Director Brannon Carty is creating quite the career trajectory for himself. After recently completing a documentary on Thomas the Tank Engine, he is moving on to something bigger and with more teeth with Cruel Jaws!
We caught up with Brannon to tell us all about his deep dive into Italian exploitation shark cinema.
When did you start thinking about the Cruel Jaws documentary?
It has always been a story I’ve wanted to explore. Last summer, I introduced my girlfriend to Cruel Jaws. Once it was over, I started to wonder where those actors were today and if there was any way to find them. At the same time, I was wrapping up post-production on another documentary, so my hands were full. But once that was over, I spent a whole morning just tracking down the actors and some crew. I thought it might be good to do a little YouTube video about it. But as I spoke to more of the cast, I realized this needed to be something bigger.
Am I right in thinking you are going from Thomas the Tank Engine to Bruno Mattei
project wise?
Yes! My last project, “An Unlikely Fandom” was a documentary on the adult fanbase of “Thomas the Tank Engine,” which is vastly different from this project. I knew I wanted to tackle something that was horror-related, as the four-year production on “Thomas” had left me feeling burnt out. This seemed like a fun next step, and it’s a film (and a director) that I genuinely love.
What is the ultimate aim of the doc?
I knew it couldn’t be a retrospective (although that was the original goal), nor could it be a basic making-of story. The film is too interesting to make it about one thing. You have the Jaws 5 title, you have the Star Wars music, you have Bruno Mattei. With the help of a good friend, John Campopiano, I ended up finding the perfect angle for this story. It’s going to answer questions like – Did the actors know the filmmakers were stealing footage from Jaws? Who actually wrote the script to this? What was Bruno like on set? Why was this the last Italian shark film?
Were you inspired by the recent Sharksploitation doc?
Yes and no. When I was making my outline, I still hadn’t seen the documentary, but I knew it was essential viewing for what I was doing. So, a few weeks in, I sat down to watch it and it was incredible. It gave me an incredible jolt of energy and helped me really hone in on the story I wanted to tell. Hats off to that team.
In terms of Jaws knock-off, is Cruel Jaws the most shameless?
Absolutely. “The Last Shark” obviously copies narrative beats from the first two Jaws films, but “Cruel Jaws” goes so far as to take actual footage and dialogue from those movies. With all due respect to the other Italian shark films, “Cruel Jaws” is the one you can show to your friends, and everyone’s gonna have a fun time watching it.
I have seen you have started interviewing cast and crew, who is your MVP to get on the
doc?
My MVP is Carter Collins. He plays Ronnie Lewis in the film, and unfortunately, is the only cast member we could not locate. We found the Hulk Hogan guy, we found the assistant director, but not this guy. Carter, if you see this, please get in touch. We’d love to have you!
I know you are a fan of Jaws: The Revenge, which is better, Revenge or Cruel Jaws?
It’s like picking a favourite child. I think “Jaws: The Revenge” wins here simply because of how great the score is. But “Cruel Jaws” is very, very close.
From Jaws to Cruel Jaws to Sharknado and The Reef, why do shark films endure so
much?
It’s a creature that actually exists. You’ll never encounter the Gill-man in real life, but you could easily be a shark attack victim. So whenever someone does watch a shark movie, I think they can easily put themselves in that character’s shoes… which makes it more personal, and more scary.
When do you aim to release the Cruel Jaws doc?
The aim is to have it done for the film’s 30th anniversary next September. As I type this, I’m getting ready to shoot two more interviews next month, so we’re moving along at a really good pace. Fingers crossed.
Look out for more news on the Cruel Jaws documentary soon.
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