Blumhouse’s new horror film Fantasy Island is releasing in theaters this Friday, February 14, and our own Vanessa Decker had the chance to sit down with director Jeff Wadlow (Cry Wolf, Truth or Dare) and stars Michael Peña and Lucy Hale for a chat about the film this week.

Fantasy Island puts a dark spin on the classic TV series, and Wadlow explained to us that the film’s various fantasy scenarios allowed for him to essentially make mini horror movies.

“I hope fans take away from this film that they had a really good time. It was a chance for me to do this crazy genre mashup [and] reference all these great horror movies. Saw, Purge, Butterfly Effect. All these different genres within the horror landscape that I tried to reference,” Wadlow told Vanessa.

He added, “I got to make four different little movies and then have them crash together.”

You can watch the full interview with Fantasy Island‘s director and stars below, which also includes a fun bit involving a young Michael Peña and a homemade Freddy Krueger glove!

In Fantasy Island:

“The Enigmatic Mr. Roarke (played by Michael Peña) makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island’s mystery in order to escape with their lives.”