The director, usually associated with a distinct style of comedy, has spoken about his intrigue in shooting a scary movie

Wes Anderson has spoken about his desire to make a horror film, a dramatic deviation from the style of film he is traditionally associated with.

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The writer/director, who counts Rosemary’s Baby as his favourite film, spoke to author Donna Tartt at this year’s Rome film festival about how the genre intrigues him.

“I have thought of doing a horror movie,” he said. “Horror is an area where if a filmmaker really wants to use all the tricks, the techniques to affect your emotions … with the kind of movies I do, you’re supposed to say ‘is this part supposed to be funny, or is this part supposed to be sad?’ Well, you say, ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure.’ This is the way we wanted it. When you make a horror or a thriller, you say, ‘You’re supposed to be scared here. You’re supposed to be relieved here. Here we’re explaining something so you know the next part so you’ll be more scared then.’ I like the idea of the requirements and the obligations of working in a genre like that.”

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Last year saw him achieve his biggest success to date, both critically and commercially, with The Grand Budapest Hotel – which featured a chase scene between Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum that could indicate what a Wes Anderson horror film might look like. “I’ve done some scenes like that, but I’d like to do a scary movie,” he said.

The idea of the director, whose work typically straddles comedy and drama, delving into the horror genre is one that’s already been lampooned on Saturday Night Live. A skit, starring Edward Norton as Owen Wilson, imagined a film entitled The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders.

During the same talk, Anderson also spoke about his wish to make a festive-themed film. “The good thing with a Christmas movie – if you make a great Christmas song or movie or book, as Dickens showed us, you can make a huge fortune, because they come back every year,” he said. “As long as you have a piece of the action, then it’s a perennial.”

His next confirmed project is a stop-motion animation about dogs, featuring the voices of Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum and Edward Norton.