Interview with P.J Starks Producer of Volumes of Blood : Horror Stories

Producer P.J Starks is back with another anthology of ridiculously fun horror with Volumes of Blood : Horror Stories, out August 1 from Dark Cuts. So we sat down with him for a chat.


When did you start making movies – not produced features but just for yourself. As a kid?

PJ: I started when I was around 12. My grandfather went out and bought me a VHS camcorder and that created a monster. I didn’t go anywhere without the camera. I was constantly taping something whether it a family event to hide and seek or skits with friends. It didn’t matter. If there was a possibility of drama or a story to be told, I was shooting it.


Do you remember what you’d shoot on?

It was an old RCA camcorder, which I still have to this day.


What genre did you gravitate towards?

I loved a lot of genre, but if it was something I was making with friends then it was almost always comedy. Comedy was always my second favorite genre so I was always renting things such as Spaceballs, Ghostbusters, Blazing Saddles and the like. My favorite genre was horror.


Always been a horror fan? Any particular type of horror?

Horror always has and always will be my first love. Oddly enough it was Ghostbusters that turned me on to the paranormal and after that I went renting and consuming horror every weekend. Some of the films I watched over and over was Return of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Rawhead Rex, Friday the 13th and Halloween. I’d have to say the slasher sub-genre is my absolute favorite. The stalk and slash by a masked killer with some kind twist have always been a go to for me. Even now when I’m bored I’ll pop in Madman, The Prowler or Black Christmas just to pass the time. I recently discovered Stage Fright and have fallen in love with it. I guess I just love seeing the different and creative ways the filmmakers come up with for dispatching their victims. Knowing what I do about special effects and having seen it first hands gives me an even deeper appreciation for what it takes to pull off that type of artistry.


Did your parents encourage you to partake in a career as a filmmaker?

Absolutely. My grandparents bought me the camera and my mom was always encouraging me to pursue what I loved most. I have to give credit to my grandmother Almeda, it’s because of her that I gravitated towards horror. Her and I became scary movie buddies a long time ago. You’d never know it looking at her, she’s like the classic Norman Rockwell apple pie grandmother. But beneath that beats the heart of a true horror fan. She instilled that love for the genre into me.


What was your first produced flick? 

The first film I produced that allowed me to get my feet wet was The Confession of Fred Krueger, but Volumes of Blood was the real test. That was the first time I was truly facilitating an entire feature production. I didn’t do it alone, I had some amazing help from my wife Katrina who served as production manager to my now producing partner Eric Huskisson. There were so many facets to that film and I literally had my hand in every single area from script to screen. It was a big learning experience.


And how did Volumes of Horror come along?

At the tail end of 2013 I created a program called Unscripted at the Daviess County Public Library and it became an overnight success. I’ve since stepped away but has become an annual event at the library. Which I never saw coming and is really awesome. This program led to the creation of the Unscripted Film School, which gave the community of Owensboro an opportunity to participate in the production of short indie films. After the continued success of Unscripted they asked me to come up with something “bigger and better”. I had been wanting to make an anthology film since 2012 and that opened the door for me to do so through this program. In about 8 hours I sat down and conceived Volumes of Blood, which would be a series of interconnected short horror films that would culminate to a feature anthology.


Is it wrong to say it’s reminiscent of some of those old school ‘80s horror films like Romero’s Creepshow? Was that an inspiration?

We never intended the film to be compared to something as incredible as Creepshow or even Tales from the Crypt. Which has happened in several reviews and is wholly flattering. Those films and series definitely had an influence on the ultimate creation, but the real goal was just a bunch of horror fans getting together and making a horror flick for the fans. When I wrote the scripts for the first film and Horror Stories, I infused a bunch of horror nuances and homages. We wanted to incorporate everything we loved about the genre, while taking the tropes and trying some new things with them. What honestly inspired me to make Volumes of Blood, was I was tired of watching anthologies that were nothing more than a bunch of random shorts found on YouTube and slapped together. I wanted something more. That’s where the initial idea came from and it has grown into so much more.

How important a marketing tool has the internet been for the film?

I’ve found that it’s the most important tool when marketing and promoting an independent project. I typically can’t afford the expenses of hiring an outside marketing firm to push my projects so I’ve had to take it upon myself to get the word out. In a lot of ways this led to helping other filmmakers and their projects by coming on as an Executive Producer to offer up my knowledge of marketing and advising in certain creative capacities. The horror community can be one of the most aggressive when it comes to criticisms, but I’ve found that is equally one of the most supportive when it comes to helping push a film. As a producer I do what I can to get myself and my projects out there, hope that others appreciate said films and then enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Links
https://www.volumesofblood.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3402067/
https://www.facebook.com/starks.pj

Eat Locals - Poster & Trailer - out in selected cinemas and digital download from September 1st 2017

12th July 2017: London, UK - The Movie Partnership are pleased to announce that their star-studded Horror/Comedy Eat Locals, will be having its UK Premiere at this year’s FrightFest at The Prince Charles Cinema on 26th August.

This will be the Directorial Debut for acclaimed actor, Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, X-Men: First Class), who unleashes an action-packed and darkly comic thriller of supernatural proportions. Effortlessly blending gut-busting laughs with blood-spattered shocks, Eat Locals is Assault On Precinct 13 meets Interview With A Vampire in the story of a coven of bloodsuckers whose bark is almost as bad as their bite.

The film boasts a whole host of acting talent including Charlie Cox (Stardust, Daredevil), Freema Agyeman (Dr. Who, Sense 8), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates Of The Caribbean, Game of Thrones), Tony Curran (Underworld: Evolution, League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Eve Myles (Torchwood), Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Stella), Annette Crosbie (One Foot In The Grave, Into The Woods) and Vincent Regan (300, Snow White & The Huntsman, Clash Of The Titans).

