Adult Babies gets an exclusive reveal at FrightFest Glasgow 2017 - Joanne Mitchell Interview

ADULT BABIES gets an exclusive reveal at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017. The film’s creator, actress / producer Joanne Mitchell, star of BEFORE DAWN & BAIT answers 10 scary questions

When did your fascination for horror films begin?

I’ve been interested in horror since being a young kid. I liked to be frightened, whether it be reading a scary book, or watching one of the Hammer House of Horrors. But it wasn’t until my 30’s that I really became fascinated with the whole genre after making ‘Before Dawn’ and watching back to back movies at FrightFest!! The fans are so loyal and open minded and really know their stuff.


What was the first horror film you saw?

I’m pretty sure it was ‘The Thing’. If I remember rightly my brother and his mates had managed to get a copy and I snuck in! I was terrified, but fascinated at the same time.


What are your favourite horror films?

There are so many! ‘The Exorcist’ (which I recently revisited) is just brilliant and so well constructed. Love ‘‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘The Shining’ and one that has really stuck with me is ‘The Orphanage’, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. It made me go on such an emotional roller coaster of a journey and I still think about it now.  I also loved The Babadouk, again the sensitivity, especially of the mother and son relationship, something I could really relate to. And another Spanish film, ‘Sleep Tight’, probably more of a thriller I guess, but a very clever tense film full of ingenious twists and turns. Then there’s the Soska’s “American Mary” which I loved too - such a strong female protagonist. I have to mention a movie that I have only just watched too – ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ with Brian Cox…


Your favourite genre director(s)?

Loads - Stanley Kubrick, Kathryn Bigelow, Alfred Hitchcock, Guillermo Del Toro, David Lynch…the list goes on and on! They all have their own unique gift in telling a timeless story. There is something to learn from all of them. I also must mention George A Romero. Having not previously been a Zombie Horror fan (until we made ‘Before Dawn’) he has to be one of the greatest in that department…with ‘Night of the Living Dead’ being one of the best and most terrifying.


Who are your genre inspirations?

I would say at the moment it’s the women who have pushed the boundaries within the genre. There are many men who inspire me too of course and will continue to do so. but within this genre it has always been very male dominated, so it is great that so many women are coming to the fore and expressing themselves creatively now. For example, The Soska Twins with ‘American Mary’ and Jennifer Lynch for ‘Boxing Helena’, and ‘Chained’. I’m also a fan of Alice Lowe and really respect her work and dedication especially within the genre, crossing again the boundaries of actress, director, writer.

What’s the worst thing you’ve done in a horror film?

Oh I think that has to be in ‘Before Dawn’. I was covered in cold sticky blood, I had prosthetic teeth in, contact lenses (which I could barely see through) and spent hours in a cold dark basement in my pyjamas, totally freezing. However, the shot looked great, so it was most definitely worth it


Horror on TV – are you a fan?

Yes, definitely. It’s gaining a massive following with the likes of ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Penny Dreadful and ‘American Horror Story’, which is definitely paving the way forward.  I think there should be more UK-based horror on TV though…


You and Dominic Brunt, must be the only husband / wife team working in horror films in the UK at the moment. Scary or what?

Most of my friends think it must be a nightmare living and working so closely together but it’s the opposite. Each time we start on a project it’s the start of another exciting journey. We bounce a lot of ideas off each other (not always agreeing on them needless to say!) particularly with stories and characters. We watch a lot of movies together and try to go to as many film festivals as we can together. Dom really knows his horror, he’s like a walking encyclopedia on the genre and I have to say a lot of the more ‘gory’ ideas come from him. It’s a fun, sometimes crazy, scary journey!


Vampires or Zombies?

Zombies!!! However, ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ gave them a run for their money!


Finally, what really scares you…

Apart from some of the saddening atrocities happening in the world, in a genre sense it has to be my imagination. It’s night and dark…I’m on my own…in my house...I live in a very old house!


An exclusive clip from Adult Babies, introduced by director Dominic Brunt, will be screened on Sat 25 Feb at 18.55, before the screening of Patient Zero.

You can buy Before Dawn on DVD by using the link below.
Dominic Brunt (Actor, Director), Joanne MItchell

Interview with Julie Elizabeth Powell by David Kempf

Julie Elizabeth Powell has a passion for words, and is the author of 25 books in a variety of genres and lengths.  She lives in the south of England and thinks grammar and spelling are of immense value.  Her favourite worlds are those of her own making but she often delves into others for fun, as reading is the next best thing to writing.

Interview with Julie Elizabeth Powell by David Kempf

When did you first become interested in writing?

When I was a child, I loved to read tales about magical chairs that took you to faraway lands and becoming invisible and, with a wave of a wand, anything was possible.  Words affected me and, of course, I had to write them, too.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

The most interesting stories I’ve ever read include fantasy of some kind, whether it be other realms / worlds or horror, science-fiction, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, paranormal…they all feel like fantasy to me.

The reason I love writing fantasy is that there are no limits, so if things get sticky, I can just make it up!


Is this a full time job?

In my head, yes!  Although, I’m a full-time carer for my disabled husband, so don’t have time to go out to work anymore, writing is something I love to do.


How would you classify the genre you write about?

I write in a variety of genres; classic fantasy, paranormal, horror, dystopian, science-fiction, humour, psychological, crime thriller, mystery adventure and non-fiction.  Sometimes I mix up genres, too.  I don’t stick to formulas or fashion.  I also write for adults and children (12+).

I like to challenge my writing and I’d become bored if I stuck to the same old thing.

So, classifying my writing is not possible.  But it is thought-provoking, different, imaginative and sometimes odd. J  I love to stretch the imagination and delve into the ‘what’s possible /impossible’!


Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

Maybe because folks don’t like reality?  At least with fantasy, the imagination has no boundaries.   As for horror, I think people like to be petrified in a safe way.


What inspires your stories?

Inspiration can come from anywhere at any time.  Dreams, however, are a huge source, where characters speak to me, or an idea is sparked enough that I have to write it.

Short stories are great for those fleeting ideas, although novels take far longer, it’s great to develop the characters from that initial inspiration.  Of course, I people-watch – it’s amazing what folks will do and say and how it can stimulate stories.

I will say though that my first competed novel (one that I didn’t throw into the bin of history), was inspired by what happened to my daughter, Samantha.  She was born with transposition of the main arteries amongst other heart problems and when she was two, it stopped and she died.  Doctors resuscitated too long and too late, resulting in severe brain damage.

For seventeen years, Samantha survived, but her essence, what had made her who she was, had been wiped clean.  She had no memory of me or anything else.  As her body gradually twisted, her empty shell knew nothing except pain.

During that waiting time, I had a question: ‘Where had my daughter gone?’, because her essence had vanished.  So, I created a world and went in search of her.  Gone is the result – a unique fantasy, one of loss, grief, questions and answers, and an inspirational tale of hope.

