Review: Little Darlings (1980)

It seems each generation looks back at their tender years as "simpler" times. Even when I was a kid, unjaded and not-yet-broken by the world, my parents and grandparents always spoke highly of how much better humanity was in their younger eras. Meanwhile, they were all convinced the world had gone to Hell. Funny, then, that I should look at my tender years (approximately 1976 - 1994 before reality truly set in) and think the same way. So I have to then pose the question: Is every generation naive to an extent? Better yet, at what age does a child/teenager truly come of age?

Based on the slew of 1980s teen films addressing the subject, Gen X hit puberty full-force around age 15. Loves gained and lost, dreams realized, hormones in full-force. However, while the bulk of these adventures had some gimmick which generally focused on the males attempts to get laid, 1980's LITTLE DARLINGS focused on the girls' point of view, with so much more to consider what it was truly like to be in a woman's body, yet still have the heart of a girl. Sexuality, friendship, first love, turbulent homes, classicism, jealousy, and, yes, at its center: loss of virginity.

Teen queens Kristy McNichol (as burn out "Angel") and Tatum O'Neal (as rich & prissy "Ferris") are polar opposites in social status and instantly dislike each other when they're forced to bunk together at summer camp. Each, however, have one major similarity: both are virgins. Trying to win friendship among their peers (including 12 year old Cynthia Nixon from SEX &THE CITY, Matt Dillon in his first film role, and the late Alexa Kenin from PRETTY IN PINK), each girl agrees to get her cherry popped before summer's end. The winner gets a bunch of cash and a lifetime of regret, while the other will be shunned, because - as the other girls proclaim - everyone else has already done "it."

Now, while this description would make it seem like any other cheap excuse for girls to pop their tops and sexual hi jinks to ensue, LITTLE DARLINGS (written with great sensitivity by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young) is a true drama at heart. Each girl, for better or worse, learns romance doesn't work like the novels tell you it does, that they have A LOT more growing up to do, and that simply having sex does not make you an adult. The movie hits it home - without shoving it down your throat - that there is no definitive line between holding onto your innocence and giving yourself over to the world. It's a process of good and bad experiences, mistakes and revelations. Being a teen can be truly scary, but it can also be the time when those last fleeting days of innocence allows you to enjoy the simplicity of food fights and midnight chats with your girlfriends.

While all of the girls are charming and display a specific personality (the hippie, the bookworm, the bitch, the fat girl, the nerd, the child wanting desperately to be a teen), O'Neal and especially McNichol easily steal the show. O'Neal is virgin white as a spoiled rich girl who knows how to dress and speak like a true romantic, when we learn she really knows nothing about sex or relationships. McNichol, on the other hand, has the heavier role. She masters her portrayal of a tough street girl from a bad neighborhood whose tough exterior melts away to expose a scared little darling not ready for what's been put in her lap.

A few late 70s touches (one scene resembles a "mom, have you ever felt...unfresh?" commercial, while another has teen girls dressed up as cutsie animals and singing lame songs which aren't age appropriate) may make 2010 teens giggle... or yawn. Yet overall this charming, if occasionally naughty, flick does an excellent job telling girls how serious - and not necessarily positive - having sex can be, without trying to scare them. It may even evoke a tear or two...FOOTNOTE: A remake has just been announced for 2011.

Cutting The Remake Trend Some Slack...

Okay. I'm not much a fan of remakes. The trend which sadly began with the PSYCHO remake in 1998 and catapulted the horror genre into the dedicated horror fanatic's worst dream with the admittedly awesome 2003 version of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I was first in line to decry every announcement of the plethora of "re-imaginings" hitting cinemas (and quickly into the direct-to-DVD market... hello APRIL FOOL'S DAY and DAY OF THE DEAD). The horror fan's animosity has been re-affirmed time and again with some serious suck-ass new versions of BLACK CHRISTMAS, FRIDAY THE 13th, and the incredibly lame PROM NIGHT. After a recent conversation with an actor/friend on this very subject, however, I found myself arguing in, if not favor, at least the defense of the remake... I was aghast myself, but here's a few reasons why we should all stop bitching about them...

