Interviews

DR. GORE’S FUNHOUSE was first launched in August 2009 by film journalist and author Christian Sellers, initially to feature retrospectives on cult horror and exploitation films. Due to visitor demand, a news section was added the following year but, because to a never-ending slew of remakes and 3D disasters, we agreed to cease coverage of current news and instead focus on older movies. With an impressive collection of interviews with the likes of Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast), Luca Bercovici (Ghoulies), Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Cannibal Ferox) and the ladies of The Evil Dead, we decided to commence 2011 by removing our old retrospectives to instead dedicate the site to featuring exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors, critics and artists from the horror and fantasy genre.

Below is a complete A-Z list of interviews featured on this site, with more to follow.

BETSY BAKER (actress; The Evil Dead)

“I think any project – book, TV, film – increases its notoriety and popularity when it reaches beyond the norm and goes to the very edge beyond the average limitations,” says Betsy Baker regarding the controversy surrounding The Evil Dead. “I’m not shocked, but I wasn’t aware of all the rules and regulations that so many countries have in regard to free speech, film, TV, publications. It has been an intriguing experience for me as the years unfold.”

BIANCA BARNETT (actress; Albino Farm)

“You’d be surprised how many creeps there are in the industry,” admits Bianca Barnett regarding her independent work. “At the moment, I’m turning down most offers I get for films because I am ready to move onto something more challenging. I feel that I have done my fair share of no/low budget films that weren’t very professional. Before, I was just so eager to have a chance to act so I took whatever roles came my way.”

LUCA BERCOVICI (director; Ghoulies)

“The truth is, we were in production at the same time. We were curious about them, and they were curious about us. They were so curious about us, in fact, that Warner Bros. briefly sued to stop us from using the name,” explains Luca Bercovici regarding his cult classic Ghoulies. “Part of the reason that Gremlins came out first, is that Charlie Band ran out of money halfway through shooting, so a few months went by as we all scrambled for the money.”

JAMIE BERNADETTE (actress; Night Stalker)

“Ballet really helps with the aptitude to learn fight choreography, I’ve had to work with three different trainers for three different roles and I still have that flexibility and power of a dancer that incorporates into fighting,” explains actress Jamie Bernadette regarding how her stage work and ballet has helped prepare her for movies. “I often am cast as the stronger female, so having the skill to duplicate fight choreography is very valuable to me.”

GABE BOLOGNA (director; The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond)

“The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond is the only horror film I know of, where the killer is you,” states Gabriel Bologna. “Even though I drew upon the influences of early Raimi and Romero films, there is something wholeheartedly new about exposing that any one of us are actually capable of committing the unimaginable – if we just give a voice to our most repressed resentments of hatred, jealousy, and greed.”

J.R. BOOKWALTER (director; The Dead Next Door)

“I wrote the first draft of the script in August, 1985 and the movie wasn’t completed until the spring of 1989… so it was almost four years,” confesses J.R. Bookwalter of his low budget debut The Dead Next Door. “And yes, there were plenty of times where I wished I had never started it, especially when money ran dry and I had to go off and shoot weddings or music videos for local bands to keep our little office open and keep the dream alive, so to speak.”

GARY BRANDNER (author; The Howling)

“After a flock of short mystery stories and a handful of mainstream novels I thought I would take a shot at horror, which fascinated me from my childhood viewing of Frankenstein and Dracula,” says author Gary Brandner on how he first turned to horror fiction. “My agent was not enthusiastic about The Howling, but darned if Fawcett did not buy it on first reading. I was drawn to werewolves for the shape-shifting identity thing”

HARRY BROMLEY-DAVENPORT (director; Xtro)

“I am astonished that Xtro has been available for nearly thirty years and is regularly reissued. We were just kids trying to shock people,” says Harry Bromley-Davenport. “I was disappointed in the end result – and still am – because I don’t think that I did well personally. It is a mess. Perhaps if it had been more logically thought-out it might not have been as successful or have lasted as long as it has.”

JAMES BRYAN (director; The Dirtiest Game in the World)

“As the X-rated business boomed at the mid point of the seventies adult film budgets quickly grew higher driven by the audience demand for greater production values,” explains James Bryan. “Female frontal nudity was okay but not male nudity especially not frontal nudity. Fearing action from the vice police, the commercial labs wouldn’t process film with nude scenes unless it was safely discreet.”