Gone is not depressing, but has been described as a fairytale for adults.  I’m sure it will help others, too.  Slings & Arrows is a non-fictional account of that time.

So then, inspiration comes from deep emotional responses from anything we see, feel, smell, hear, taste and experience – never underestimate your senses and memories.


Tell us about your work on the book 13. 

I’ve always been intrigued by how the mind works and why people do what they do.  Over the years, I’ve seen wondrous and awful things, with the latter in the name of someone’s beliefs.  I can’t say that I like humans very much, and despair at how each day things are becoming worse.

The drive to power is daunting, and those who want it shouldn’t have it and those who don’t want it, would probably do a better job.  However, I’m not sure if it’s genetic or experience led, but human beings could be argued to be the scourge of the Earth.

13, then, is a story of people, and their motivations to do terrible things – but it’s left up to the reader to decide if those very people deserve what happens.  Would the reader do the same?  What would drive them?  Can they relate?

Of course, I gave it a fantastical /horrific twist – it wouldn’t be fun otherwise!


What do you think the difference between American horror and British horror is?

Oh, I’m not sure how to answer this.  I’ve read Stephen King and Dean Koontz and also many stories by Amy Cross (British) – maybe British horror is more realistic?  I do find Stephen King’s horror to be depressing, while Dean Koontz has more of a hopeful flavor, if mixed with fantasy.

Being British (English) myself, I want my stories to be routed in reality, whilst bringing tingles and chills.  The Box That Jane Built (the title story of a collection of four horror tales), is about insanity – something I think is the scariest of things and yet is completely ‘normal’ for those inflicted. All four tales about real life situations, yet are they…?


What are your favorite horror books?

Psychological stories are the best in my opinion, as the mind is the most disturbing entity.  I find that the word ‘horror’ can mean something different to us all.  Jaws, for example, was horrific to me.  But those stories in the Hammer Horror league are awful.  1984, although dystopian, was more horror to me, as was Fahrenheit 451.  Personally, I hate anything with clowns.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was sad, but the idea of man messing with nature – that is terrifying and something Dean Koontz writes about in many of his stories.  Misery by Stephen King was psychologically brilliantly horrific as was Needful Things.

It’s not possible to list them all, and it’s never that simple because horror means more than how much blood there is – it’s possibly the sound of the knives sharpening that’s worse.

True life is far my scary than fiction, I think.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Favourite maybe the wrong word – those that made an impression are: The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, The Others, The Fly, Jaws and The Shining.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an author?

My greatest accomplishment is to keep writing, despite the flack, the criticism, the hard work and the lack of sales /reviews.  I have written 25 books in varying genres and lengths and am pleased with them all.  I think my work is great, but I’m a self-publisher so am at the bottom of the pile in regard to status.

Maybe one day I’ll be lucky and that ‘important person who has the right strings to pull’ will read my stories and loves them?
             

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Ignore naysayers, write for yourself and be realistic in your goals.  Believe in your work, yes, but don’t think that it will magically become a bestseller.  Never give up.


What is your opinion of the new self-publishing trend?

Most of my reading comes from the self-publishing pool because it’s refreshing and different to the traditional, on every shelf, boring stories.  Not all of it is good, but much of it is.  From my experience, it’s a growing trend due to people wanting a voice.  But that means there are too many books for sale so unless you can stand above the rest, then…

I have no money for marketing /promoting, so maybe that’s why sales are poor?

It’s important to be as professional as you can.  It’s hard work, yes, but then I love the control.  Apart from writing, editing, proofreading, marketing, promoting, and so on, I love to design my own covers.  It’s been said that the cover makes all the difference to sales, but I’m not sure if it’s true, but I love doing it and think they’re great!

Self-publishers are often criticised and are considered below independent writers (those with a small press) and traditionally published – here are three reasons: poor editing /writing, won’t be good if they can’t get a publisher and vanity.

Hmm, well, I have never read a book without a mistake, even those with expensive eyes on watch.  Some stories through the traditional route are awful!  Really awful; bad writing style and poor storyline and boring.  Vanity?  Well, maybe it is.  But, speaking for myself, I think my stories are important and very good to read.  They are meaningful and well-written, and I edit, proofread etc. to make it as professional as I can, all by myself; that surely is an accomplishment?  What choice do I have when I’ve been rejected by every relevant publisher and literary agent?  Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that?  Although, I was offered to be taken on by a small publisher but I didn’t want to lose control of my work and be told what to write.


What are your current projects?

I have several projects in the pipeline.  A new fantasy novel called, Maisie; something I’ve never done before in quite this way, so it’s taking its time.  In addition, I hope to write a few more ‘missives’ from my Weird series – Henry Ian Darling is nagging at me to get on with them.

I do have another novel in mind, but I’m not sure yet how it will go and I need to concentrate on my current work.

And of course there will be shorts from my dreams – I never know when they’ll strike or lead me.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

Let me just give you my latest bio, as I think it sums things up quite well:

I cannot ignore my dreams, so many of them, with names and places and ideas that spark my imagination and compel me to write; to create stories, whether fantasy or horror, or mystery or psychological thriller or murder or even humour and adventure.  So, my garden is sown, flourishing, with all manner of growth, and still the dreams come.

Julie Elizabeth Powell, my soul lingering within my imagination; maybe you’ll join me?

***

Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me, David and MastersOfHorror.co.uk.  And thank you, readers wherever you are don’t forget the review!

Links:
Website - http://julizpow.wix.com/julieelizabethpowell
AMAZON UK - http://goo.gl/YUQu68
AMAZON USA - http://goo.gl/pFsY1e
LULU - http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/julizpow
GOODREADS - https://goo.gl/DcTSOO
Amazon USA page - http://goo.gl/cT0DCK
Amazon UK page - http://goo.gl/XK8TOj
FB page 1 - https://www.facebook.com/julieelizabethpowellsbooks
FB page 2 - https://www.facebook.com/GoneByJulieElizabethPowell
LinkedIn - https://goo.gl/ZXbsGv
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+JulieElizabethPowell/posts
https://twitter.com/starjewelz
https://uk.pinterest.com/starjewelz/

FILM NEWS (UK): Horror Channel FrightFest announces Glasgow FF line-up

FILM NEWS (UK): Horror Channel FrightFest celebrates 12th year at Glasgow Film Festival with record-breaking fourteen titles

Brittany Allen in IT STAINS THE SANDS RED

Monstrous stories, unspeakable urban legends, brutal acts and fearsome folktales dominate as the UK’s favourite horror fantasy event returns to the Glasgow Film Festival with a record fourteen films, including ten UK premieres, screening from Thurs 23 Feb to Sat 25 Feb 2017 at the iconic Glasgow Film Theatre.

