Everyone is different, what personally connects you with horror?

Horror honestly saved me in middle school. In 7th grade I was running with the wrong crowd, getting into trouble, and carrying around a lot of anger I didn’t know how to process. Then one Saturday night I stumbled onto Night of the Living Dead (the original 1968 movie) on TV, and it completely floored me. Something clicked. I picked up a Super 8 camera and started trying to recreate the images and energy I saw in horror films.

For me, horror is an outlet — a space to explore fear, chaos, and the things society pushes into the shadows. It’s still the genre where I feel the most free to dig into taboo ideas and the ironies of human truths.

Why is this movie, AIR SHIFT, important for you to make?

I’ve always been fascinated by radio personalities — these unseen voices who can feel so powerful and intimate. When FM radio faded in favor of digital formats, I found myself really missing that world. AIR SHIFT became my way of reconnecting to it.

I loved the idea of a deejay whose sanctuary suddenly becomes a trap when a serial killer hears her on the air and hunts her down. And once I layered in the zombie subplot, the film took on a wild, unexpected energy that felt too fun not to explore.

For me, AIR SHIFT is a love letter to the FM radio era — with zombies crashing the party.

From Script to Screen, How close is the original vision of AIR SHIFT?

I’d say about 90% of the original AIR SHIFT script made it to the final cut. The character relationships are very close to what was on the page. We had to pivot from a rural radio station to a more urban one due to location limitations, but the overnight atmosphere remains the same. We also added the newscaster character while shooting—just to ground the audience and confirm that everything unfolding is real, not a product of Lisa’s imagination.

What was the greatest obstacle that you needed to overcome making AIR SHIFT?

The biggest challenge on AIR SHIFT was juggling multiple responsibilities. Without much on-set producing support, I found myself handling many of those duties while also directing. Like many indie filmmakers, time and budget were constant hurdles—but we pushed through and made it work.

Can you tell your proudest moments while making AIR SHIFT?

One of my proudest aspects of AIR SHIFT is the cast. Three of our five leads were coming in from out of town, and we had very little time to rehearse—yet everyone showed up fully aligned with the story and the tone. We shared a clear vision of how each character would help turn this into the worst night of Lisa’s life.

My single proudest moment came during the scene where Lisa is attacked by a zombie in the air studio. It unfolded almost exactly as I imagined it when writing the script. The performances, editing, makeup, and music all locked together in a way that felt incredibly satisfying. I was also blown away by Margarita Gamarnik’s live singing. Every performance was done in a single long take, and she delivered each one flawlessly.

What are three ingredients that make a good horror movie?

1. A central character whose fate genuinely matters to us.

2. A threat that feels bigger, stranger, or more powerful than anything human.

3. Well-placed shocks—whether through gore, tension, or surprise—that keep the audience off-balance.

What lessons have you learned as an indie filmmaker?

I’ve learned that indie filmmaking is all about maximizing what you have. Start with the strongest script you can, surround yourself with skilled collaborators, and cast actors who elevate the material. After that, you hope the film resonates with audiences in the way you envisioned.

Is watching movies in theaters still important?

Absolutely. I recently revisited Close Encounters of the Third Kind in a nearby theater, and the audience ranged from teenagers to people in their sixties. Hearing younger viewers gasp and whisper “Oh… wow” as they connected with the film reminded me how powerful the shared theatrical experience really is. I also remember seeing Alien with a packed crowd—the screams were unreal. That kind of communal adrenaline is contagious. Movie theaters amplify everything we love about cinema, and I hope they’re always part of the experience.

It’s hard for indie films to make money, what’s the answer?

The truth? Indie films survive by being smart, not big. Keep the concept tight enough that you can execute it at a high level, don’t spend money you’ll never get back, and really vet distributors—there are plenty of sharks in those waters. And when it’s time to market, lead with a hook. Horror fans want to know: Why must I see this right now?

What’s on your filmmaking horizon?

Next up, I’m developing a horror/thriller with sci-fi overtones, set in the future aboard a space station. The story centers on a young woman who finds out her DNA has been used to create a dangerous and destructive being. I hope it’s a tense, terrifying ride for audiences.

AIR SHIFT is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ2LFRDG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_btm?ie=UTF8

Michael Joy

marketingmacabre.com

The post Candid Talk with Filmmaker, Chris Maes about his new horror film, Air Shift appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Paugh Shadow (The Omicron Killer) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

What made you want to get involved in the film industry?

From script–to–screen, how close did HORNY TEENAGERS MUST DIE! come to its original vision? Pretty close. There were some issues we ran into during production that forced some changes. One scene was completely cut from the script due to the loss of a location, and a couple scenes were added after the initial shoot in order to help with some character development. Overall though, the final movie is probably 85% as it was written.

