Interview: Lee Cronin on ’13 Steps to Hell’ and the New ‘Evil Dead’ Movie
‘The Hole in the Ground’, the feature-length directorial debut of Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin, made a huge splash when it debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, with critics praising the film for its tense, haunting atmosphere and its striking visuals. The film, which was picked up for distribution by A24, caught the eye of legendary horror filmmaker Sam Raimi, who recruited Cronin to direct a two-part episode of his Quibi horror anthology series, ’50 States of Fright’. Set in the state of Washington, Cronin’s installment of ’50 States of Fright’ tells the morbid and twisted tale of three siblings who make the trek to a graveyard in order to bury their beloved pet. Unbeknownst to them, a dark and mysterious force is awaiting their arrival in order to lure them into a place from which there is no return. Starring Rory Culkin (‘Scream 4’) and Lulu Wilson (‘Annabelle: Creation’), ’13 Steps to Hell’ is an enthralling, terrifying piece of folk horror filmmaking that will undoubtedly leave viewers on the edge of their seats. We had the opportunity to talk to Cronin about his experience working on the episode, the horrors of nature and his upcoming reboot of Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead’ franchise.
Film Updates: Can you walk us through how you came aboard this project?
Lee Cronin: I was already at the early stages of working with Sam [Raimi] on another project, [the ‘Evil Dead’ movie]. During that process, he was getting ’50 States of Fright’ off the ground and he asked me if I’d be interested in doing [an episode]. I was a bit hesitant at first, because I didn’t necessarily want to go back to short form [after making a feature film] but then I read this great script by Sarah Conradt-Kroehler and I kind of started to slowly get drawn in. I had some conversations and shared some ideas with her about what we could do with [the script] and it kind of came together from there. It was such an organic journey. We shot it almost a year ago so it’s nice to see it out there in the world.
Film Updates: Rory Culkin and Lulu Wilson do such a great job here. Can you tell us a bit about the casting process?
Lee Cronin: It was done very quickly. It all happened very fast. We had kinda shared some names and [sent them the script], and then once I landed on the ground in Vancouver [where we were about to film], we heard back from their teams. Both actors are people that I really admire and whose work I’ve seen. With Lulu, it was great working with someone that really understood the genre and those genre beats, and could really go on this journey with me. Rory was just kinda perfect to play – without giving any spoilers – what his role kind of is, to be able to play the two sides to that role perfectly. They were great to work with and really lovely people to engage with.
Film Updates: The framing device used in this episode was very fascinating. Rory was really able to establish a real sense of dread right from the start. Why did you decide to present the story in that way?
Lee Cronin: One of the things that ’50 States [of Fright]’ does – I don’t think it’s done every episode but starting out from the beginning, they always wanted there to be a storyteller to present each story, which I didn’t necessarily – my own storytelling didn’t vibe with that. But myself and the writers, we kind of came up with a way of using that [framing device] with the story being told in order to make it feel more personal. What it does with the story, why we stuck with it and how we made it work, Rory was really able to deliver on what that big idea behind it was.
Film Updates: I assume the process of making something in this format is very different than making a feature film. Did you face any difficulties while making ’13 Steps to Hell’?
Lee Cronin: It was definitely challenging trying to deliver the kind of vision that I had and the nuance, detail and the atmosphere that I wanted to capture [in such a tight schedule] but I had a great team to help me through it. But to be completely honest with you, no matter what I’m making, I think about in the biggest possible terms. I wasn’t thinking about it being on a mobile phone platform, I was trying to make the best story in the best way that I could. That’s all I thought about. You could make a movie that hits theaters and is on the biggest screen in the world but there’s still someone who will catch up with it a year later and watch it on their phone in a bright room so what I think is important, and what you have control of [as a filmmaker] is what you make and how you make it so that was where my focus was.
Film Updates: I couldn’t help but notice some similarities in how nature was portrayed in ’13 Steps to Hell’ compared to ‘The Hole in the Ground’. The woods came off like a sinister force in both, almost like a place that isn’t meant to be disturbed, and everyone who entered it was ultimately changed forever by that experience. Is that something that speaks to you?
Lee Cronin: I think so. I think growing up where I grew up, which was like a small seaside town in Ireland, it kind of has the beach and it has the forest and the fields and all those things that I think if you’ve got that mind that leans into the dark in terms of stories you want to tell, you tend to look to those places [to envision] what can happen there, while also still getting that little sense of the unknown. I also actually like them for the peace that they offer. They’re also great places for filming because they’re really peaceful environment to work in, except when someone trips up on a branch and ruins your shot! But I think there is always that sense of the unknown when you creep into a forest. I know for me, even when I’m looking for forest locations, I’m always looking for forests that seem like they could’ve been there forever, that don’t have uniform roads or any perfections in them. They’re just places where you know someone could’ve walked through in a long time ago. I think they offer great atmosphere as well
Film Updates: So you’re about to start working on the next ‘Evil Dead’ movie. Can you tell me how you ended up joining that project?
Lee Cronin: The joining of that project was after my film ‘The Hole in the Ground’ played at Sundance. A week or so afterwards, I was in Los Angeles. I had lunch with Sam and some of his development executives. We were talking and Sam [said] he was a fan of ‘The Hole in the Ground’, which was really touching because I’m a huge fan of all of Sam’s work. A natural conversation began from there. Sam told me that really liked my movie and how I made it, and the kind of craft that I used. He saw something in that that he felt would lend itself to the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise, even though ‘The Hole in the Ground’ is totally a different film to what an ‘Evil Dead’ movie would be or is or even what I’m trying to make. It’s a different type of horror, but he saw the same kind of vision behind it all, and we kind organically worked our way to where I found myself laying it all out to Sam, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell and them all really liking what I wanted to do and where I was looking to take the ‘Evil Dead’ story next.
Film Updates: Can you tell us what we can expect from the movie?
Lee Cronin: I can’t say a whole lot right now. What I can say about this film is – because I’m an ‘Evil Dead’ fan and have been since I was 8 years old – as much as I’m a fan, I’m also my own filmmaker with my own vision and my own voice and ideas. I absolutely am looking to deliver an ‘Evil Dead’ movie that will excite the fans and engage them and also bring new fans into the fold as well. I want to also engage people who maybe haven’t stepped into that world before. I’m trying to really make something that has really strong characters at the center of the horror that takes place. It’s going to be a real exciting, dreadfilled, terrifying rollercoaster.
Film Updates: Production is supposed to start soon, correct?
Lee Cornin: I hope so, yes. I do hope so. Because obviously we’re living in a slightly more challenging time [so it’s been difficult] in terms of putting everything together but we are moving in the right direction. I really hope we’ll be filming early in 2021.
’13 Steps to Hell’ is now airing on Quibi as part of the second season of ’50 States of Fright’.