MAX WHITNEY OF DARK HOUSE OF WHITNEY
Posted on | November 16, 2008 |
Maximillian Whitney has always had a fascination with horror films. With the recent launch of his new company, Dark House of Whitney, Max, along with his father, have written several scripts within the past few years and have an upcoming script underway taking place in New York. After ditching a career in the jewelry business and making an attempt to concentrate full-heartedly on his first passion, Whitney has a new website which will seek to disclose and discuss urban legends that take place within the confines of New York City. Take a look below. By Yale Breslin.
Tell us a little bit about “Dark House of Whitney”. What compelled you to launch this company?
Well, DHW is a business partnership I formed with my father. He and I have written several horror scripts in the past couple of years, with another soon to be completed tale set here in New York. Two of the scripts are in PRE-PRE-Production and hopefully they’ll progress, economic recession willing. They’ve both attracted two Producers with very different tastes—one of the scripts is more poignant and creepy while the other is more violent and bloody. So, we formed DHW to deal with that.. Hopefully one day DHW will evolve into a real production house and even act, hopefully, in a charitable capacity, to be a resource and outlet for aspiring young horror and supernatural writers. It’s just incredibly hard to break into this industry as a writer, and it’s heartbreaking to think about all the great stories which are sitting out there and no one will look at them.
Where does the fascination with horror films stem from? What is it about horror films that you have always been attracted to?
We were raised by our Dad, sort of unconventionally. Instead of Disney movies and picture books before bed, it was horror films and Durant’s “History of Civilization”. Usually accompanied by Chinese food. So, I think we were kind of programmed to be not only curious intellectually about history, but also have this almost academic curiosity and fascination with bizarre and sometimes horrifying things.
There’s a famous quote by this British writer, G.K. Chestertonger, from the 1930s:
“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”
I think horror reminds us that we all have this innate potential to be great, to be Heroes, and that even as a teeny little kid, petrified in the dark, alone and helpless at night, we can find the strength and the courage to defy fear. And if you can defy fear, you can defy anything. Look at the original horror classics, like Dracula, they were made during the Great Depression, when people and starving and petrified. Clearly, people need to escape their lives and horror is one incredibly fun and stimulating way to do that. Adrenaline in a movie. It’s like nightmares you can’t wake up from, but you also don’t want to: exhilarating and terrifying and intoxicating all at the same time.
Also, who doesn’t like being scared? I know I do.
You are in the pre-stages of planning a website which will explore New York’s haunted places and people. What can we expect from the site?
Well, it’s shocking to me something like that doesn’t already exist. New York, with it’s diversity of cultures and beliefs and it’s density, has a real energy about it. Add to that this incredible atmosphere of creativity and aspiration and you can feel people’s hopes and dreams in a room, you can feel an almost magic potential. How many people, great people, have lived and dreamt and died here? New York is most certainly haunted and most certainly magical.
There’s a reason Times Square is called the crossroads of the world. Because it’s in New York. In ancient times “all roads lead to Rome.” Then in the middle ages all roads lead to Jerusalem. And now, without a doubt, it’s New York City. That kind of energy and faith in a place, it’s got to mean something on a higher level.
I would hope that the website would span the gamut from the urban legend about Alligators in sewers, to the witchcraft shops in the East Village and maybe some self-proclaimed witches there, to New York’s myriad hauntings like Sid Vicious in the elevator of the Chelsea Hotel, or the headless ghost of St. Paul’s Chapel. And also, littler things, that maybe you’ve noticed out of the corner of your eye: an ancient Roman palindrome scratched into a door of a subway station or shadowy figures that apparently paralyze people with fear and give them seizures. There’s a surprising amount of hypothetical explanation and literature on that stuff. It’s just, you know, too scary to research on your own.
From the jewelry-world to the realm of scriptwriting - what triggered the switch?
Realizing how scary people in fashion are! Just kidding. I’ve always been a writer. I remember filling legal pads with these elaborate stories about vampires who became dragons who became gods and so on, when I was teeeeeny. So, I think it was just a matter of time. And there are similarities between design and writing. They’re both tremendously technical. Screenwriting is definitely a craft. And jewelry design is a craft, without a doubt. The intoxication of being able to craft a world, an entire universe from nothing more than your imagination and a word processor or pen and paper—that’s as close as we get to magic. I don’t know how anyone resists that call.
Comments
24 Responses to “MAX WHITNEY OF DARK HOUSE OF WHITNEY”
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November 17th, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
this is a great interview!
November 17th, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
I love him.
November 17th, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
ugh. this person is so lame and pretentious. really???
November 17th, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
An example of why we should liquidate the rich’s’ assets.