Flemyng also reunites the cast of Guy Ritchie’s crime comedy Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, with Nick Moran and Dexter Fletcher both starring and Jason Statham directing the fight scenes.

“No vampires were harmed during the filming of this movie!” Freema Agyeman

Synopsis: 
In a quiet country farmhouse, Britain's vampires gather. They come together once every 50 years to discuss territories, disputes, threats and food stocks, and the approval of new members. On this night, a new face will be meeting them for the first time, and – if the vote is unanimous – could be the latest member to join their fanged ranks.

This new face, however – local lad Sebastian Crockett – merely thinks he's on a promise with sexy cougar Vanessa.

Unluckily for all, Sebastian's not the only guest who'll be dropping in tonight. A detachment of Special Forces vampire killers led by Colonel Bingham has tracked the coven to this remote location, although they've bitten off far more than they can chew: they expected one vampire, not an entire coven.

With barely a handful of men ill-equipped to take down such a bloodthirsty clan, Bingham must keep the vampires pinned down while the fractious coven must put their own differences aside if they're to escape before dawn.

For Sebastian, the soldiers and the coven, it may not only be the worst night of their lives. It may be their last.

EAT LOCALS will have its UK Premiere at FrightFest 2017 on 26th August, and will be in Selected Cinemas and PVOD from 1st September (iTunes & Sky Store, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video & Xbox Video Store & VOD/DVD from 30th October @Eat_Locals_Film

FrightFest goes in search of 'New Blood'

HORROR CHANNEL FRIGHTFEST, MPI MEDIA GROUP, DARK SKY FILMS & SCREEN INTERNATIONAL JOIN FORCES IN TALENT SEARCH FOR GENRE SCREENWRITERS

Barbara Crampton, Dominic Brunt and Travis Stevens named as mentors.

Are you a writer concocting fiendishly fantastic ideas in the witching hours? Have you hidden away your script in the deepest darkest catacombs but are now ready to unleash it onto the unsuspecting world?

As an innovative addition to this year’s main event, which runs from Aug 24 - Aug 28, Horror Channel FrightFest has teamed up with international production and distribution company MPI Media and their sister production company Dark Sky Films to create NEW BLOOD, an initiative which aims to find new genre writers and nurture their projects from script to screen. This initiative has the support of the UK’s leading film industry magazine Screen international.

MPI/Dark Sky Films, with its proven track record in producing and distributing a wide array of genre features including THE INNKEEPERS, STARRY EYES, STAKE LAND and IT STAINS THE SANDS RED, is on the search for exciting new ideas to develop into feature films budgeted below $1m for an international market.

The successful shortlisted applicants will have the opportunity to explore their ideas and scripts in a group setting under the mentorship of top industry professionals and genre experts including Travis Stevens, acclaimed producer of Starry Eyes and We Are Still Here; actor, producer and horror icon Barbara Crampton, actor / director Dominic Brunt and Giles Edwards, MPI Media’s Head Of Acquisitions & Development.

The NEW BLOOD event will be held on Thursday 23rd August, the opening day of this year’s festival, at the Radisson Hampshire Hotel.

Giles Edwards, MPI Media’s Head of Acquisition and Development, said today: “We are looking for original scripts or treatments for feature films which would appeal both critically and commercially to a global audience hungry for bold, diverse new voices in the realm of daring, thrilling, fiercely entertaining genre cinema. We want to unearth the UK's Julie Ducournau or Ti West, Jennifer Kent or Simon Barrett, Jordan Peele, Ana Lily Amirpour or David Robert Mitchell. We know you're out there, so don’t hold back. If you think your idea is original the chances are we will too. Suckerpunch us with your brilliance.”

Applications are now open through submission forms. The deadline is Fri 4th August. All successful applicants will be notified by Mon 14th August. All participants are expected to pay for their own travel and accommodation.

For full application requirements and terms & conditions: frightfest.co.uk

Interview with Brett DeJager - Director of Bonejangles

While transporting the legendary killer Bonejangles, a group of police break down in a town cursed with monsters, and must release him to survive!

We catch up with Bonejangles DIrector Brett DeJager ahead of the July 18 VOD release.


How did you break into the business?

If I’m being honest with myself I’m certainly still trying to break into the business. I started with filmmaking back in 2005 or so when I teamed up with one of my good friends who was attending film school down in Arizona. We filmed our first feature length horror film in AZ shortly after, and I’ve been building on that experience ever since. I’d love to continue to write, produce, and direct movies moving forward! Hopefully people will enjoy Bonejangles and want to give me another shot at creating something people love.


Did you have encouraging folks?

Absolutely. I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m at today without my folks. They supported me emotionally and financially while I attended my undergraduate and graduate school pursing my doctorate of psychology degree. My parents even put up a large portion of cash for my first feature film, The Cochise Suicides, that unfortunately was never released. (Thanks mom & dad!)

Was the movie of choice at the homestead usually a horror movie?

My mother was a huge fan of older cheesy sci-fi movies and low budget horror! She definitely had a big influence on me growing up and my love for horror. Plus, we had a drive-in movie theatre as well so we got to go to the drive in to see movies. It was definitely a special time in life.


What were some of your faves growing up?

I’m a sucker for the classic horror films of the 80s: Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Evil Dead, House, The Thing, Child’s Play, Fright Night, The Gate, Creepshow, and Killer Klowns from Outerspace. I re-watch those movies throughout the year.

What came first – the script or the character? 

That’s a great question for Keith Melcher! I came onto the project once the first draft of the script was penned.


Is it harder directing someone elses script?

I think it adds a different dimension to the execution of the script. It wasn’t just my baby I was bringing to life but someone else’s. Keith put a lot of blood and tears into the screenplay for Bonejangles so I wanted to make sure I didn’t butcher it. I wanted to put my own vision into it but respecting his original ideas. Having him on set really helped since I was able to get his blessing for a lot of my ideas. It also adds a whole other level of complexity when the writer is ALSO one of the executive producers/money men. Thanks, Keith! :)

How many punnets of corn syrup were used in the making of the movie – or are they using something else for blood now?

