Linkin Park DJ’s Petco Park double-header

When Joe Hahn first attended Comi-Con as a 15-year-old in 1992, Petco Park didn’t exist and he and his teen pals from Glendale crammed into a roach-infested San Diego motel room.

“The motel was terrible! But, at that point, it was really fun,” he recalled.

When Hahn returns Thursday for Comi-Con, he’ll be performing at Petco Park as the DJ in Grammy Award-winning rap-metal favorites Linkin Park. The band is headlining the first-ever “mtvU Fandom Awards” and its corresponding “MTV Fan Fest,” which will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on MTV. (Linkin Park returns to San Diego Sept. 16 to perform at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.)

As soon as Thursday’s concert ends, Hahn will dash over to the adjacent Comic-Con Nerd HQ, also at Petco Park, for a screening of “Mall.” The movie marks his debut as a feature film director. Ticket information for both even appears at the conclusion of this article

Based on “Mall,” Eric Bogosian’s provocative 2001 novel, it boasts a cast that includes “Law and Order” TV mainstay Vincent D’Onofrio, veteran actress (and periodic Bob Dylan boxing partner) Gina Gershon and rising young TV actor Cameron Monaghan. "Mall's" music was written and performed by Hahn and Linkin Park band mates Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington and Dave Farrell.

“The Comi-Con/MTV performance came up first,” Hahn said by phone last week from Los Angeles. “Then we got a distribution deal with Paragon for ‘Mall.’ So it seemed like a perfect opportunity, since I’ll be in San Diego anyhow, to screen the film.”

The preview clip below is of the international version of the film. The trailer for the U.S. version, which has not yet been released, will have a different tone and feature different scenes.

Hahn has attended Comi-Con as often as he can, even after becoming a rock star, most recently in 2012. He is happy he can roam around the San Diego Convention Center without being recognized by more than a few Linkin Park devotees. At 37, he still connects strongly with the same impetus that drew him to Comic-Con as a teenager.

"The cool thing about Comi-Con is that each booth is different," he said. "They even have computer drawing pads and 3-D model printers. There's all sort of things down there, sort of nerdy stuff, but that’s kind of who I am. When I was younger, things I was into – like comics and all that geeky, nerdy stuff – it wasn’t looked down upon, but it wasn't that cool.

"I think it's great all these like-minded people can get together and be proud of it and not be ashamed – and re-invent what cool is."

A Paragon Pictures release, "Mall" is set in a suburban L.A. mall, not far from where Hahn grew up. The movie chronicles the lives of several teens and adults, who are wrestling with existential challenges and are thrown together for a 24-hour period.

“It’s a dark drama,” Hahn said. “It examines people’s lives in some ways that are unfiltered, in contrast to the way a lot of people are today. What I notice is that people have a self-image they want to portray and do that a lot of times through social media.

“For instance, with Instagram, people are taking selfies and only capture themselves in the light they want to be seen. This film is kind of my response to that. Let’s take down the barriers that cover up what people really are and see what they’re like underneath.”

Are "Mall" and Comi-Con a good fit?

"Well, its not a good fit, as far as being anything comic related or fantasy-related or sci-fi-related," he admitted. "The biggest reason why we wanted to go down there (to screen 'Mall') is because there's such a congregation of fans who are appreciative of film and also fans of my work who will be down there. And, for me, selfishly, I just want to go down there and hang out. The screening will be (for just) a couple of hundred people so it's not a thing for all the people who are there at Comi-Con."

Hahn was selected to direct Hahn after he met with D'Onofrio, who – in addition to starring in the fim – is also its producer and screenwriter.

"There was something really engaging about all the characters in 'Mall,' the paths that they were going on and how their lives stared intersecting. I was immediately able to imagine the visual take I would have," Hahn recalled.

"So, pretty quickly after reading the script, I met Vincent and we sat in a room and just hit it off. I'm really grateful to him, not only for the opportunity, but for giving me the complete trust to do what I wanted to do."

Hahn worked as a special-effects designer for film and TV before Linkin Park's 2000 debut album, “Hybrid Theory,” sold nearly 5 million copies that year alone. Directing some of the band's videos helped prepare him for helming “Mall.”

“I didn’t want to get caught up in depicting a (single) vision, so to speak,” Hahn said of the film. “I think it’s more of a collection of visions.”

The vision that would eventually lead him to film directing began when Hahn was a kid and has remained constant ever since.

"I think it all starts, with most directors, with just being a kid and (seeing) stuff like 'Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' 'Terminator' and everything else," he said. But when I was in junior high, I started getting into comic books. I think I was drawn to the art side more than anything else. That was a good thing, because it got me reading more. So I started drawing in junior high, I'd copy the covers and some of the characters.

"The very first one was a 'Secret Wars' cover I thought was amazing, with all these heroes in space... Eventually, when Jim Lee and Mark Silvestri were doing 'X-Men,' I really got involved with those stories. Those guys reinvented what comics could be and look like. That was a big inspiration for me, starting with the visual side of it and learning about characters and following story lines."

Because some of the financing for "Mall" came from French investors, the film is already out in France. However, its title there is "A Day to Kill," a name change that understandably does not sit well with Hahn.

"They just went on their own, put it out and re-titled the film 'A Day to Kill,’ which I wasn't happy about because it's completely the wrong message and there's nothing I could do," Hahn lamented. "This is an indie film that's quirky."

Yet, while "Mall" is his first shot as a director, Hahn is hopeful it won't be his last.

"I'm reading a lot of scripts, although nothing's come up yet," he said. "I'm happy I survived this experience and was actually able to have a vision and see it come to life."

“MTV Fan Fest” & “mtvU Fandom Awards”

With: Linkin Park and G-Eazy

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Park at the Park, Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., East Village

Admission: Free, but open only to Comic-Con attendees; priority admission will be given to holders of Thursday and four-day badges

“Mall” film screening and cast Q&A

When: 11:15 tonight

Where: Nerd HQ at Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., East Village

Tickets: $22

Online: brownpapertickets