Kicking off with a special screening of A CURE FOR WELLNESS, an intense psychological ride from Gore Verbinski, the visionary director of THE RING. and ending in sex and blood-drenched frenzy with the UK premiere of Roberto San Sebastián’s THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN, the 2017 line-up Is a shivering selection of the finest and wildest new fear-stokers the genre has to offer.

This year there are two films screening on the Thursday night. Following the 9pm showing of A CURE FOR WELLNESS is an exclusive unveiling of PHANTASM: REMASTERED, a new 4K restoration of the never forgotten fantasy horror masterpiece.

Friday’s line-up springs into high-octane action with the UK premiere of Matthias Hoene’s blockbusting $50 million fantasy epic THE WARRIOR’S GATE. This is followed by the UK Premiere of IT STAINS THE SANDS RED, a thrilling and unexpectedly heart-felt zombie road movie. Director Colin Minihan and lead actress Brittany Allen will be in attendance. Next up is THE TRANSFIGURATION, Michael O’Shea’s nihilistic meditation on millennial angst that took Cannes 2016 by storm. We’re pleased to say that Michael will be joining us to discuss the film.
Our 9pm presentation unleashes monster mash fury with the original Gangsta Lizard wreaking fabulous havoc in the UK Premiere of SHIN GODZILLA and rounding off the evening in visually stunning style is the first UK showing of Joe Dietsch & Louie Gibson’s award-winning HAPPY HUNTING, a dark and dangerous unfolding of desert death games.

Getting the Saturday programme started with considerable bite is the UK premiere of CAGE DIVE, Gerald Rascionato’s well-received take on survivor reality TV. This is followed by the hotly anticipated UK premiere of FASHIONISTA, Simon Rumley’s shockingly hypnotic exploration of addiction, body image and transformation. Considered by US critics to be his best film to date, Simon will be in attendance to discuss the film.

Also in attendance is Steven Kastrissios, director of BLOODLANDS. the first ever collaboration between Australia and Albania and the Balkan country’s first foray into horror cinema. Kastrissios’ passion project invites you to explore the mind-set of modern Albania while embarking on a spellbinding journey into terror. This is the World Premiere and Steven will be joined on stage by the main cast.

Make sure you’re strapped in for the UK premiere of our next presentation - Christopher Smith’s twisted revenge road move DETOUR. We’re thrilled that Chris will be joining us.

Matt Smith & Stanley Tucci in PATIENT ZERO

Saturday evening unfolds in adrenaline-fueled style with the UK premiere of Stefan Ruzowitzky’s PATIENT ZERO, starring Matt Smith, Stanley Tucci and Natalie Dormer battling super-fit, highly intelligent undead killers!  This is followed by the UK premiere of Ben Young’s powerfully disturbing debut HOUNDS OF LOVE, a unique three-way study of a serial-killing couple and their latest female victim.

To end this year’s global feast of fear is the UK premiere of an extreme horror comedy pushing ALL the boundaries. Roberto San Sebastián’s THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN is disgusting, offensive, hilarious and totally brilliant!

In addition, there is a sneak preview of Dominic Brunt’s ADULT BABIES, with the popular actor / director in attendance and let’s not forget those great give-aways!

Alan Jones, co-director, said today: “What a privilege for Horror Channel FrightFest to return to the open arms of the Glasgow Film Festival. Each of our forensically assembled line-up has been chosen on the basis it has something new and unique to offer, something we feel worth championing to our discerning Scottish audiences. So join us as we step beyond the pale together into the safe darkness of sinister cinema where genre transcends all and unites us as one chilled community.”

FrightFest Passes are £70 and available from noon on Mon Jan 16, 2016.  Passes cover all films on Fri 24 & Sat 25 Feb ONLY.

Tickets for ‘A Cure for Wellness’ and ‘Phantasm: Remastered’ ’ plus individual tickets for the Fri/Sat films are on sale Mon Jan 23 from 10am. Price: £10.00. £8 concession.

To book tickets:
+44 (0)141 332 6535 / boxoffice@glasgowfilm.org / www.glasgowfilm.org/festival

Programme details
THURS 23 FEB – GFT Screen 1

21:00 A CURE FOR WELLNESS (Special screening)
An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness centre” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa’s miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure.

Director: Gore Verbinski. Cast: Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, Jason Isaacs, Celia Imrie. USA 2017. 18.  126 mins, Thanks to 20th Century Fox.

23:40 PHANTASM: REMASTERED (Scottish Premiere)
Set to introduce a new generation to the deranged charms of the cult classic, meet horror icon Angus Scrimm as a malevolent mortician sending bizarre murder victims into another dimension where they become slave dwarves. A macabre funhouse of shock that weaves a powerful primal spell, the unforgettable silver sphere that drills out brains is back in a phantasmagorical fusion of surreal imagery, outlandish thrills and super scares.

Director: Don Coscarelli. Cast: Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Angus Scrimm. USA 1979. 84 mins. 18. Thanks to Arrow Films.


FRI 24 FEB – GFT Screen 1

13:30 THE WARRIOR’S GATE (UK Premiere)
Produced and written by Luc Besson and long-time collaborator Robert Mark Kamen (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) and directed by COCKNEYS VS. ZOMBIES maestro Matthias Hoene, the rip-roaring spectacular adventure finds hapless teenager Jack magically transported to ancient China where he must learn to convert his awesome video gaming skills into those of a Kung Fu warrior to bring peace to the warring kingdom. THE LAST STARFIGHTER goes CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON in an enthralling fable opening up a whole innovative East meets West universe of wonder and imagination.

Director: Matthias Hoene. Cast: David Bautista, Sienna Guillory, Uriah Shelton. France/China 2016. 90 mins. 15. Thanks to Europacorp.

16:00 IT STAINS THE SANDS RED (UK Premiere)
First came the massive hit GRAVE ENCOUNTERS and the sci-fi shocker EXTRATERRESTRIAL and now director Colin Minihan and co-writer Stuart Ortiz, aka The Vicious Brothers have fashioned an unusual. ‘walking dead’ movie. After a horrendous flesh-eating apocalypse, Las Vegas wild child Molly finds herself stranded in the desert with a ravenously relentless zombie hot on her high heels. Forever trying to give it the ingenious slip, the lone stalker has no need of rest and soon it becomes her only physical contact in a world gone mad haunted by her dark past.

Director: Colin Minihan. Cast: Brittany Allen, Juan Riedinger, Merwin Mondesir. USA 2016. 92 mins. 18. Thanks to Digital Interference Productions and Grasswood Media.

18:30 THE TRANSFIGURATION (UK Premiere)
Orphaned African-American teen Milo thinks he’s undead in director Michael O’Shea’s fiercely independent first feature. To escape his depressing life, Milo has drenched himself in vampire lore gleaned from such horror classics as NOSFERATU, MARTIN, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THE LOST BOYS and NEAR DARK and has taken to sublimating his morbid fantasies bloodsucking on strangers. It’s when he befriends the equally troubled Sophie that a clear course of action presents itself providing liberation and tragic redemption.