What was your favorite day on set and why? I think day 3, when we shot all the stuff at Jenna’s house. The entire cast was there and we had so much to shoot, so many set ups, but we managed to get through it. That was the day we all really started to get into the groove, and everyone was just working so well together. We basically took over Erin (Fitzgerald, co-producer & Intimacy Coordinator)’s parent’s house for the day, but they were so sweet and accommodating. It was a really good day.

What scene did you enjoy directing the most? The arrow scene where Elliott is tied to a tree. That was a lot of fun. There’s a lot happening in that scene, even though the majority of the cast is just standing around in the scene. I think we were racing against a thunderstorm and we finished just a few moments before it hit.

What is the biggest obstacle you faced while making HORNY TEENAGERS MUST DIE!? There were actually two huge obstacles that happened during production. The first one, one of the actresses had to drop out on the second day, so we had to scramble to find a replacement as soon as possible. This meant also rearranging the shooting schedule to shoot what we could without that character and then having to accommodate the new actress once she finally arrived.
The second was replacing the FX artist. Things just didn’t work out and we were forced to let him go. Unfortunately, that meant having to rethink a couple of the kills because we did not have the appliances and whatnot for what was originally planned.

What was your proudest moment during production? Finishing the movie. There was a lot of adversity to overcome, but we did it.

How do you get a film to stand out in the crowd in such a vast crowd of independent horror? Well, I think the title is the biggest factor. When I was trying to come up with a title for the movie, I didn’t want it to be some boring, generic title that would just be looked over. I think “Horny Teenagers Must Die!” certainly grabs your attention and also encapsulates what the movie is about. I also tried to make the characters be more than just the stereotypical “jock” or “nerd” etc type that you usually see in horror movies, especially slashers. I gave them all a little backstory and motivations. And I also think there’s one death scene that hasn’t quite been done before.

What other filmmakers inspire you to do what you do? Currently I’m a big fan of Damien Leone, Adam Green, Ty West and Mike Flanagan.

What is your favorite horror decade and why? The 80s, without a doubt. I think that’s the decade where horror really showed what it could do. Practical FX were huge in the 80s and while they didn’t always land, the ones that did still hold up today: American Werewolf in London, the Howling, the Thing, just about all of Tom Savini’s work. I’ll take those over CGI any day. There’s just so many classics that came out of that decade.

What is the next step in your filmmaking career? I’ve gotten a little into producing other filmmaker’s work. I definitely want to make another movie of my own. I have a few in mind but not sure what I’ll settle on yet. But chances are it’ll be horror.

Horny Teenagers Must Die! | Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CKCMLNMM/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Michael Joy

marketingmacabre.com

The post Exclusive Interview: David Zagorski (Horny Teenagers Must Die) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Alice is such an interesting character as she seems to exist almost outside of space and time; we see her first in the 1960s, then she reappears in the ’90s, and she hasn’t aged! You are never quite sure what her allegiance is. Michael didn’t want to give too much away during filming, he wanted me to find my own interpretation of the character. I came up with various theories while we were filming; that Alice was a ghost; that she was a projection of Franc’s id.

At one point, I became convinced that Alice was a figment of Franc’s imagination as we only ever see Alice when Franc is also in the room; but then we shot a scene in the ’60s where Alice was hanging out at Tony Rose’s nightclub, which showed me that she does have an existence outside of Franc, so then that theory didn’t work anymore! She sometimes materialises unexpectedly in Franc’s apartment; there is a question about how she got in. I began to wonder if there was something supernatural about her. I ultimately just decided to trust Michael and his vision.

What aspects do you find most exhilarating and demanding about working within the horror genre?

It can be very physically demanding- lots of shooting outdoors in the woods at night in the cold; being covered in blood is often uncomfortable. It can also be emotionally demanding as you have to portray characters at their lowest ebb; I appear in Jonathan Zaurin’s Derelict this year as a young woman struggling with drug addiction – we meet her when she is recovering after a night of binge drinking.

Your impressive repertoire in horror cinema has rightfully earned you the moniker “Horror Queen.” Could you elaborate on your affinity for portraying formidable female characters in the world of horror?

I don’t think I’m quite a Horror Queen yet; maybe a Horror Princess. I feel very lucky to have been offered a range of interesting, strong female characters. As a society, we have to realise that qualities like strength or bravery are not inherently male qualities.

Could you enlighten us on any specific horror films or actresses who have had a profound influence on your career and acting style?

I’ve always loved Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein, and more recently Florence Pugh in Midsommar.

Within the realm of “Burnt Flowers” or your other horror projects, can you regale us with any captivating behind-the-scenes anecdotes or memorable moments?