The remake is nothing new to the film industry. An original version of THE WIZARD OF OZ was made in 1910, before being made again in 1914, 1925 and the 1939 version we all know and love. And those still aren't all! If you include TV remakes, cartoon versions and variations, imdb lists at least 43 freakin' versions!!! The same goes for A CHRISTMAS CAROL (52 versions), DRACULA (19 versions), FRANKENSTEIN (16 versions)... and these are just the remakes that actually contain the same title... imagine all the takes which took the story and simply slapped an alternate title to make it seem fresh.

Remember your parents bitching about our "new" movies ripping off their flicks? How their versions were so much scarier (they really weren't)? Gen X grew up on a plethora of remakes - and fairly decent ones at that - of our parents films... THE BLOB (1958/1988), THE FLY (1958/1986), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968/1990), THE PIT & THE PENDULUM (1961/1991), THE BAD SEED (1956/1985), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960/1986), and the double remake INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956/1978/1993). Many of them were actually rip-offs of our parents TWILIGHT ZONE episodes including killer mannequins (TOURIST TRAP - 1979), and battery operated grandmas (THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER - 1982) -- not to mention 1983's TWILGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.

Well, kids, we are now the parents. Sad as it may be, I did the math and if I'd married and had a child right out of high school, said brat would now be 19 years old. The fact of the matter is that the bulk of horror films are made for 15 year olds. I'd like to think the horror genre is as loyal to me as I am to it, but the truth is people my age - and this is mass audience I'm talking about - don't go to see horror films. Our home lives and dealing with jobs, children and recessions is terrifying enough. We might be willing to catch it on TV in a few down moments, but over-all we're giving our kids $10 to go get out of our balding hairs.

This also moves into why a FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART XII or A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 8, or SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 6 are likely never going to get made. Aside from the arguable concept our favorite franchises have essentially run out of steam and story ideas, we, the Gen Xers, are not going to pay to see these titles at the theater (again, we're talking mass audience - not devotees). Our kids won't go either: they have been raised in a world of RIGHT NOW. If anything is more than 5 years ago, it may as well have been made in 1910. It shocked me as well, but all of my cousins who were under age 25 in 2003 had never seen the original TEXAS CHAINSAW or DAWN OF THE DEAD... and didn't really care to. Worse yet, they didn't know MY BLOODY VALENTINE, BLACK CHRISTMAS, THE FOG, PROM NIGHT, et al even existed in original forms. Sad, but true. So, if you're a producer looking to make more money off a proven product of the past to a mass audience of 15 year olds, are you going to take a chance on PART 23, or go back and try to present it as something entirely new and in the moment to oblivious kids with cash to burn?

I am the first to proclaim "the original is so much better," mainly because our films had characters with an ounce of enthusiasm and charisma. Just compare A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET's 1984 ass-kicking and booby-trap loving heroine Nancy to her whiny, depressed "artistic" 2010 counterpart. But I've accepted that the 2010 Freddy was not meant to scare me. He already did 26 years ago.

At the end of the day, movies are a business. We, the fans, love them. We dedicate ourselves to keeping their memories, their existence alive. The characters in them are like friends we get to revisit anytime we want on DVD or download. But we did not create them. They are not our babies raised from birth. They were born to people with $$ in their eyes and hearts. That's what speaks to them. And until remakes no longer make them $$, and audiences stop going because there is no character or actual story development, then they will continue to go into production (hello PET SEMATARY, THE BIRDS...). So your duty is to accept that you can't stop it, so just take the younger generation and explain something much better, with more bloody heart, exists. The remake may suck, but at least it opens the possibility to our favorite gems being rediscovered.