JAMES BRYAN (director; Don’t Go in the Woods)

“I first became aware of the video nasties reaction when Mark Borde, Woods‘ theatrical distributor, mentioned “some kind of problem with violence” for Woods in Europe,” says James Bryan regarding his experiences with movie censorship. “At the time my understanding was very limited. I know that certain things get censored from time to time but I also know that artists will strive to show all that they feel important to their expression.”

APRIL MONIQUE BURRIL (actress; Chainsaw Sally)

“I actually consider myself an artist first and all this other stuff is for fun,” says April Monique Burril regarding her alter-ego, Chainsaw Sally. “The character was created before we even got into filmmaking. And once the website got going, both Jimmy and I were very surprised and the huge amount of attention she got. The Sally movie was simply a natural direction to go in, once we’d made the transition to that medium.”

DAVID CASS (producer; Disciples of Death)

“Enter the Devil is too misleading, one expects to meet Lucifer himself. The movie isn’t about the Devil, it’s about a radical religious sect,” explains David Cass on the alternative title Disciples of Death was released under. Mainstream ignored the little gem – but it seems it has quite a following in an ‘underground way,’ which is very nice and flatters this ol’ ego, to know that a younger generation knows about some you did thirty-some-odd years ago.

ENZO G. CASTELLARI (director; The Bronx Warriors)

“The transition from the western genre (a genre I adore and I grew up during my young childhood) to the ”poliziesco” is very simple. You have to substitute the horses with the cars and the Winchesters with the machine guns. The stories are very similar to each other,” says Enzo G. Castellari, whose classics include The Inglorious Bastards and The Bronx Warriors. “Our movies had a lot of rhythm, action, great special effects and wonderful stuntmen.”

AIMEE LYNN CHADWICK (actress; Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave)

“We began shooting two movies together, completely out of sequence,” says Aimee Lynn Chadwick regarding her experience with the Return of the Living Dead series. “They were rewriting on the spot, to save money, and time and salvage all the footage we did get. It’s an unfortunate event that I think if it didn’t happen perhaps the movies would make a bit more sense”

MATT CIMBER (director; The Witch Who Came From the Sea)

“That horrible acts inflicted on children eventually can take them down a twisted and confused path of violence as adults,” says Matt Cimber regarding the central character of The Witch Who Came From the Sea. “While the viciousness of her acts towards men in certain sexual circumstances is gruesome and unforgivable, there are still parts of her personality that shower love and affection to those she thinks she can trust.”

KEITH COOGAN (actor; Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead)

“I think the gory and grim aspects were sacrificed to tell a story of wish fulfillment for teens. Focusing on the darker parts would have taken the film into another direction,” says Keith Coogan regarding the 1991 black comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. “I think the writers struck a great balance between the dead babysitter and how the kids moved on to get through the months alone.”

KEITH COOGAN (actor; Toy Soldiers)

“In 2010 if you released Toy Soldiers you would be accused of stoking fears about border-crossing terrorists. Back in 1991 it was about drug lords and mafioso. Today it would have to be about fundamentalism, sovereignty, and righteousness,” says Keith Coogan regarding how his cult action movie would be perceived today. “I don’t think the movie could be as “fun” as it was back then… we’ve lost too much of our innocence.”

JASON COPE (actor; District 9)

“The film deals a lot with the concept of the “Other”. It’s steeped in apartheid references and littered with nods to the South Africa that we grew up in,” admits Jason Cope regarding the political subtexts of District 9. “We’re still a country that faces many problems with xenophobia, and a slew of other toxic social issues. The film was only coincidentally linked to theethnic murders that took place in Johannesburg while we were shooting.”

LUIGI COZZI (director; Contamination)

“A few years ago I just happened to read in a movie magazine a short note saying that in the past some Italian exploitation movies, including my own movie Contamination, had been banned in Germany and in England according to their new censorship rules,” says Italian director Luigi Cozzi. “When we Italian directors made movies like Contamination or others all so violent and bloody, we were not working for the Italian market.”

ANDREW CULL (director; The Possession of David O’Reilly)

“If you don’t try to avoid cliché and create something new then you aren’t doing your job properly,” admits Andrew Cull. “It’s often seen as a second class genre, one that’s easy to make money with but doesn’t require writers and directors to invent or move the genre forward. I hate that attitude. Okay, I won’t always be right with my ideas, some will work and some will fail but I definitely try to bring something new to everything I do.”

TOM DESIMONE (director; Reform School Girls)

“Nude scenes are always more difficult for the actors than me. But it’s always a bit awkward,” says Tom DeSimone. “For that reason I had a mostly all-female crew on set where I could. Female assistant director, female sound, etc. My background in adult films only meant I was aware of what to expect and also made it easier for me to be aware of where to place the camera and how to best handle the actresses… since there were many in the shower scenes.”