We think the set of Burnt Flowers may have been haunted! One day, all the cameras just stopped working inexplicably. One of the actresses, who is also a psychic, performed a blessing on the set, and all the cameras just started up again! It was spooky!

As an actress, what uncharted territories or genres do you aspire to explore in your future endeavors, and what motivates you to venture into new creative realms?

I always want to keep learning and growing as an actor and to work with more amazing, creative people!

Looking forward, are there any upcoming projects or collaborations on the horizon that you’re particularly eager to divulge and share with your fan base?

I am so excited to work with Sean Cronin again on Bogieville. We first worked together when I played his wife in Wrath of Dracula last year, but this is the first time I’ve been directed by him. I was very impressed with his directing style. And it’s great to be back in the vampire genre! Bogieville is out this Spring.

You can stay up to date with Ayvianna via the social media link below:

Instagram: @ayviannasnow

Horror Asylum

For over 20 years the Horror Asylum has continued to bring you the very best genre news, reviews, giveaways and interviews in the horror world.

www.horror-asylum.com

The post Exclusive Interview: Ayvianna Snow (Burnt Flowers) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Interview by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins

VIPCO & BayView Entertainment have released The Shadow Of Death on EST/VOD/SVOD Digital Platforms worldwide including to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and USA.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Gav Steel (The Shadow Of Death) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

I grew up on a small farm in Texas, and so the idea of making movies seemed pretty remote. I found that I had a cinematic imagination. Chores like feeding cows, mowing fields and mending fences were all invested with cinematic flourish. I saw apocalypse-inducing machinery in large rusty tractors. I saw my ghost every day in the fading glass of an antique mirror. I imagined lens flares and tracking shots in all my labours. I’m grateful for the digital technology that makes it possible for people like me to make movies. I’d have no way forward if it wasn’t for digital.

There are these two sisters, Jorie and Kaidon, who travel deep into a forest for vacation. The woods allow them privacy while they try to reconnect. Years ago, they were driven apart by a dark secret. They’ve each been living a double life, like anyone with a secret must do. And now they’re exhausted with duplicity and want to be whole. They presume mutual forgiveness will break the spell they’ve been living under. But there’s a hidden power in the forest that measures life and death, and this power means to weigh the sister’s future against the dark crime of their past. This way of judgement is mysterious, but final. What happens to the sisters is like something out of folklore, or out of a nightmare. It’s unusual but thrilling.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Richard Bailey (The Dark Sisters) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Exclusive Interview: Stephen King Simmons (The Parker Sessions)

THE PARKER SESSIONS (2021) has recently been released by BayView Entertainment and is now available on Blu-ray (Region FREE). What can viewers expect from seeing the film?

I can’t tell you how excited we are about the release. Finally, our dysfunctional Parker has found a home.
This film is a wild and bloody ride with twists and haunting u-turns. For some viewers, this film might be considered too disturbing or triggering.

The subject matter has to deal with trauma, panic attacks, night terrors and a downward spiral of depression. All fun things in life that hit close to home. The Parker Sessions is a reflection of that high anxiety….it’s a waking nightmare.

You will never guess the ending. If you do, I’ll buy you a shot and a beer.

THE PARKER SESSIONS (2021) has achieved great success on the film festival circuit. Which of the awards are you most proud of and which festivals do you have fond memories of?

Our first acceptance letter from FrightFest gave me tears of joy. That was my “Harvard” submission. They are top tier, top notch.

Rachell Sean receiving best actress award at FilmQuest was a proud moment. Much deserved. She put a lot into that character and killed it. Pun intended. FilmQuest is very pro.

The Macabre Faire Film Festival was a huge surprise. We won best screenplay, best sound design and best feature. It was completely unexpected. I met some kool kats along the way and the CBD edibles out there are wild.

The Portland Film Festival was in this beautiful historic theater. They really take the time to make you feel comfortable. The Q&A was full house and it’s Portland. So, party hardy Marty.

HorrorHound takes their time with each artist and they really care about indie horror. We were the only film in HorrorHound history to have 4 x screenings within a year. We love HorrorHound.

The Arizona Underground Film Festival was a lot of fun…..so much fun….I don’t remember much. The craft beer on tap is fantastic at that theater. And free.

How do you tackle projects with very tight timelines or challenging locations?

I buy a pack of yellow American Spirits. When those are gone, I buy another pack…
Keeping a cool head under stressful times is a must. Time really is money. On tight timelines, you can’t move shoots or deadlines. Or those deadlines will eat you and your wallet alive. Same with the crew. They will straight up turn cannibalistic on your ass.

What would you say is your dream project that you have created or perhaps is still waiting to happen?