A FEW REMAKES WORTH YOUR TIME:
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974/2003)
THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977/2006)
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956/78/93)
THE BLOB (1958/88)
THE FLY (1958/86)
HALLOWEEN (1978/2007 - The first half of the remake, not the second)
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978/2004)
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960/1986)
FRANKENSTEIN (1931/94)
DRACULA (1931/92)
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972/2009)
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959/99)

That Indie Spirit!!!

Looking at these pictures, it seems a horror movie had a bloody orgasm all over my face. Yes, my indie spirit was renewed this past weekend as I played the role of kind- hearted punk "Matthew," doomed to have dirt crammed down his throat and his head kicked in by an incestuous brother/sister duo in Cory J. Udler's INCEST DEATH SQUAD 2... yes, Part 2. Even with a resume containing such eye catching titles as HELL ASYLUM, BAD MOVIE POLICE, and DEADLY STINGERS, I'd put money down betting this title is going to be the one everyone raises an eyebrow to. So why would I attach myself to something of this nature?

Indie spirit, baby! There's nothing quite like it. A (usually) young group of passionate filmmakers pulling together their limited resources and friends to unite in one simple goal... make a movie. There's little money involved - neither in making the feature, nor once it's been released to the public. Just that element of satisfaction that you had a group of people get behind you and create a story. Even if only 100 people ever see the damned thing, you've seriously accomplished something.

Now, when I say "Indie Spirit," I'm not talking movies even at the level of being produced by "indie" studios like Full Moon, Concorde, Troma, et al. These thriving creators don't have any sort of studio behind them. The director is usually the guy who works a full-time day job and is pouring every extra cent he can muster up into the minimal budget. Said monies don't go to the cast and crew - those dedicated folks work for free. Paying for locations and lawyers and big craft service (food) tables? Nope. The cash generally flows into the make up FX and occasionally the wardrobe, unless the cast is (preferably) willing to wear their own clothes they don't mind possibly getting soaked in gore. Filming takes FOREVER - not days or even weeks. It's more like filming what you can with who you can on weekends for the better part of a year, or longer. (Mike & Amy Watt of Happy Cloud Pictures spent the better part of this past decade completing their zombie flick THE RESURRECTION GAME.)

Making movies at this level is about true dedication. There is often a stigma about movies at this no-budget level. Poor acting, writing, production appearance, FX, editing, sound effects... Usually you'll hear critics, and viewers, bitch that the film "looked like it was shot in someones backyard." Well, yeah, it was... but to that I say "Did YOU give up 52 weekends of drinking and laying on your fat ass watching reality TV to pull together an actual movie?" Whether the product turned out watchable isn't the issue. It's all about the effort put forth by a tiny band of thieves to make one particular person's dream come to life. These productions are about friendship and love, because the people in front of the camera and lending their time behind it often aren't film professionals in any way. They're simply excited to see a friend succeed and maybe have something to show the grandkids 40 years from now... to have the novelty of saying "I was in a movie."

INCEST DEATH SQUAD 2 is the ideal example of this. Obviously I can't say if the movie is watchable at this point... it's not even done filming yet. But I knew going in this was something from Udler's heart. I arrived to find his crew consisted of himself (directing and operating the camera) and Annie Cliff (FX girl and boom mic operator). The fact that a boom microphone existed at all on the production threw me! So I knew Udler at least had and knows how to operate film equipment. The wonderful actors, Greg Johnson and Carmela Wiese (a.k.a. the incestuous killers) aren't actors by trade... Carmela is into holistic medicine. I'm not sure what Greg does, but I'm pretty sure killing people onscreen isn't in his daily routine. But as Carmela stripped down on camera right on a public road (with cars going bye every few minutes), I knew she was game. I joined right in. I was grabbed by the hair, had "mud" (i.e. some very tasty brownies) crammed in my mouth, was tossed to the ground, and "kicked" in the head repeatedly. My pants got muddy, I landed in a rose bush (resulting in some pretty irritating scrapes on my arms and near my right eye), had grass stuck in my teeth, bugs tormented me, and the fake blood SERIOUSLY burned my eyes. You know what? I LOVED every second of it.

