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.