My third horror project is called “Teddy, the Devil and I”. It’s set in Hell. That would need a bigger budget.
In the near future, it’s my lifelong goal to make a rom-com. Something very witty, romantic and tugs on the heart strings.

How do you work with actors to create the best performances?

Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse.
Acting out the scenes with the actors.
Filming 1 to 30 takes until it feels believable. If we think it doesn’t feel believable then the audience isn’t gonna buy it.

What does a typical day look like for a film director?

On set- 12-16 hour production days. First one to arrive, last one to leave. 24/7 controlled chaos, risk of having a stroke at any minute and running on little or no sleep. When you aren’t on set, you still get bombarded with calls and texts until wrap.

Off set- Spicy thai and authentic mexican food for days. Sleeping in. Quality time with my lovebug and my furry son. My favorite thing to do is have a good old fashioned board game night with friends. My favorite board game right now is Camp Grizzly with the Campgrounds expansion sets. Wine, lots of red wine, quality food and edibles.

Did you use any special effects in the film and if so, how did you create them (eg physical effects, CGI, a combination)?

CGI makes my eyes bleed so I try to avoid it at all costs.
Practical effects all the way baby. Real sets, props and monsters.

What would you do differently if you could go back and do it again?

Have better catering.
Made sure the A/C was working during the office scenes.
Didn’t film a bloodbath in my house…..three separate times.

Physical media will still be around for a long time and for quite a few people this is their preferred medium to watch content. Of course now with the ever growing amount of streaming platforms there is now even more content for people to watch, so much choice and so little time. How do you as a filmmaker make it so your project stands out from the rest?

Trust your audience with the material. If you speak from a sincere place, you will find other people who can relate.

Marketing materials should match the content. Always try to strive for originality.

Finally, what projects do you have coming up?

Lead Belly is my sophomore horror feature. It’s a film dedicated to my late brother Justin Simmons. The synopsis is a coming of age horror film about two younger brothers who visit their recently divorced dad on a summer vacation. It’s in the same universe as The Parker Sessions. A new nightmare set in 1994.
We just wrapped two weeks ago and I’m in the middle of editing and sound design. It will be about a 6-8 month process.

It’s gonna be a very dark film with lots of heart. Can’t wait to tour with it through the festival circuit and share it with you all in 2024-2025.

Interview by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Stephen King Simmons (The Parker Sessions) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Exclusive Interview: Gary DeJidas (Night Of The Insolent Vermin)

What was the first film that you saw that made you want to get into filmmaking and how did you go from film fan to filmmaker?

I’ve always filmed things since the age of 8 or 9, but I can remember being VERY inspired as a pre-teen amateur filmmaker by fantasy/adventure movies like Goonies, Star Wars, Home Alone, Clue, but growing up I had an obsession with all the Classic Horror Films, Universal Monsters, and Classic Sci Fi TV Series have a big impact too, such as The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space and Land of the Giants.

I spent countless hours filming remakes and versions of Clue, and Home Alone, until puberty hit and I started writing my own scripts. Wanting to kiss cute girls may or may not have had an equal influence on my post-puberty storylines.

But in those early days, I used friends, neighbors and family members as the actors. Heck, I still do if I’m being honest. I wish I had the same level of obsession now as I did then, but unfortunately life, bills, making a living and raising money complicate the pure artistry of the filmmaking process. But in those early years, it was just pure childhood bliss and unabashed creativity.

I can’t complain though – I haven’t yet had to open an OnlyFans to make ends meet.

NIGHT OF THE INSOLENT VERMIN (2021) has recently been released by VIPCO and BayView Entertainment and is now available on Blu-ray (Region FREE) and streaming platforms. What can viewers expect from seeing the film?

Night Of The Insolent Vermin is literally the greatest chicks-having-a-hurricane-party-that-gets-crashed-by-aggressive-mutant-cockroaches movie ever made. I dare you to find another.

You’ll laugh. You won’t cry. You’ll laugh some more, you’ll see blood. You won’t see anyone nude but you’ll laugh some more. And you’ll watch a diverse group of badass ladies kick butt and save Orlando. Does it get any better?

How do you tackle projects with very tight timelines or challenging locations?

Minimize the locations, the company moves and do your re-writes based on what you know you have to work with. I rarely got more than 2 or 3 takes per scene. There simply wasn’t time. But you’ll never know it in the finished movies.

We never rehearsed formally, but the ladies all ran lines together while we did lighting and camera setups. Then I saw the first take, tweaked as needed, and usually by take 2 or 3 was it and we moved on. Being practical and economical, so you don’t leak money unnecessarily, helps a lot when you’re broke.

What would you say is your dream project that you have created or perhaps is still waiting to happen?

