by Sara Castillo
A lot of our favorite movies always seem to start with a diabolical book (Evil Dead, The Beyond). A book that probably shouldn't be read, a book that calls to its owner, a book that can ultimately lead to the reader's demise. The reader almost always ignores the warning signs that the book puts forth, and director Mark Waters? The Spiderwick Chronicles is no different. I know what you?re thinking?how scary can faeries and hobgoblins actually be?

Well, remember that feeling you got as a kid, when you went to see a really great adventure movie, where the everyday world collided with a fantasy world, and it's up to kids like you to make it right? Those amazing moments, like when Sarah saves Toby from a goblin-fate under the crushing rule of the disturbingly dressed David Bowie, or when Short Round bashes the kid?about to torture Indy with a voodoo doll?in the head? Mark Waters (House of Yes and Mean Girls) takes you back to those moments, with his on-screen adaptation of the hugely popular children?s series. We had the chance to chat with Mark about his perfect formula for scaring young children in The Spiderwick Chronicles, and the challenge of turning the likes of Seth Rogan and Martin Short into magical creatures (okay, maybe Martin Short wasn?t really a stretch)?

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a little bit different than the comedies you've done in the past?

Absolutely, although I'd say I've always had a yen for the fantastical?like Freaky Friday and Just Like Heaven?but never quite at this level. This movie has about six times the number of visual effects shots that I've ever done in any other movie, and all these CGI creatures. It was certainly a huge learning experience, and a lot fun.

Did you grow up reading fantasy or sci-fi? Were you a fan of the Spiderwick books?

I'm a big sci-fi geek. Growing up I read all the old-school guys?from Isaac Asimov to Arthur C. Clark. I tended to really like sci-fi short fiction and short stories. They always appealed to me the most.

Like Bradbury?

Definitely, Bradbury. But, Asimov was great at collecting these wonderful little short stories from obscure writers and putting them into anthologies that I loved. And there's still that part of me?even in the comedies?that likes things getting a little bent out of shape. In this movie that's something we were trying to achieve. We really wanted to make the ordinary turn into something extraordinary. To feel like you were starting off with a family you recognized and then spin it on its head and have them go on an unbelievable adventure. We wanted to make a ride you wouldn't normally take.

So how did you go about transforming these faeries from paper to film, and into something fantastic?

In terms of the creature design we started off with Tony [DiTerlizzi]?s drawings. But, even in the field guide Tony would draw goblins seven different ways. Then you read the descriptions and folklore, and put it all in the blender.

We really tried to make the creatures feel real. We asked ourselves, ?If they could exist in the real world, what animals would they be like, how would they talk, how would they move?? Then we took Tony's drawings and bent them into real flesh-and-blood creatures that could have actual earth DNA. Put a couple of these creatures together and then you have yourself a hobgoblin. Tony was particularly delighted with how the creatures came out.

In terms of the screenplay, the books were published in 2001 so we wanted to make a movie that would please the readers of the books, but we also want to make a movie that will appeal to kids who are a lot older now. We basically super-sized the action, so that we made a movie that parents will like as much as their kids. The action in this film never really stops.

Spiderwick treats the young viewer with intelligence, and at times it?s even a challenge to keep up with the action and the scares. How do you decide what's too scary for the viewer?

Peril is different than cringing. I think it's okay to imperil your lead characters as long as you do it in short bursts and they are empowered to fight for themselves to get out of it. I try to tag everything with a comedy line. I find that it?s the best way to relieve those big tension moments. Then, I try to minimize things that make me cringe. We definitely pushed the line of a PG movie, but I find that kids even as young as six are thrilled by it. They?re scared by it, but delighted at the same time.

Who ended up being your favorite creature in the story?

I have a particular affection for Hogsqueal the Hobgoblin (Seth Rogan). It's a toss-up between him and Thimbletack the Brownie (Martin Short), because the vocal performances by Seth and Martin are so incredible and so funny, and they both brought an amazing comedic sensibility to it. They kind of riffed on the lines, which made things that much funnier. Hogsqueal is a very amusing rascal and a conflicted character. He is very self-serving but a lovable hero at the same time.

Your next film is a romantic comedy, and I believe it's about a guy who's visited by ghosts of his exes. Sounds like a horror movie to me?

It's kind of less of a romantic comedy than a magical comeuppance movie. It's based on the original Christmas Carol. This guy, a shameless lothario breaks women?s hearts and on the eve of his brother's wedding he's visited by the ghosts of these women- past, present and future. We're having Michael Douglas play the Marley character, Matthew McConaughey?s uncle. It's an amazing cast and a really funny screenplay.

So, finally? What's your biggest fear?

Well, it changes through your life. I used to have a huge fear of imprisonment, but now I just have a fear of small swarms of insects. It lasts to this day.

I thought maybe after Mean Girls it might just be a band of teenage girls coming after you?

That?s okay. As long as they're not really, really, tiny?

For more on The Spiderwick Chronicles check out our interview with co-creator Tony DiTerlizzi or our exclusive video interview.