Director: Michael O’Shea. Cast: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Aaron Moten. USA 2016. 97 mins. 18. Thanks to Soda Pictures.

21:00 SHIN GODZILLA (European Premiere)
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is back for a record-breaking box-office reboot of Toho’s kaiju classic. Present-day Japan, and an unexplained seismic event has occurred off the coast of Shinagawa, causing ripple effects all the way to the capital. Ministers scramble to figure out what’s going on but only cabinet secretary Rando Yaguchi knows what the audience already does. That Godzilla has majestically returned and has his fire-breathing, stomping sights on Tokyo once more.

Directors: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi. Cast: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara. Japan 2016. 120 mins. 18. Thanks to Altitude Films.

23:15 HAPPY HUNTING (UK Premiere)
Warren is a degenerate drifter. On his way down to Mexico he finds himself stranded in Bedford Flats a one-horse town deep in the American desert. Unfortunately for him the town’s pastime is rounding up drifters and hunting them as part of an elaborate sporting event. This most dangerous and deadly game and bloody fight for survival is about to begin!

Directors: Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson. Cast: Martin Dingle Wall, Ken Lally, Kenny Wormald, Connor Willimas. USA 2016. 91 mins.18.Thanks to WTFilms


SAT 25 FEB – GFT Screen 1

10:00 CAGE DIVE (UK Premiere)
CAGE DIVE follows three friends from California who set out to film an audition tape for submission to an extreme reality game show. To ensure they stand out, they decide to travel to Australia where they will be documenting themselves taking part in a most extreme activity…Shark Cage Diving. While on the dive, a catastrophic turn of events leaves them in baited water full of hungry Great White Sharks and turns there audition tape into a survival diary.

Director: Gerald Rascionato. Cast: Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff, Magan Peta Hill, Suzanne Dervish-Ali. Australia 2017. 80 mins. 18. Thanks to Lionsgate Films.

11:45 FASHIONISTA (UK Premiere)
After RED, WHITE AND BLUE and JOHNNY FRANK GARRET’S LAST WORD comes uber-eccentric director Simon Rumley’s third distinctive Austin, Texas, based shocker., this sleekly demented De Palma-esque nightmare is set in the vintage clothing world where hipster shop owners April and Eric find their marriage tested when she begins to suspect her husband of having an affair. Her suspicions confirmed, April seeks sexual validation with the very mysterious and kinky Randall setting off a chain reaction of stylish fever dream madness, vogue fantasy role-playing and chic ultra-shriek.

Director: Simon Rumley. Cast: Amanda Fuller, Ethan Embry, Eric Balfour. USA 2016. 110 mins. 18. Thanks to Simon Rumley.

14:20 BLOODLANDS (World Premiere)
Fear the Shtriga! Written and directed by Steven Kastrissios who made his intense debut with THE HORSEMAN comes Albania’s first ever break-out genre film. Rooted in the very real phenomenon of blood feuds still plaguing the land, a struggling Albanian family, wrestling with traditions and superstition, must unite against another mysterious mountain clan's aggressions. A surreal, remarkable and highly unusual voyage through the fantasy lens of whispered local mythologies,

Director: Steven Kastrissios. Cast: Gëzim Rudi, Emiljano Palali, Suela Bako. Australia/Albania 2016. 82 mins. 18. Thanks to Steven Kastrissios.

16:30 DETOUR (UK Premiere)
A tense, deftly constructed noir thriller from Christopher Smith, director of CREEP, SEVERANCE, BLACK DEATH and TRIANGLE. Law student Harper suspects his stepdad Vincent of causing the car crash that landed his mother in a coma. A chance meeting in a bar with a tough redneck and his girlfriend leads to a road trip of revenge and spiralling violence.

Director : Christopher Smith. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Emory Cohen, Bel Powley, Stephen Moyer. UK 2016. 97 mins. 18. Thanks to Dan Films.

18:55 PATIENT ZERO (UK Premiere)
Humanity is battling intelligent creatures born from a viral super-strain. After being bitten human survivor Morgan (Matt Smith) realises he is asymptomatic and can communicate with the infected, leading the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure. From Stefan Ruzowitzky director of ANATOMY, ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN and THE COUNTERFEITERS.

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky. Cast: Matt Smith, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Clive Standen, Agness Deyn. UK 2017. R/T TBA. 18. Thanks to Sony Pictures

21:10 HOUNDS OF LOVE  (UK Premiere)
In the mid 1980’s seventeen year old Vicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed serial-killing couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realises she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive. Inspired by real life crimes, A superbly acted and powerful debut feature.

Director: Ben Young. Cast:  Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings, Stephen Curry, Susie Porter. Australia 2016. 108 mins. 18. Thanks to Arrow Films

23:20 THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN (UK Premiere)
At a New Year's Eve party, nerdy and naïve Nico sets out to lose his virginity. After striking out with drunken babes, his gaze crosses to Medea, an attractive if mature woman. Before he knows what’s happening he’s whisked to Medea’s filthy apartment where sinister Asian artefacts adorn the shelves, cockroaches crawl the floors and an ancient prophecy rears its head along with the rowdy gay neighbours and a very jealous ex-boyfriend.

Director: Roberto San Sebastián. Cast: Javier Bódalo, Miriam Martín, Víctor Amilibia. Spain 2016. 117 mins. 18. Thanks to Kevin I. Rodríguez/Platanobolígrafo.

For further information:  www.frightfest.co.uk

Interview with Barbara Crampton

Ahead of Horror Channel’s UK premiere broadcast of WE ARE STILL HERE on Sat Jan 14, legendry actress Barbara Crampton talks exclusively on the revival of her career, her approach to challenging roles and why she loves the genre, but not the over-used label ‘Scream Queen’!


Q: Suddenly you are back in the genre spotlight after many people thinking you had retired.  What happened between your 80s heyday in movies like REANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND and the more recent YOU’RE NEXT? 

BARBARA: I had retired. But it wasn't really intentional. I was in my late 30's and hadn't been offered anything significant in quite a while. Roles in my age bracket for women were slim. Around the same time I met my husband Bob, got married and became pregnant. He had a career in a more stable business and was offered a great opportunity in San Francisco. I suppose I was ready for a change and a chance to build a family life with him, so off we went.

Soon after our first son was born, I was consumed with motherhood and then was also expecting my second child - a girl. I embraced this new chapter in my life and was not thinking about acting or movies, except as a spectator, for a long time. I'm glad though that I had the break to focus on my kids and be there to help out at their school and build a life I had dreamed about but seemed to elude me for many years.

