birth to the PG-13 horror flick, which sucked ..... When my agent sent out the scripts, one rejection said the writing was brilliant but it wouldn't get made because it's not a remake or a sequel or coming from a Japanese film. So we turned that into the f**king tagline for festivals. I blame the fans, though. Hollywood isn't making remakes because they like them. They're making them because people want to see them. Where were they for “Grindhouse” or “Slither”? They were in line for the remakes.

Can “Hatchet” become the next “Saw,” a low-budget flick that becomes a phenomenon?
It has potential because people are responding to Victor Crowley. I love “Saw,” and what I love about it is that it's so f**king smart. People called it torture porn, but there was no sex and almost no violence ..... I think Victor Crowley is the next bogeyman. All the kids out there know is torture, remakes and PG-13 films. They haven't had a Michael Myers, unless you wanna count (the “Halloween” remake), but I'm not sold on that one. I think Victor Crowley, it's so easy and simple. He was hit with a hatchet, now he's a ghost. It's so simple, like Slasher 101. I was 8 when I made it up, so that shows you how simple it is.

What was it like working with some of the famed horror icons?
I'd love to say I was totally cool around them, but I'm still nervous. I grew up loving those guys ..... Kane came to Boston when I was growing up, but both times I went, I didn't get up to the front of the line in time and didn't get to meet him. Now I'm sitting there having dinner with him. I was asking, “Is it cool if I bring Jason s**t and have him sign it?” and they were like, “No man, you can't do that. You gotta be cool.”

Favorite horror character of all time?
I'd have to go with Michael Myers, probably because I believe he's real, at least in the first (“Halloween”) ..... “Halloween” is perfect.

Do you want to see Rob Zombie's remake?
I'm interested because I like Rob Zombie, and I liked “The Devil's Rejects” ..... It's not been an easy road for him. He took the job that nobody would dare take. “Wanna remake ‘Halloween'?.” How do you do that?

Favorite horror film of all time?
“The Exorcist” and “Halloween.” “The Exorcist” was the only one that scared me to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about it. “Halloween” is like “A Christmas Story,” where they show it over and over and I can't stop watching it. ..... But my favorite film of all time is “E.T.”

That's not exactly a slasher flick.
But that's the one that made me want to make movies. I think I've seen it in theaters like 12 times. Now I see a new breed of kids watching ..... He turns white and gets sick, and those kids lose their s**t. Then he dies, and I can't even talk about it without tearing up. That's the most perfect movie of all time. When Elliott shuts the casket and the flower comes back to life, the kids are cheering, and I'm like, “Suckers, he's still going to go home, and you're going to cry your eyes out. You have no idea how bad it's about to get.” But that's my aspiration, to make a movie like “E.T.,” a movie that makes people feel something.

CLINT HALE | 210SA