Haha! I can’t be too sure but our practical effects guru, Ben Gersch, basically walked around with tubs full of blood just in case we needed it. That guy is a beast at what he does.


How did you entice Reggie Bannister into the flick?

We went through a casting agent to snag Reggie Bannister. I was told he really enjoyed the script and the rest fell into place. I’m pretty sure it was the coolest thing ever directing Reggie Bannister in a movie. Hard to top that!

Though a fun horror film do you think there’s an underlying message to the movie?

I think the underlying message for anybody reading this is to do what you love. It sounds cliché but it’s really true. If you have an idea and really want to see it through, just go for it. Collaborate! I wouldn’t be doing this interview without the support and teamwork of the entire Bonejangles crew. They all worked their tails off. Also – the amount of support and interest Bonejangles has accrued this year has also reinforced the ‘fact’ that horror fans typically don’t want remake after remake. They want original content, and I hope Bonejangles delivers.

Links
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2563516/
https://www.facebook.com/bonejanglesmovie/

Film news (UK): Horror Channel FrightFest 2017 announces monstrous 18th year line-up

Back in the heart of London’s West End for its 18th  ‘adults-only’ anniversary, the world renowned horror and fantasy film festival will take place at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from Aug 24 - Aug 28 2017, taking over five screens to present 64 films including 20 World, 22 European and 18 UK Premieres. Fourteen countries are represented spanning five continents, reflecting the current global popularity of the genre.

The opening night attraction is the global premiere of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s criminally entertaining CULT OF CHUCKY, with writer and director Don Mancini and stars Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif in attendance, alongside the iconic deadly doll of destruction himself. This is the seventh instalment for one of cinema’s most terrifying and enduring franchises and will begin its worldwide rollout on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital in October.
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Cult of Chucky
Mancini said today: “it’s a true pleasure to be hosting the world premiere of CULT OF CHUCKY at FrightFest. I have fond memories of unveiling CURSE OF CHUCKY there in 2013 so it’s great to be returning to the UK’s acknowledged home of horror – especially as this film picks up from where CURSE…left off”.

Two more of the horror genre’s most popular and beloved franchises are given their World Premieres: To celebrate a decade of his cursed Victor Crowley creation, writer/director Adam Green is returning to FrightFest with a version of HATCHET never seen before. Plus, there is a presentation of Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s LEATHERFACE, the stunning prequel to the terror classic THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

FrightFest unveiled a bright new directorial talent when it screened Tyler McIntyre’s PATCHWORK at the Glasgow Film Festival and the closing night film is the UK Premiere of his amazing TRAGEDY GIRLS, where HEATHERS meets SCREAM in a dream combo. It stars super-powered heroines Alexandra Shipp and Brianna Hildebrand.

Tragedy Girls
FrightFest also welcomes back Adam Wingard with the European Premiere of his supernatural manga DEATH NOTE, Joe Lynch with the European Premiere of his highly infectious action thriller MAYHEM, Mickey Keating with the European Premiere of his eye-shattering PSYCHOPATHS, Graham Skipper with the European Premiere of his surreal sci-fi romance SEQUENCE BREAK and genre favourite Barbara Crampton, who stars in Norbert Kell’s skin-crawler REPLACE, receiving its UK Premiere.

In a programme packed with innovation, uniqueness and individuality, other tips of the ice-pick are Ryan Prows’ powerful cult-in-waiting LOWLIFE, Trent Haaga’s stunning 68 KILL, high voltage THE VILLAINESS hot from Cannes, Alex de la Iglesia’s bleakly comic THE BAR, Miguel Angel Vivas’ remake of the French extreme thriller INSIDE, Daniele Misischia’s undead Romageddon THE END? Todd Tuckers’ affectionately creepy THE TERROR OF HALLOWS EVE, Brandon Christensen’s terrifying STILL/BORN, Sebastien Landry & Laurence Morais-Lagace’s head-exploding GAME OF DEATH, Kurtis David Harder’s  provocative sci-fi horror INCONTROL and Royce Gorsuch’s kaleidoscopic mindbender MINDHACK.

Continuing the festival’s important and vital commitment to highlighting the cream of the homegrown crop, our British strand is well-populated with World Premieres for Dominic Brunt’s perverted shocker ATTACK OF THE ADULT BABIES, Christian James’ prison-set vampire comedy FANGED UP and Matthew Heaven’s scorching revenge study ACCOUNTABLE. There are also European Premieres for Dominic Bridge’s debut dark morality tale FREEHOLD, Tom Paton’s nerve-shredding REDWOOD and Benjamin Barfoot’s hilariously blood-soaked DOUBLE DATE. And the ‘First Blood’ strand Is back on the menu with five tasty titles: actor Jason Flemyng’s blood-sucking feature debut EAT LOCALS, Louis Melville’s squaddie shocker BOOTS ON THE GROUND, Hendrik Faller’s ice-cold thriller MOUNTAIN FEVER, Michaël Boucherie’s tattoo-terror WHERE THE SKIN LIES and Peter Stray’s alien-invading black comedy CANARIES.

The festival’s accent on rising talent is further enriched with Preston DeFrancis’ extreme slasher RUIN ME, Natasha Kermani’s sci-fi fantasy IMITATION GIRL, Clay Staub’s supernatural detective thriller DEVIL’S GATE, Caroline Labrèche and Steeve Léonard’s mesmerising RADIUS, Samuel Galli’s devilishly shocking OUR EVIL, Andrés Goteira’s dazzling DHOGS, David Chirchirillo’s Tinder Terror GOOD MATCH, Tini Tuellman’s spine-chilling psycho suspense thriller FREDDY/EDDY, Haritz Zubillaga’s car-killing giallo THE GLASS COFFIN, Scott Poiley’s hard-edged chiller EXHUME, Adam Graveley’s Aussie outback shocker 3RD NIGHT, Michael Mongillo’s audacious and haunting DIANE, Peter Ricq’s stark comedy DEAD SHACK and Carlos Algara and Alejandro Martinez-Beltran’s gripping psychological twister VERONICA.

