ZOMBIELAND finally hits screens this friday and, slow vs. fast debate aside, this is a genre flick most any horror fan should enjoy. It might come as a surprise that director Ruben Fleischer had barely seen a single zombie movie when he first signed on to direct ZOMBIELAND, but the director was more than happy to undergo a lengthy tutelage to get himself read. He set out on a zombie movie marathon and claims to have now seen just about every zombie flick worth its weight in cannibalism. His teachings come across quite clearly in this terrifically fun movie. To top it off, this is actually Fleischer’s first feature making it one hell of an impressive debut.

BLOODY-DISGUSTING got a chance to speak exclusively with Fleischer on the Santa Monica Pier to talk about what it took to bring ZOMBIELAND to life.

BLOODY-DISGUSTING: The last time I saw you was on the set in Georgia when Woody and Jesse were destroying the store.

RUBEN FLEISCHER: That was a really rough day for us. I think that was actually the hardest day for us. We ended up going all night. The finished product looks good, but it was a challenge for us.

BD: What was it about Paul and Rhett’s script that first grabbed you?

RF: The original voice that they have and that humor that was inherent to it and the characters. It’s just such a rich landscape. We had the freedom to experiment with a lot of different genres and the rules on screen, the motion graphics. There was just a lot of elements to it. I felt we could pretty much go in any direction we wanted.

BD: Were the motion graphics a tough sell to the studio?

RF: I’ve done a lot of motion graphics in my music video work, so it’s a world that I’m very comfortable with. All we had to do was show them. The development process with me and the company to figure out what they look like, it took a long time to refine the aesthetic, but once we had it and we were happy with it, we showed it to the studio and they signed off as soon as they saw it.

BD: You’ve mentioned that you are coming at this without being a zombie movie aficionado. As you did your zombie movie research, what sort of things did you pick up on that you used and what were some favorites that stuck out?

RF: I guess the thing that I had to get comfortable with was just splatter and gore because that’s where my taste lies, but I know that zombie audiences are not afraid of some blood. So in studying horror movies, I just realized that, even though it’s not what I love, I’ve gotta go big with the blood. Movies that maybe informed that were Peter Jackson’s DEAD ALIVE, which might be the bloodiest movie I’ve ever seen. Mowing down people with a lawn mower and putting a baby in a blender... I think I took from that and some of the EVIL DEAD movies. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is another one that I thought did a really good version of a zombie movie.

BD: What are some of your favorite horror movies?

RF: The biggest reference in this was AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON just because it’s the best balance of horror and comedy. It’s grounded, character-based comedy that just has this huge horror component. When it comes to real horror movies, I go more towards thrillers like THE SHINING and ROSEMARY’S BABY.

BD: This is also a road movie. What were some of the road movies you looked to for inspiration?

RF: There’s this dynamic of road movies where it’s like two people are stuck together and that’s kind of how Woody and Jesse’s characters are. They’re stuck in this car together and they’re going to this destination. They might not all get along but they have to make the best of it. I think we’ve seen that in MIDNIGHT RUN, PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, THE SURE THING, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. There’s a long tradition. Another one is VACATION. Wally World and Pacific Playland are pretty closely linked.

BD: Woody completely steals the show as Tallahassee. Tell me about the creation of that character from the concept stages to Woody’s casting and where he took the role.

RF: Certainly what’s on screen is not what was scripted. He saw something in the character that was enough to get him invested in the role. Once he signed up, he very specifically wanted to make an iconic movie character. He was exacting in every detail of the character from the snakeskin jacket to the type of gun he used. That sawed off rifle is the same one that Steve McQueen had in THE RIFLEMAN. He said specifically, ‘I want that gun, I want Steve McQueen’s gun.’ He also was the guy that came up with the cowboy component of the character. The person that I kind of had in mind when I read it would have been somebody like John Goodman’s character, Walter, from THE BIG LEBOWSKI. This kind of gung-ho, nerdy weirdo.

BD: After casting Woody, you had to bring in the right guy for that odd couple set up. He and Jesse couldn’t be more opposite, but they have a terrific comic timing playing off one another. What was it you saw in Jesse and in his dynamic with Woody?

RF: He’s someone I’ve liked for a long time, from RODGER DODGER and then, I think, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. He’s just a super-talented kid. He was originally very high on my list for that role, but there are a lot of talented young actors. Some of them are a little bit better well known than him and the studio was pushing in the direction of someone more known. He’s more indie. But his original audition was fantastic and then when we had him come in and read with Woody, we brought in a few people and, to me, as soon as they sat down and saw the dynamic between the two, the back and forth was just hilarious. Jesse is what was written and he was Woody’s first choice.

BD: What will we see on the DVD and Blu-ray?

RF: Lots more, so much more. Tons of celebrity cameo stuff that’s not in the movie. More stuff with that actor. We cut so much shit out of this movie.

BD: What are your thoughts for a ZOMBIELAND 2?

RF: I’d be so psyched. We’ve gotta come up with an idea and have the guys write it first, but I’d be on that in a heart beat.