Since he’s known for grisly horror, filmmaker Eli Roth making an animated show comes with certain expectations for hardcore visuals–even if it’s aimed at kids. With Fright Krewe, his latest creative project before the very adult Thanksgiving later this fall, Roth returns to a realm he first explored in 2018’s The House With the Clock in Its Walls. Spoilers for the Week: June 3rd
io9 that he was inspired to explore this more gentle subgenre by his love of supernatural animations from when he was a child. I love scary kids shows. The idea for Fright Krewewas first hatched by Roth and collaborator James Frye in 2015. James Frye is a dear friend and a writer, we sat down and said, ‘We need to do something for our kids.’ We want to create a show like Scooby-Doo where it’s kids
solving supernatural mysteries. We wanted to create a mythology where kids solve supernatural mysteries and face monsters.”He went on. “Monsters can be a good metaphor for something we are afraid of or do not like about ourselves. There are so many values you can use to Trojan Horse in a scary kids show, such as bravery, friendship, and overcoming fears. It was our original idea to have it set in New Orleans because it is visually stunning, has a rich history and is the most haunted place in America. And also to really portray v oodoo in a way I had never seen done before.”Roth knew his name came with some bandwidth to push limits within reason for a family horror show, and it goes back to stories for children always being scary. “I know kids can handle it. He said that Grimms Fairy Tales
are still popular after hundreds of years. They are able to handle these ideas. We underestimate their intelligence and strength. We don’t need to protect them from scary images, you know, we can help them deal with them in a healthy and fun way.” What’s more, his reputation in horror came in handy for inspiring his showrunners. “What I love about Joanna and Kristine
is that outside, they’re so sweet and so light. You think, “Oh! They’re perfect to write a kid’s animated show.” But then you get the scripts and the gore is insane. It’s amazing that they are able balance the horror with humor and heart. This is important for children, as you need to make them laugh after a scary scene. They’re like “Well, we’ve got Eli.” No one will ever think we thought of that. It doesn’t matter what they do, they will be able to let out their emotions in a safe manner. What I like about them is their desire to push gore as hard as they can. DreamWorks is no different. It’s a name that I believe makes everyone feel a bit more relaxed. Want more io9 News? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel,
Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the [Lewis]DC Universe on film and TV[Songco], and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.