KELLY DEVOTO (actress; Insidious)

“I am absolutely a HUGE horror fan! I loved reading scary stories as a kid. It’s funny, because scary movies used to terrify me,” admits Kelly Devoto. “Eventually, I outgrew my initial terror and then I was HOOKED! I used to peruse the horror section at Hollywood Video and just be in awe at all the VHS covers. I don’t actually find many horror films to be truly scary. The one exception for me seems to be The Shining, one of my favorite horror films.”

EDWARD DOUGLAS (director; The Dead Matter)

“Music, horror, and the supernatural were my first loves but most of my formal education has been in theatre and filmmaking,” says Edward Douglas. “Like a lot of filmmakers I was borrowing my parent’s camera and shooting “horror” movies at a young age. My first feature was an EC Comics and Creepshow-style film I did in college called Journey Into Dementia. The next project was the original The Dead Matter movie in ‘95.”

CAROLINE DU POTET (co-director; In Their Sleep)

“At the beginning, this project was born of our desire to make a French thriller,” explains Caroline du Potet. “The concept of the story originated on the idea that appearances can be deceptive and the “monster” is not the one who seems to be… Unlike the classical villain which is always a beast without any feelings, we wanted to create an ambivalent character, half demon, half angel. We wanted the tone of the movie was tough, with no humour.”

JOHN MICHAEL ELFERS (co-director; Finale)

“Finale is completely different than contemporary horror. It is unselfconscious and hand-crafted,” states John Michael Elfers. “We had an eight-person crew and punk-rocked our way through the shoot; with cast and crew pitching in to break shit, toss black paint around strap rafters with barbed wire. Unlike most independent films these days, we actually shot on film. And we put in the time crafting it – four years from script to DVD release.”

ELLORY ELKAYEM (director; Eight Legged Freaks)

“I’d made quite a few short films before Larger Than Life and they were okay but didn’t really grab people like I’d hoped they would,” says director Ellory Elkayem on his acclaimed 1998 short film. “I went to see Jurassic Park in 1993 and it made huge impact on me. I thought, “Why not do a creature feature as a short film?” After that, I watched a lot of the old black and white horror movies of the 1950s and I thought it would be cool to do it in black-and-white.”

DAN ELLIS (actor; Gutterballs)

“Ryan and I are always talking about projects and I know he has about three or four ideas he wants to do Evil Feed and Gutterballs II being two of them,” says Dan Ellis regarding his frequent collaborations with independent splatter director Ryan Nicholson. “I get a lot of messages telling me that we HAVE to make a sequel to GB and I would love to do that! My friend has a film he is trying to get off the ground called Babydoll.”

TODD FARMER (writer; Drive Angry 3D)

“We wrote it specifically to be a 3D car movie,” says Todd Farmer regarding Drive Angry. “With Drive Angry we went on the journey knowing you could have all the above in a nice mix. That said, first and foremost, Drive Angry is story and characters. It was the script that won Nic Cage. It was the script that got us Amber Heard. 3D is great but, I think the 3D movement has already been hurt enough by those assuming 3D alone is enough.”

CHAD FEEHAN (director; Beneath the Dark)

“I was primarily influenced by my love for certain staples within two, albeit different, genres; namely hotel or motel horror and the traditional independent fare of my generation,” says producer-turned-director Chad Feehan. “Revisiting films like The Shining or Psycho against In the Bedroom, I became increasingly curious about an amalgamation of these seemingly contradictory forces, how are they similar and dissimilar and where do the lines blur?”

COURTNEY GAINS (actor; Children of the Corn)

“Linda Francis, the casting director, had become a fan seeing me in a showcase where new actors perform a scene as way to be seen by the industry,” explains Courtney Gains regarding his audition for Children of the Corn. “She had me come in to audition for the producer and director. The story goes I pull a knife on the reader. It was fake but he didn’t know it, was a risky move but it got me the job.”

JAMES GLICKENHAUS (director; The Exterminator)

“I was a sculptor who loved movies. Those were magical days when you could raise money for good ideas,” states James Glickenhaus on the development of The Exterminator. “The film as released was pretty close to my director’s cut. The beheading was pretty powerful and set the stage for The Exterminator‘s subsequent actions. I’m very proud of The Exterminator and I think it holds up very well thirty years later.”

SAM GILBEY (artist)

“I know most artists probably say this, but I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, and from a very early age it was something which I felt compelled to do, states Sam Gilbey. “Thankfully it was something which my parents encouraged, and they kept my art supplies fully stocked up. I used to draw the kind of things that appealed to me a child, so I was forever drawing characters from Star Wars.”

