INTERVIEWS: Christian Sellers
ALEX PUCCI (director; FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE)
When did you first develop an interest in cinema and how did you first become involved in the industry?
"I have been working in independent film for a little over ten years and started out initially as a casting director and acting coach From those experiences I developed an understanding of what I wanted do as both a producer and director. My love of horror goes back to the early Italian masters and how they were interpreted during the late 70s and 80s in the US. That provided the artistic focus for screamkings.com as we work to honor those styles with a unique and modern edge."
How did you first concieve the idea for FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE? What was the main inspiration behind the story and what films or stories would you say were an influence on the style and subject matter?
"As we approached this script Draven Gonzalez (writer ) and I were interested in tapping into a late 70s vibe with a hefty dose of over the top exploitation, violence, sexuality and gore . Inspired by actual events of a hazing death we read about, Draven and I set to create an outrageous and disturbing journey through the twisted world of frat boys, pledges and the not so innocent sorority sisters swept up in their madness. Frat House Massacre has real nods to the 70s Italian giallo overlaid with some of the shock of grind house style wrapped up with the bloodletting of a great slasher. I’d say influences run from De Palma’s Carrie to the giallo masters like Mario Bava and Dario Argento and smoking disco number ala Saturday Night Fever. It is 1979 after all."
What would you say were the main themes you were trying to explore with the story, and what kind of atmosphere were you hoping to provoke?
"We definitely want the film to have a late 70s vibe in terms of color, images and atmosphere. Having the original score created by Claudio Simonetti (Tenebre, Deep Red and Suspiria) was a huge gift for us. Claudio’s music has created an amazing mood. The themes of the film showcases the length that people will go to for power and control over others. How lack of any kind of responsibility for actions people resort to “blame” for their situation. This story is filled with people who blame the world for their shit storm of a life…an then take it out on others set against the backdrop of cocaine fueled sex, a pounding disco beat and unflinching carnage."
How difficult was it to finance such a project and what kind of obstacles did you meet along the way?
"We had a good run with this coming off our success with the award winning Camp Slaughter. Ifd say our biggest challenge was the shoot was broken up into seasonal segments over a one year period but I am a nut about locations, art direction and having the film look right. We think we captured the passing seasons and the time period well down to the last eight track tape and flared bell bottom."
How do you feel about the current state of horror cinema? Do you feel that enough support is given to independent filmmakers or is there too much attention focused on remakes and sequels?
"Personally, I like my horror old school and am tired of films with endless jump cuts ,shaky camera movement and gcleverh PC generated FX to evoke gfearh. I expect a real story, decent characters and actors who can take a knife in the mouth and make the audience feel fear because of their acting and their eyes not some silly green screen post effect. I was excited by the remake frenzy Ifm just waiting for one that actually honors and improves the original as so far most of them seem to take what was a great film and tart it up with gedgyh effects and loose the heart of what made the story great..what you end up with is what I call the gcheap whoreh version of the film. Sure, its younger and pretty compared to the original but after about 20 minutes you realize there is nothing else there."
What are your plans for the future, with regards to both FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE and any other projects you may have lined up?
We are working with through our producers reps on securing a variety of domestic and international distribution deals so expect to see Frat House Massacre in wider release in 2009. The team here at SK has several new project in the pipeline including the shocker Sculpture directed by Pete Jacelone which just wrapped shooting this summer as well as in development projects for both the US and overseas.
OLIVIER BEGUIN (director; DEAD BONES)
When did you first develop an interest in cinema and how did you first become involved in the industry?
"It's going to sound like a cliché, but it all started by shooting films with friends as a teenager. At the time the video cameras started to be accessible and my grandfather had one and lended it to us. So we there we went into the forrest, trying to make RAIDERS type of flicks. Of course at the time we thought they were awesome films! Few years later you start thinking seriously about it and I went to the London Film School where I learned about all aspects of filmmaking."
How did you first concieve the idea for DEAD BONES? What was the main inspiration behind the story and what films or stories would you say were an influence on the style and subject matter?
"A friend of mine was returning me a load of DVDs that I lent her and among them were mostly westerns and horror movies. And right there I thought: we don't get enough films that mix those two genres. Of course there is RAVENOUS which is a brilliant movie and a few of the italian westerns are quite gritty but I really wanted to see cowboys with blood on them. So that was this image of a bloody cowboy which was at the start of the project. Then about inspiration, or "reference films", it all depended on which department (or head of department to be more correct because the crew was not that big) I was talking to. I gave loads of westerns to the costume designer for sure. But with the director of photography we could talk about any type of films. But if I would have to mention one film that was present in my mind when writing and on the set, I'd say Peckinpah's BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA."
