Cinema Scholars interviews Jason Eisener, director of the new horror/sci-fi film Kids vs. Aliens ahead of the film’s world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2022. RLJE Films will release Kids vs. Aliens in Theaters, On Demand, and Digital in early 2023 with a Shudder release to follow.
Introduction
There’s something uniquely captivating about stories of children in peril. From The Goonies (1985) to hardcore horror films like the It franchise, seeing kids fight against the odds creates a heightened sense of thrill and terror that exceeds similar fare with adult counterparts. Is this because children represent our innate innocence and vulnerability? Or maybe the naturally precocious nature of kiddos nicely counters the seriousness of a dire situation? Whatever the reasons, films about unsupervised children running amok in dangerous predicaments have long been a popular staple of cinema. Even when the intended audience may or may not be over 18. In Jason Eisener’s new film Kids Vs Aliens, the director aims his no-holds-barred filmmaking approach to this much-beloved sub-genre with a hardcore and heartfelt tale.
Gary and Samantha are close-knit siblings. Though Samantha is a few years older, she still enjoys joining her brother in their hobby of making homespun monster movies with a professional wrestling twist. Like big sisters are wont to do, Samantha is charmed by the high school bad boy and soon starts to ditch her bro and his buds for more mature exploits. In no time, however, that family drama becomes moot as an extraterrestrial threat throws everyone into a tailspin. Now, instead of dealing with the usual rites of adolescent passage, the crew is tasked with saving themselves and the world from certain alien doom.
Kids Vs Aliens is as straightforward as its title. Eisener quickly, but effectively, races through character development and any pertinent backstory to get to the good stuff. The typical wise-cracking kid trope is strong as is the familiar full-bodysuit-clad style of aggressive extraterrestrials. Think early Peter Jackson a la Bad Tastewith a satisfying blend of terror, gore, and kinetic camp. In perhaps the most surprising twist, some of the more serious moments of the film shine thanks to some truly tear-jerking performances by the young cast. Though brief, these interludes help balance a movie that otherwise sticks to the formula. In a good way.
Cinema Scholars caught up with Jason Eisener at Fantastic Fest to talk about the director’s return to the festival with his sci-fi/comedy Kids Vs. Aliens. Here’s part one of the interview.
[L – R] Ben Tector as Miles, Asher Grayson Percival as Jack, Phoebe Rex as Samantha, and Dominic Mariche as Gary in the horror/sci-fi film, “KIDS VS. ALIENS,” an RLJE Films and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.
Interview
Rebecca Elliott:
Hi Jason! Thank you so much for meeting with me to talk about Kids vs. Aliens. This isn’t your first Fantastic Fest to have a film screening at, right?
Jason Eisener:
Nope.
Rebecca Elliott:
So how does it feel to be back in the mix?
Jason Eisener:
Great.
Rebecca Elliott:
Tell me about it.
Jason Eisener:
Well, the first time I came here for Fantastic Fest was 2008 I think or 2009 with my short film Treevenge. That was a huge inspirational experience for me. Austin has kind of been a second home for me. My career kind of started off here with a…I made this trailer for a contest done by South by Southwest and Robert Rodriguez for Grindhouse, which was a trailer I made called Hobo With A Shotgun. And it won their contest.
That to me was the first time I made something that got played out of my own hometown. And I came here, it was one of my first times leaving home in 2007. Then meeting the community here and back then it was the very first Alamo Drafthouse.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yep, the original down on Fourth and Colorado. I’m an Austinite.
Jason Eisener:
Yeah, it was so cool.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yes, I remember following you and the whole Hobo thing.
Jason Eisener:
Oh wow, hell yeah! When we made the trailer for Hobo, they made the actual film prints of it in Canada, because they attached it to Grindhouse. So I sent the film trailer, like the film print, and a t-shirt to the Alamo. Because I was a kid, I was growing up, and I’ve heard about them so much. I was such a fan of reading about it and I just thought maybe they will like it…I had four of them and I was like, I bet they would maybe preserve it.
Then when I got to Austin and I walked into a hotel, I saw [Alamo Drafthouse owner] Tim League walk in with two film cans. He was wearing the Hobo With A Shotgun shirt I sent and I was like, “Hey man.” And he introduced himself and then yeah, we’ve been friends ever since.
Rebecca Elliott:
The rest is history. So it’s like a homecoming, coming back to Fantastic Fest?
Jason Eisener:
Yeah, it really is. And then when I made Hobo With A Shotgun, the feature, the Alamo Drafthouse made an arcade game that they put downstairs. This is unbelievable. So yeah, I would do anything for this community.
A still from horror/sci-fi film, “KIDS VS. ALIENS,” an RLJE Films and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.
Rebecca Elliott:
We’re glad you’re back. Definitely. I’m fascinated by the whole children in peril trope in storytelling and cinema, specifically. Why do you feel compelled to tell a story with kids and what are some of your inspirations, either cinematic or real life?
Jason Eisener:
Yeah. Well, a lot of it is based on my own childhood and there’re little scenes in the film that are right from my childhood.