DENISE GOSSETT (founder; Shriekfest)

“I think we have survived and grown through the years because we truly care about the filmmakers and screenwriters and the fans,” claims Shriekfest founder Denise Gossett. “If you talk to anyone who has participated in our festival, they will usually say it’s like a family… we truly do try to make it personal. If someone is going to entrust their money and their films/screenplays to us, they deserve us to care and give it our time.”

JAMES GRACEY (author; Dario Argento)

“Dario Argento is one of my favourite film directors,” says author James Gracey. “His films are unique in the horror genre in that they are stunningly photographed, inimitably stylish and nightmarishly surreal. Such a provocative body of work as his really stands out and he has singlehandedly created some of the most breathtakingly beautiful and disturbing moments in horror cinema. With his stories, the destination isn’t always important, but the journey to it is.”

JOSHUA GRANNELL (director; All About Evil)

“I think that Peaches definitely allows me to express parts of myself that would otherwise be repressed, or at best a bit more dull,” says Joshua Grannell of his cross-dressing alter ego, Peaches Christ. “I think I took to playing the character pretty quickly, both because we had to shoot the film and also because I really enjoy performing. I had studied improv in high school so Peaches allowed me to exercise that stuff when the movie was finished.”

DAI GREEN (writer; Horror News.net)

“Horror is such an creative medium for me. Its a place where you can be scared, you can be sickened, you can even be killed, yet the cameras turn off and the end credits roll and there you are; still alive and in the same position that you were when you started,” says critic Dai Green. “I personally like to watch them and say things like “Oh, if that were me, I would …”, like I’m preparing for a zombie attack or getting ready to face axe-swinging psychos.”

DAVID GREGORY (director; The Theatre Bizarre)

“Apart from making my own movies, I couldn’t think of a gig I’d rather have. Travelling around interviewing people I admire about movies I love. And often the choice of which films we license is dictated by personal nostalgia,” states David Gregory regrading his work directing featurettes for DVDs. “For both Anchor Bay and Blue Underground, I was working with Bill Lustig who gave me a lot of freedom to approach who I thought would make a good subject.”

RICHARD GRIFFIN (director; Nun of That)

“When I was thirteen years old my father bought a Super 8 camera for me from a yard sale. This was before camcorders and before even basic video cameras were readily available to the public,” says Richard Griffin. “I have a motto on the set, which is “A good idea can trump an expensive one.” I find so many indie filmmakers these days learned how to make movies by watching the DVD extras of The Lord of the Rings or The Matrix.”

RICHARD W. HAINES (director; Class of Nuke ‘Em High)

“I wrote an original screenplay entitled, Atomic High,” explains Richard W. Haines regarding the origin of Class of Nuke ‘Em High. “I lived near the Indian Point nuclear power plant which was always having minor accidents which I used as an inspiration. I was going to make it independently with John Michaels who co-produced Splatter University. Then Troma offered to finance and market it as a collaboration.”

KENNETH J. HALL (writer; Puppet Master)

“I had been rewritten before on other projects,” admits Kenneth J. Hall. “It is something you come to accept as a screenwriter, though you always tend to prefer your own take. Everything with Toulon, the puppets, the hotel, the dead man and his surviving girlfriend were the same as mine. The main difference was the people going there were not scientists but a coven of contemporary witches investigating the death of their missing friend.”

LEE HARDCASTLE (director; Evil Dead in 60 Seconds)

“As a child I had an interest in stop motion animation and always said I was gonna go work for Wallace & Gromit but then I grew out of it and started watching violent films and decided in my teens that I wanted to be the next Sam Raimi,” says newcomer Lee Hardcastle. “I got to film school at eighteen and everyone was a bit older than me and had more experience and network skills. My first year at film school was horrible; none of my projects got made.”

GEORGE HARDY (actor; Troll 2)

“Just for the fun of it I auditioned for the part in Park City. There were about nine non-English speaking Italians in a heavily smoke-filled room, and I read the ‘piss on hospitality’ scene,” explains dentist George Hardy on how he was cast in Troll 2. “I never read the full screenplay…. only in parts. It was so discombobulated that no one could understand the story. Very hard to decipher and to do scene analysis.”

EMMANUEL ITIER (director; Scarecrow)

“My strength lies indeed at switching of genres. This is how you reveal to yourself you’re a director,” explains Emmanuel Itier. “A director should be able to direct anything from erotism to horror, to comedy to political documentaries. If you’re in love with movies like I am, you direct everything that seems to have some sort of interesting story. And also you direct what you can direct based on the money people give you.”

