Sam Raimi talks The Grudge and Spider Man 3 !

Paul Fischer: When you produce a film like The Grudge, does it remind you of where you came from as a filmmaker?

Raimi: Yes it brings it back to where I started, which is not a lot of money, just a desire to entertain and thrill the audience, freak them out, give them something new, give them a charge and only having the camera, actors and the crew and teams imaginations to pull it off.

P.F: Do you see yourself in some ways as a mentor to a young guy like Shimizu?

Raimi: No I don’t see myself as a mentor, but as a producer who loves great directors and great horror stories. I see myself in this case as someone who tries to protect the director’s vision.

P.F: What do you look for as a producer that you don’t look for as a director?

Raimi: Well in this context, it is kind of new to me to be a producer, but in this context of Ghost House Pictures, I am looking for something that will thrill the audience, titillate them, take them places they haven’t been. A little further in some direction maybe film makers have dared to go in the past but never have quite have gone to yet. As a producer I am looking at more for the thrills and the chills and the new experience for the audience. As a director I have got…it has got to connect to me if only on a character level, I have got to know who the person is, what they want, why they can’t get there so that I know how to direct it. If I don’t… I need to know who the character is so I can… I can’t even direct him if I don’t know…

P.F: Is that why you were attracted to Spider Man originally?

Raimi: Yes. Yes I loved comic books as a kid and.......

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Source: Moviehole