James Wan Quotes

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James Wan

Profession : Producer

Birth : February 27, 1977

I'm a big movie fan, and I want to make movies in every genre. I want to make my romantic comedy one day.

James Wan

Language-wise, my mom and dad's dialect, they're pretty obscure. It's Chinese, but not your traditional Chinese, like Cantonese or Mandarin. It wasn't something that I got to use very much growing up. We eventually just spoke English around the house.

James Wan

For me and my films, I want my audience to experience cinema in its full glory. It's not just visual, it's audio as well. It's emotional, and I want you to be engaged with not just the scene but with the characters.

James Wan

If I have free time, I want to go to the beach, walk around a shopping mall, go grocery shopping. Live a little bit of life.

James Wan

If you care about the characters, then whatever scary thing happens to them, you feel it even more.

James Wan

For me, the sound design and the musical score is a big part of what makes scary movies work.

James Wan

If you don't do the suspense correctly, then your jump scares are not going to work.

James Wan

I definitely love to be scared. It draws the primal side out of you.

James Wan

I never realized how much I cherished having creative freedom.

James Wan

I'd love to be a filmmaker and look back and be like, 'Ah, man, we were part of that whole '80s video nasty thing!'

James Wan

'The Exorcist' is one of the finest movies ever made, and it just so happens to be a scary movie.

James Wan

No one pretty much tells me what kind of horror films to make.

James Wan

I always felt that what is scary is actually hearing someone tell you what they think they see. That sense of invisibility makes things a lot scarier, since your imagination tends to fill in the gaps.

James Wan

There's a reason why Smellovision has never really taken off. And I think it's a good thing.

James Wan

I use myself as the barometer to gauge what is scary. I like to think if something scares me, then there's a very good chance an audience will feel the same way.

James Wan

Not many people realize this, but I'm a really squeamish guy. When I watch other horror films that are really over-the-top with their blood and guts, I cannot watch it.

James Wan

I love to be scared in the safety of a movie theater. It is like a thrill ride; like a roller-coaster ride.

James Wan

If you're great, I want to work with you.

James Wan

We think craft is important, and the irony has always been that horror may be disregarded by critics, but often they are the best-made movies you're going to find in terms of craft. You can't scare people if they see the seams.

James Wan

I love Carpenter, I love Craven - these are all the classics - the Romeros of the world, but I think the biggest influence on me as a storyteller and as a filmmaker is actually Steven Spielberg. I love that even though Steven isn't known for being a horror director, he started out his career making scary movies.

James Wan