November 17th, 2008 @ 10:18 pm
i dunno who he is but he kinda hottttttt
November 18th, 2008 @ 12:03 am
Nice interview, Mr. Whitney! I’m excited to see a Dark House of Whitney film…
November 18th, 2008 @ 7:12 am
?who is this ever so brilliantly magical and creative person¿ I can´t wait to see the movie(s). All of España will be waiting too, for we love blood, debauchery and the scary things in life.
November 18th, 2008 @ 10:14 am
Incredibly refreshing! How delightful to see a father/son writing team emerge from a city famous for creating loner, tortured types…
(Speaking of which, I suppose that chelsea martin and jim jakes might fall into this category. Really?… Were your comments necessary?)
November 18th, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Very interested to learn more. Charming and likeable person…Would love to get to know him.
November 18th, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
Dude, I am scared all right….of that perma-frown on your face.
November 18th, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
Great interview! What’s with the haters?Looking forward to the movies and the website. It’s about time someone delved further into the dark and magical side of NYC.
P.S. You’re hot!
November 18th, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
oh! this makes me so happy
November 18th, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
Rich, Jim? Are you joking? Look at this guy’s apartment and that ghetto rat on the floor next to him!
November 18th, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
Dear Chelsea:
Horror movies “pretentious”? “Lame”, maybe, but certainly not “pretentious”. Look the word up in the dictionary.
November 18th, 2008 @ 3:24 pm
What indeed is with all the haters?
since when does one have to be rich to be a writer? Clearly jim jakes saw max’s name and leaped to conclusions. presumptuous & hypocritical—I didn’t think seemingly self-proclaimed communists/socialists read websites about fashion, art and film. A moron & a hypocrite—I’m sure jim jakes is a really charming guy…bigots usually are. And anyone who tears down a stranger professing sincere, and I thought rather poignant, passion for something is obviously just miserable and bitter. Not to mention Chelsea’s gotta’ be the worst name. Ever.
Looking forward to your films, max, and the website. Don’t let haters get you down. They should be ashamed and embarrassed. it’s easy to toss insults from the safety of your computer.
November 19th, 2008 @ 2:08 am
ATTN: Chelsea Martin, jim Jakes (sic), and Jordan D.-
As a seemingly unrelated trio of commentators, you share an uncanny knack for coming across as a curmudgeonly, envious, and uninspired lot.
Why are you expending your energy to make personal insults about someone you don’t know who has merely shared his particular views on a non-offensive subject?
Given that Max Whitney didn’t espouse on any topic other than his own interest in finding outlets for his creative impulses and ideas, your comments seem unduly harsh. Perhaps you’d be better served by expending your energy to develop your own interests and pursue your own goals. Otherwise, you’re headed down the path of becoming nothing more than dull observers of dynamic people who make efforts and take chances.
I’ll presume you’re too young to catch this cultural reference, but you can look it up: Andy Rooney. He is an old, boring, insufferable windbag who’s made his living as an cultural commentator and alleged satirist by making petty, critical comments about people and ideas he doesn’t “get”. Well, you three sound a lot like him.
So quickly– before it’s too late–start checking to see if grey hair has already started to grow out of your ears and noses. Scary , indeed!
November 19th, 2008 @ 11:19 am
To those haters,
did your mamas teach you that if you’ve got nothing nice to say, then stay quiet? Or, are you just jealous that someone else is featured in a public article but not you?
If you have that much free time in your hands to write disrespectful comments on blogs to attack others, why dont you go read some books to educate yourselves better? how about some charity work? if those suggested activities are too holy for you… how about playing some video games (at least you have your mouths shut)?
learn from people that are trying to make the best use of their time/life (in this case, that will be Mr. Whitney) to enrich themselves instead of hurting others for no reason.
We are all here to celebrate creativity, respect individuality and appreciate differences. If you cant do that, please stay quiet.
Max, you have been doing an amazing job. Your talents and effort will lead you to an amazing future. Keep it up. We can only see great things happening to you.
November 20th, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Well, I like my name. Thank you very much!
November 25th, 2008 @ 9:41 am
I think The Dark House of Whitney sounds very spooky indeed! As a prominent, blood-thirsty demon, I know what it’s like to be cast into the spotlight, only to feel the cold gaze of the envious un-dead at my scaly back. Chin up, Max. Jealousy is the burden of the gifted. Oh, and Jordan D., just you wait…I’m going to show you what a perma-frown really looks like…
December 12th, 2008 @ 12:34 am
impuubmmocum [URL=http://www.854537.com/154325.html] f8qaaqs9cx4a6ev9 [/URL] i8t11fu5r2odi
February 28th, 2009 @ 8:36 am
Прикольно
Надо это использовать в корыстных целях. Просто обязательно!
March 1st, 2009 @ 1:54 am
Прикольно, а продолжение будет?
March 27th, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
best of to you luck max. i look forward to seeing your work produced.
March 28th, 2009 @ 9:03 am
Да, было бы смешно, если б к сожалению не было так грустно …