Mayhem
Three documentaries will receive their eagerly awaited premieres at FrightFest this year. KING COHEN: THE WILD WORLD OF FILMMAKER LARRY COHEN is a dazzling career overview of the maverick director behind such classic horrors as IT’S ALIVE, Q THE WINGED SERPENT, fantasy television series like ‘The Invaders’, HELL UP IN HARLEM Blaxploitation, recent releases CELLULAR and soon the MANIAC COP remake. We welcome back on screen Kane Hodder, everyone’s favourite Jason Voorhees in the FRIDAY THE 13th series, with his moving and eye-opening TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY. Finally there’s the extraordinary MANSFIELD 66/67, a super Hollywood Babylon-style whisk through the final years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield's life and untimely, possibly Satanic, death.

Other attractions include Emilia Clarke in VOICE FROM THE STONE, Robert Englund in NIGHTWORLD, the French graphic novel adaptation ALONE, the outrageous gore-fest MEATBALL MACHINE KODOKU, the Aussie chiller KILLING GROUND, the hilarious TOP KNOT DETECTIVE and Episodes 1 & 2 of the amazing Japanese TV series CROW‘S BLOOD. Plus two FrightFest Glasgow hits are being rescreened: Simon Rumley’s FASHIONISTA and Colin Minihan’s IT STAINS THE SANDS RED.

This year’s retrospective restoration strand highlights the underrated British horror DREAM DEMON, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III, two classic Hammers, BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB and DEMONS OF THE MIND, plus the longest version found of the seminal proto-giallo DEATH LAID AN EGG, lovingly restored by Nucleus Films’ Jake West and Marc Morris.

The Duke Mitchell Film Club is back with a hosted presentation of the UK premiere of Stefan Ruzowsky’s COLD HELL, a gripping serial killer thriller. This is followed by the not-to-be missed DUKE MITCHELL PARTY, where the audience and invited special guests can expect all manner of madness guaranteed to kick off your Saturday late night in style.

Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest, said today: “The whole cinema landscape is changing and Horror Channel FrightFest is listening. We know the fans want to see the films first, see them fast and see them in an environment that is second to none. That’s why we have what we believe is the finest line-up ever assembled and are showcasing the superlative selection in premium surroundings. So, the West End becomes the Dark Heart of London once again. And we’ve made it to our 18th birthday. It’s going to be quite some party”.

This year’s guest list, special events and the Short Film Showcase entries will all be announced in the coming weeks.

Festival passes will go on sale Sat 1 July at noon and will only be available to buy online: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html

Single tickets will go on sale on Sat 29 July from 9am.

Interview with Gabriel Campisi - Producer of Death Pool

Gabriel Campisi is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who shot his first movies on Super-8mm and 16mm as a kid, the more elaborate ones going on to win national competitions. Proficient in creating practical and optical special effects at a time when computer-generated imagery was not yet prominent, he was recognized early on by national film festivals and magazines for his stop-motion animation and split-beam cinematic techniques.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Campisi spent many years dealing in the high-stakes world of motion picture finance, subsequently writing the bestselling The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors (McFarland Publishers) presently in its second edition.

Campisi studied with UCLA's screenwriting professor Richard Walter, and has written for industry publications and genre magazines, including Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Fangoria Magazine. He is a partner at Traplight Pictures and a member of the Producers Guild of America (P.G.A.).

Gabriel joins us today to talk about Death Pool


How did you get into producing, Gabriel?

I started making movies around the age of 8, when I discovered my father’s Super-8mm movie camera.  Star Wars came out around the same time, and I remember experimenting with stop-motion animation.  Of course, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the time, but I just knew it was something I really enjoyed.  I started shooting more elaborate “movies” over the next few years and eventually shot award-winning short films.

As I got older, the natural progression of “making movies” led to handling the productions from the ground up, and that meant putting on the producer’s hat.


Do you find producing more interesting than directing?

I find both positions equally exciting and challenging.  They each have their own distinct set of nuances and rewards, but as producer you’re more in charge of the production, and there are a lot more responsibilities involved.

I enjoy the creativity involved with directing.  Right now I have too many projects I’m dealing with as writer and producer, and not enough peace of mind to take on the responsibilities of a director, but it’s something I will be going back to again soon.


And what about on Death Pool, what were your main responsibilities?

On Death Pool, I had all the responsibilities inherent in any production to contend with.  From preparation and pre-production to post-production and delivery of the finished movie to our sales agent and distributors.
Making sure the project stayed within budget and on schedule was always a dominating factor, as well as making sure the director Jared Cohn could get all the shots he needed to bring the screenplay to life.
Safety was also an issue, since we were dealing with a lot of water and drownings.  As producer, you always want to make sure nobody gets hurt in any way, so that often means jumping in and saying, “Sorry, we can’t do this.”  No shot is worth someone getting hurt.

Luckily, we had a great crew and great actors, and things went very smooth.


What was your toughest day, as a producer, on Death Pool?

I think the first day is always the toughest on any movie.  It’s also the most exciting, but the first day is when all the wrinkles are fresh and need to get ironed out.  Cast and crew learn to work together, and everyone sort of has to feel each other out and learn each other’s personalities, strengths and weaknesses.
A good producer must possess good diplomacy skills and know how to deal with different character types – and believe me, you see every character trait imaginable on a movie set!