SARAH JAHIER (writer; Fatally-Yours)

“I’ve recently noticed that there seem to be a lot more women horror journalists and fans actually getting recognised than ever before,” says critic Sarah Jahier. “So I’m not sure if the genre will be male dominated for long! When I first started out, though, it did feel like women’s opinions weren’t being expressed or heard in the horror community. I started Fatally-Yours to add my opinion and make sure women had another voice in the horror community.”

SEAN KELLER (writer; Giallo)

“When you get right down to it, film is a director’s medium,” explains writer Sean Keller. “The director gets the praise for a hit and takes the blame if it tanks, which leaves writers in an enviable situation. In order to get a film produced, a great number of people have to take a collective leap of faith based on a script. Even if the film fails, the writer wins due to the fact that enough people stood behind the work to get it made.”

HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS (director; Blood Feast)

“‘Obscenity’ isn’t the operative word,” explains Herschell Gordon Lewis regarding his splatter work. “‘Supershock’ is more apt. Psycho teased, to gigantic effect. My conclusion was obvious and logical: Replace tease with actuality. Critics were aghast and so were many moviegoers and exhibitors. But a core of gorehounds sprang up, giving us notoriety if not reputation. That core has expanded year by year until today it’s mainline.”

DANIEL LICHT (composer; Body of Proof)

“I don’t really treat the small screen any differently,” says composer Daniel Licht. “People’s televisions are not so small anymore and their sound systems are probably pretty good as well, but really I am thinking about the drama when I score. The real difference is that television is a dialogue-driven medium, whereas film is more visual. There is greater opportunity for the music to take command in film.”

ULLI LOMMEL (director; Boogeyman II)

“I didn’t want to make a sequel at all,” admits Ulli Lommel regarding his 1983 video nasty Boogeyman II. “I was young and rebellious and thought sequels were a stupid corporate exploitation idea. So when I finally did it I played myself – a director who didn’t want to make that movie. I am not “proud” of much anyway. Certainly not movies. When I can help a friend or a stranger, that makes me feel good. Pride is something I do not need.”

DICK MAAS (director; Amsterdamned)

“When I left film school I started to write screenplays,” says Dick Maas. “The idea for my first feature, The Lift, was sparked by a short story of Stephen King, The Mangler. I always thought it was very strange that nobody had ever made a movie or wrote a story about a killer elevator. It would have been a perfect subject for Stephen King himself. So I thought the idea was brilliant. I copied the dramatic structure of Jaws and it proved to work.”

ELSKE MCCAIN (actress; Jessicka Rabid)

“I am personally comfortable with nudity and have no problem with it, ask anyone who has ever done a nude scene with me,” says Elske McCain. “However, I am getting tired of it and in the future I would like to cater to a more kid-friendly audience. I do think it’s lame that chicks are naked all the time in films, but you hardly ever get to see male nudity. I do think that male nudity is just not as attractive as female nudity, but both are a part of life.”

DOUGLAS MCKEOWN (director; The Deadly Spawn)

“I was inspired by Corman’s pictures to do a better job! I remember being disappointed by It Conquered the World because the “monster” was laughable,” admits Douglas McKeown. “The campy, tongue-in-cheek films like Little Shop… and The Raven I only now appreciate; they were too silly to me then – I took my horror very seriously when I was young. But I definitely ate up the idea of low budget.”

VIOLET MORPHINE (model)

“I’ve started to get out of the alternative modelling; my newer shoots coming out are fashion-based,” says Los Angeles-based model Violet Morphine,” admits Douglas McKeown. “My personal interest in fashion has started to deviate from the gothic and alternative looks. When I was about fourteen-fifteen I wanted to be in the Suicide Girls so bad! They had all the piercings and coloured hair and tattoos that I didn’t have.”

ED NAHA (writer; Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)

“The folks at Disney had known about me for a couple of years and kept on trying to get me involved in projects that, for various reasons, imploded,” says writer Ed Naha on how he came to be involved with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. “You really have to be able to get in touch with your kid ‘imagination turf’ when you work in movies, unless you’re constantly writing melodramas about one-legged ballerinas addicted to crack.”

RYAN NICHOLSON (director; Gutterballs)

“I think that the viewer, if of age, should have the right to choose,” says independent director Ryan Nicholson regarding the issue of censorship. “Children shouldn’t watch adult-oriented films, they should watch Disney, for fuck sake! I believe in a rating system; NC-17, R-rated, etc… it seems to work for the most part. My movies are unrated anyhow, I can put whatever I want in them without issue.”