What would you say were the main themes you were trying to explore with the story, and what kind of atmosphere were you hoping to provoke?
"My main idea was to develop a relationship through action in a way. You would discover the two characters of the film, the hunter and the prey as they moved along. And at the same time try to "create" this town of Dead Bones, to give it a small history and play around with the place, create a different atmosphere for what is at ground level and the part of the town that his hidden."
How difficult was it to finance such a project and what kind of obstacles did you meet along the way?
"It was tough. Switzerland is not really know for horror movies! The people with the money are a bit reluctant about this type of films. And oddly they don't really seem to understand that there is a wide audience for those. It is changing, but very slowly. But we managed to find a budget mainly with the cultural affairs office of my region and with the Lottery which gives quite a lot to cultural projects. The producer, Annick Mahnert also managed to get a TV interested to join as a co-producer. The obstacles we had then were most of all due to the tight budget. Which means not enough time and when problems arise it's more difficult to solve them as you don't have any money left. And the one big trouble was on day 2 on the shoot when a horse crashed into the camera and knocked the director of photography. There for a moment I thought I had sent him to the hospital if not worse. But he got up alright luckily. Then you start worrying about the camera, because you're in the desert in Spain and there is no way you'll find a new one the next day. But the guys in my crew were great and they fixed it so it could continue to work even with some broken pieces."
How do you feel about the current state of horror cinema? Do you feel that enough support is given to independent filmmakers or is there too much attention focused on remakes and sequels?
"I am a bit tired of the torture porn stuff I must say. And it seems that this is what is the average horror movie coming out of Hollywood these days. This and remakes. Which I don't necessariy mind, the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and DAWN OF THE DEAD remakes were great, but I sure wouldn't mind to see some more original stuff. But outside of America there are some pretty interesting and original films being made. Recently the best ones I have seen came from your country actually, with THE DESCENT and CREEP which I both loved. As a filmmaker of course I think we don't get enough support, but I can only talk about my country as we did not deal with any other one (apart from the agents of the american actors). But independent films manage to get made so it's not a desperate situation."
How has the movie been received, both by audiences and critics, and did you achieve everything you had hoped?
"The audience which like genre movies seem to enjoy it. As for the critics, Switzerland is a small country so, so far, we only had two reviews here: one reviewer loved it and one hated it, so mixed feelings so far with the critics. I believed I achieved most of what I set out to do in the film. Of course the film has evolved as it went from page to screen, and that's what I love in making movies, each stage brings something to the final product."
What are your plans for the future, with regards to both DEAD BONES and any other projects you may have lined up?
"We'll go and present the film in a few festivals and we will keep sending it to other festivals and potential distributors. Next we plan to make a feature version of that short film. Not the same story, but something centered around that town of Dead Bones and with the same characters as well as new ones. I am currently playing around with ideas and I'll start writing the script early next year."
MATTHEW HOPE (director; THE VANGUARD)
How did you first concieve the idea for THE VANGUARD? What was the main inspiration behind the story and what films or stories would you say were an influence on the style and subject matter?
"My initial idea for The Vanguard was to do a survivalist movie about a hunter-gatherer in a post-apocalyptic world. The idea of having zombies came second because Ifd never thought about doing one before and thought it might add an extra dimension. I got the idea of having the zombies be ape-like after watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. The other inspirations were The Omega Man and Kurosawafs Throne of Blood. This film was also a major influence on the shooting style of The Vanguard."
What would you say were the main themes you were trying to explore with the story, and what kind of atmosphere were you hoping to provoke?
"Survival was a key theme, especially with the start when it is most about Max. Isolation was another. But then as the film progresses the themes change and become about unity, sacrifice. The film also has a heavy political subtext going on, dealing with the nature of corporations and governments and how they might react to over-population, the end of oil, climate change. I just took these ideas to the extreme, but I also think they give a good back-story that anchors the film in a semi-realistic setting. I was also interested in dealing with the War on Terror."
How difficult was it to finance such a project and what kind of obstacles did you meet along the way?
"The Vanguard was privately financed and there were many obstacles along the way because of this. I remembered something Robert Rodriguez said in his book Rebel Without a Crew – use what you can get. The tanks in the film came from a place where you can drive tanks for the day and I asked the owner if I could shoot a sequence there for my film. The helicopters we got just by standing outside an RAF base and filming them taking off. The actors were mostly friends of mine and agreed to do it because they believed in the film. I think the hardest part of the film was navigating my way through post-production."
