D R E W G O D DA R D

Writer of The Martian and director of The Cabin In The Woods

Favourite SF/ fantasy films

The Empire Strikes Back and Blade Runner stand out. I watch Blade Runner every six months or so, and still find out new things about it. And so much of my aesthetic has been influenced by Empire. There’s this idea that the entire movie is just people telling characters to give up on their friends, and then those friends refusing to do so. I didn’t notice that until recently. Then I realised, “Wait a minute, I’ve just described The Martian as well!”

Favourite SF/ fantasy TV show

The X- Files came along when I was in college, and it was like a bomb went off for me. I remember where I was sitting when Darin Morgan’s “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” aired. It was the first time I really made the connection that there’s a unique writer’s voice, and it was happening in this crazy, fearless show.

Favourite SF/ fantasy book

I grew up on Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy was the biggest influence on me. Growing up in New Mexico everything feels foreign – there’s nothing there except mountains and desert. So much of how I view the world in general came through books and movies, and Hitchhiker’s felt very British. I think that was the appeal.

Guilty SF/ fantasy pleasure

I wouldn’t call it guilty because I really believe he is one of the best filmmakers of my life, but every John Carpenter movie. Even the ones I don’t think are as heralded… There’s just something about Carpenter’s aesthetic I can’t get enough of.

The Martian is out on Blu- ray and DVD from 8 February.