SARAH NICKLIN (actress; Nun of That)

“I was not aware of nunsploitation films before starting this project, it’s a whole new and fascinating world to me and makes me wonder what other interesting things I’ve been missing,” admits actress Sarah Nicklin. “Since I was involved in the original short film which was done as part of the 48hr Film Festival, I already knew what the film was going to be about before reading the script. There were several drafts of the script along the way.”

DECLAN O’BRIEN (director; Sharktopus)

“Syfy is great. I love those guys. The team they have in place to make these low budget films is incredible,” says Declan O’Brien regarding Sharktopus, the Syfy-produced B-movie. “The team is lead by Tom Vitale, with Chris Regina, Ray Canella and Karen O’Hara. I honestly don’t know how they manage to supervise so many films a year. It’s a Herculean task but they do it well. I’ve always felt they were on my side.”

SHAUN O’ROURKE (producer; Butchered)

“It was ultra low and we were raising funds through out the entire process until completion,” says producer Shaun O’Rourke. “That was ultimately an advantage that helped us land a distribution deal with Anthem Pictures. We had a solid story, helicopter shots, underwater shots, and island, beautiful actresses that would make FHM turn their heads and a film that exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

GIOVANNI LOMBARDO RADICE (actor; City of the Living Dead)

“I don’t believe in a “banning” censorship, because I think that an adult should be free of watching what he likes if minors and animals are not involved,” says Giovanni Lombardo Radice. “And such involvements should be censored at the origin, not allowing the movies to be shot. On the other hand I do believe in age censorship, because extremely violent movies shouldn’t be viewed by children.”

PATRICK REA (director; Nailbiter)

“Kendal Sinn penned the Nailbiter screenplay, based on a story that we both came up with,” says Patrick Rea. “The concept does deal with characters trapped in a claustrophobic location, so we had to keep the script fairly tight, so not to outstay the central premise. The film is also a monster film, and does have a little bit of a Joe Dante feel to it as well. Basically, I wanted to apply the knowledge that we accumulated from doing the shorts to a feature.”

DAVE REDA (director; Horror of Our Love: A Short Film)

“On my birthday a friend of mine sent me a link to this song and said I should really listen to it,” says Dave Reda of the song that inspired his short film. “The moment the song played I saw the whole short film play out before my eyes as the song went. This had never happened to me before, not so clear and there… So I pitched and kicked it around all day and wound up writing it that night in eight hours straight through.”

DAVE REDA (director; My Undeadly)

“My film Bit Parts has been pirated already and is all over the world, it’s just going to happen. The way to look at it is, these are people that pirate movies, they probably wouldn’t have paid for my film anyway, and at least they are getting to see my film,” says director Dave Reda regarding how piracy and downloading has changed the film industry. “Also, the fact that my film got pirated at all and is in demand is a good thing in a weird way.”

JEFFREY REDDICK (writer; Final Destination)

“Hollywood isn’t known for taking chances on something fresh and new,” explains writer Jeffrey Reddick. “They’re all about the bottom line. Which is why we see so many remakes and sequels. The studios and financiers consider them safer bets. Another issue is that we don’t see a lot of risk takers, or real film lovers, running things. I’ve seen how many studio decisions are made by a committee of people who want play it safe.”

MATTHEW REEL (director; Jessicka Rabid)

“I’ve been wanting to write a film about a feral child as the result of years of mental and physical abuse,” explains Matthew Reel. “The idea disturbed me, and to apply the subject matter to an exploitation film just seemed lurid and nasty to me. Exploitation films from the late sixties and early seventies leave me with the feeling that I need to take a shower with brown soap, they’re very dirty films and show very little.”

MATTHEW REEL (director; The SWET Band)

“This is my most ambitious project, a lot flashier and crazier than anything I have done in the past,” claims Matthew Reel. “There are so many influences to this project it could take days to list them all. Basically it became an obsession with old ’80s music videos, old MTV in general and obscure public access music programs. Pornography began to become a major influence in the overall tone of the film.”

DEVIN REEVE (producer; Humpty Dumpty 3D)

“This is one of the most original and interesting stories I have read in my fifteen years of making films. All the components are there; great story, great characters and great EFX. The fans will be very excited and surprised, as they are in for one hell of a ride,” states producer Devin Reeve regarding the 3D feature Humpty Dumpty. “Humpty has no compassion and takes no prisoners, so we get to have a lot of fun with this one. I promise we will not let you down.”