How do you feel about the current state of horror cinema? Do you feel that enough support is given to independent filmmakers or is there too much attention focused on remakes and sequels?
"I think to a certain degree horror is in good shape, although I think we’re coming to the end of certain kinds of films as the market does feel somewhat saturated. Remakes and sequels will always be with us. With regard to independent filmmakers getting enough support, I think it’s always tough to get a film made in the first place, but now the means of distribution is changing with the technology and is giving filmmakers a better chance of having their films shown. Support comes in many forms. We had a lot of support from people during the making of The Vanguard from locations usage, camera rental companies, labs, etc. With first time filmmakers it’s always going to be a struggle, but once you get your film made and it’s good enough, then you will get the support. Lionsgate have been very supportive on The Vanguard."
How has the movie been received, both by audiences and critics, and did you achieve everything you had hoped?
"On the whole The Vanguard has been well received by critics and audiences. I achieved my main aim of making the film and getting it released. Now I’d like to see it do well and make its money back for my investors."
What are your plans for the future, with regards to both THE VANGUARD and any other projects you may have lined up?
"I hope to play a few more festivals and I’m very excited to see the film come out now and see what audiences make of it. I have a revenge film I’d like to do next so we’ll see what happens with that."
EBEN MCGARR (director; SICK GIRL)
When did you first develop an interest in cinema and how did you first become involved in the industry?
"I've loved movies, horror movies in particular, as long as I could remember. Like many, I grew up in video stores waiting for new releases from Vestron, Wizard, Cannon, Paragon, etc. By ten years old I'd already seen Bloodsucking Freaks and was well versed in the classics. I was always looking for titles I'd never heard of. You'd see trailers for these films and then could never find them, so I'd hit conventions and find commercially unavailable titles from bootleggers on unlabeled VHS tapes and I'd turn my friends on to these really obscure flicks. When I first moved to LA (born and raised in NY), I'd help out on a bunch of low budget films so I could watch and learn the process."
How did you first concieve the idea for SICK GIRL? What was the main inspiration behind the story and what films or stories would you say were an influence on the style and subject matter?
"My biggest influences for Sick Girl were probably The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Sick Girl is my entry into that genre. I wanted to focus on what Izzy (Sick Girl) was like when she wasn't hunting humans."
What would you say were the main themes you were trying to explore with the story, and what kind of atmosphere were you hoping to provoke?
"In many horror films, unlikeable kids are fodder for the killer. They're lined up for the slaughter and it's okay, because they have such obnoxious traits. You're WAITING for them to get it, looking forward to it even. Some of the victims in Sick Girl are little kids and some people were really uncomfortable with that. What I find interesting is when you see Jack in Friday the 13th get a spear through his neck, no one stops and says "Wait a minute, he has grieving parents at home too". We have become so desensitized that we just cheer and wait for the next kill. That's fine, I'm just amused by the double standard we apply to a 7 year age gap. It's somehow less of a tragedy because one kid is a few years older? Sick Girl takes common horror themes and just shifts the attention a little askew. We spend a little more time with the killer - Izzy, a loving sister, raising her little brother. We look at the victims not only as "pending body count", but as people. As far as themes, "bullying" is a theme tackled in the film. I hate bullies (and so does Izzy)."
How difficult was it to finance such a project and what kind of obstacles did you meet along the way?
"VERY TOUGH. People would read the script and were convinced I was kidding. Killing off kids, incest, no gratuitous T & A for eye candy and then there are two scenes in particular that were REAL deal-breakers (both scenes still in the final cut of the film). It's not your average slasher film or torture porn. It's much more like "an after school special gone wrong". People didn't know what to make of it. My friend Ron, co-founder of Monster FX dubbed the film "The Experiment"."
How do you feel about the current state of horror cinema? Do you feel that enough support is given to independent filmmakers or is there too much attention focused on remakes and sequels?
Sequels can be great when they respect the original. I feel like horror gets short-changed. A bunch of bean counters sitting around pillaging video shelves, looking for properties to remake because a pre-existing fan base in conjunction with a PG 13 rating is a successful formula for box office success. Here's another successful formula... quality films. Ever notice that whenever a film is well received by critics they want to take it away from the horror genre? Cops are trying to stop a macabre, brutal serial killer leaving a gory trail in his wake - Well, if that cop is Danny Glover, then it's a "horror movie". If that cop is Morgan Freeman, then it's a "crime thriller". Cary Elwes saws off a foot? Horror. Brad Pitt receives his wife's sawed off head in a box? Thriller. Same story, but one was executed better, so it can't be "just a horror film". The Silence of the Lambs won an Oscar so they took that away from the horror genre too. Maybe it's a good thing for horror fans that Fulci didn't win an Academy Award for The New York Ripper. Horror films SAVED Universal Studios during the depression, how about a little respect? Instead they shit on us with "Van Helsing". Too many "filmmakers" see horror as a stepping stone to making "real films". They have no passion for the genre and are just jobbers waiting for their shot at a big studio romantic comedy."