“Chinese Chimichanga” was it! We actually started filming in 2022 until I lost my lead actress (Who Played “Rosalita” in Night Of The Insolent Vermin). She didn’t die or anything, life just took her in a different direction. So we had to stop filming.

But I have since partnered with MLW Superstar Natalia Class, also known as “Salina de la Renta”, an absolute entertainment force of nature from the professional wrestling world, and we have a few projects in the works together such as a horror / dark comedy “Now Serving”, a Reality TV Series called “Trainwreck Take-Over” and of course “Chinese Chimichanga” a heist-comedy, that she’ll star in.

Anna Faith will also continue to be a regular in every film I make. She’s fantastic to work with.

But my DREAM PROJECT would be a horror film set in the 1990s, based on an old haunted legend from where I grew up in Pittsburgh. I just need more dough to make it.

How do you work with actors to create the best performances?

I tend to work with personalities more than actors, and I write to their personalities. Play to their strengths. When working with real actors, there’s nothing better – and I prefer to let them create and ad lib a bit and bring their own ideas to the table. Directors who don’t let talented actors create is baffling to me.

This whole process is creative, and I let anyone on set, even PA’s and grips, contribute creatively, if they have good ideas. Most of the magic happens live, not from what you wrote months prior, so I try to not be rigid with the script – but I’m ruthless in not straying from the overall story.

What does a typical day look like for a film director?

Not sure I’m a typical film director, because I prefer to do it all. There’s no greater joy out there than being in production on something you love. But with that passion comes a lot of sacrifice. And a lot of long hours standing on your feet. So don’t go cheap on your shoes.

But while in production, I’d be up before even the first PA arrives. I probably start an hour or two before call time. You make thousands of decisions daily, and you have to love that part of it. I’m very hands on so I’ll be involved with the DP on lighting setups, with Sound on what they need to do their best work, and I get involved with the art department to help design the production. I also edit myself. So for this movie, the editing took almost 1 year.

You get three chances to tell your story – on paper, while filming, and when cutting. I can’t imagine not wanting to be obsessively involved in all three of those phases.

Did you use any special effects in the film and if so, how did you create them (eg physical effects, CGI, a combination)?

ZERO bug/monster CGI in Night Of The Insolent Vermin. The Cockroaches all had to learn to land their marks as all actors do, and to be honest, they did exceptionally well considering how short their legs are.

We ordered 5 scientific roaches for the filming, that cost $5 a piece and they lived like kings the whole time. Ana Gil, my DP was also our cockroach wrangler. We used honey and compressed air cans among other things to guide them to their camera marks that they needed to land for camera angles. And they lived for around 1-1.5 years after the film wrapped. They were fed fresh fruit, vegetables and cat food for protein.

However, we used really basic CGI green screens for the TV news scenes, and for the ending cell phone screens. Everything else was done in camera I believe.

When it comes to CGI vs In-Camera effects, I’ll usually side with the old school optics.

What would you do differently if you could go back and do it again?

Not start production 1 week before COVID broke out would be a good starting point.

Otherwise, nothing. Everything I wanted to say in this one I said. The performances are AMAZING. I don’t know how anyone can watch this and not fall in love with the characters and the performances. The entire cast was exceptional. And I adore every one of them. I’d make every future movie with them all if I could.

Physical media will still be around for a long time and for quite a few people this is their preferred medium to watch content. Of course now with the ever growing amount of streaming platforms there is now even more content for people to watch, so much choice and so little time. How do you as a filmmaker make it so your project stands out from the rest?

Well, this is the million dollar question now isn’t it?

For Night Of The Insolent Vermin, we were told by BayView and others that we had one of the most unique trailers they had ever seen. Quite a compliment.

In general, if you want to stand out, you have to take some risks and not do what everyone else is doing. What that is… I can’t say. That’s for you to decide. But if you do what you love, how you love it, and make it uniquely you, that’s not a bad start.

The trailer for Night Of The Insolent Vermin is about as quintessential Gary DeJidas as it gets. Either you dig it or you don’t, but at the end of the day, it was being unique and being myself that caught BayView’s attention.

Finally, what projects do you have coming up?

We actually have a short horror film we will be filming, and are in pre-production on it at the time of this interview.

“Chinese Chimichanga”, “Now Serving” and “Trainwreck Take-Over” are all on our plate as well. I think you and your audience will be very excited by the horror work Natalia Class and I have coming up.

Interview by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins

You can stay up to date with Gary DeJidas and Flying Peanut Productions via the social media links below:

Linkedin: Gary-DeJidas

Instagram: @Good_Picture_Taker

Instagram: @FlyingPeanutProductions

Night Of The Insolent Vermin is out now on Blu-ray (Region Free) in the USA from BayView Entertainment.

