Screamboat’s Director Breaks Down the Ins and Outs of Public Domain Horror

Winnie the Pooh. Popeye. Steamboat Willie. These days, it seems the instant a recognizable character becomes public domain, someone immediately turns them into a horror movie. Why is that, and what is it like behind the scenes?

To get those answers, io9 spoke with Steven LaMorte. He’s the co-writer and director of Screamboat, a Steamboat Willie slasher film that’s in theaters April 2. As we covered in the first half of our interview, it’s a film that might be a love letter to Disney, but that doesn’t come without some guardrails. In order to avoid being sued, films like Screamboat have to adhere to some simple but important guidelines, which makes for a very interesting exercise in storytelling.

As this is LaMorte’s second public domain horror film—he did a Grinch-themed film called The Mean One in 2022—we spoke to him about all that and more. You can see the line between legal and “Disney lawyers being very mad” in full effect when you watch Screamboat April 2. Check out the interview below.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Germain Lussier, io9: So having made a movie about the Grinch, you were kind of familiar with public domain films. When did you hear that Steamboat Willie was coming up, and how did it come about that you got involved with it?

Steven LaMorte: So after the sort of viral sensation that was The Mean One, we knew we had to do a follow-up. I don’t know what it was going to be, but we knew we were going to do something. And I was really struggling to figure out what that project was going to be. My wife said, “Well, don’t worry about characters or IP or any of that stuff. What’s a story you’ve always wanted to tell?” And I said, “Well, I’ve always wanted to make either a slasher or a murder mystery or some kind of big adventure story that’s a little scary on the Staten Island Ferry.” So I said, “Let’s dust that concept off and see if there’s something there.”

I’m from New York City. I’ve ridden the Staten Island Ferry thousands of times, going back and forth at all hours of the night, commuting to college where I went to film school. And so I did a little research and I said, “Well, which characters are coming into the public domain that might fit with that?” And then it became clear that Steamboat Willie was next up. So there’s no way they’re going to let him go into the public domain. But let’s take this idea, we’ll sit it on the shelf, let it marinate and see what happens. And then as we got closer, it became more and more clear that the killer really could be Steamboat Willie. And doing my ferry history research, the Staten Island Ferry was once powered by steam. It’s like a perfect mix. And you set it with the backdrop of the greatest city in the world, New York City. Like what could be better?

io9: Yes, exactly. That’s great. So you have this idea, it comes together, but with something like a Disney IP such as Steamboat Willie, clearly you’re not the only one who sees that and notices it. And we know there’s at least one other movie like this. At that point, does it become a race? Do you follow those other movies and does it matter if you are first? I’m curious if that’s a consideration when you’re looking for financing and all that kind of stuff.

LaMorte: I don’t know if it’s a race per se. I think it’s a race if you’re trying to grab clicks or headlines or just grab attention, for sure. I mean, our goal when we set out to make this movie was to make something fun and entertaining. Something that really honored the character and did it justice. Because we didn’t want to do a Steamboat Willie-inspired film that loosely follows the design. We wanted to do something that was a creature feature where he was mischievous, where he was small, and so we knew that was going to take time to really do and to execute correctly. Not only from the standpoint of we wanted to wait until he was fully in the public domain before we started shooting, but also knowing that the effects take time, shooting the gore gags the way that we do takes time.

I mean, if you’ve ever seen a Terrifier movie, they’ll spend a whole week on a kill just to get it right. And knowing that it was important to us that we didn’t just execute, but executed it at a level that did the IP justice, that would really be a fun theatrical experience, meant it was going to take a little bit of time. So it wasn’t critical to us that it came out first. What mattered was that we did it right and that we were really proud of the film we made.

io9: So what is the line? Is there anything you can’t do legally? And how closely, and at what steps, are the lawyers involved with the process? Also is there something you tried to do but maybe couldn’t?

LaMorte: Well, I mean, I don’t want to go into anything that we couldn’t do. Because some of it will surprise you. And if we spend more money on legal, maybe we can do it in the future. So I won’t go into that. But, there are definitely certain guidelines we were given up front as far as “What is the difference between Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse?” “What will be in the public domain by the time the movie comes out versus what went into the public domain in 2024?” That’s relevant. And then really just looking at it and making sure that we’re following the letter of the law. That we’re not violating the trademark or trying to create confusion in the marketplace.

