It's been quite a while since we've last
talked, but you haven't kept exactly been idle since then - so
first and foremost, what keeps you going, and how do you keep your output
quite as frequent?
I
am not sure, it seems there is always something to act in... if my agent
doesn't get it for me it is another moviemaker, if they don't have
anything then it is myself that says "Oh well, nothin' else is
going on... I guess I'll create something for myself." If it
is for another moviemaker they will usually reach out to me because
they have a role for me.
For
instance, Todd Sheets for Clownado,
he asked me to be in it, said he had
a role for me that he could see me doing. It was great, I learned my
lines on the plane ride and by the time the plane landed I had the lines
down, and Todd even let me run with the character to make it my own,
telling me "Yeah man, this is why I hired you..." Todd is
awesome to work for.
The
last couple movies I have been working on, The Blue Hole and Demigods,
the
moviemakers both came to
me and said "We'd really like you to be in this movie." Pretty
cool you don't have to audition people, just say "I want you in my
movie." Also I just like to act, I don't think there is anything more
I would rather be doing. I guess I don't know how to stop. Sometimes I
say "I'm never doing that again,"
but then I find myself making another movie.
Now
COVID slowed me right down, in fact we were in the middle of shooting Beast
Mode with Lloyd Kaufman and Debbie Rochon [Debbie
Rochon interview - click here] and I had to shut the
whole thing down. Also I turned down a lot of roles because of this
stupid virus coming to our country. However The Craiglon Incident would
have NEVER been made if it wasn't for this
stupid virus coming to our country.
Even
now I have more projects planned
after The Craiglon Incident III Annihilation. The Owen
Brothers with my
partner Phil Herman, Onslaught, a feature for my wife starring her as the
heroine kicking ass, and finishing Beast Mode. I am really not planning
on NOT doing anything for a long time. Even if I say "I quit"
don't believe it.
Since we last spoke, you've directed
quite a few movies - so could you just pick out a handful of those and
talk about them for a bit?
I
think we covered The Bite way back when, but since then Slasher
Weekend, Nekoda, Diary of Blood - part of The Wynkoop
Tales anthology -, Psychos R Us - also part of The Wynkoop
Tales -, The Paranormal Club, Dead End, Beast Mode,
The Craiglon Incident, The Craiglon Incident II Aftermath and
The Craiglon Incident III Annihilation, The Wynkoop Tales
wraparound, Horror Tales.666 Part 2 wraparound, and probably a few more I am forgetting.
What
the heck, The Bite was fun and kind of a return for me back to full
features. Tim Ritter told me "People are going to forget about you,
man, if you keep doing these shorts, you better do a full feature again," so I did The Bite. Funny thing it was a short by Phil
Herman I just took it from a synopsis (knowing how good it was) and made
it into a 80 minute movie and released it, then of course I owed Phil a
short and had to create another one for Always Midnight, which I did.
In The Bite I kind of took that post apocalyptic thing crossed with
vampires and martial arts, and had a real blast with it. A fun movie too.
Slasher Weekend was my return to straight slasher horror,
Friday the 13th-style.
People in the woods getting hacked up by a killer. It sold thru The
Sleaze Box and 75 minute cut of the movie, but I released the two hour
version, a director's cut if you will. It had all the stuff I wanted to
stay in the movie, my humor, the killer being upset when he finally gets
to where the people are and he is ready to kill them and they get in
their car and drive 20 miles away from him and he has to trek thru the
woods only to see when he arrives they are leaving again, my kind of
humor ... and then of course all its bloody kills which there are a lot of.
Nekoda I wrote for a private organization,
it was not fun writing it, they wanted less people, then more people,
then more pages, then less pages, then a girl instead of a guy, then
they wanted to ad a mom character, and I complied with all of this,
writing it over and over again.
Then
after myself securing a cool location, a couple of them actually, we were
ready to shoot. We shot the short. I turned it over to the corporation,
they watched it, everyone loved it but the person in charge didn't and
said they "didn't want to be associated with it." They
didn't like it so I bought it back from them and released it under my
name and my partner of the flick Marcus Kempton. I released it on Avail
TV and GPTV and The Joel Wynkoop Action Pack.