Rebecca Elliott:
Oh really?
Jason Eisener:
Oh yeah. And…
Rebecca Elliott:
Body slamming your sister and torturing your friends?
Jason Eisener:
Yeah, she and my little brother threw all kinds of wrestling moves and tried to get them in my movies. Even the moment where the kids break in on her making out with her boyfriend, that’s like… I have that on film or I did something similar to my sister. But yeah, I guess I’m always protecting the inner kid in me too, and always trying to avoid adulthood. All my inspirations and a lot of my art come from the stuff that I grew up loving. And I still love all the things I grew up with.
And I want to contribute to that as well too, by creating my own universe. Could be something that kids could get into just like I did with She-Ra or He-Man or anything like that. But for me, kids are…I guess I find…their perspective on things so interesting and they always have the best ideas and their imagination can be so inspiring. Also seeing those characters go through real-life adult scenarios… Seeing, as you said, kids in peril, I’m intrigued by that too, because… I don’t know. I’m really interested in seeing kids navigate those sorts of situations using their imagination.
Rebecca Elliott:
They sort of represent that innocence and vulnerability in us, but they encapsulate it as well. Plus they’re precocious af.
Jason Eisener:
Yeah, totally. And I just remember being that age and seeing spooky things or something, it was just…[tries to find the words]
Rebecca Elliott:
So much more intense, yeah. Because it’s the first time for everything. Also, as the mother of a 12-year-old boy, you nailed it with the dialogue and everything.
Jason Eisener:
Oh wow!
Rebecca Elliott:
Yeah, if anyone tries to tell you that 12-year-olds don’t talk like that, they’re wrong.
Jason Eisener:
I know right? That’s the feeling too I wanted, was that kind of lawlessness. I remember being that age and there were no adults around and you’re experimenting with swearing…
[L – R] Asher Grayson Percival as Jack, Dominic Mariche as Gary, and Ben Tector as Miles in the horror/sci-fi film, “KIDS VS. ALIENS,” an RLJE Films and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.
Rebecca Elliott:
It’s true! That’s how it happens. Speaking of these kids, I mean we have to talk about the casting obviously. Was it hard to find these perfect kids? They nailed the precociousness like I was saying. But also, oh my God, the heartfelt performances are seriously tear-jerking. Can you talk about finding these phenomenally talented children?
Jason Eisener:
Well a lot of them are from Nova Scotia where I’m from. Everyone’s from Nova Scotia, except for the kid who plays Gary, Dominic [Mariche], and the kid who plays Jack, Asher [Grayson]. Those two actors were from Vancouver, but I did a whole Canadian-wide search with casting agents, calling up every kid actor they could find. I looked at so many tapes and I was so lucky to find the talent back home.
A lot of people who worked on my movie, they worked on my first feature film 10 years ago and they’ve been working in the film industry. And so a lot of people had worked with some of these kids that are in my film on little things, background performers or whatnot.
Rebecca Elliott:
Right, so there were some connections there. Like, work with this kid, he’s good. Because it’s got to be tough to work with kids- I mean, that’s one of the no-nos in filmmaking, right? Working with kids. Was it difficult to get the film made with a cast of children?
Jason Eisener:
No, not really. The only difficult part is just having to deal with them having to get homeschooled while you’re in production. So you only get so many hours with them.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yes, the literal logistics of it.
Jason Eisener:
Yeah, so if I was shooting a scene and there were two kids here or whatever, and I’m just shooting this way for a moment, they were like, “Okay, can we take this kid to go get tutored for 15, half an hour?” I would often have to… the AD would come to me and it would be like, “Okay, we have to bank so many hours of homeschooling for actors, how do you want to block things out?” I’d have to figure out, okay, I need this kid to feed off this kid, even if he’s not on screen, it’s just important for that kid to be there.
Rebecca Elliott:
As a result, you really have to really be strategic about your shot list and how you set everything up time-wise too.
Jason Eisener:
Totally yeah.
Rebecca Elliott:
Oh my God. I bet that gets really complicated!
Jason Eisener:
That was the hardest part of it. But working with the kids was great.
Conclusion
That wraps up part one of the interview with director Jason Eisener. Kids vs. Aliens will screen again at Fantastic Fest on Thursday, September 28. Stay tuned for part two of the interview in early 2023 when RLJE Films releases the film in Theaters, On Demand, and Digital.
![[L - R] Ben Tector as Miles, Asher Grayson Percival as Jack , Phoebe Rex as Samantha, and Dominic Mariche as Gary in the horror/sci-fi film, KIDS VS. ALIENS, an RLJE Films and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.](https://i0.wp.com/cinemascholars.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/KidsVsAliens1.jpeg?resize=690%2C388&ssl=1)
![[L - R] Asher Gray son Percival as Jack, Dominic Mariche as Gary, and Ben Tector as Miles in the horror/sci-fi film, KIDS VS. ALIENS, an RLJE Films and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.](https://i0.wp.com/cinemascholars.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/KidsVsAliens5.jpeg?resize=690%2C388&ssl=1)
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