Available to order on Blu-ray (Region FREE) now at:

Amazon.com

ImportCDs.com

DeepDiscount.com

Barnes & Noble

Thriftbooks.com

Night Of The Insolent Vermin is also available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Amazon Prime Video in the USA.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Gary DeJidas (Night Of The Insolent Vermin) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Exclusive Interview: Manny Serrano (Theta States)

What was the first film that you saw that made you want to get into filmmaking and how did you go from film fan to filmmaker?

I can’t for sure nail down a specific film that made me want to be a filmmaker. When I was young, my father got us cable TV for the boxing PPV’s and then for HBO. We had a few dozen CED’s, which led to a fairly wide bookshelf with a couple hundred VHS tapes, plus with a video store right down the street I would rent movies myself on the walk home from school. Plus, my brother and I must have gone to the movies with my mother at least once a month, maybe more. I read Fangoria and Gorezone regularly as a kid, and bought Tales From The Crypt Comics, I did book reports on movie novelizations. Movies were just always part of my life. I was also always into art, drawing, painting, etc. When I was a teenager, I got heavily into music, and it was just a natural progression to combine music and art with my love of movies to become a filmmaker.

My high school had a full broadcasting studio that went to complete waste as they never started a TV/Film program. Picture a public access TV station room, and that is exactly what they had. They had a full 3-camera setup in the room, just stuck in the corner under sheets and in my freshman year of High School I took an English class which used the “performance” space of the studio as a classroom. The teacher was young, in his 20’s, and I kinda made friends with him. He had never been in a TV studio before and thinking it was a complete waste of all this equipment, he started tinkering with it and incorporated the video equipment into his classes; recording students reading sonnets, poems, Shakespeare, etc, and then playing it back for everyone so they could hear their own pronunciations and cadence. He saw it as a fun way to get kids to want to read more difficult literature.

I eventually spent the majority of my spare time in High School (and cutting a lot of classes) sitting in that room, learning to operate the board. I’d sit in the control room in the dark, watching his English classes through the cameras, treating the class like a live-tv show. I’d switch between cameras, run effects, lower thirds titles, motion graphics, etc. Myself and a couple of other students who were just as curious did the same. We mimed music videos at the end of the day or when the room was empty. The teacher just let us kinda run free on it, within reason, and it absolutely changed my life. Eventually, years later in 2006ish, I made my first film with some friends, and I’ve never looked back.

VIPCO and BayView Entertainment have released your latest film THETA STATES (2017). Without giving away too much of the film what can you tell us about it to intrigue movie fans?

Theta States is about a long-term insomniac, Danny, who is the subject of an experimental sleep study. Torn between his girlfriend Nicole’s concern for him and his new-found ability to sleep regularly, Kelly (played by Erin Brown) seems to be helping to drive the wedge between them deeper as he begins suffering from blackouts, hallucinations, and recurring nightmares. Danny now has to figure out what is going on, whether Doctor Z is for real, and what does Kelly have to do with it all.

What separates THETA STATES (2017) from other science fiction films?

You know, I really don’t have much of an answer for that! It wasn’t intended to be a sci-fi film. It was written as a psychological horror with a lot more nightmares and supernatural sequences. The original script even had a small imp creature that would terrorize Danny, there was even a cult of people who were addicted to the treatments. Over a couple of rewrites due to budget, location logistics, scheduling, and the restraints of making it with such a small crew, the story changed to focus more on the relationship between Danny, Nicole, and Kelly. Once it was done, we called it a Psychological Thriller, but it really wasn’t until after our premiere and we had a few reviews come in that we realized we’d made a Sci-Fi film as well. It just kinda became that all on it’s own.

Another project you have out is DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X (2021) which would appeal more to horror fans but also those who like anthology films. What was the filming structure like for this film e.g. linear or go from one part to another?

Dark Tales From Channel X was an amalgamation of ideas. Lindsay and I had made about a dozen short films between 2013-2019. Many of them were intended to be part of an anthology series, kind of a proof-of concept for a larger budget Creepypasta/NoSleep style anthology we wanted to do. As luck would have it, we made friends with a few of the folks who work on the NoSleep Podcast and we worked with them on some of the short films. Brandon Boone, first as foremost, did some incredible work on the scores for Beneath, I Waited For You, and Matryoshka. Phil Michalski was our final sound mixer, the super talented Manen Lyset co-wrote Matryoshka with me and easily became my favorite film I’ve ever done. We even had Peter Joseph Lewis lend his voice to I Waited For You becoming the single voice you DON’T want to hear answer the phone. Also being very low budget, doing a series just took so long to pull together a shoot for ONE episode, we decided against continuing the series format. So in 2019 Lindsay and I wrote a connecting wraparound story starring Michelle Nunez, who is now on the ABC series The Rookie: Feds and Tyler Perry’s Ruthless.

