(BU) HARRY HOOK, the British director of "Lord of the Flies," says he was familiar with the earlier film version of William Golding's book, but it was far from a guide for his new adaptation.

"I've got nothing but respect for the original Peter Brooks version," Hook said in a telephone interview last week, "and it was not fresh on my mind when we embarked on this. So from my point of view I was just going back to the book. As a director I just wanted to deal with the subject of 25 boys left to their devices, how evil might grow and flourish and all that.

"There's no ignoring the fact that there was enormous baggage that came with it. People will come with thoughts on the project, just as I had. Nobody would be coming fresh. The awareness of the book is monumental."

Hook's film was cast with unknown child actors, many without professional experience. "There was no pressure for me to use stars. We were open to seeing professionals, but I preferred unknowns so we'd all be starting from the same base. None of them had stuff to unlearn, in terms of acting technique. We could all start from page one.

"We set up open calls in about eight cities (Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Austin, Minneapolis, etc.), advertising in newspapers and having people come to hotels; cattle calls.

"(The budget was) about $8 1/2 million to $9 million, much of that going to the whole support system of keeping kids and parents alive in Jamaica (where the film was shot) to the status they've become to accustomed to."

One of Hook's biggest challenges was changing the nationality of the boys from Britons to Americans. "I hadn't spent a lot of time here, so all the little particular nuances of language and stuff came from a lot of Americans who were around and who would pick up on little things, as would the boys. They were the first ones to laugh at me if I asked them to do something specifically British."

As for the English film industry, Hook said it's alive, but not as prolific as filmmaking in other countries. Therefore, he said, he has no intention of limiting himself to British projects. "It's not easy to raise money (for film financing) in England. There are a few places you can go for money, but if they say no you haven't got a film, basically. And they are of a certain budget.

"I'll live there, it's my home. But I'll work all over the place."