M3GAN Director Gerard Johnstone On Balancing Comedy With Goosebumps [Exclusive Interview]

The intro scene is where Violet [McGraw] as Cady really shines. It's so sincere. I love that you mentioned heart, because I think "Housebound" has a lot of heart too, so it's nice to have that little connective tissue between those two movies. But on a lighter note, what was your reaction when the trailer dropped and the internet lost its mind?

I just felt like I was completely lucky. And the internet being what it is, it's mostly a place of hate. [laughs] So having that outpouring of love and not only do people like it, but they say, "If somebody else tries to say shit about my girlfriend , I'll be the first in line to defend her," that was really cool. I think it was really cool to see people kissing her, and I was like, "This is not normal. This probably won't happen again. So enjoy it while it lasts."

>

I told James Wan earlier that I went to a Halloween party and someone showed up dressed as M3GAN, and the second she showed up, everything everyone wanted to take pictures with her. It was fantastic. But I think you are right. The internet is — I mean, I'm a queer woman talking about movies. I am fully aware of the wickedness of the internet. They are all in my inbox. But it's such a celebrated collective moment, and we haven't had that horror in a while. This is now going to be a shared collective experience. How does that make you feel as a director, knowing that your film will likely be responsible for one of the event horror films of the year?

Oh my God. It makes me want to crawl into a small, dark space. [laughs] I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I think if I can do something that brings people joy, that's always great. And if I can get them thinking about technology, that's great. And if I can shepherd a movie that has three very strong female leads, great. But that's definitely not something I think about. When I did "Housebound," again, it was like two strong female leads. It was just something I'm not really aware of. So I try to ignore it and I think the end results are better because it doesn't seem politically motivated. It is what it is.

I have one last question as we wrap up, and this is just a personal thought for me. So when 'The Boy' came out, I was like, 'Hmm, that's really similar to 'Housebound'. So who would win in a fight? M3GAN or The Boy?

Oh my God. Well, M3GAN would rip it to shreds. Almost like a warning to anyone else to approach "Housebound" again. No, I mean, I haven't seen "The Boy", but yes.

Strangely similar. I will say the same.

[laughs]

"M3GAN" is out in theaters now.