There is such an energy to doing this sort of thing... being a part of something that so many believe in. My part of the shoot lasted just about 2 hours, and it seemed like 15 minutes. I didn't want it to end. While it may seem insignificant, I should note that when I left that morning for my two-hour drive to Evansville, WI for the shoot, my Diabetes blood sugar count was at an unhealthy 298. I ate a bad lunch (McDonalds) and had a HUGE dinner (steak, pasta), yet my numbers later read 186... now THAT shows a day of high energy and healthy movement.

Shooting IDS 2 also made me remember, and respect, where I came from. The productions I typically work on these days have investors, budgets, crews, a post crew and professional actors. That's not where I started out though. My days making movies for Moore Video (MARK OF THE DEVIL 666, 5 DARK SOULS, 5 DARK SOULS - PART II) were exactly the same kind of productions. Paying it back (or would that be forward?) for all the help and dedication I received from my own friends in the mid-90s to give up their free time to assist me in achieving my dream - that joined with that hunger and need for the kind of energy you find on a film set of any budget level was my main reason for being a part of this production.

It's that natural instinct, that Spirit I was born with, that feeds my passion to tell a story (or be a part of someone else's) and bring anyone else interested along for the ride.

What I Love About HorrorHound Magazine

About 2 years ago I came across a most magnificent little tome on the shelves of my local bookstore. HORRORHOUND magazine (full color, approx. 64 pages) made my eyes light up the same way FANGORIA forever changed my gore-soaked eyes back in 1989. While I will always be most loyal to the mag which formed, guided and wickedly enhanced my tastes for horror forever, HORRORHOUND has quickly become my naughty little mistress.

The key to HorrorHound's niche is that it appeals directly to my generation the same way Scarlett Street retrospected all of my parents fright flicks for modern times. At the same time, it's information and photo packed pages drag you right back to all the graphically orgasmic horror mags of the mid-late 80s, and still manages to draw the attention of today's jaded teens and their internet damped eyes. Cover stories and extremely detailed retros on such original fan-favorites as Friday the 13th, Halloween, Salem's Lot, Pumpkinhead, Child's Play, The Exorcist and even Michael Jackson's Thriller are promoted with the same respect as though the films are just now being released.

To further grab your attention are "Fun Facts" and "Did you know?" bits of fandom Q&A lining the bottom of every single page... seemingly useless details to the untrained eye, but knowledge being absorbed like UV rays by any true fan of freakishness. While there's also fresh interviews and news on upcoming theatrical releases for "new" product (i.e. lame remakes), there are much more gruesomely delicious bits on horror comix, model kits, video games, toys, conventions, and DVD releases of our fave films of yesteryear. Even the ads filling quarter pages jump out and beat you over your bludgeoned noggin. I have to say, however, there are two specific regular pieces I automatically flip to...

First up is "The Video Invasion," a typically 3-4 page breakdown of the vaults of long-forgotten and defunct VHS distributors such as Wizard, Camp, Vestron, Gorgon, et al. Each page is gore-iously designed with the company's complete collection of VHS box art, and whether or not the title came in the traditional (i.e. more common) VHS sleeve or the giant clam shell (most often remembered as the size of 80s porn VHS box covers). Additional promotional materials (such as the light-up posters of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 & 4 and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 released by Media Home Entertainment) are also displayed with a loving touch. Imagine the hunt these collectors must dedicate themselves to in order to hunt down the eBay bound items.

Second, and probably because it gives me the same soothing sensation and excitement as those People magazine "Where are they now?" stories, I savor "Horror's Hallowed Grounds." Pictures taken directly from the film are matched up to pictures taken today by a devoted fan hungry enough to hunt down original filming locations in random towns across the nation! Anyone willing to put forth that kind of effort (squinting their eyes til they bleed at the TV screen to try and pick up addresses on homes and rusted street signs to identify possible landmarks) wins my vote for "most devoted." There's simply something so fascinating - at least to me - about how people and places have aged over the years.