Sticking with DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X (2021) for a moment, were you perhaps a fan of the original TV series The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. Do you have a preference of the two shows and have you seen the new The Twilight Zone by Jordan peele?

The Twilight Zone is probably my favorite TV show of all time. The stories are the blueprint for every “twist” story ever told afterwards. We’re all trying to catch up to what Serling and Matheson did over 60 years ago. I enjoy The Outer Limits as well, but I mostly watched the 90’s Limits series and that will always have a special place in my mind. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Jordan Peele version. I think some of the stories were a bit too on-the-nose and felt less Twilight Zone and more Black Mirror-lite, which is funny considering Black Mirror is probably the closest any TV show has gotten to being The Twilight Zone. Peele’s was just missing something, and the commentary felt too on-the-nose. From a strictly story-telling perspective, it didn’t have the nuance of the original series and feels very rooted in the current political climate, whereas Serlings writing was more subversive. His social themes could be transposed to a multitude of perspectives, issues, and transcended multiple generations.

What would you say is your dream project that you have created or perhaps is still waiting to happen?

Ooh.. I have a couple of ideas.. I dig the idea of remakes and I enjoy a lot of them. I would have loved to be part of the Flatliners remake. Being one of my top 5 films of all time, I have been throwing ideas around for years on an Altered States remake. But what I would love to do, a real DREAM project, would be to adapt William Martin’s (FKA Poppy Z Brite) novel Exquisite Corpse into a film. It’s a not-so-well-known book about two serial killers who plan to kidnap, kill, and cannibalize the same beautiful gay man in New Orleans. I have lost count how many times I have read it over the last 25 years. It’s one of those books where you can open it, pick a page and start reading. No matter where you begin, within one paragraph you will be intrigued and want to read the rest. Its sexy, provocative, graphic, sleazy, grimy, romantic, violent, erotic, and absolutely BLEEDS 80’s/90’s goth culture. A soundtrack with everyone from Sisters Of Mercy, Siouxsie And The Banshees, and Wolfsheim, Nosferatu, and Nine Inch Nails with a doomy industrial/synth score by someone like Graeme Revell or Mitch Doran, or go wholly original music with Tangerine Dream. It would live somewhere between The Crow 2, Cruising, The Hunger, and a pre-1996 Nine Inch Nails music video, if you can imagine that combination.

I do have a couple of CK Walker (Rebecca Klingel) stories in mind that I’d absolutely kill to direct one day, but Exquisite Corpse is my dream project, hands down.

Do you have a specific genre of film that you feel pulled to doing or as a filmmaker do you like to spread your wings and see how far you can take your talent for filmmaking?

Horror is what I’m drawn to, but not just one genre of Horror. I’ve done a slasher film, Theta States was a sci-fi kinda-horror film, with the anthology we have body horror, a monster movie, a stalker, a demon, multiple supernatural entities, we even did a 1950’s Ed Wood-Meets-Night Of The Living Dead nuclear-age sci-fi spoof in 2013 called The Attack Of The Brain People. I want to run the gamut of all genres of horror; cursed objects, hauntings, more body horror, a giant insect film would be so much fun, a survival horror, a folk horror, a satanic cult, a witch story, I even have an idea for a Brides Of Dracula film! I’d like to do it all eventually.

When working on a project what do you find hardest personally to bring to the screen?

I’m very music heavy in my thoughts and writing process. I can hear music in my head when I’m writing a scene, I can hear it in my head when we’re shooting, and I can hear it when I’m editing. So the biggest challenge is getting the music that I hear in my head into the film, and music licensing is EXPENSIVE. So I spend a lot of time working out the soundtrack and the score because if it doesn’t sound right, I can’t leave it alone.

I’ve been very lucky in being able to call some AMAZINGLY talented musicians friends. Brandon Boone and my own former bandmate, Ramon Inoa, have done all the original scores for my films over the years. Somehow they are both able to, separately, understand what it is I’m looking for in the project. Tibbie X lent us two songs from her former band GASH for Theta States, as well as D. Catalano who allowed me to transpose a few of his songs into the basis of the score for the film. We have two songs by Tobey and Mitch of Mojave Phone Booth in Dark Tales From Channel X, and even a good friend of mine Patrick Devaney had a band called Romeo Penguin, and he and his old band mates got together to re-record one of their songs for our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, which is set in October 1984; coincidentally the same month they had originally written and recorded the song! I’ve been very lucky in the aspect of finding music within our budgets.

