Eliot Rockett

One of the best horror movies in years was Ti West’s The House of the Devil. Capturing an authentic look and feel of the early 1980s, the film managed to build a sense of dread without little bloodshed or nudity. His other successful horror, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, was the sequel to Eli Roth’s splatter debut and took the gore to a whole new level. On both productions his cinematographer was Eliot Rockett, whose latest movie, The Inkeepers, sees him once again collaborate with West.

Eliot discusses his work with Ti West and the making of a modern horror classic, The House of the Devil…

Having previously worked on creature features such as Crocodile and Frankenfish, and the thrillers Nightstalker and Rampage with Chris Fisher, how did you come to first collaborate with director Ti West?

“I met Ti when he was looking for a DP to shoot Cabin Fever 2 – I had shot Liberty Kid for Glassy Eye Pics in New York shortly before and Larry Fesenden suggested me to Ti. Ti called me, we had a meeting at his house and he hired me.”

The House of the Devil is noted for capturing the look and feel of a late 1970s/early 1980s horror movie, such as The Amityville Horror or The Shining. What kind of research did you do in order to give the film an authentic retro feel and what instructions did Ti West give with regards to how he wanted the movie shot?

“Ti had a very specific desire to have the movie look a certain way – we spent a great deal of time looking mostly at old pictures and a few movies from that era and then we were very careful to keep the color palette and the lighting appropriate to the era. We were careful to make a movie that would feel like a relic from the era, not a movie that was paying homage to the era. A lot of movies these days that are period seem to not be able to restrain themselves from using techniques and/or looks that are more modern and consequently end up feeling like they are just paying lip service to the era that they are exploring. We were very careful not to let that happen.”

Were there any specific films that you drew influence from in both the look and mood of the picture and were you able to take inspiration from any of your earlier work?

“The Shining was an influence for sure, other than that I don’t really recall any specific movies. I don’t know if I would say that I was inspired by any of my past work, more that as you do these things you learn how to become more effective at getting what you want up on the screen.”

Were there extensive storyboards for you to work from and would you say that Ti West is a director who likes to improvise on set?

“Ti does shot lists not storyboards and he doesn’t improvise anything, he has a very detailed plan that he follows through, with usually with very little change or last minute revision.”

After working on such a restrained horror as The House of the Devil, you both collaborated together again on the splatter movie Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Did you enjoy shooting such an excessive picture and how did your methods change between the two movies?

“We actually made the Cabin Fever sequel first, even though it came out after The House of the Devil. The Cabin Fever experience was a lot of getting to know each other and developing a trusting working relationship. I think The House of the Devil is the result of that process and having a solid artistic relationship. The House of the Devil is really a Ti West movie, whereas Cabin Fever 2 is something that he doesn’t feel at all attached to. Cabin Fever 2 was a blast to do though, practically every day we would be in complete disbelief that we were actually shooting the things that we were shooting. We did some really kooky stuff in that movie…”

How do you approach shooting the sequel to a movie you were not involved in? How do you balance paying homage to the earlier film whilst also placing your own stamp on it?

“I watched the original, then I forgot all about it and tried the make the movie Ti wanted to make.”

Your latest project together is The Inkeepers. Having worked on three horror movies almost back-to-back, how have you both approached the material without repeating yourself?

The Innkeepers is a very different movie from the other two – lots of steadicam, shot on 2perf widescreen 35mm, and very much more of a character driven movie than the others. I think it is the next step, and a very big step up from where we have been so far. It will have the Ti West style and feel to it but it is a much more complex movie and a lot more sophisticated than the other two, it naturally lent itself to new and exciting creative challenges and solutions that weren’t’ so much present in the other two movies.”

What is it about working together that you enjoy so much?

“I think we just click, we seem to think a lot alike about a lot of things.”

Having already worked together several times before, do you have any projects lined up with Ti West for the foreseeable future?

“There are some things brewing…”

Which cinematographers or directors have made the greatest impression on you and have you considered turning to directing?

“There are so many great cinematographers and directors… things kind of ebb and flow for me – there was a time when I was really into old Film Noir, another time when I was totally into the New German Directors, another time when I went crazy for ’70s Hollywood. I guess over time I have decided I just like what I like when I like it and that a year later it might be something different. One thing is for sure – I don’t like a lot of movies, but the ones I do like I like a lot.

I like my current job too much to fuck it up by directing something.”