Like I said before, though, we had an amazing cast and crew, and they made the entire production fun and laid back.


In terms of casting or creative choices, were there ever disagreements between you and director Jared Cohn?

Jared and I are best friends, first and foremost.  As business partners, we equally respect one another, which is fundamental to the success of any creative and business relationship.  For this reason, it’s very rare that we disagree on things.  However, if we do, we merely discuss the issue at hand, point out the pros and cons, and either compromise or convince the other to our point of view.

The casting on Death Pool was spot-on perfect.  Randy Wayne, Demetreus Stear and Sara Lane are amazing and incredible performers, and they brought life to the fictional characters.  So did all the other actors.


Was the film inspired by a real-life case?

There were some stories in the newspapers many years ago about some drownings in the San Fernando Valley that were viewed as suspicious and deliberate, and were never solved by the police.  At the same time, there was a guy who was arrested for drowning a victim in the same area, and the question arose: could he be responsible for these other drownings?

Although there was never any formal connection between the events, and a serial killer was never declared by authorities, Jared used these elements as the basis for the screenplay.

The original title of the movie was “The Valley Drowner.”  But apparently the title didn’t translate well in other languages, so our distributor strongly recommended we change the name.


Any of those death scenes disturbing to film?

Everything in a movie is make-believe, and there are many people standing around the set, so it’s not as disturbing as seeing the finished project unfold on the screen.  However, there was always some form on anxiety while shooting the drownings, because the actors really got into their scenes.  For a split second you could suspend disbelief and just say, “Wow,” because you know how real it all looked.


Why was MTI Home Video the right home for this one?

MTI has been around since 1984, so they really know what they’re doing.  They have broad experience with genre movies, including horrors and thrillers.  They have a vast library of movies, with connections to every outlet imaginable, and a very intelligent staff that runs the operation.

The same goes for Artist View Entertainment, our sales company.  Scott Jones, the CEO, is a genuinely nice person and really knows the industry.  It was his idea to go to MTI, and I couldn’t be happier.


Can you tell us what’s next for you?

We’re prepping another movie through Traplight Pictures, but I’ve been busy writing a new book tentatively titled Paradigm Shift: The New Hollywood for Independent Filmmakers.

The finance models Hollywood has been using for the past few decades are changing.  There are new players in town (i.e., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.) that are shaking things up and changing how audiences watch scripted entertainment.  This change has affected how money changes hands, and a lot of the money pots that used to help finance companies in the past are no longer viable.  My new book discusses all this, and I’m supplementing it with interviews with industry executives and producers, like I did with my last two books.

I’m also working on a project called Damnation Come, which hopefully everyone will hear more about soon.


Death Pool is out now on DVD and you can order it from Amazon at the following link.
Death Pool DVD (Opens in a new window)

Interview with Tim Curran by David Kempf

Tim Curran is an American author of horror fiction. His works include the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, Resurrection, Skull Moon, The Devil Next Door, and Biohazard. His most recent books have been The Spawning, the short story collections Bone Marrow Stew and Zombie Pulp, and the novellas "1867: The Skulleater Campaign", "The Corpse King", and "Fear Me"


When did you first become interested in writing?

Oh, probably when I was 12 or 13. Up until that point my exposure to horror fiction came in the form of movies, TV, and horror comics. It was then I started ordering horror books from the back pages of Creepy and Eerie magazine. That’s when I really started falling in love with it—the Pan Books of Horror, Masters of Horror, Horror Times Ten, the Frankenstein Horror Series, those Dracula paperbacks by Robert Lory. I fell in love with horror fiction then. Before that I read a lot of science fiction, particularly H.G. Wells, Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov, and those Ace Double science fiction books.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

That started even younger. I used to watch Dark Shadows when I was a little kid. Sometimes it really scared me bad, but I loved it. Around that time, I also went to a movie called The Oblong Box with my mom and sisters and it absolutely destroyed me. I was never so scared before. I remember my sisters showing me an ad for it on the back of a magazine…that oblong box nailed shut. I knew something awful was going to be in there. I was terrified of what it might be.

Later on, when I was 8 we had this guy called Alexander, a horror movie host, who came on late Friday nights and showed the Universal Shock package of movies, all the classic ones with Karloff and Lugosi, as well as giant bug movies like The Deadly Mantis and, of course, my personal favorite, the Creature from the Black Lagoon movies! I was hooked and have been ever since. When I was in grade school, all the neighborhood kids would get together and walk down to Main Street to see things like The House of Dark Shadows and Hammer movies. What attracts you to it? Who knows. It’s just in you and when you make contact with it, you’re never the same again. It’s your thing. It sure was mine. Still is.


Is this a full time job?

No, part time. Over here in the U.S. our health care system is shit. You have to work a job to get it. If I lived in the UK or Canada, I’d probably write full-time. I’m sure I would.


How would you classify the genre you write?

I write horror fiction. I’m not too proud or pretentious to say that. I’m proud of the fact. I see it as a very legitimate form of writing. I realize there’s a tremendous amount of shit that comes out, both in books and film, but the small percentage of really good stuff makes it all worthwhile for me as not just a writer but as a reader.


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

Oh, it’s pure escapism. It gets us away from the troubles, stress, and real horrors that lie beyond the pages. It can be inspiring to see characters in a story go through things ten times worse than anything you ever faced and come up standing. It’s also cathartic, they say. Horror helps us purge negative emotions.


What inspires your stories?

Oh, everything. I think as a kid I was scared of a lot of things—fear of the dark, fear of strangers, fear of being left alone, fear of death etc. All that is pounded into your head by your parents and friends and siblings. I’m sure there’s also a level of instinctive fear involved, too. I channel it into stories. That’s really the yardstick for a scary tale. If you write it alone, late at night, and it chills you, you’re doing it right. Your channeling childhood fears and transforming them into deep-seated adult phobias.