The offer for YOU'RE NEXT came literally out of the blue and I was grateful my agent hadn't lost my number as we hadn't even spoken in something like six years. I believe I was really lucky to return in a film that was really successful and seemed to receive a lot of attention for the film makers involved. So once people knew I hadn't keeled over, I began to get a few more inquires for work. I think being older has helped me also. I'm playing mothers, caretakers, doctors and soon a woman running for Governor.


Q: WE ARE STILL HERE receives its UK premiere on UK’s Horror Channel on Jan 14, 2017. What attracted you to the project?

BARBARA: Firstly, I’m thrilled the Horror Channel is broadcasting the film. They really are dedicated to the genre in a passionate and intelligent way.

What attracted me to the project was that I responded to the depth of misery Anne was experiencing. She lost her only child in an auto accident. How does someone recover from that? The challenges interested me as a performer and I wanted to bring as much truth to the role as possible. It also felt very 80's to me with a Lucio Fulci vibe. How could I possibly turn a gift like this down? That's what this part felt like to me - a gift.


Q: You met WE ARE STILL HERE director Ted Geoghegan because he was the publicist on YOU’RE NEXT. Were you flattered he wrote the part of Anne for you?

BARBARA: Of course! Although he didn't tell me initially he HAD written it for me. I think he was nervous about that, for whatever reason. When I first read it I was immediately drawn to the character and felt a connection to Anne. So after a time I was thrilled he had secured the financing and knew we'd be on our way.


Q: To prepare for the role of grieving mother Anne, you talked to two women who had lost their sons in car accidents. What were the most important things you learned during this research process?

BARBARA: Interviewing these two women was pretty difficult, yet thankfully they both were more than willing. It was important for me to understand their grief as much as possible and do them justice in portraying their pain. Both ladies are very strong and not surprisingly this loss is the most devastating and significant thing that has ever happened to them. They told me how their relationships with their husbands suffered. How they themselves wanted to die. How tired they were all the time. Grief is really exhausting. They each talked about moments when they felt ok and could even share a light or fun moment with someone and then would feel immediately guilty for having done so. The pain was always there and is always there. It becomes absorbed in your DNA forever. I carried their answers with me every day on pieces of paper. I would read them each morning before filming and talk to Ted about these feelings on set as if they were my own to put myself in their head space. Ted would sit with me and he was such a calm and gentle presence and he would sometimes hold my hand. I think we created a space not unlike what those two women may have experienced when they would speak to a confidant about their sorrow.


Q: Many critics have pointed out the Lucio Fulci inspirations in WE ARE STILL HERE. Did you know who he was? Were you, and have you remained, genre savvy? 

BARBARA: I had seen Fulci's THE BEYOND and HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY and rewatched HBTC a number of times when Ted told me it was one of his favourite films and wanted a similar feeling for our movie. I think I've become more genre savvy since my return to acting with YOU'RE NEXT. I realised that I wanted to rededicate myself to my career and specifically to the horror genre so I'll confess I've become more educated of late, watching movies I may have missed along the way. I try now to watch a few old and new movies each week to keep up with what's happening, trends and influences. Even so there are movies I've missed. GREEN ROOM has been queued up about five times only to be interrupted by another movie or a family crisis. I've become more of a genre fan recently. I've always liked horror movies but now I love them. You can tell any story in a genre movie.

Q: WE ARE STILL HERE is a supernatural ghost story. Do you prefer that type of horror film than the all-out splatter fest?

BARBARA: There are so many sub genres in horror. The ones that appeal to me are ones with an interesting or unique story and dynamic characters. I like to see people challenged by something and rise up to overcome obstacles, either outside forces or something within themselves. Splatter and gore are great fun but just to show a cool SFX gag that isn't supported by a greater foundation in story doesn't really move me. I want to feel something.


Q: You say the house in WE ARE STILL HERE is its own character. Can you explain a little more?

BARBARA: The house was the site of some terrible happenings and it had absorbed the horror and terror. The feeling of the movie was on great display through the remarkable work of our DP Karim Hussain. It's moodiness, pain and suffering was felt in the angles and lighting used. "Place" is an important element for an actor in a movie and no time ever for me as much as in this film in this character. I thought my deceased son had followed us there. He was present to me when the baseball drops down the stairs and I heard his voice speak to me when the townspeople were descending upon us. I felt him in the walls. At the end of the movie I make a choice that involves staying in the house forever. Did I mention how cold it was? The temperature outside was -27 and the heat inside did not work very well. I was either bracing myself against its chill or leaning in to feel the warmth of a dear departed loved one who appeared to inhabit its space.


Q: Just like Stuart Gordon with REANIMATOR, Ted Geoghegan was making his feature debut with WE ARE STILL HERE. And you produced and starred in BEYOND THE GATES, the feature debut of Jackson Stewart too. Is it more exciting working with up and coming new talent?

BARBARA: It's exciting to work period. Most actors who have a career do a handful of movies a year if they're lucky. Most of your time is spent not working and doing regular everyday things. Fortunately, the film festival circuit is quite robust and I've spent the last few years promoting movies I'm in and traveling the states and abroad. It's very satisfying to be around like-minded people who love movies and really get what we do. Also I enjoy meeting other film makers and actors and fans.

As far as working with up and coming directors is concerned, these guys were so on it in terms of telling a story and already had vast and deep knowledge of the genre. Ted and Jack had worked in the film biz in various capacities before directing their first films and were completely comfortable with what they were doing. RE-ANIMATOR was the first film experience for Stuart but he had honed a lot of skills in the theatre and any moving picture technology he didn't understand was greatly helped by our DP, Mac Ahlberg. I find today that the industry is a lot more collaborative and especially in Los Angeles where directors screen rough cuts for other directors and they all give each other notes before any additional shooting or reshoots. That really helps a young director.


Q: Judging by all the movies you’re starring in at that moment either completed or in post-production, you are back with a vengeance! What’s the difference between making movies then and now?

BARBARA: I'm older and wiser and know when to speak my mind. I love the complicated parts I'm being offered now too. Everything is faster because of digital and most people on a set are capable of doing various jobs. It's also harder to get a movie financed at the level you'd like and to sell the movie to a company that will give you the funds to make your money back. You have to be really tenacious and have a strong attitude and be willing to lose money and still do such a bang up job that people notice you so that you can move up a level.

Also people watching movies illegally and not realising how much this hurts the industry is a real problem. Not everyone is successful, some leave the business and do other things. I'm talking directors but it's really competitive for performers as well. There are so many people in Hollywood. How do you distinguish yourself? Why or how are you unique? Embrace that. Starting as young as possible is a good idea, creating your own content, making movies with your friends, networking...


Q: You’ve recently stated you don’t like the term ‘Scream Queen’ even though you once embraced it. What’s changed? You are now a Horror Icon, do you prefer that description?