Diary of Blood was actually a short, I think it was only to be 3 pages long
written by the awesome Joe Sherlock [Joe
Sherlock interview - click here]. I shot it for him but then after I
gave it to him it kind of sat around for a year, so I bought the footage
and story and put it together myself (by this time I had taught myself
how to edit) and released it on The Wynkoop Tales as well as Avail TV
and GPTV. My wife Cathy was the star of this one and carried the whole
movie, very proud of her, she did a great job!!! I also paid every actor
in it which I always do now.
Psychos R Us I really have to give Tim Ritter the credit, this was a story he
told me back in '84 about two psychos that turn out not to be the
psychos you think. I wrote it from his idea and shot it very quickly in
one night in a run down hotel, very scary because of the things going on
there, prostitution, drugs and gangs, fun making movies, right? This can
be seen in The Wynkoop Tales.
The Paranormal Club was actually shot for a movie called The
Black Book, I
was paid to write it, star in it and shoot it for some moviemakers out
of Indiana, but it never got done so after a year or two I asked
"Can we make a deal so I can get my movie back and release it
myself?"
We
made a deal, I got it back and they helped me release it, a very fun
little movie about these silly club members who argue over the most
stupid things, it is like the first half is a little comedy and the
second half gets serious. Lots of monster fun.
Dead End was shot for a action horror film festival which Cathy actually took
first place for acting. It was a cool little story about a father and
son and daughter, the daughter is investigating a cult in the woods and
her brother and father hear her over the phone being kidnapped ,and they
go after her to save her against these crazed cultists - again a pretty
fun little short in The Wynkoop Tales.
Beast Mode I had to stop shooting when COVID came to the USA. We did get done
all Debbie Rochon [Debbie
Rochon interview - click here] and Lloyd Kaufman scenes, so I was happy about that, but
we had to stop because it was a touchy grabby movie going back to my
roots from Creep. I was going for that angle with a doofus character who
changes a quarter of the way into the movie becoming a monster who
kills. We will finish this soon.
The Craiglon Incident I started the night COVID 19 came to the USA. March of
2020! It started out as a joke but soon I had actors from all over the
country and music from Japan and my FX guy was in Australia and soon I
had 6 hours of footage and 3 movies. Aliens take over the entire multiverse, and three goofballs have to stop them and save, the world a comic
sci fi with Phil Herman, my wife Cathy, myself and Shawn C. Phillips [Shawn
C. Phillips interview - click here].
When
I was in the middle of The Craiglon Incident II Aftermath, I was talking
to Phil Herman, and he asked if I could edit Horror Tales.666 Part 2...
long story I said "YES" so I stopped work on The Craiglon
Incident II Aftermath and edited Horror Tales.666 Part 2 (which comes
out this month, late August 2021). For directing-wise I think that is it,
and yes, my main bag is acting but I will edit, I will direct, produce,
write, whatever it takes to keep my work out there! Usually you also appear in
front of the camera in the films you direct - so does this kind of double
duty put an extra strain on you or actually make things a little easier?
It
makes it easier because I know what I want. Even on other movies where I
am not directing I can't help but say "No this is not what I want.
We're doing it this way." One time my friend was directing but
things just were not getting done, the camera guy was threatening to
leave, the actors had to leave, I finally said "Look man, I don't
want to be a dick but I'm taking over now!!" We had two hours to
shoot 23 pages and we could not get back there again at all and one
actor had to leave in the morning for Italy, so I took over, we got
on time, just in time as everyone left.
This
was something I wrote and we were co-directing, I wouldn't say that on
someone else's set, although I would offer my advice like I did to Jason
Stephenson [Jason Stephenson
interview - click here] on Strip Club Slasher, they were working on a scene and I
asked Jason "Hey would you like some advice?" and he said
"Are you kidding? You've been in the business for years, I grew up
watching your movies, please tell us we would be honored."
Definitely
there
is more control, more pressure too, but don't take it too seriously and have
fun with it. How
would you describe yourself as a director?
Well
I know what I want. Not perfect, not great, but I know how the scene
should look, I know how the actor should be, I know how the story goes.
It is definitely easier when it is your vision that is for sure. I think
I do okay and I always treat my actors good.
