Your new movie Conjuring
the Beyond - in a few words, what is it about?
A
sleep study goes awry when participants start to go missing.
The
film's backbone, the sleep-paralysis causing demon - is that based on any
actual myth or just made up for the movie? And if the former, please
elaborate a bit? This is something that most people with sleep
paralysis
report seeing "The Hag". My only experience with sleep paralysis was almost
identical to the opening of the film,
except of course the disappearing part. (Other) sources of inspiration when
writing Conjuring
the Beyond? The first half of the movie is a bit of an Homage to
The Haunting, the second half is very influenced by the
works of Italian director Lucio Fulci [Lucio
Fulci bio - click here]. Do talk about your movie's approach
to horror! Well, I am a horror completionist. I BLEED horror movies. I
really try to make movie that fans will like, because I am one. I
mostly just want to make movies that are fun. A few word about your overall directorial
approach to your story at hand?
Because the movie is about hypnosis and dreams, I really
wanted to visually tell a story that resembles a nightmare. It
starts off familiar enough, but soon things become distorted and
weird. Complete with strange colors and odd angles.
What can you tell us about Conjuring
the Beyond's cast, and why exactly these people? I have been an actor since I was 16, so most of my
friends are fellow actors. Most of us belong to the same talent
agencies on the West Coast. At least half of the time I write
characters with these actors in mind. You
also have to talk about your movie's main location, the old school
building for a bit, and what was it like filming there? And how did you
find it even? The school house is in Mineral, Washington. I found it
because it is used for artist events and writer's retreats. Filming
(and living) at the school was a blast. Typically when we make these
movies we have a very small schedule. 13-15 days at most, so we often
find ourselves living on location like a summer camp. A few words about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere? Team chemistry is the most important thing to me as a
filmmaker and producer. The atmosphere was amazing, like I said it was
summer camp. The only issue I can think of is actor Jon Meggison is
terrified of ghosts, and always refuses to sleep in certain rooms by
himself.
Anything you can tell us about
audience and critical reception of Conjuring
the Beyond? I think that most of the reception we've gotten is fair.
Some like it, some don't. that's just the nature of the biz. People
like to poke fun at indie horror, and that doesn't bother me. Any future projects you'd like to
share? We're always making new movies! Watch out for Exorcism in
Utero and Pillow Party
Massacre! You've actually entered the filmworld as an
actor, right? So what can you tell us about that aspect of your career? I have been acting since I was fifteen with a fair amount of
success. I'll tell ya, I miss doing it as much as I used to. But in my
mid-20s I started getting disillusioned with the lack of action in
the film world. There's a lot of talk and not a lot of action. To quote
Janes Addiction "I wanna be more like the ocean, all talking man,
no action."
What
made you pick up writing and directing eventually, and did you receive any
formal training on the subject? I've always been an
amateur writer. When I was young I
used to think that's what my profession would be. Even when I was
strictly an actor, I'd still make my own little horror movies. What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to Conjuring
the Beyond, in whatever position? I've made tons of low budget films, and have acted in even
more. I tend to live on sets. In your
filmwork you never seem to stray too far from the horror genre - so why is
that, and is horror a genre especially dear to you? Horror is my life. If I wasn't making horror films, I'd be
reviewing them on my YouTube channel.
How
would you describe yourself as a director? It might sound weird but think of myself as coach. (I am
also a huge sports fan.) Filmmakers
who inspire you? My favorite director is George A. Romero,
but I probably
steal more from Lucio Fulci [Lucio
Fulci bio - click here]. Your favourite movies? Night of the
Living Dead, The Beyond,
Rumble Fish, and
Killer Klowns from Outer Space. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Ummmmm that's a good
question... I'm not sure if I really
hate anything... most superhero movies piss me off.
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Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else? Follow us at
7th Street Productions. Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I'm literally writing this as I am heading out to set for
Exorcism in Utero, so I apologize if these answers are
garbage. I guess what I'd like to say is that I'm really
approachable, and if you hit me up on Facebook or Instagram I'll chat
with ya for hours. I just enjoy being a storyteller. Please
watch out for our next two films! Thanks
for the interview!
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