Ti West

Ti West

Filmmaker

Ti West is a filmmaker known for his innovative contributions to the horror genre, particularly with films like 'The House of the Devil.'

People Thinking Dog Valleys Character Interesting
Born
April 5, 1979
Quotes
72
Rank
#1415

About Ti West

Ti West — Life and Legacy

Ti West is a filmmaker recognized for his distinct approach to horror, blending traditional elements with modern storytelling techniques. His work often reflects a deep understanding of the genre's roots, as seen in films like 'The House of the Devil,' where he masterfully creates an atmosphere of dread and suspense. West's philosophy centers around the idea that horror should evoke genuine emotions rather than rely solely on jump scares. He believes that the anticipation of fear is a powerful tool, stating that 'the fear of the unknown is often more terrifying than what is shown.' This perspective allows him to challenge conventional horror tropes, focusing on character development and emotional depth. West's films often explore themes of nostalgia and the human experience, inviting viewers to confront their fears through relatable characters. By prioritizing storytelling over shock value, he has carved a niche that resonates with both horror aficionados and casual viewers alike. His unique voice in the genre continues to influence aspiring filmmakers, proving that horror can be both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Quote collection

Ti West quotes (page 1 of 4)

72 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Ti West Filmmaker
Popular

"To me, making a horror movie is about how you can present similar genre familiarities, but present them a little bit differently. Part of what interests me is the nonchalant realism of it, because you don't get that in the big studio horror movies. I like seeing someone walk around a house and sift through the drawers, and things like that, because that reminds me of what I would do, and of weird personal choices that people would make. That, in contrast to seeing someone get chased with a knife, makes it all the more interesting."

People Interesting Choices
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"The hardest animal was the vulture. But the horses were great, the dog was great [in Valley of Violence]. It was really easy."

Dog Horse Animal
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"I'm doing an over-the-shoulder shot on a dog. I'm putting the camera behind the dog's shoulder. This is craziness. You just accept it in the movie [Valley of Violence], but when you make the movie, it's the weirdest thing. There's dog coverage, like it's a person."

Dog Violence Cameras
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"Toby [Huss] gets shot, or that part when [John] Travolta says this, or the part where Ethan [Hawke] says that cool thing - those details are the things that are interesting to me. So just acknowledging we don't have a lot of money [for Valley of Violence], so we're going to make a Western that's kind of contained, but we're going to make it super charismatic and we're going to make it memorable for what it is as opposed to what we couldn't afford."

Memorable Interesting Violence
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"It's unreal. I mean, the dog backflips. It's amazing. Google Jumpy on YouTube - I had seen the dog first and I was like, "Y'all don't even know.""

Dog Mean Google
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"I'd been all hyped about it, I was like, "Please come," and to have that and know Tommy Nohilly is probably going like, "This is cool," it makes me feel good."

Feel Good Feels Please
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"It's not the plot [of Valley of Violence] - the plot is the reason to get all these things to happen, all these character moments to happen. It was always meant to have these two perspectives."

Character Two Perspective
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"The first half [of Valley of Violence] was to endear you to all these people and give you all these archetypes that you're familiar with, and then the second half, just to see all those archetypes unravel like real people."

Real Giving People
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"Typically, in Westerns, people who are in a Western feel like they're in a Western. It's almost like they know they do all these Western things."

People Feels Western
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"From a performance standpoint, it just gives [actors] so much - I had such a great cast [ in Valley of Violence] - and it gives them the ability to go wild with it and to have performances that are memorable."

Memorable Giving Valleys
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"It's Ethan Hawke and John Travolta [in Valley of Violence]. It's awesome. They're awesome."

Valleys Violence
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"I always feel like the less you say when you're making a movie, as a director, is the best. That means everything's going great."

Mean Directors Feels
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"I did the movie [Valley of Violence] from two perspectives. You're with Ethan [Hawke] the whole movie, but for the first half, you're really with Ethan. For the second half, you're with him, but also you're with the bad guys because he kind of becomes the bad guy. No one's really good in the movie."

Two Perspective Guy
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"That's what's interesting about people. It can be funny, but when [John] Travolta got there and did [comic moments] you're like, "Oh! This is really funny." Or when Karen [Gillan] and Taissa [Farmiga] do something, I'm like, "This came out so much funnier.""

Interesting People Moments
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"The movie [ The Innkeepers] is in no way a comedy, but I would put some of the funny scenes up against some of the funnier comedies this year. I think it's genuinely really funny, but it's out of the gallows."

Thinking Years Way
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"It definitely could have been a horror story [Valley of Violence], oh my God, if the dog was impossible. So could the horses."

Dog Horse Horror Stories
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"To me it's not so much that the movies are slow-paced as much as they are about spending time building a relationship between the audience and the characters. If you don't spend an adequate amount of time doing this, then how can you expect to scare anyone?"

Character Scare Adequate
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"Technology has just been the major progression of the last 15 years - instant communication. That stuff has gone so global. That's what's interesting about it. When someone sits down in front of a computer, it's the same everywhere in the world, and it's the same screen looking back at you with the same Google, and there's no individuality to it. So I decided it would be kind of visually uninteresting to have in my films."

Communication Technology Interesting
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"I think you make the movie in your head that you have to make, and you have to get it out of you. You have all these pretentious reasons why you want to do it, and you set out to accomplish them. And you think "This is important for what I'm trying to accomplish for the story," and I think those reasons will come through to an audience, and they will find it. That's the best you can do."

Thinking Important Trying
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Ti West Filmmaker
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"There are people - I think this is why there are so many commercial directors doing well in big studio movies, for whom it's not a personal choice - it's "What's the coolest, most effective way to make them laugh, make them scream?" It's a very calculated approach. And that's different. It's not better or worse. It's just a very different approach to filmmaking. That's always been the case."

Thinking Laughing People
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