Physical media will still be around for a long time and for quite a few people this is their preferred medium to watch content. Of course now with the ever growing amount of streaming platforms there is now even more content for people to watch, so much choice and so little time. How do you as a filmmaker make it so your project stands out from the rest?

I don’t have much of an answer for that either. You can’t control whats going to catch on or stand out. You just kinda have to hope you can tell a story that reaches people and connects with a few of them in one way or another. It’s all in the hands of the audience, BUT physical media is something I still love. I own thousands of horror films on disc and as a child of the 80’s during the video store boom, I think it’s all about the packaging. I always try to have that one central iconic image for our releases. Blood Slaughter Massacre had art done by Joel Robinson and, no joke, the distributor took it on the art alone. I did the art for Dark Tales From Channel X myself and it has the wall of TV’s which I think really does capture the feel of the film. Impressive poster arts, especially for horror films, is making a comeback and I’m here for it!

Finally, what film projects do you have coming up that you can tell us about?

I’m working on what the next feature is going to be, hopefully I’ll have something substantial written in the next few months. I’ve been working on a bunch of short film projects with filmmakers in the NY area like Angie Hansen, Bec Fordyce, Louie Cortes, Phil Kral, Debra Markowitz, and a few others. You’ll see those projects hit the festival circuit by the end of this year. I’m also a part of the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) team, and our main fest just ended so I’m taking a bit of a breather as we move into our sister horror festival, Scared For Your LIIFE on October 21st in Huntington, NY.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post Exclusive Interview: Manny Serrano (Theta States) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

1. What made you want to get involved in the film industry?

Growing up watching comedies that had Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and the Wayans Brothers made me want to be a comedic actor. They were so funny watching them inspired me to make comedy skits that’s how I started out on youtube, But later ended up being so much more than just a comedic actor.

2. From script–to–screen, how close did SCARED CRAZY come to its original vision?

Scared Crazy actually came out better than what I wrote see the Crazy thing about Scared Crazy is most it is improvised, I would say about a good hour of it is.

3. What was your favorite day on set and why?

My favorite day was honestly the last day because this was such an exhausting movie to get done having to learn all the special effects and even playing 4 characters it was rough, expecially for myself working every side of the spectrum I directed it, edited, casted,wrote, acted, in it and then some. Also the hardest part is this was created during covid none of us could be near each other. The only people who had scenes together in person were couples who lived in the same household but for everyone else I had to edit them into locations where they weren’t physically at it was rough but it’s fun to watch I have no regrets challenged myself pushed myself harder than I ever did feeling very accomplished.

4. What scene did you enjoy directing the most?

The nightmare sequence where lakeisha is in the television and posseses Rodney Smalls, there is a lot of craziness that happens in that sequence its horrifying and creative in my eyes. Never done anything like it ever.

5. What is the biggest obstacle you faced while making SCARED CRAZY?

Well outside of not filming in person and learning new effects and playing multiple characters I’d say the real hard part was filming myself in the dark covered in blood doing the possession scenes and creating scares in the movies climax man that was scary I was by myself in front of and behind the camera, it was very eerie I dont recommend anyone doing that there were things moving in the dark that’s all I have to say. It was at one moment where my light that I attached to the top of the steps with velcro began flickering every time I tried filming the possession scene where Rodney now has black demonic eyes.

6. What was your proudest moment during production?

For me it was the bond between myself and others in the cast felt like I wasn’t the only entertainer everyone involved has their own special gifts and talents they are some of the most amazing people I ever worked with. Madison Ames-Gilbert who plays lakeisha is multitalanted she’s a singer, actress, model and poet just amazing. Mitch Savage an actor, comedian, game creator and cartoon animator and there’s plenty more but they definitely made me want to take my creativity to the next level couldn’t do it without them.

7. How do you get a film to stand out in the crowd in today’s landscape?

I believe it’s all in the marketing of the film if you present it to the people the right way tv ads, radio ads social media promo etc I believe the film will stand out.

8. What other filmmakers inspire you to do what you do?

John Singleton, Quinton Tarentino, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, and Kenan Ivory Wayans.

9. What is your favorite horror decade and why?

The late 2000’s because it was the beginning of new creative horror like the documentary style horror, that style is the most horrifying to me. Paranormal Activity, Quarantine, etc just to name a few those were wild movies.

10. What is the next step in your filmmaking career?

I am working on an alien invasion movie called End Of The World it’s a sci-fi horror action film. Also I’m working on a film about mental illness called depression it’s a really deep emotional and powerful project.

Scared Crazy on Amazon

Michael Joy

marketingmacabre.com

The post Exclusive Interview: Dwayne Hurt (Scared Crazy) appeared first on Horror Asylum.