We don’t want kids to see the movie. We don’t want people to think this is Mickey Mouse. We don’t want people to think this is officially sanctioned by any big corporation. So a lot of it is just staying hyper-focused on what is cleared and then staying away from the rest. Anything else that sort of tows the line is more: “Is it a loving homage? Did we change it slightly? Is it parody?” And that’s where… a woman named Cindy in a blue dress, no one can own that, right?

io9: [Laughs] Right.

LaMorte: It’s a lot of things like that. And it actually became really easy to follow once we dialed in the idea that Disney as a concept does not exist in the world of the movie. So at that point, it allows you to introduce homages because no one has ever heard of this character or this movie or this reference. And then, if you’re on the inside and you’re watching something, out of context, the reference might not make sense. But in the context of this world, we’re like, “Ah, yes, Disney does not exist.” Therefore, everything is fair game.

io9: Oh, cool. So, you have legal looking at this at every step just to make sure, but there were strong guidelines that were the foundation.

LaMorte: That’s right. Yes. And it was important, especially after The Mean One, a lot of people said The Mean One couldn’t be done. I’d been pitching that movie for 10 years. And when the time came to do this one, it was the same thing where industry professionals and plenty of qualified individuals are like, “Don’t do that. You should not do that.” But I didn’t get anywhere in life by playing it safe, right? So, we said, “What would it take to figure out exactly how this is going to work and how we can do it right and do it justice?” And we’re willing to put that work in. And ultimately, it forced us to stick to the source material, which went with our goal of honoring the character anyway. So the guidelines didn’t end up being a limitation as much as a reminder to stick to the script.

io9: Gotcha. Now, this might be an obvious one, but I’m still curious what your perspective is. When a character like this comes into the public domain, why is the instinct immediately to do a gory slasher horror movie? Is it just because it is so 180 degrees from what we know? Tell me a little bit about like why you think that is what we’re seeing so much of it today.

LaMorte: Well, I think there are a lot of reasons why independent producers gravitate towards these reimaginings of these characters. You could say, from a business standpoint, there’s always money to be made in horror, right? And if you’re an independent film, you could make two guys in the woods get attacked by a snake monster, or you could do two guys in the woods get attacked by something people have heard of. That’s brand recognition, right? Many people say they want original stories but when they know a character, it creates a curiosity factor. It helps the independent film stand out because we don’t have the marketing budget to teach you who Mike Jones, the adventurer, is. But if it’s “Indiana Jones,” chances are someone’s heard of that person, and maybe it helps sell your movie.

But from my standpoint, where I’m coming from, Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, the Mean One, characters like that, we have this nostalgia for. We have this connection. This early love. But there’s not a lot of Steamboat Willie content out there that’s geared towards an older audience. And I’m not watching cartoons anymore… I think there really is this thing that I love now, which is horror movies and scary, thrilling, surprising, maybe sometimes a little shocking, maybe a little risqué, where now I can take this new way of connecting with a character that I love and a genre that I love, and you put them together and now, “Oh, I’m a Steamboat Willie fan again.” The nostalgia has reawakened in me.

And I don’t think there are any adults that see Mickey Mouse or Steamboat Willie at a theme park who don’t want to give him a hug. And I have to tell you, the first time David Howard Thornton came out in the suit—he’s got claws, he’s got teeth, he’s covered in blood, he’s like six foot four with the hat and giant ears. And he’s like, “All right, what do you want me to do first?” I’m like, “You’re gonna give me a hug, you big furry goofball, like I just want to squeeze you!” He’s just so cute. The teeth and the claws, his eyes are black.

And I mean, David’s super nice. But when he walked through the door, the sun was shining in behind him, you’re like, “Oh my god, that is a six-foot-five rat monster.” And he’s just fluffy and furry and he’s executed so beautifully that the crew started lining up. I’m like, “Guys, I’m gonna have to start charging for these pictures. We have to shoot the movie like we’re burning through time.” So I think the inclination towards horror, there’s certainly a financial side to it. But I also think, we love horror, we love these characters, and the nostalgia hits differently. Horror is such a fun way to reconnect with something you loved.

Reconnect with Steamboat Willie, if you dare, when Screamboat hits theaters April 2. Learn more here.

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