Your new movie Easter Sunday - in a few words, what is it
about?
Easter Sunday Movie is based on a true urban legend in northern
Virginia about a person who wears a Bunny costume and kills people with an
axe. How did the project come together in the first
place? Jeremy Todd Morehead the director had written the
script and had been working on it for many years. He brought the script to
many people and nothing happened. Then he showed the script to me and
after I read it I said "we can do this"! What can you tell us about your collaboration
with your director Jeremy Todd Morehead, and how did the two of you first
meet even? We had worked together in the past when he
managed a business and I did security and we shared similar interest in
films and horror. What were the main challenges making Easter
Sunday on the production side of things? The main
challenges besides ensuring that we stayed below budget was finding the
time to get all the people involved in the film together. We all had jobs
that support our lives and this was a passion project for all of us. So
coming together and getting each scene done and everything we needed
filmed was a huge obstacle. You also
co-created the bunny mask for the film, right? So do talk about the
creation of that one for a bit! Well Jeremy Morehead
created the Bunnymask for the film and my wife and I made reproductions of
it. But Jeremy and I put together the whole concept. We had a costume
rehearsal and we played with many different versions and outfits until we
found something we thought gave the audience a great visual and also could
be seen as comedy.
Playing the bunny-masked
killer - how do you even prepare for such a role, and honestly, how much
fun is it to let loose and slaughter people? I think all
human beings have violent tendencies that they wish they could play out.
And given such an opportunity if more human beings could do that without
actually injuring anybody then maybe it could serve a purpose. I certainly
feel that playing an evil character who kills people for fun was a great
way to get out any anger that I had without actually hurting anybody or
being disrespectful. I tried not to copy the famous slasher killers out
there and overall I think I managed a different type of slasher. A more
vocal and playful killer. Someone who enjoys the violence he brings down
on his victims and knows how to have fun with it. So many killers in the
slasher genre are silent. But we are not trying to be purely a slasher
film. What we have made is an homage to the cheesy horror comedy genre of
the 80s. Something that people can eat some popcorn and laugh at and also
be disgusted by. We have 16 plus kills in this movie and it's only 1 hr
and 35 minutes long. So on average it's a death every 5 minutes. If we are
able to tell a funny story get some laughs in between all our awesome
kills then I think the audience will appreciate my performance. It's a lot
of fun fake killing people but you also have to know when to turn on and
off the crazy. Easter
Sunday was also one of the last films of the late Robert Z'Dar - so
what was it like working with him?
Robert Z'Dar was a
consummate professional. Not only was he willing to help on set but he was
a valuable asset on set to all the other actors including myself. Working
in a scene opposite such a horror icon was a dream come true. He was not
just an actor on set but he became a friend to many of the cast and crew.
He talked on the phone with the cast and crew after the film and was
heavily invested emotionally in our film and the outcome and I think he
would be proud of how his performance and the film itself has been
completed. Anything you can tell
us about the rest of your cast, and to what extent were you involved in
the casting of the movie? As producer of the film the
casting fell on myself and Jeremy Morehead as well as Kim Gunzinger who
helped us get in touch with some of our cast. It was really more about
finding people that we could trust and rely on than anything else. Because
of our budget and our time constraints we wanted to surround ourselves
with people who had been willing to go the extra mile to help us finish
the film.
Do talk about the shoot as
such, and the on-set atmosphere! As the film became closer
to completion we came together as a cast and crew and things on set became
easier for all of us. We became more efficient on set and banded together
as if our lives depended on it. Because this film depended on us coming
together and working in unison. It wasn't easy but we pulled through. Any future projects
you'd like to share? Currently I am working with Joe
Nardelli and Mark Torgl on Toxic Tutu, a Toxic
Avenger mockumentary which
follows Mark Torgl who played Melvin the mop boy. They are also using the
film as a way to bring to light bullying all over college campuses and
other areas in the US. Also im working with Joshua Bruce, a new up and
coming young director who is making Burn in Hell. The movie stars actors
from AMC's Comic Book Men like Mike Zapsick and Ming Chen. Also Rob Bruce
the pop culturist himself is in the film. Jeremy and I are also working on
another project called Werewolf Santa with writer Jason Smith, and we are
in negotiations to secure the starting funds for that film as well as
working on a short film that I am not at liberty to reveal anything about
except the title Peek-A-Boo. What got you into the filmworld to
begin with, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I
have taken camera course classes as well as radio production and editing
classes. I also studied liberal arts for a few years before joining the
marine corps. But mostly I think that Jeremy Morehead our director would
agree that our training has been years and years of watching films,
documentaries, special features and making the film itself. Anyone can go
to a class and take a course. But the true lesson is learned from doing.
And 2 plus years of making an independent film is better than any class
the world has to offer. Instead of thinking about doing something
sometimes you just have to do it and learn from your mistakes as you go. Filmmakers,
actors, whoever else who inspire you? I am inspired by
stories of filmmakers. I am inspired by Kevin Smith's story of how he
risked it all. How he used his comic book collection to make something he
believed in. Something I started saying to people recently is "if
you're not willing to risk it all, you're not willing to risk it at
all". The people that are willing to risk what they have been
comfortable with to place themselves in an uncomfortable situation are the
people that inspire me. Your favourite
movies?
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Some
of my favorite films are Star Wars, Jason X, Wes Cravens New
Nightmare, the Hatchet series,
The Burning, The Matrix, the Terminator films,
Starship Troopers. ... and of course, films you really deplore?
I
strongly dislike Shaun of the
Dead. I think it's a lazy film. I think with
that budget a lot more could have been done. I really deplore movies that
are not financially responsible. Filmmakers that spend $50,000 doing something I can do for $10,000. Filmmakers that don't use film financing
for the film and otherwise use it to support themselves. I host 2 radio
shows a week I am working on producing 3 films I hold 2 part time jobs and
I raise 2 children with my lovely wife and strongest supporter Lelah. And
yet I am still capable of utilizing my time and money appropriately. I
would say my strongest skill is utilizing money and placing people in
positions effectively. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
Facebook: EasterSundayMovie.com
Official trailer 2015
https://youtu.be/bJVQxukJXwU
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Douglas
Fisher returns in 2015 to finish the terror he began 24 years ago.
Starring
Robert Z'dar as Sheriff Arkin and the first Jason Ari Lehman as well as
Mr. Hush Edward X Young. Screening at Four State Slasher Con
Oct
16-17, sponsored by Fangoria - Robert Z'Dar's last stand. Thanks
for the interview!
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