TONY RIPARETTI (composer; Cyborg)

“I have never looked at the whole final cut. I just remember how hard we worked on it so I couldn’t watch,” explains composer Tony Riparetti regarding his score for the Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie Cyborg. “I am excited about getting it out there but I wish the Director’s Cut was a more polished version. It was done quickly with missing sound and FX and levels between music and dialogue pretty rough.”

JOHANNES ROBERTS (director; F)

“It was very much a love letter to John Carpenter; from the siege aspect to the themes and style used, right down to the score,” explains director Johannes Roberts regarding his movie F. “It is very influenced by films like The Grudge and The Ring where you see the aftermath and you’re left staring at these distorted faces wondering what happened. I am not a fan of films like Saw and Hostel.”

RACHAEL ROBBINS (actress; Bad Biology)

“I have only GREAT memories about working with Playboy,” admits actress and model Rachael Robbins. “They are a top notch company that makes you feel every bit the bunny when you work for them. Their production value is the best, the people that work for them are awesome and, c’mon, there’s nothing better for a girl than to get chosen to sport the bunny ears on her photos. Filmmakers just saw me as the naked girl.”

ELIOT ROCKETT (cinematographer; The House of the Devil)

“There are so many great cinematographers and directors… things kind of ebb and flow for me – there was a time when I was really into old Film Noir, another time when I was totally into the New German Directors, another time when I went crazy for ’70s Hollywood,” says Eliot Rockett regarding his influences. “One thing is for sure – I don’t like a lot of movies, but the ones I do like I like a lot.”

SHAVAR ROSS (actor; Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning)

“I’m amazed at how many teenagers are into the series, even though a lot of the earlier films in the franchise are way before their time,” states Shavar Ross about the lasting appeal of the Friday the 13th franchise. “To this day, I have never seen a Friday the 13th film other than Part V, the one I was in. I take that back, I think I went to see Part VI out of curiosity ’cause I was originally asked to be in it.”

GARY SALES (producer; Madman)

“You can make a great movie using a cell phone camera if that’s all you have,” says Gary Sales. “Bottom line is: CONTENT IS KING. That translates into: great story and/or great style and preferably both. Audiences don’t care that much about technical quality as long as you engage them emotionally and take them on a good journey. Audiences will forgive poor quality visuals when watching a well told tale, but they absolutely WILL NOT FORGIVE BAD SOUND.”

ELLEN SANDWEISS (actress; The Evil Dead)

“I think the film remained a cause for debate because it was so over the top and unrelenting in its violence. Of course like any other notoriety, it only served to make the film more popular. In terms of my career, it did put me on the cult-film map, even though it was as the ‘tree-rape chick’,” says Ellen Sandweiss regarding her work on The Evil Dead. “That scene initially was supposed to just be a ‘tree attack’ scene – the rape part kind of evolved as we were shooting.”

AVA SANTANA (actress; The Mortician 3D)

“The world of pretend has always been a common place for me even as a child,” states Ava Santana. “I have always had a really excellent imagination and pursuing acting inevitably seemed to be a career for me that just made sense. I often found myself wondering what it was like to be something or someone else if only for a short moment. My sister and I would often put on little shows for the family and I did do a couple of school plays.”

DAVID SCHMOELLER (director; Puppet Master)

“When I was actually making Puppet Master, I thought it was a silly movie. I was completely embarrassed,” admits David Schmoeller. “But, I was also a single father and I needed the job. But, I always gave it my best in my work. However, when I was in film school and I saw my future as making serious, important films, it was now really hard to swallow making a film about killer puppets. Funny thing is, by the end of the film, I would be talking to the puppets.”

TIM SEELEY (artist; Hack/Slash)

“Horror films, specifically slasher films, started going towards the sexually provocative because it helped sell tickets to teenagers,” says Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley. “Teens are interested in sex and death. Always have been. But, some films in the genre forgot to treat their female characters as anything more than lingerie racks, and then some even went so far as to become misogynistic and outright hateful to women.”

JACK SHOLDER (director; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2)

“I don’t think it’s anywhere near my best work. I frankly never was that impressed with the original at the time – I’m more impressed now,” says Jack Sholder regarding his breakthrough movie Freddy’s Revenge. “Nobody at New Line certainly had any idea why the film was such a hit. In fact, Freddy wasn’t even on the original poster. What I most love about the film was it opened #1 at the box office and made more than the original.”