What do you see as the differences between American horror and British horror?

I’m not seeing much distinction between the two these days. There was a time when there was a difference--you know, Stephen King was very different from James Herbert, Ramsey Campbell was different from Jack Ketchum. I think the splatterpunk thing over here in the ‘80’s and the paperback nasties of the UK might have changed that, blurred the differences.


What are your favorite horror books?

Well, I like the classics, that’s for sure—Lovecraft and Blackwood, Machen and Hodgson and Henry S. Whitehead. I like Stephen King’s early stuff a lot, particularly ‘Salem’s Lot and Pet Sematary. There’s nothing wrong with his new books, of course, but the old ones were more straightforward horror. The Doll Who Ate His Mother by Campbell. Ghost Story by Straub. The first three Books of Blood by Clive Barker. The Totem by David Morrell. The Specimen by Pete Kahle. Ghoul by Brian Keene. Ghoul by Michael Slade, too. I love Thomas Ligotti’s Songs of a Dead Dreamer. Usher’s Passing by Robert R. McCammon. Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell. Off Season By Jack Ketchum. The Stake by Richard Laymon. Snowblind by Michael McBride. Light at the End by Skipp and Spector. The list could go on and on, from old things to new things. And if you asked me next week, it would all probably change!


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

The list would be too long. It would stretch from Karloff’s The Bride of Frankenstein and Lugosi’s White Zombie to the Val Lewton films of the 1940s, Godzilla, Fiend without a Face, and Curse of the Demon in the 1950s to the AIP Poe films and Hammer Films of the ‘60’s to Halloween and The Thing and on and on. A couple in the last few years have really caught my eye—Spring, The Babadook, and especially, The Blackcoat’s Daughter. Just blown away by that one. Like Picnic at Hanging Rock (another of my absolute favorites), you really need to pay attention to subtlety and detail. Wonderful, disturbing movie.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an author?

I think it was probably when Cemetery Dance put out my novella, The Corpse King. That was a real thrill for me. When you make it with CD, you know you’ve reached the upper echelon. I don’t mean that to sound egotistical or anything. It’s just that when you reach the level where Rich Chizmar and Brian Freeman pay attention, you figure you’ve done something right.
           

Do you have any advice for new writers?

The best advice is the simplest: READ! Read everything. Not just in your chosen genre, but everything, fiction and non-fiction. Feed your head, expand your mind. Some of the worst horror I’ve ever read is where you can tell that the author is influenced by movies and TV. That’s fine if you’re a screenwriter, but if you’re doing books, then you need to dig.

You need to go back to Poe and the Gothics and climb the ladder up through Lovecraft and Machen and Blackwood right up to King and his contemporaries and onto the current crop of writers. You need to do this. You need to absorb their ideas. I’m sure some writers do fine without doing this or reading outside their genre, but I don’t recommend it. Another thing, and this from my own experience as well, make your writing lively. Don’t let it lay there. Energize it. Create atmosphere and describe what you see in your mind’s eye. Don’t just tell us that a zombie is rotting, tell us how it’s rotting. Subjective viewpoint is everything.
   

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

I think it’s a good thing to give people a venue to express their creativity and a bad thing because, well, let’s face it, there’s a lot of really bad books coming out of it. Stuff that would never make it past a legitimate editor. All we can hope for is that for every twenty or thirty bad ones, we can mine one good one.


What are your current projects?

My projects are currently up in the air. DarkFuse, as you know, is coming to an end. As sad as that is, I saw it as a sign to explore other possibilities, time to begin working with new publishers and try a few things I hadn’t done before. It’s so easy to get comfortable and get in a rut, that sometimes when things like this happen, it can shake you up and get you moving. I’m talking with a couple other publishers right now, so we’ll see what comes of it.


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

There’s not much to tell about myself, but as far as my work goes, I write the kind of thing I like to read. I’m not sure if this is what others do, but to me it’s the main thing. I have to be passionate about what I’m writing or it just doesn’t work. I really need to embrace my subject matter. When it’s something historical like The Corpse King or Skin Medicine, I can be a very diligent researcher. Every detail is important. There’s nothing worse than a weird western that riddled with historical mistakes or one that draws its inspiration from crappy Hollywood westerns, most of which have nothing to do with the Old West and are pure invention. I use this as an example. I like research. I like finding out things. That’s part of the fun of it for me. An interesting story with a solid background. That’s what it’s about with me.

Links
http://www.corpseking.com
https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Curran/e/B002OXU6R8

Film News (UK): Horror Channel brings murder and mayhem to Saturday nights in July

Horror Channel has five prime-time Saturday night film premieres in July including the UK premiere of Brad Parker’s chilling disaster horror CHERNOBYL DIARIES. The film is written and produced by Oren Peli, who first terrified audiences with his ground-breaking thriller Paranormal Activity.

There are also network premieres for Todd Lincoln’s supernatural spine-tingler THE APPARITION, starring Tom Felton, Don Coscarelli’s surreal cult classic PHANTASM, David Jung’s paranormal found-footage soul-shaker THE POSSESSION OF MICHAEL KING and Andrew Paquin’s murderous home-invasion debut OPEN HOUSE co-starring his sister Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer.

Full details of premieres in transmission order:

Sat 1 July @ 21:00 –CHERNOBYL DIARIES (2012) *UK TV Premiere

A group of young tourists (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Jonathan Sadowski, Devin Kelley), hoping for an adventure off the beaten path, hires an extreme-tour guide. In spite of warnings, the tour guide takes the sightseers to the town of Pripyat, Ukraine, once home to workers at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant but abandoned after the 1986 nuclear disaster. After briefly exploring the ghost town, the tourists find themselves stranded -- and worse, they are not alone.

