00:00We're alive! We're alive!
00:02Hello, I am Elements of Madness founder Douglas Davidson, and welcome to yet another episode of UM Presents.
00:09During South by Southwest 2026, director Jorma Tocone premiered his latest feature, the action-horror comedy Over Your Dead Body,
00:18which stars the fantastic ensemble cast of Samara Weaving, Jason Segel, Timothy Oliphant, Juliette Lewis, Paul Guilfoyle, and Keith Jardim.
00:26On this new episode of UM Presents, UM contributor A.J. Fryer sits down with Tocone for a brief conversation
00:33in which they discuss his belief in the 10,000-hour rule,
00:37the lessons learned that applied here on this production, his discovery of the horror-comedy intersection,
00:43and his intentionality with adapting the film for American audiences. Enjoy the conversation.
00:52Hey, Jorma, how are you?
00:54I'm good, man. What's your favorite element of madness?
00:59Elements of madness. Hmm, that's a tough one.
01:03Storytelling, right?
01:05Yeah. Jorma, Tocone, thank you so much for joining us today. So, congratulations on the film.
01:12The main question I have for you, how have you seen yourself evolve as a filmmaker and as a creative
01:18in general leading up to Over Your Dead Body?
01:21You know, I firmly believe in the 10,000 hours rule of things.
01:27And, like, you know, obviously all my time at SNL, I think, and making everything that we've made,
01:33Hot Rod, Popstar, McGruber, all of that with both.
01:39And, honestly, like, television shows that I've made, but, like, but it really, it all factors into evolution.
01:47It's just doing, honestly. It's, like, it's just the more you do, the more you make mistakes and then rectify
01:54them.
01:54You know, as an example, early, early part of Over Your Dead Body was,
02:01there was a moment where there was a crow that burst through a window.
02:05This just gives you an example of things I've learned that I'm shocked I've learned.
02:09There's a crow that burst through a window.
02:11And I was, like, I had to be, like, I've worked with crows, man.
02:15I don't, let's not do it.
02:17Like, they don't, they don't listen.
02:18And, like, and it's, like, that kind of thing where you, like, you just sort of learn by doing.
02:23Like, I feel like every single project I've ever done is, like, is, like, grad school.
02:27Like, it's, like, free grad school for me.
02:29Paid grad school, often.
02:31So, yeah, it all goes into it.
02:33Both, you know, allowing me to be, I think, better at, like, obviously telling jokes.
02:37But then in this particular movie, there's, like, there's a lot of action.
02:40There's a lot of horror stuff.
02:42There's a lot of gore.
02:43And a lot of that stuff kind of crosses over.
02:46Like, you know, the way a scare happens or the way, that was a loud snap.
02:50Like, but the way a scare happens is kind of the way a joke is told sometimes.
02:54And one hand, you know, kind of enhances the other.
02:58So, it's all helpful.
02:59Doing is my answer.
03:01Yeah, and genre fans usually don't like it when you mix horror and comedy together.
03:05So, how is it like zuggling those over your dead body as well?
03:09You know, it's interesting because I didn't know this was even a genre.
03:16It was really just, like, I love the original film.
03:20I did not want to make a remake, honestly.
03:23Like, I was, like, it just doesn't sound like me.
03:25It sounds like I like, especially if you like the original movie, which I absolutely love.
03:32It was a tonal shift to me that I wanted to put on it.
03:35I always want to push the comedy.
03:37That's just who I am.
03:39And, you know, like, while maintaining what I think the core of the original is, I think that, like, this
03:46movie has so many twists and turns in it.
03:49And what I loved about the original, loved about the script that Nick and Brian wrote is that as an
03:56audience member, we're so well-versed on how stories should go.
04:02And the fact that this has so many turns and goes different directions that you don't expect.
04:06Like, I've been saying it's, like, three movies in one.
04:08It's, like, suspense thriller into almost like a home invasion into, like, an action movie.
04:13And it just ramps.
04:14And that was, like, a big thing for me, too.
04:15It was, like, getting that, like, there's a slight different edit in the way that we're kind of telling it
04:20at the end of this movie.
04:22But, like, it really just goes.
04:23Like, this movie goes.
04:24And, like, and so to me, as a fan of things and having watched so many movies, and, like, I
04:31would imagine your audience is the same way, it's so rad to watch something where you're, like, oh, shit, I
04:37didn't expect it to go that route.
04:39And then to me, like, the humor is the thing that stitches it all together because it is so many
04:44different tones and it goes in many different places.
04:48And then I would say, like, one of my rules is, like, bend it to break it.
04:51Like, I never want to, like, shit on the world or shit on the horror or shit on the scares
04:56or shit on the, like, how dangerous something is.
05:00Because, obviously, like, when you make an American remake, it's very often that, like, it's a softer version.
05:07I think this is a, the characters I wanted to feel a bit more redeemable than the original movie, which
05:12is, like, it's a tonal shift.
05:14But, to me, like, I really wanted it to still have the teeth that the original has and not say
05:20that we made some, like, softer American piece of shit.
05:22Not that there are pieces of shit.
05:25No one's making it.
05:26It's hard to make anything, man.
05:28All right, Jorn, thank you so much for joining us today and congratulations on the film.
05:32Thank you so much.
05:33Thank you so much.
Comments