How has the movie been received, both by audiences and critics, and did you achieve everything you had hoped?
"I've been really happy with the film's reception, we didn't expect this many people to get behind it. We're really grateful."
What are your plans for the future, with regards to both SICK GIRL and any other projects you may have lined up?
"We're prepping Sick Girl Goes To Town (the sequel) and I'm currently working on Los Convenio, a Heavy Metal Creature Feature set in Mexico."
RYAN NICHOLSON (director; GUTTERBALLS)
When did you first develop an interest in cinema and how did you first become involved in the industry?
"I've been into horror and gore since I was a kid. My love for make-up effects led me to get into the film business in the early 90's. I was always writing horror stories when I was younger, the directing came later, once I'd decided I'd rather make my own movies than work on other people's films."
How did you first concieve the idea for GUTTERBALLS? What was the main inspiration behind the story and what films or stories would you say were an influence on the style and subject matter?
"The possibilities for great kill scenes in a bowling alley were endless. I'm not an avid bowler but I do go bowling from time to time. I remember thinking to myself, this is a great setting. The work is all done, the set is built! Let's get some blood running and guts spilling! The idea was simple, rape/revenge. Tried and tested, the formula works. And killing young good-looking victims one by one in gruesome ways also works very well. Bowling is very retro. I took inspiration from the stalk and slash movies of the eighties. The classics. It seems to have worked."
What would you say were the main themes you were trying to explore with the story, and what kind of atmosphere were you hoping to provoke?
"A theme of revenge was the big one. You do the crime, you do the time was pretty evident but in this case, the time is your life. I wanted a neon, smoke and mirrors kind of atmosphere. Something very colorful and appealing to the eyes. Contrast is king in Gutterballs. Deep blacks and hot pinks. I think "midnight bowling" offers up a good look already, with lights already built into a good alley, our lighting approach was more to amplify on what was there."
How difficult was it to finance such a project and what kind of obstacles did you meet along the way?
“It's very difficult to self-produce. We had to take out second mortgages, cash in stocks and bonds, get some additinal investing. It's all a headache but well worth it just to get a movie like "Gutterballs" made. It's a depraved movie that I find hard to believe that we actually made it. It's rather disgusting! I love it! Paying for the location was the hard part, a big chunk of money upfront is always a challenge, but we did it.”
How do you feel about the current state of horror cinema? Do you feel that enough support is given to independent filmmakers or is there too much attention focused on remakes and sequels?
“There's very few new movies that bring something exciting to the table. I would rather watch a homage than a sequeal. I consider Gutterballs a homage to 80's horror. It's not original at but it's more entertaining than sitting down to watch the latest J-horror remake. Studios won't put up money for fresh ideas. Look at Grindhouse. Dimension put the money up and it bombed. So next time, Dimension won't be putting up money for something cool and new, they want a sure thing. It's all about the money with studios. For me, it's all about the movie that the fans want to see and I don't care how it gets made just as long as it DOES get made."
How has the movie been received, both by audiences and critics, and did you achieve everything you had hoped?
“"Gutterballs" has been very well received, way better than I could ever have hoped for. I think it came at the right time. Horror fans needed something with "Balls" and it delivers. My last movie Live Feed wasn't as well accepted and back then, I actually thought it would be. It's all about timing. What does the horror commmunity need? It's tough to have a movie crack the nut, it's never a given but rather always a guess.”
What are your plans for the future, with regards to both GUTTERBALLS and any other projects you may have lined up?
“I want to do a sequel to Gutterballs, actually I have one in mind: Gutterballs II: Slip, slide and die!. It takes place at a waterslide park where it just so happens "The Janitor's" twin brother is working at. "Sarah" has been in theropy for a year and gets to go on this "field trip" with some other messed up souls, only to relive the nightmare of "BBK". I want to do it like "Hot Dog" or "Joy Sticks", very 80's comedy with the most brutal violence I can muster up heaped on top. Aside from this idea, I do have my next feature in pre-production right now called Hanger, it's an abortion/revenge movie. Pimps, hookers, johns and a baby. Tons of gore and depravity. Fun for the whole family!
