The film will revolve around a group of American college athletes who find themselves on a dangerous train in Europe.

BD: I saw the promo for TRAIN at last year’s AFM in Los Angeles and all I could think was “WOW, this is bloody!” Just how bloody is it?

GR: TRAIN is a very bloody movie. The die-hard horror fans will not be disappointed. There are scenes that are hard even for me to watch… It is however also a very very scary movie. Too many movies have a lot of blood but aren’t scary. I hope we have managed to achieve both. More importantly it’s a clever film with engaging characters that you root for from beginning to end (both the good ones and the bad ones.)

BD: Have you had any issues with the MPAA or Lionsgate regarding the film’s content?

GR: Well currently the movie is NC17. We are working with the MPAA on getting an R. I believe Lionsgate want the film to be R.

BD: What was one of your favorite gags in the film?

GR: Probably the castration. When the actor playing the villain held the prosthetic bloody balls in his hands, he looked more horrified than the actor whose balls got cut off. It was hilarious. But seriously there are many many cool gags in the movie. I’m very proud of how disturbing it is.

BD: Was it hard to do all of the special FX? How much was CG and how much was practical?

GR: Special FX was a huge challenge but I had a great crew of people who always came up with creative solutions. Every night after we finished shooting, and every morning before we started, they dragged me to their trailer to show me all the cool stuff they came up with. The stuff in the movie looks so real that it’s disturbingly awesome. We also used some CG to erase some cables and stuff but most of the gags you’ll see are the real thing.

BD: Originally, this was a remake of TERROR TRAIN, but it’s not anymore, correct?

GR: At first we were toying with the idea of making a remake of the 1980 movie. But very quickly it turned into an original screenplay. Even though I’m a fan of that movie it’s 2008… having David Copperfield do magic tricks on a train belongs in the 80s… It would have been a tad too campy to do it now. TRAIN is a completely different and original screenplay.

BD: When you went into filming TRAIN, were you looking at it as a remake to TERROR TRAIN, or were you just making your own movie?

GR: By that time it was no longer a remake. We were just making our own movie. I always liked the idea of making a horror film on a Train. It's such a great "no escape" location and so when that came up I was very excited about the possibilities.

BD: What did you look to for inspiration when writing the screenplay? How did you keep it fresh and original?

GR: I did a lot of research before writing the screenplay. I knew we were going to shoot in Eastern Europe and I wanted to ground the story in reality. I wanted to base it on a real problem, real crimes in the region so that it would feel authentic. I discovered an article about bones that were found on a train in Russia and that sparked the idea.

A way we kept it fresh and original was to make sure that at the heart of the movie is a character that we love and can identify with. Thora Birch is wonderful in the role of ALEX, a reluctant wrestler who during the movie discovers the warrior inside of her.

I also tried to use the “laws” of the genre and bend them a bit. I wanted to explore and reverse the archetypes of horror… For example, In TRAIN It’s the guys who run around naked panicked while the girls fight (don’t worry, there’s also enough female nudity to satisfy everyone…)

Lastly, The DP of the film, Martina Radwan and I had many discussions on the style of the film. It's a raw look. A very realistic one, but not documentary style. We chose a look that would compliment the Eastern European look scenery we were shooting in and also the gore. it's real. It's ugly. It's not stylized or objectified in any way. I think it's important cause it makes the movie feel real and claustrophobic.

BD: What are some of your favorite horror films and horror directors? Did any of them inspire you during TRAIN?

GR: I love movies. I'm inspired by all kinds of movies. It could be "Hiroshima mon amour" or "Die Hard". If it's a good story, and you feel connected to the characters it doesn't matter what genre or language it's in. In the horror genre, I am inspired by movies that are clever and push the envelope a bit. "Rosemary's baby"... "Jaws"... are great films that go beyond the horror audiences but I also think that movies like "Scream" and "Vacancy" and "Descent" are a lot of fun. I loved the visual language in "Pan's Labyrinth." My favorite movie this year was "The Orphanage" it was such a clever, moving story and the actress was so believable. AND it was scary as hell.

BD: What subgenre would you say TRAIN is? Slasher?

GR: Is an Intelligent horror considered a sub-genre?? Slasher is probably the right one.

BD: What’s the deal with the killer? Do we learn his motivations? Where did you come up with the idea?

GR: We do learn the killers’ motivations. I came up with the idea when I was researching the region where we shot. I’m not going to tell you though cause that would be too revealing. There’s more than one bad guy in the film and each one of them has his or her own agenda and characterization.

I had a real hard time finding the right “butcher” type bad guy, VLAD. Everyone who came into the room felt false to me. At the same time I was scouting locations all over Bulgaria and I kept looking at my location manager who is a monster of a man (but can’t be sweeter) and I kept telling everyone that I want someone like him. Well as fate would have it, it turned out that he was also an actor and so I ended up casting my location manager as the butcher.

BD: Do you see the killer as being somewhat iconic?

GR: I think so, but you tell me after you see the film.

BD: Will there be any sequels? What are the plans?

GR: I’m not sure about a sequel to this one. I did leave a slight opening for that possibility at the end of the movie if it happens but I haven’t discussed it yet with anyone.

BD: What’s next for you? More horror?

GR: My next movie is a drama called “Flying Lessons” which is scheduled to shoot here in LA in a couple of months.

I would love to make another horror. I love horror films and I’m positive that I will continue to explore that genre in the future.

TRAIN plays Screamfest October 16th (get your tix here)