BARBARA: The term didn't used to bother me as much before. But as time has gone by I feel it's really reductive, overused and not reflective of the kinds of deep and more interesting stories we seem to be telling in this generation. It's a clichéd moniker given to ladies who are doing amazing work and have had long careers with varying roles. It's a term that has had its time and is now being used by actresses who have been in one or two movies and who self-proclaim themselves to be a “Scream Queen". It just doesn't feel special anymore, if it ever was.

For additional thoughts on this by myself and other film makers click on this link..
http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/12/15/barbara-crampton-dont-call-me-a-scream-queen

We Are Still Here is broadcast on Horror Channel, Sat 14 Jan, 10.50pm.

Competition: Win Satanic on DVD

Satanic is out on DVD on January 2nd And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:
Four friends on their way to Coachella stop off in Los Angeles to tour true-crime Satanic Panic-era sites, only to find themselves interrupting an apparent human sacrifice.

They save the young victim, but she turns out to be much more dangerous than the cult from which she escaped, unleashing an evil spirit who will hunt the friends down one by one...

Starring Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Justin Chon (Twilight Saga), Clara Mamet (Bad Neighbours 2), and Anthony Carrigan (Gotham).


Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the links below:
Satanic [DVD] [2016]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...


Competition Closed

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 09-01-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Film News (UK): Horror Channel kicks off 2017 with seven premieres including WE ARE STILL HERE

There are seven fearful film premieres on Horror Channel in January 2017, including the UK TV premiere of Ted Geoghegan’s terrifyingly taut ghost story WE ARE STILL HERE, starring horror icon Barbara Crampton. There are also network premieres for Roman Polanski’s supernatural biblical puzzler THE NINTH GATE, starring Johnny Depp and Daniel Stamm’s possession nightmare THE LAST EXORCISM, produced by Eli Roth.

Horror Channel are also giving a UK TV premiere to Daniel Stamm’s intriguing remake of 13 BELOVED, 13 SINS, starring Ron Perlman. Other UK TV firsts include Quilez’s Colombia-shot supernatural suspenser OUT OF THE DARK; and Steve Wolsh’s monster mayhem thriller MUCK. Lluis David Brooks’ siege thriller ATM receives its Network premiere.


Fri 8 Jan @ 22:55 – MUCK (2015) * UK TV Premiere

After escaping from a possessed ancient burial ground underneath the Cape Cod marshes, Mia (Lauren Francesca) and her friends take shelter in an abandoned house. Unfortunately, the house has an evil spirit of its own. They are now trapped between malevolent entities, forcing them to stay and fight, or go back the way they came. Also stars Kane Hodder.


Sat 9 Jan @ 21:00 – THE NINTH GATE (1999) *Network Premiere

Corso (Johnny Depp), who finds rare books for wealthy collectors, is hired by Balkan (Frank Langella) to locate a book of satanic invocation, reportedly written by the Devil himself. The search takes Corso all over Europe and into various conflicts with other maniacal collectors (Lena Olin and Barbara Jefford), and a mysterious, nameless Girl (Emmanuelle Seigner). Corso learns that the book contains clues to a puzzle that will allow people to call up the devil, and certain people will stop at nothing to find the missing parts of the formula…


Friday 13 Jan @ 21:00 – 13 SINS (2014) *UK TV Premiere

What better way to celebrate Friday the 13th than with 13 SINS? Heavily in debt and with a pregnant fiancée, an autistic brother, and an ailing father to care for, down-on-his-luck salesman Elliot (Mark Webber) is thrown an unusual lifeline. A mysterious phone caller offers him cash for completing thirteen challenges, each more difficult than the one before. However, should he fail one, he loses everything. As the stakes rise, Elliot must decide whether the risk is worth the reward. Ron Perlman is the detective drawn into Elliot's increasingly destructive game…


Sat 14 Jan @ 22:50 – WE ARE STILL HERE (2015) *UK TV Premiere

The producers of THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and CHEAP THRILLS serve up a tense ghost story in the Italianate Lucio Fulci/Pupi Avati tradition. After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the New England countryside to start a new life. But the grieving couple unknowingly becomes the prey of a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their converted funeral parlour home. And so begins a terrifying fight back against the living hiding a terrible secret, and the malicious dead demanding a sacrifice that threatens to pull their cursed souls into hell.


Fri 20 Jan @ 21:00 – ATM (2012) *Network Premiere

One late night after an office party, co-workers David (Brian Geraghty), Emily (Alice Eve) and Corey (Josh Peck) make a late-night stop at an ATM. What should be a routine transaction turns into a desperate struggle for survival when an unknown man appears outside the vestibule. With the wintry temperatures dipping below freezing, and the morning sunrise still hours away, they have no choice but to play the man's deadly game of cat-and-mouse.


Sat 21 Jan @ 21:00 – OUT OF THE DARK (2014) *UK TV Premiere

Sarah Harriman (Julia Stiles) has moved her family – husband Paul (Scott Speedman) and sprightly daughter Hannah (Pixie Davies) – to a small Colombian town to work at the paper mill her father (Stephen Rea) owns. As they settle into their home, surrounded by a forbidding jungle landscape, Hannah begins to act strangely and suddenly disappears. As Sarah and Paul frantically search for her, they delve deeper into the town’s superstitions and discover a shocking secret about their family; a secret they must uncover in order to save their daughter.


Sat 29 Jan @ 21:00 – THE LAST EXORCISM (2012) *Network Premiere

Disillusioned by years of defrauding poor believers out of their hard-earned cash, evangelist preacher Cotton Marcus has decided to put the record straight by starring in a fly-on-the-wall documentary exposing the con tricks of his demon-busting trade. A letter from a poor southern farmer begging for help in driving evil off his land seems to give Cotton the perfect opportunity to expose the phoniness of his satanic ministry. But then he meets the farmer’s disturbed young daughter, Nell, and everything changes. Produced by Eli Roth.

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Interview with Kurt Brokaw By David Kempf

Professor Kurt Brokaw has taught advertising courses at The New School for 32 consecutive years. He's senior film critic of The Independent and has taught film and literature courses at the 92nd Street Y for the past 14 years. He was an original "Mad Man" starting in 1961, and has been a copywriter and creative supervisor at three top-ten New York ad agencies as well as creative director at RCA Records. Kurt holds M.S.and B.S. degrees from The University of Wisconsin, and authored the trade bestseller, "A Night In Transylvania: The Dracula Scrapbook," a cross-cultural history of Dracula.



Interview with Kurt Brokaw By David Kempf

Tell us how you became interested in the Dracula legend.

Horror movies were a genre passion since writing for my Indianapolis high school newspaper 1952-56, and becoming the film reviewer for the U of Wisconsin student newspaper 56-61. My undergrad/grad majors were in advertising, and I migrated to Madison Avenue as a “Mad Man” for 30 years. One high spot was developing a television commercial for Vanish (bathroom cleaner) with master magician Harry Blackstone, Jr.
In ’75 I was on assignment for The Monster Times, a well-remembered fanzine in Manhattan, researching a long Transylvania travelog and Vlad Dracul history, and photographing all the key sites.