What I love most about HorrorHound magazine, though, is just how much fun its staff seems to have in creating it. The writing is enjoyable, easy to consume and typically to the point. The layouts are playful and filled with photos of varying sizes meant to squeeze in as many as possible. It's clear from front to back that this mag is made entirely by fans for fans, bringing long-lost and forgotten titles of my youth back to life. Thank you, HorrorHound, for bringing me back to my childhood and making me a fan again, remembering why this genre consumed me in the first place.

Why I Worship at the altar of J.R. Bookwalter

A happy thing showed up in my mailbox the other day... my final paycheck from Shout! Factory for the SLEEPLESS NIGHTS documentary I recently directed for them. Last night, as I shared my joy (and bought some cocktails) with friends and family, I realized that having received that check was more than just thanks for a job well done. I was happy that the check had been received at all.

Last week, I had dinner with my dear friend, actress Tina Ona Paukstelis (ASWANG). After bitching to her about all the money I haven't received for past productions, she commented "You just keep getting ripped off, don't you?!" Tina has known me from college through my entire professional career. And she's right. I received one royalty check (a small one, I might add), for the films I did for Moore Video back in the 90s, even though they continued to sell copies after that. I sold a bulk of my movies to a distributor in the late 90s... never got my payment. Throughout the early/mid-2000's, I published dozens of articles. For one particular magazine, I'm still owed nearly $3,000. More recently, I'm over a full year past getting paid for NOVEMBER SON (2008) by distributor Ariztical. Looking back, one of the few people I have been able to trust in this industry, is my friend, mentor, distributor J.R. Bookwalter.

Bookwalter, like myself, has spent his career striving to be the best in low-budget cinema. He gained notoriety for directing the cult-classic zombie flick THE DEAD NEXT DOOR back in 1985 at the tender age of 18. (It's a poorly kept secret the film was financed by none other than Sam Raimi of THE EVIL DEAD and SPIDER-MAN fame.) Forming his own indie production /distribution company Tempe Entertainment / Tempe Video and the magazine "The B's Nest" (later remonikered "Alternative Cinema") in the late 80s, Bookwalter quickly became the demi-god to all kids who wanted to pick up their dad's camcorder and make a movie for $100.

Understanding that all-consuming need to make cinema, Bookwalter was among the first to take other people's homegrown products and put them out onto the market. Initially through his zines and mailings, then through the internet. He promoted those titles with all the gusto and pride of a proud papa and his newborn baby. Even when the movies sucked (some so poorly you could smell their rott), he stood behind them. He has treated his directors, casts, and crews with such respect its remains a difficult task to find anyone with nary a bitter word about the man.

After actress Brinke Stevens (whom I also owe my career to) introduced me to Bookwalter at one of her famous back-yard BBQs, Bookwalter took many more steps than he needed to in introducing me to David DeCoteau. His efforts resulted in many years of work with the cult director and inspired me to direct my own short film, JULIA WEPT (2000). The idea was to create a feature to get additional work from other producers. The first person to hire me? J.R. Bookwalter.

SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT beget a series of wonderful working experiences with Bookwalter and his associates. Taking on various roles in front of and behind the camera, productions such as HELL ASYLUM, DEADLY STINGERS, and the BAD MOVIE POLICE franchise quickly filled my resume. He stood behind me on OCTOBER MOON - an item no one else wanted to touch because of its combo gay/thriller-theme. Nobody else was making films like this at the time, and while every other producer I approached ran screaming, Bookwalter felt I had something special.