PAUL SOLET (director; Grace)

“When Grace got into Sundance, the world really opened up for me, and it’s been opening more and more with each subsequent achievement ever since,” says Paul Solet. “I’ve gotten to meet so many talented people I can’t even begin to tell you. There’s nothing more amazing than having the opportunity to premiere your first feature at the greatest film festival in the world, especially when it’s a horror film.”

JOSH STOLBERG (writer; Piranha 3D)

“When someone looks on IMDb and sees my credits, they get a false idea of who I am as a writer. Sure, I wrote Piranha 3D and Sorority Row, but I’ve also sold a dozen very different kinds of projects in Hollywood,” says Josh Stolberg. “I have a big special effects comedy that Todd Phillips is directing called Man-Witch at Warner Bros. I wrote a script called Passion of the Ark, that was eventually rewritten into the sequel of Bruce Almighty.”

NATALIE STONE (actress; Wilde Salome)

“I am a fan of the genre and am not ashamed of them, but at the same time I don’t advertise them either. It does not exactly showcase your acting talent,” says Natalie Stone regarding her work in the horror genre. “As much as I would love my first role to be the Oscar-winning acting piece, I would rather be working and learning on set than waiting; the whole production of films interests me.”

TOM SULLIVAN (special make-up effects; The Evil Dead)

“Approach it like the original and hire me to design the special make up, FX, the Book of the Dead, Kandarian Dagger and a hugely expensive digital meltdown finale,” says special effects artist Tom Sullivan regarding the long-rumoured remake of The Evil Dead. “Of course, some pre-production time would be nice. Yeah, hire me. I’ll figure it out. If I’m too expensive then just go nuts with whatever you can find. It worked once.”

BEN TEMPLESMITH (artist; 30 Days of Night)

“Every artist starts out admiring others and using them to move forward. Most people with a decent eye can tell who’s who though,” explains Ben Templesmith. “I’ve been called a hack in the past, but then almost everyone has. Once I got told I ripped off no less than five of the best artists in the business ALL AT ONCE. So… I must be doing something right. Plus, I seem to have made a career of this thing and am often employed directly because of my style.”

PIA THRASHER (actress; The Immortal Edward Lumley)

“I love playing zombies, vampires, witches or other scary creatures! I don’t care how many hours I have to sit in the make-up chair because I’m having such a ball with the make-up and FX artists,” admits German-born actress Pia Thrasher. “The hardest part as a zombie was getting used to the contact lenses. All in all, I have no problem with sticky make-up and prosthetics and thankfully I never got claustrophobic.”

THERESA TILLY (actress; The Evil Dead)

“Evil Dead was scheduled to be shot at a non-union production. I had just become a member within that year. I was told by a rep at the Union and by people at Renaissance Pictures that it would all be worked out before we went to shoot,” says Theresa Tilly on why she was credited as Sarah York. “Well, nothing was ‘worked out’. So I did the movie changed my name thinking it would NEVER be seen. I ended up with a fine from SAG.”

BRANKO TOMOVIC (actor; The Wolfman)

“I loved the original Wolf Man and I am a huge fan of the horror cinema. I grew up with Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” says actor Branko Tomovic regarding his role in The Wolfman. “I am originally from the Serbian Carpathians so I feel very comfortable around vampires and werewolves. People over there are very superstitous and still believe in these things.”

MARCO WERBA (composer; Giallo)

“Usually, the directors are afraid of silence and therefore tend to use too much music in a film,” explains Marco Werba. “I also had to convince Dario Argento not to use music in the beginning of a scene, just leaving the sound of the water of a shower that could be heard from distance. In a thriller, silence can cause more fear than music. Just a few seconds of silence before a twist can be extremely effective.”

BARBIE WILDE (actress; Hellbound: Hellraiser II)

“The application of the make-up took four hours and the costume took thirty minutes to put on. Taking off the make-up took an hour. It was pretty gruelling and uncomfortable,” says actress Barbie Wilde regarding her role as a Cenobite in the Hellraiser sequel. “The prosthetic make-up had to fit my face perfectly, so they had to cast a mold of my entire head; a horrible, stifling, claustrophobic process that I wouldn’t like to repeat.”

WILLIAM WINCKLER (director; The Double-D Avenger)

“Originally it was to be a film only starring young, sexy, twenty-one year old Playboy Magazine type models…. then Kitten was going to be cast to do a cameo,” says William Winckler regarding how he came to cast several Russ Meyer regulars. “However, I thought, what if I turn the film into a campy farce, and make Kitten the lead?! It was a good idea, and then Kitten said I should also cast Haji and Raven, so the whole project evolved into a Russ Meyer reunion.”