DreamWorks Curses! creators on what makes the show "Indiana Jones in reverse" (Exclusive)

DreamWorks Curses!, set to premiere on October 27 on Apple TV+, may be a show intended for a younger demographic, but there is no dearth of spooky moments, edge-of-your-seat action or the rich research that accompanies an ambitious project of this nature.

But what truly sets DreamWorks Curses! apart is that it is a show with a conscience, dubbed "Indiana Jones in reverse." It's not so much tomb raiding, as it is the returning of artifacts to where they belong.

Centuries of misdeeds from his ancestors catch up with Alex Vanderhouven, turning him into stone in DreamWorks Curses! His family then becomes tasked with undoing the effect by returning stolen items to their place of origin.

The three passionate men behind the project, Creators/Executive Producers Jeff Dixon and Jim Cooper, as well as Director Leo Riley spoke to SK POP about a variety of subjects pertaining to the Halloween special.

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The men behind DreamWorks Curses! struck the perfect balance between spooky and funny

Writing a horror show for a younger audience is always a daunting task. Creator Jeff Dixon explained how the odd couple pairing with his co-creator Jim Cooper helped achieve this:

"One of the things that’s really nice about when the two of us are writing together is that I have a tendency to go a lot more darker and more horror. And he sometimes has a tendency to go a lot more comedy and zany."

He continued:

"So, when something would go too dark, he’d be like what are you thinking? Pull it back. And when something would go too zany and comedy, I’d be like come on, pull it back. And then we would end up in the middle of that."

Director Leo Riley appreciated having Jim Cooper on set, a man who could temper his horror tendencies:

"Also, as you get older and you’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of horror movies, etc., your baseline kinda tends to get pushed up. Sometimes, it’s good to have a partner who steps in and says we appreciate what you’re doing. But remember where this is going and where this is coming from."

Cooper himself spoke about the immense amount of research needed with regard to all the artifacts coming to life. He (playfully) dismissed the idea that he was the biggest history nerd on set:

"Not just me but another writer in particular. Big, big history nerd too. Honestly, the research was so much fun."

While the entertainment sphere is rife with examples of tomb raiders stealing priceless artifacts galore, returning them to their rightful place is not something that's been explored previously. Jeff Dixon explained why this was necessary:

"We always joked about the Indiana Jones in reverse aspect as being kinda what the show was. But the other part of that that we always talked about was how Indiana Jones would always say – that belongs in a museum. And we joked about how kinda dated that is now. Because yeah, some things do belong in a museum. But a lot of things don’t."

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DreamWorks Curses! is produced by John Krasinski of The Office and Quiet Place fame. It stars, among others, horror legends like Robert Englund and James Marsters.

Catch the global premiere of DreamWorks Curses! on Friday, October 27, only on Apple TV+. Even though it is aimed at a younger audience, it promises to leave older viewers equally riveted, glued to the edge of their seats.