Even though he's long referred to me as a publicity whore (a title I wear loud and proud), Bookwalter has had my back more than anyone else in the industry. He's attempted to steer me down the right avenues (even though I don't always listen), gotten me in touch with many other folks who would lead to additional film and journalism work, and always been honest and right -on-time with statements and payments. When money was lost in a bankruptcy scenario with a joint distribution company, Bookwalter was direct up front and has proven his worth in trying to earn the money back. He has forewarned me of the highs and lows of the business, respected with great intent my "coming out" and domestic partnership (though I'm still waiting for that wedding gift), and even honored me with being the godfather of his handsome little fella, Benji.

So why do I worship at the altar of J.R. Bookwalter? Simply put, he's a kick-ass guy, a great trustworthy friend, and has long offered the guiding hand of a big brother. Get to know him, and his work.

Review: The House of the Devil (2009)

So on an unexpected stop at my local Blockbuster (I rent about 4 times a year) to specifically look for a copy of the unbelievably inspiring PRECIOUS (2009), I decided to peruse the new releases section and came across THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. I had seen the box art in a few magazines and recalled its mention on a variety of online horror sites. I had the evening free, so I figured "Why the F^*k not?" It was an excellent decision.

I'm not impressed by very many horror flicks these days. "Been there, seen that" is what I usually think after most modern flicks have wasted my time. Complete lack of originality. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (HOTD) is that rare gem, and after seeing it over a month ago, I still can't get it out of my head. Hence, my need to share it with others and figure why it captured my inner demon, especially since nothing happens in the first 55 minutes... but I couldn't stop watching!

The general premise: Set in 1981, college sophomore Samantha is in dire need of $$$ to escape her annoying dorm mate and get her own apartment, but she needs the down payment in 3 days. Passing a community campus board later that day she sees a babysitting ad. Upon arriving at the secluded house, however, she finds she won't be caring for a child, but instead an unseen, elderly woman in the attic. All she has to do is stay in the house for 4 hours while the family is away at an event and she'll earn a cool $400. Against her better judgment, she agrees, and as the night unfolds discovers she should have followed her gut instinct.

Sounds like a been-there/done-that plot from the early 1980s - but it's just that element which is what makes this film work. The awesome thing here is that this doesn't seem like a 2009-made feature set in 1981. Director Ti West (CABIN FEVER 2) pays such intimate attention to period detail in costumes, props, hair, set design and the type of film used in 1981 that it actually comes across as a forgotten time capsule just released to the public. Its time period also plays extreme importance in that in today's cell phone/instant 911 help era, this story wouldn't work. In 1981, it's still entirely plausible.

So, like I said earlier, nothing happens for the bulk of the film. Samantha walks around the eerie 3 story house, trying to ignore its creepy creaks and groans.... until she can't take them anymore. As she tries to silence the night and her nerves, Sam slowly begins to accidentally discover the secrets of the house, the family she knows nothing about... and that lady in the attic. For anyone who's ever babysat in an unfamiliar home, all that tension will quickly come back to you, which is the brilliance behind West's quest to terrify you from the inside out. Once Samantha discovers all the truths of her unfortunate situation, you'll be chewing your nails off and - that rare of rarest things for true fans bored with everything they've seen before - you'll be covering your eyes and screaming at the screen. Think back to the original HALLOWEEN (1978) or THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Yeah - it gets that scary. Overall, however, this is much more aesthetically ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) than Leatherface.

If you want to see the latest modern remake or sequel, pick up SAW VI or - snooze - PROM NIGHT '08. If you want to remember what it was like to watch something with a true sense of evil and suspense -something that wants to crawl under your skin and sink into your brain vs. simply grossing you out - spend a night in THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.

Trying Something New

So I've been a bit lazy when it comes to the publicity end of my career. In the late 1990s and throughout most of the 2000s I was, as indie guerrilla god J.R. Bookwalter called me, a "media whore." Admittedly, I threw my name and products (Something To Scream About, October Moon, November Son to name my more "popular" titles) to anyone who would listen and print them. I frequently updated my personal website, and additional sites for each of my more recent films. Then I just... got bored, I guess.

