Sundance Speed Dating with... COLD IN JULY Director Jim Mickle

Jim Mickle returns to Sundance for the second year in a row following his 2013 critical smash We Are What We Are, which also played at Cannes Director's Fortnight prior to its theatrical release this year by eOne. This year he comes to Park City with the film adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale's cult novel of the same name starring Michael C. Hall, and we snagged him for a minute to grill him with our brand new Sundance Speed Dating line of questioning.

Jim Mickle: I was 13. I was home sick from school and I saw Army of Darkness and I'd always sort of been in to sloppy B movies. It blew me away. Even though it was a B-movie you could see this artistry and craft behind it. I watched it and ended up watching it four times that day. That summer I watched it probably every day, and I immediately started making movies in my backyard.

I'd be farming. It's my other weird passion, just being quiet and having solace like that. I'm a sucker for it.

Linda Moran, my girlfriend and producer. I wouldn't be here without her. Our first film, Mullberry Street she showed us how to do it all.

There's no one person. I have a lot of filmmakers that I admire and look at and love their careers - John Carpenter is one of those people. David Lynch is one of those people. I also love people like Danny Boyle, someone who doesn't belong in one genre, they stretch and challenge themselves to do different things. This film is a step in that direction for us. We've done three horror films and this is really something entirely different.

Really surreal.

"Girls." (pause) The Luna Brothers comic, not the HBO series.

I'd rather have six months of prep. We've done fast shoots for the last three films, all about 25 days. And I think the only reason we were able to accomplish that is becuase we had a good deal of prep. This film we struggled a bit becuase we didn't have a lot of prep and it teaches you how valuable that can be.

I have no idea. I've had three underwhelming distribution experiences, but that being said they've existed and gotten out there and had their own weird lives. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it worked. For Cold In July I don't know where it'll fall. That's part of the excitement, wondering what the hell is going to happen with it.

Well we optioned the book about seven years ago and started writing it then. It's morphed for sure and we've taken some more risks and gotten bolder narratively and stylistically. Five years ago, I'm not sure I would have had the balls to do it. But shooting two other movies and trying new things out gave me the confidence to do it this time.

The day I got the call I was editing and had been getting bombarded with notes from producers. I saw the Los Angeles area code so I turned my phone off and threw it into the corner. I didn't turn it on until later that night and I turned it on to about 20 voicemails from my agent telling me to call Sundance back. I had a terrible day, so that call obviously turned it around.

Gravity.

I don't know if there's an answer to that. Are you ever satisfied with your life? That's what keeps me moving I guess.

To be invisible. To observe and not be noticed would be pretty awesome.

You wouldn't be able to look into it. They lost my luggage. So you definitely wouldn't find the boxers I've been wearing for three days now.