Sat 8 July @ 21:00 –THE APPARITION (2012) *Network Premiere

Plagued by frightening occurrences in their home, Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) learn that a university's parapsychology experiment produced an entity that is now haunting them. The malevolent spirit feeds on fear and torments the couple no matter where they run. Desperate, Kelly and Ben turn to a paranormal researcher (Tom Felton), but even with his aid, it may already be too late to save themselves from the terrifying presence

Sat 15 July @ 23:00 –PHANTASM (1979) *Network Premiere

The residents of a small town have begun dying under strange circumstances, leading young Mike (Michael Baldwin) to investigate. After discovering that the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), the town's mortician, is killing and reanimating the dead as misshapen zombies, Mike seeks help from his older brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), and local ice cream man Reggie (Reggie Bannister). Working together, they try to lure out and kill the Tall Man, all the while avoiding his minions and a deadly silver sphere.

Sat 22 July @ 23:00 –THE POSSESSION OF MICHAEL KING *Network Premiere

Michael King (Shane Johnson) doesn't believe in God or The Devil. Following the sudden death of his wife, the documentary filmmaker decides to make his next film about the search for the existence of the supernatural. Michael decides to make himself the centre of the experiment in the hope of proving that religion, spiritualism, and the paranormal are nothing more than myth. But something does happen. An evil and horrifying force has taken over Michael King. And it will not let him go. Also stars Dale Dickey, Tomas Arana and Julie McNiven.

Sat 29 July @ 22:45 –OPEN HOUSE (2010) *Network Premiere

Alice (Rachel Blanchard) is just going through a divorce from Josh (Stephen Moyer) and has her house on the market. Unknown to her, a murderous couple, David (Brian Geraghty) and his accomplice Lila (Tricia Helfer), has sneaked in and hidden. When Alice returns, instead of killing her, David takes her captive, locking her up in the crawlspace in the basement. He wants to keep her alive but doesn’ttellLila. Whilst the psychotic couple engage in a sex and kill-spree with anyone visiting the house, Alice begins to understand the strange bond between her captors and David's interest in her…

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 | Freeview 70
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Interview with Charles Pinion - Director of American Mummy

Charles Pinion is a visual artist and director who made the punk rock skateboard zombie movie Twisted Issues (1988), the post-Cinema of Transgression witches in the snow movie Red Spirit Lake (1992) and the gritty San Francisco cannibal movie We Await (1996). His 3D feature Aztec Blood (chapter one in the American Mummy trilogy) premiered at the Revelation Film Festival in Australia (2014).

Wild Eye Releasing has unleashed American Mummy on 3D + 2D Blu-ray and standard DVD out now!
So we sat down with Director Charles Pinion to find out more

Did anyone or anything inspire the film, Charles? 

What inspired the film originally, back in 2004, was the title American Mummy. From there we explored different ideas of what “American” meant. One early idea was to set the story in a Native American village. Then we thought about setting it in the Revolutionary War. What does “American” mean? Finally my partner went with the mesoamerican Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Smoking Mirror. That’s who our American mummy is.


Tell us about the Mummy – what it’s motivation in the film? 

Tezcatlipoca wants to be fully in his body, so that he can fulfil his destiny. Right now he’s a shrivelled husk, hundreds of years old. The blood ceremony helps him begin to wake up. For him to fully embody, he will need a lot more blood.


Did you model the look of it on any from films past? 

No. We did our research based on various archives of Aztec artifacts. The very scary mask that our mummy wears is made from a human skull, which was an Aztec tradition.

And was it all done via CGI? 

There was no CGI on American Mummy. We shot the movie in 3D, and 3D CGI would have been too expensive. Every messy effect was there in front of the camera, and often all over us who were behind the camera as well!


Is there anything you did on this one that you wouldn’t do on the next? Or did it all go perfect? 

It is very difficult to shoot in 3D. I’m glad I learned so much from the experience, and had so much fun with it, and I’m pleased with the result in American Mummy. Still, it will be nice to shoot in 2D again.


Can you tell us who is distributing and what we can expect from the bonus features component? 

American Mummy is being distributed by Wild Eye Releasing. The bonus features are some trailers (one very bloody), a couple of behind the scenes videos (one of them pretty funny), and a short video about our 3D rig, the Polecam.


Is there a sequel? 

Yes, it’s always been thought of as a trilogy. Part 2 requires a pretty big budget. Lately I’ve been thinking of making a smaller, less expensive movie that lies between 1 and 2.

Thank you for your time and for joining us today.

Buy from Amazon By Clicking Here  (Opens in a new window)

Interview with J. Lincoln Fenn by David Kempf

J. Lincoln Fenn began her horror career in the 7th grade when she entertained her friends at a sleepover by telling them the mysterious clanking noise (created by the baseboard heater) was in fact the ghost of a woman who had once lived in the farmhouse, forced to cannibalize her ten children during a particularly bad winter. Strangely, it was the last slumber party she was allowed to have.

Her debut novel, POE, won the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror and went on to become an Amazon bestseller. DEAD SOULS was published in September 2016 by Gallery Books. The author grew up in New England and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire. Currently she lives in Seattle with her family, and is at work on THE NIGHTMARCHERS.


When did you first become interested in writing?

I think like all writers, I started out as an avid reader. I was the kid who checked out the maximum number of books from the library and wore holes in the fabric of the couch from reading. Then in college I knew I wanted to tell stories, but wasn’t sure what medium. So I took all the writing classes I could, from poetry, to screenwriting, playwriting, even acting and directing. My work is very dramatic - I look at it as a way to produce a movie in someone’s mind.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

The strange thing is I started out trying to write a memoir about my parents’ deaths. And I just couldn’t nail it - it was too close. Then this character, Dimitri, started rumbling around in my head, and I wrote the first paragraph, so I wrote the first chapter, then the next, and these paranormal/urban fantasy elements surfaced, and I went with it. But it still has a lot of narrative details of things that really happened to me.