I let all the sites slip (only www.octobermoonthefilm.com remains active). My experience with November Son (a.k.a. October Moon 2) was such a negative one (especially once it was in the hands of distributor Ariztical Entertainment) I lost interest. No more photo shoots, very few convention appearances, and practically no interviews... the "whore" had settled into just being a husband. Then a call came in...

So in November 2009, exactly 10 years to the month - almost the day! - I sold my first professional piece of journalism (a retrospective on The Slumber Party Massacre film franchise) to Femme Fatales Magazine, I was contacted by Shout! Factory. Company exec Cliff MacMillan was in charge of producing new material for the Roger Corman library Shout! had just licensed. Turns out the SPM trilogy was a part of this package, and while Googling the titles for general info, my name kept popping up (thanks to the retro FF piece and STSA). Cliff had seen STSA years ago, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in producing/directing/writing a new documentary on the SPM films. Not only was this a full-circle moment for my career, but it marks the first time I've been sought out as a director without my having to do all the footwork first. A big moment.

Now that production on the documentary Sleepless Nights: Revisiting The Slumber Party Massacres has wrapped (and is due on DVD October 5, 2010), I'm inspired to let the "whore" back out. Not really interested in the photo shoots and extensive convention appearances of this past decade. Would like, instead, to share my thoughts and experiences for those interested in how life is working as an indie filmmaker - with his foot now officially in the corporate film-making door. Also, how the industry is changing from being an individual "guerrilla" filmmaking kid with little competition and his camcorder in the late 90s to now having to accept that any 15 year old can make a professional-looking movie in his bedroom over the course of a weekend - while I'm forced to pull together a paid crew and 6 months of work to keep "relevant."

Blogging is something new to me. I'm not sure just yet how much attention I'll give it. Daily? Weekly? Monthly? At all? My thought is to not just comment on myself (yes, J.R., Hell has frozen over), but indie films I've seen, other folks I work with, and just the industry as a whole. I hope what you read here will bring you back for more.

Best,
Jason

FILMOGRAPHY:
Shy of Normal (2010, director/writer/producer)
Sleepless Nights: Revisting The Slumber Party Massacres (2010, director/writer)
Incest Death Sqaud 2 (2010, actor)
Dozers (2010, actor)
I Made My Own Damned Movie (2010, interview subject)
Unearthed: The Hellraiser Saga (2010, interview subject)
The 50 Scarriest Movies You've Never Seen (2010, interview subject)
November Son: October Moon 2 (2008, writer/director/producer)
The Legend Trip (2007, actor)
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006, interview subject)
October Moon (2005, director/writer/producer)
Something To Scream About (2004, director/writer/producer)
Bad Movie Police, Case #3: Humanoids From Atlantis (2004, Assistant Director)
Bad Movie Police, Case #2: Chickboxer (2004, Assistant Director)
Bad Movie Police, Case #1: Galaxy of the Dinosaurs (2003, actor/Assistant Director)
Deadly Stingers (2003, actor/Assistant Director)
5 Dark Souls, Part III: Retribution (2003, director/writer)
Hell Asylum (2002, actor/supplements director)
Final Stab (2001, Assistant Director/Production Coordinator)
The Frightening (2001, Assistant Director/Production Coordinator)
The Brotherhood II: Young Warlocks (2001, Assistant Director/Production Coordinator)
The Brotherhood (2000, Assistant Director/Production Coordinator)
Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy (2000, Assistant Director)
Julia Wept (2000, director/writer/producer)
Voodoo Academy (1999, publicist)
5 Dark Souls, Part II: Roots of Evil (1998, writer/director)
5 Dark Souls (1996, writer/director)
Mark of the Devil 666: The Moralist (1995, writer/director)
Sacrifices (1994 - short - director)
America's Deadliest Home Video (1991, publicist)
Havoc (1991 - short - director/writer)