A pleasant chat with Dutch director Richard Raaphorst. The interview focuses on. Frankenstein's Army, his brilliant Nazi-horror film that mixes science, war, and biomechanical monsters.
L: Hi Richard, tell us about yourself.
A: I am driven by an obscure inspiration. I graduated from fine arts school, started my career as a classical painter, became a storyboarder for commercials and films, and worked my way up to becoming a director.
L: What did you direct before Frankenstein's Army? When and what got you into the movie business?
A: I have directed some video clips, commercials and a couple of short films. I always want to reach as high as possible and my dream is to realize my fantasies: from painting, to real staging and maybe in the future to making whole worlds.
L: Worst Case Scenario received a nomination at the Golden Trailer Awards. Can you tell us about it?
A: It's a product of my passion and that of my collaborator Bart Oosterhoorn, and in any case none of us ever thought that Zombie Nazis would cause such a stir. By then we had already lost interest.
L: May I say that Frankenstein's Army was born from the ashes of Worst Case Scenario?
A: Certainly, although it is a completely new world with new characters and a new story.
L: Frankenstein's Army is your first feature film. Your work mixes themes such as the end of World War II, Nazis, mad doctors and biomechanical soldiers. How did you come up with this idea?
A: I could have chosen to focus on two different ideas. One of them was the story about World War II, and the other one was about Frankenstein. Then I thought of mixing them both into one idea and voila, there you go!
L: Man-machine hybrids or "zombots" are the most original creations ever made. Mosquito Man, Eva Zombot, Propeller-Head, Zompot, are just some of the biomechanical monsters that you yourself have designed. Can you tell us about them? What were you inspired by for your characters?
A: My source of inspiration is instinct, and I wanted the zombots to appear as giant toys. War toys so to speak. So ... I had the idea of turning Frankenstein's father into a toymaker and I used toys as inspiration. Giant action figures!
L: Who is your favorite Nazi-zombie?
A: My favorite is Zompot. He is the R2-D2 of hell.
L: The location of the mine is fantastic. Can you tell us something about this place?
A: The initial idea was that the story was to take place in an abandoned village, but then during the location search we came across the mine, a crazy place. We changed the script by placing the story in the new location. "Willy Wonka, eat your heart out!"
L: Why the "found footage"?
A: I wanted to create a kind of video game where the viewer becomes the protagonist of the story. My favorite part of the film is when there are no actors and we run through the corridors exploring them.
L: Is there a possibility of a sequel to Frankenstein's Army?
A: There is always the possibility of a sequel, prequel, spin off or rip off.
L: What is your next project?
A: My next project contains a lot of dark matter and antimatter. A kind of virus that turns people into antimatter.
L: Leave your own message to the world.
A: Drop the programs and let's do the unexpected!
L: Thank you for giving us this interview Richard!