 Later that year, I was curating and hosting a film series in Scarsdale (north of Manhattan) called Preacher Features, with local ministers, priests and rabbis giving their take on art films. On impulse I decided to try a slide show with music plus a screening of “Horror of Dracula.” And instead of inviting a local clergy person, I invited Radu Florescu, the mainstream Dracula scholar along with Raymond McNally, to come down from Boston. To my astonishment he accepted, the local paper gave it a big play, and we sold out a huge community hall.

An editor from Grosset & Dunlap publishers was there, and tasked me to expand The Monster times travelog into a book-length exploration of the historical figure, plus Bram Stoker’s fictional legend and all nine yards of popular culture. That became “A Night in Transylvania: The Dracula Scrapbook,” launched in ’76 on the 500th anniversary of Vlad’s death, with an intro by Florescu and McNally. Their support plus friendships with Jeanne Youngson who ran The Count Dracula Society and The Vampire Empire in New York City, and Elizabeth Wilson, an eminent Dracula scholar based at the University of Newfoundland, helped the book enjoy healthy runs in hardcover and trade paper.


How much research on Dracula did you do before going to Transylvania?

The key texts were Florescu and McNally’s “In Search of Dracula” and their “Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler 1531-76.” A favorite film book was and is Lotte Eisner’s “The Haunted Screen” on early German cinema. And because I partly worked my way through college and early parenthood as a magician at children’s birthday parties, I studied The Vampire Block routines, a classic magic illusion that can entertain all ages. I’ve also watched automatons perform in the Robert Houdin museum in Paris as well as in Ricky Jay’s superb stage performances, and while these mechanical moving dolls aren’t vampires, they’re a kind of special Undead.


What is your favorite Dracula movie?

Hammer’s “Horror of Dracula” is the one I’ll revisit most often. “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” with Lugosi reprising Dracula turns up when my three grown daughters and son are visiting. (Even my wife will watch that one.) Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu” with the inimitable Klaus Kinski still stays with me. My #1 contemporary vampire film remains Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark” which my son initially recommended.


Name some of your other favorite horror films.

I reviewed “The Babadook” as senior film critic for The Independent (Independent-magazine.org) quite highly. Ti West’s “House of the Devil” has a teenage-girl-trapped-in-haunted-house sensibility that’s timeless. My Hammer favorites next to “Horror of Dracula” and “Brides of Dracula” are “Hound of the Baskervilles” with Cushing/Lee, and especially “Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde,” with Martine Beswick’s scream queen performance matching young Ralph Bates, who might have grown into another Cushing. “The Mad Magician” with Vincent Price in 3-D was a favorite magic horror. And Julie Adams’ 3-D lake swim in “Creature from the Black Lagoon” still gets my pulse racing.

Why do you think horror films remain popular?

Having unsuccessfully pushing around proposals for similar travel “Nights” books on Frankenstein and The Mummy, I’ve come to believe Dracula films combining sexuality with eternal life will always reign. Frankenstein is a bucket of bolts, and The Mummy is this entombed dusty geezer. But when Frank Langella played Dracula on Broadway against Edward Gorey’s super-stylized black-and-white set, and then mounted this poor trembling gal, opening his shirt and ripping a trail from his neck on down with a sharp fingernail, releasing little rivulets of bright red blood down his handsome bare chest, the audience actually gasped. It was as close to the Grand Guignol as Broadway’s ever gotten.

Also, Anthony Hopkins told me late one winter night after I’d watched him shoot an outdoor scene locally in bitter cold, and then invited me into his trailer for tea, that he could play Hannibal Lector more than once without endangering his career. This wasn’t always the case with actors, as Tony Perkins discovered doing the “Psycho” cycle. The late Don Westlake told my “Pulp Fiction” college class that his 1987 screenplay of “The Stepfather,” a serial killer outing, had big trouble casting the psychopathic lead (finally played by a fine Terry O’Quinn).

But audiences today are more flexible and enlightened, and thus big names can freely take on dicey roles that once would have been too risky. In 2010 Casey Affleck could play the sadistic, lunatic killer Lou Ford in Jim Thompson’s “The Killer Inside Me,” and six years later be up for an Oscar as the mopey loner in “Manchester by the Sea.”


What are your latest projects?

As I’m closing in on 80, I’ve found careers (teaching at The New School and 92nd Street Y, reviewing for The Independent, and collecting/selling 40s paperbacks and 30s/40s pulp magazines through much of my life) that jell. In these pursuits, age has never worked against me, and as I go from “old” to “ancient,” people assume there’s maturity, mystery and wisdom at work. It’s all misdirection and smoke-and-mirrors, but it’s helping keep me young even when everything but my head aches in the morning.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself and your work.

I’ll turn it around a bit: Your interview with my nephew magician and inventor-builder of magic illusions Michael Baker is touching and satisfying. It was my pleasure to introduce young Michael to magic, "most of my beautifully airbrushed equipment was acquired in the early 1950s" and he made magic first his passion and then his lifelong career. I sit at his feet now and consider myself his student, so we’ve come full circle.

Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9823486-a-night-in-transylvania
http://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/faculty-list/?id=4e6a-5935-4e67-3d3d
http://independent-magazine.org/authors/kurt-brokaw/

Competition: Win Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season

Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season is available on Blu-ray and DVD from 5th December, courtesy of Entertainment One - And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on Bluray to give away.

Synopsis:
After witnessing the burning of Los Angeles, Madison, Travis, Daniel and their grieving families board the ‘Abigail’, still unaware of the true breadth and depth of the apocalypse that surrounds them.

But as Operation Cobalt goes into full effect and the military bombs the Southland to cleanse it of the Infected, the Dead are driven toward the sea. As the group head for ports unknown, they will discover that the water may be no safer than land.

Win This:
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 2 [Blu-ray]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...


Competition Closed

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 12-12-16
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Interview with Michael Baker by David Kempf

Michael Baker is a talented magician who has combined two great things that go together - Magic and Halloween. Michael has brought back a classic magic trick The Vampire Block Escape. As an amateur magician, I really appreciate owning a great trick the way it was always meant to look. Now you can see for yourself why magicians in England and America are praising this talented artist.

When did you first become interested in magic?

I was about seven years old. I received a magic set for Christmas. After playing with it a bit, it found its way to my closet. My uncle saw it and decided to show me the cool magic that could be done with “my” stuff. I was hooked at that point.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror themed tricks?

This probably started very early on, and very likely with a book called “Spooky Magic”. From a very young age, I loved Halloween, and all things monsters. Combining the two was a natural occurrence, and although I would include magic that leaned toward horror on occasion, I did not totally theme my shows in this way for quite a number of years.