ONE
time I had an extreme melt down when an actor pointed a gun at me (I'd
already been shot in the face once by a loaded gun) by the co-director's
direction. I went ballistic, one guy ran and told me later "I have
never seen you that mad before, I thought you were going to kill
me." But I was overworked, we were shooting like ten hours a day,
the little boy was named David after my son David who had died of cancer,
and all that made me too emotional and I blew up.
I
went out to my van an sat for 20 minutes, they had to come get me. I
went back, apologized to everyone and we kept shooting. But still I
think I am a decent director. Plus co-directing with someone and a
camera guy that has his ideas and everyone arguing over the same shot is
stupid, you spend more time arguing than if you just shot the damn thing.
Quite
honestly, what would Joel D. Wynkoop the actor say about Joel D. Wynkoop
the director behind his back - and vice versa?
I think I would say about myself "Man that was cool, he really
brought that scene to life." As the actor I might say "Man he's
getting really pissed," but then I'd say "Well if people would
just listen to him he wouldn't be freaking out right now." It is
hard to answer that because it is about me either way, but I'd like to
think at least that. Let me
pick a few films you only star in from your filmography rather at random
for you to say a few words about them ... The
Uh-Oh Show - and what was it like working with Herschell Gordon
Lewis [Herschell Gordon
Lewis bio - click here]?
Hershell
was AWESOME!!!!!
I
remember the audition I did for Andy Lalino and Andrew Allan. After I
read for the two leads they told me I did good and they were very happy
with it. Then they said "Herschell has to make the last call."
I said "Herschell, you don't mean Herschell Gordon Lewis," and
they said yes we do, it's his movie, Grim
Fairy Tales - which would later
become The
Uh-Oh Show. Also after Herschell saw my audition he said I
want that guy to play both roles Fred and Jacky!!! Herschell even
changed the whole schedule for me because I was working on Jason
Liquori's [Jason Liquori
interview - click here] movie Stopped Dead with Debbie
Rochon [Debbie
Rochon interview - click here].
The
first day they were still zipping me up and sewing up my pants leg and
putting makeup on me as I was walking out the door and Herschell was
yelling "Where's Fred??" I had stepped out the door right into
camera rolling. Herschell loved it, he actually told my wife later... he
said to her "Your husband is the most talented actor I have ever
worked with." Yes I know he probably said that to every actor he
worked with, but it was still cool to hear coming from him.
One
day I asked him "Do you want me to do that dialogue for you?"
He said yes. He and Krista Grotte Saxon were watching me when I did it.
When I finished Krista screamed "THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME
JOEL!!" and Herschell said "I totally agree with the young
lady... did we get that on tape?"
I
think the most fun we had was when Herschell came out one of the doors
as I was going in and he said to me "We are playing a April fools
joke on Andrew," and I told him "Herschell, you have to let me
in on this, I am the king of improv," and he said "okay just
come in when you think you should..." - so I did. Herschell
was on stage raising his voice "Why arren't we ready to shoot? What is
the hold up?" The cameraman started yelling back "just a
minute these things take time!" I could see Andrew getting riled at
the cameraman for talking to Herschell that way, so I yelled out
"What's going on here?" Andrew told me to "Shut up, Joel!'
I said "You can't tell me to shut up, this would never happen on a
Tim Ritter set!!" And
that was it, Andrew grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me thru
the crowd of actors and crew yelling at me the whole time "You are
in so much trouble!!" I yanked my arm away from him and threatened
to kick his ass if he didn't get his hands off me, we squared off, then
you hear Herschell "Andrew, Andrew, Andrew" and Andrew turned
away from me and said "WHAT?" and Herschell said "April
fools" which then Andrew turned to me and said "You're the best
damn actor in the world!" Fun time. Herschell and I got along
great, I was so saddened when I heard about his death.
The Giant Horny Toad
Monster? Ahhh,
David "The Rock" Nelson. I love David, he is a great guy!! I
think that was like 2006 maybe when he asked me to do something for
his... I don't think it was The Giant Horny Toad
Monster but something else, but the
scenes got used in The Giant Horny Toad
Monster and Werewolf and the Witch and maybe a
couple more, but I can't remember...