And then I’ve always been interested in the supernatural - in high school I had a copy of The Modern Witch’s Spellbook, I owned runestones and tarot cards, and as I grew older that interest pointed toward Eastern mysticism. I spent two years living in a Buddhist retreat center. And it seems to me that what we call reality is actually skimming the surface of something else. Fantasy/horror is where you can explore that creatively, and then walk away and say ‘ha ha, just a story, nothing to see here,’ when in actuality, there is.


Why do you think the deal with the Devil is so popular in horror fiction?

It’s interesting that you ask that, because Discover recently posted an article, The Origins of an Ancient Fairy Tale, where researchers think the ‘deal with the Devil’ story could possibly go back about seven thousand years. So it’s been pretty popular for a while.

It’s a story about human hubris and aspiration, avarice and ingenuity. There’s always this struggle between our base instincts and something higher. I think we’re all the characters in our stories - it’s a way to look at our complexity, try to make sense of it.


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

We’re very imaginative creatures, and we can’t quite be satisfied entirely with reality the way it is. We have to tinker with it, create new and different worlds. It’s also a place for us to look at the things that are too disturbing to look at directly.

The War of the Worlds was H.G. Wells’ attempt to get people to feel the shock and horror of a colonizing force with advanced weaponry and an agenda that’s unknowable. What that would feel like. A straightforward novel about British imperialism might have been harder to connect with emotionally.


What is it about Edgar Allan Poe do you believe is so timeless?

‘Worst ways to die’, hands down. It’s something we all worry about - how we’ll die - and he comes up with ingenious, torturous deaths that you will never, never get out of your head.


What inspires you?

The characters. I love it when I have a good idea of how the story will go, and then the characters take shape and change it. Something spooky happens in that I’m no longer the creator, but the recorder of what happens. I know it’s right when what I think doesn’t get in the way, and it just develops, like a photographic print in a chemical bath (yes, back when there was no such thing as digital cameras and dinosaurs roamed the earth).


What do you think the differences between American horror and British horror are?

What we’re afraid of plays a part in the kind of horror we’re drawn to. When I think about British horror, I think about societal collapse or the loss of order, like 28 Days Later, and with American horror we seem fascinated by the bogeyman, probably because we feel vulnerable to random acts of violence.

One of the things I love about British horror is the way it can blend suspense, horror, and comedy. It’s really hard to walk that line, adding a joke into a horrific situation, because it naturally releases tension. When I was writing POE, that was something I struggled with. I watched Shaun of the Dead and Being Human to see how they got away with it.


Do you see differences between the male and female writer’s perspective on the world?

If the writer is really good, it’s something you shouldn’t notice. I’ve read great work by male writers who really capture the experience of being a woman, and vice versa. To be a writer you need a high sense of empathy - the ability to feel another’s emotions. And you have to ruthlessly let a character be their flawed selves.

I had a few readers of POE complain the main character, Dimitri, was a bit misogynistic, (which he is), and then by extension think that I was misogynistic because I ‘wrote’ him that way. Others were surprised to find out I’m a woman because he was so ‘realistic.’ But human experience is human experience - we’re more the same than we are different.


What are your favorite horror books?

That would be a mighty long list, so I’m going to just point to a few of my new favorites. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, The Troop by Nick Cutter, John Langan’s The Fisherman, The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn and Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama. All guaranteed to keep you up a bit later at night.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

The Grudge scared the bejeezus out of me and Stephen Spielberg’s War of the Worlds always leaves a disturbing taste in my mouth for days afterward. But my favorite popcorn/grab your partner’s hand/horror movie of all time is The Thing. I’d hate to see it remade with CGI.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an artist?

Just getting published. It is a long, rocky, treacherous road and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to reach so many readers.      

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Focus on writing the best book you can. Then toss it if you have to, and write a better one. There’s no shortcut, there’s no magic, it’s just a lot of sitting at your computer, typing, and your best move is to write a great book. Yes, social media is important, but if you have to choose between spending a half hour on social media or a half hour on writing, go for writing. It will open doors.

For some practical advice, when you’re writing a query letter to an agent or a book proposal, make sure it’s perfect. I mean perfect. If you write a good book, but toss off a query letter or synopsis that’s less than exciting or has a typo, you’re doing all that hard work a big disservice. Every writer hates writing a synopsis, but make sure yours is polished and interesting. Show it to friends and ask for an honest opinion.


What do you think of the rise in self-publishing?

It can be a great opportunity for people who enjoy the business side of things - I know writers who have been extremely successful with that model. On the down side, there’s so much out there for free it makes it harder than ever to get your book noticed.


What are your current projects?

Coming out next is The Nightmarchers, a twisty, Lovecraftian-style horror story set on a remote island, and then I’m working on a three-book proposal that my agent will shop around.


For our readers we'd love a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

Fenn began her horror career in the 7th grade when she entertained her friends at a sleepover by telling them the mysterious clanking noise (created by the baseboard heater) was in fact the ghost of a woman who had once lived in the farmhouse, forced to cannibalize her ten children during a particularly bad winter.

It was the last slumber party she was allowed to have.

Her most recent novel, Dead Souls, was called ‘wickedly entertaining’ by The New York Times, and Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, writing that it was “one of the scariest and best to come down the pike in ages....The narrative twists and turns are reminiscent of Dean Koontz or Stephen King at their finest. This story is horribly, horrifyingly awesome.”

In 2013, her debut novel POE won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror and became a #1 bestseller in both Fantasy and Horror on Amazon.

The author grew up in New England, graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in English, and lives in Seattle with her family.

Links:
https://www.jlincolnfenn.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7129846.J_Lincoln_Fenn
https://twitter.com/jlincolnfenn

You can buy Dead Souls from the Amazon links below.
Dead Souls - Amazon UK
Dead Souls - Amazon USA