How did you go about finding venues to perform?

This really began by getting known first as a magician. Aside from the inclusion of a horror or geek routine or two, the opportunity to work a full horror illusion show came much later when I was asked to become part of the entertainment at a large Halloween haunt in Birmingham, AL.

I worked this month-long venue for ten years. Once I had established myself, I then wrote a majority of the shows, created the illusions used, and built them and the stage sets. I had the opportunity to work with some other great acts, from fire dancers to sideshow freaks. Even though we built these shows on a shoestring budget (we wanted the majority of the paycheck going into our pockets!), it was a great opportunity to be very creative. In that regard, we were basically given carte blanc.


Tell us about your version of The Vampire Block Escape. 

The Vampire Block Escape is a classic trick. A wooden block is placed into a tube-like box, and locked in place by a spike that runs through the sides of both the box and the block. As I was increasing the list of items that I could build, I naturally wanted to include as many spooky Halloween effects as I could. But as with all the props that I make, I wanted to give the Vampire Block Escape my own spin.

Typically, these were a bit cartoony in appearance, either stenciled ghosts, bats, against a full moon. Every version I saw seemed more appropriate for kid shows. I wanted something a bit darker, and well, “cooler”. Giving the thing a more “Victorian goth” look was more in line with how most adults would envision a vampire, so I had to first give them a scarier vampire. A block with a bat just wasn’t going to cut it. I came up with the face, somewhat based on Nosferatu, and a bit of the vampire from “Salem’s Lot”. That’s a scary vampire!

The box (tube) needed to be more than a box with random spooky stuff painted on it. Even though it had to still be a square tube in order for the trick to work, I painted the front to resemble a toe-pincher coffin and gave the top a more gothic appearance. I had to opt for a slightly different method in order to pull off the look, and I think it all came together nicely. I have made these for several years, in three different sizes, and they continue to be popular sellers.


Is Halloween your busiest time of the year?

Regarding shows, when I was a full-time performer, it was definitely one of them. Working the haunt was actually easier than say, booking a month of shows at different venues, such as happened at Christmastime. Halloween was still quite busy, because I worked the haunt almost every night through the month, but I was still booking other shows during the day and early evenings.

These days, I do not try to book shows, as I am more of a magic builder now. But, I do still manage to get involved with a handful of Halloween events each year. As a builder, I have a busy time leading up to the holiday, as my line of Spooky/Halloween items sell well as other magicians add new magic to their own Halloween shows.


What are your favorite horror books?

I’ve never been much of a novel reader, but I am a huge fan of technical books. Books on special effects make-up, illusions that lean toward the horror themes, behind the scenes stuff on films, running haunted houses, and obviously, anything on the Spookshow masters like Bill Neff, and the Baker brothers (no relation).


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

First love is definitely the classic Universal Monsters. I also love the Hammer Films Dracula series with Christopher Lee. I saw most of those at our local Saturday Horror matinee. But, I will always have a place in my heart for the older B horror movies. Our local TV had a Saturday midnight monster show called, “Acri Creature Feature”. As young teens, my brother and I were even on that show as “Creeps of the Week”. To us kids of that era, this was akin to winning the World Series of horror.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a magic/ illusion designer?

I think just being able to make a 30+ year career doing what I love is accomplishment enough. All the milestones along the way are just part of that bigger picture.
             

Do you have any advice for new magicians?

Read books. Read books about magic. Read about the tricks, and read about the history. The current trend is to find info online and learn “visually” via video. While there is some good info to be found that way, I feel that books give the magic student a higher level of learning. (Forgive the following gender-specific statements. Both male and female are assumed inclusive.)

The reason is simple. When a magician reads a book to learn a trick, he has no choice but to envision himself in the role of the protagonist. He automatically imparts some of his own character into that role. From that point on, the magic comes from within, and is part of his soul.

When a magician learns a trick by watching a video, he adopts a role of mimicking the person he sees on the video. He becomes an imitation of that other magician, and risks never bringing forth the magic from within himself.
     

What impact has the internet had on revealing the secrets to magic tricks?

The arguments are relative. Years ago, magicians were all up in arms over books that exposed magic tricks. Decades later it was the video that became the demon. Now, it is the internet. Of course, with the internet, information travels further and faster. But, the amount of information increases proportionately. The information regarding magic is out there for anyone to find it, but by and large, the only people finding it are those interested in magic, and perhaps a few bored people who haven’t yet settled in on better ways to occupy their time. There may be a few of those out there who want to bust the magicians, but most normal people won’t waste their time, and still prefer to be entertained by magic.

The one true problem with magic on the internet is that anyone can post anything, without any governing on quality. There is going to be a lot of crap, but it’s really a bell curve, I think. The bad is balanced by the really good stuff, but most is going to fall somewhere in between.

The way I see it is, most people feel more comfortable in any conversation if they know something about the topic at hand. When the lay public encounters magic on the internet, it gives them more of a reason to engage me in conversation. I see it as opening doors that may not open by themselves.

What are your current projects?

Right now, it’s a balance between working on standing requests and exploring new items to make. My business is the epitome of a cottage industry. Because I work from my home, in a very small workshop, I am limited by how much I can produce at any given time. If I make an item that proves popular, it typically sells out and then I get requests to make more.

But, I don’t want to simply crank out the same stuff day after day. I could get a job in a factory and do that. In order to satisfy the artist in me, I have to be creative. I have to work on new projects that I find interesting. Fortunately, I have been able to do a lot of that. One of my customers, who is also now a very good friend, has over 200 different items that I have made. I don’t think too many other builders can say that… at least they aren’t that crazy! Ha!


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

If I was to describe myself, it would be to say that I am an artist at heart. I have reinvented myself a few times in my life and explored different vehicles by which to express my art. My early career aspirations were to 1) be a chef with my own restaurant. I then became 2) a performing magician. Now, I am 3) a builder of high quality magical apparatus (fancy term for trick boxes). In all cases, I think I have been successful, even if only as a big fish in several small ponds.

Links:

http://themagiccompany.com

Competition: Win All Through The House on DVD

All Through The House is released on DVD November 21st And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies on DVD to give away.

Synopsis:
Fifteen years ago, a peaceful Christmas neighborhood was engulfed by fear when five-year-old Jamie Garrett was mysteriously taken from her bedroom never to be seen again. Now on Christmas break, Rachel Kimmel comes home from college to find her neighborhood struck again by a reign of terror.

A violent killer is hiding behind a grisly Santa mask, leaving a bloody trail of slaughtered women and castrated men to the steps of the Garrett house. Rachel finds herself in a horrifying nightmare as she discovers the twisted secret behind the mask.

Win This:
All Through The House [DVD]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...


Competition Closed

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 02-12-16
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.