I'm not sure but I shot those scenes at our apartment out in the woods
and sent them to David to put into his movies so it was a lot of fun. I
used David in my movie Fall of an Actor!!!!! I still follow David
today!!!!!
Hi-8:
Horror Independent Eight?
Tim
Ritter got in touch with Marcus Koch [Marcus
Koch interview - click here] and said "Hey do you
think you could use Joel in your movie?" Marcus called me up and
asked me to be his weatherman and that was pretty much it. I thank Tim
for that and of course Marcus, it was fun to play a weatherman. Marcus
said "That's what I like about you Joel, you are a one take
wonder." Lycanimator? Dustin
Hubbard [Dustin
Hubbard interview - click here] and Seb Godin [Sebastien
Godin interview - click here] got a hold of me and offered me the role of
"The Stranger" in Lycanimator, which they laughed at me cause I
kept pronouncing it wrong, I also got my friend Anthony Wayne a role in
that as well. This was a lot of fun, I mean it was hot where
we shot it, and we were shooting in a mold infested house that was
supposedly haunted, and bleech and mosquitoes, argggghhhhh night shoots,
the worst!!!!! BUT I said "could the stranger
use some karate," and they were like "yes, yes, yes!!" so
that was fun to be able to kick the crap out of the werewolf
monster!!!!!! Ouija
Mummy? I
think the same here. Seb and Dustin wanted me to play "Karate
Irving" a comicble pizza delivery guy and I said "YES!!"
Anytime I can work with Dustin and Seb I jump at the chance, these two
guys are awesome!!!!!! Cathy was also in this as well as the woman
who discovers the ancient relic. It is a very fun movie. Horrortales.666 Part 2?
Well
I was in the orignal way back in what? 1997? This one was going to be
different and it was cool to hear Phil tell me this. It was Phil's
script and he told me "You are the only one who gets it and sees my
vision and is making it come to life." It was a confusing script to
read but when I told him I would edit it, I started piecing it together
and writing my scenes added to his scene for Cathy, and I saw it come
together, and I have to say I think it came out pretty damn cool!!!!!
Comes out this month, August 2021. Great job Phil!!!!!!!
Grave
Robbers from Outer Space?
This
I cannot say much about. I was paid to do it but my scenes have not come
up yet, but I am still excited and looking forward to working on it. Jekyll vs. Hyde? Here is one of those
happy little accident stories. The actor who was
supposed to do this
role couldn't do it last minute so Dustin called me and said "Can
you come right now and do this part?" I said "I'm on my
way!" I had no idea about the part or script or anything
I told Dustin that, he said "I know, were not worried about, you
will be amazing." Well I don't know if I was amazing but I got the
scenes down and I am waiting for it to come out as well. Any
other films you've starred in you'd like to mention? The
Craiglon Incident, The Craiglon Incident II Aftermath and The
Craiglon Incident III Annihilation. The first two have been accepted well from
viewers they all seem to like it and that is all I can ask for. Tim
Ritter, Shawn C. Phillips [Shawn
C. Phillips interview - click here], Lloyd Kaufman, Debbie
Rochon [Debbie Rochon
interview - click here], Phil Herman,
Cathy Wynkoop and so many others make this such a fun comedy sci fi with
a twist of Crisis on Infinite Earths, I am a big fan of the comic from
the 70's! Any
future projects you'd like to share? The Owen Brothers
with Phil Herman, Horror Tales.666 Part 3 with Phil Herman
and Dustin Hubbard [Dustin
Hubbard interview - click here], Onslaught, Beast
Mode, and whatever else I can dream
up. Your website,
social media, whatever else?
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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Facebook mostly, just search my name in
Facebook - Joel D. Wynkoop
and it will pop up, you can also see my videos on You Tube under Wynkoop
Productions, Joel D. Wynkoop or just Joel Wynkoop. Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Actually
I think
that is pretty good, probably more but it is so late and my brain is
fried, but I thank you so much for your time and your interest in this
old guy. Check out my IMDb to see all my titles and search me out on
Facebook and thank
you again so very much!!!!! Thanks
for the interview!
Thank
you my friend.
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