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You write, direct and edit. Is it ever too much?
“No. I don’t consider myself any of those three. I mean, to me they’re all disciplines that make up being a filmmaker. I like having a vision that I’m able to carry through. I think of myself more as a storyteller than as a writer or a director or an editor. I think I would probably fail miserably in any of those three if I attempted to do it by itself. To me it’s a control issue. It’s wanting to see the thing through from start to finish, and I just can’t really separate myself from those disciplines.
To me, making a film is an organic process. I think on a conscious level you think you know what the story is about. Your sub-conscious is operating on a whole different level and sometimes things appear in the process that you’re not even aware of, just because your brain is operating on so many levels. So to me it’s kind of an evolutionary thing where you start with a story, interact with actors and everybody else that you collaborate with, and then it becomes a little something else. Hopefully that vision is still a singular vision, is still what you started with, but it grows and gets thicker and denser. It takes on other attributes that you didn’t think of and then you temper that in the editorial process. For me it’s a fabulous road and I like traveling the whole thing.”
Did you set out to do films in the horror genre?
“You know, it’s just whatever story appeals to me at the time. I actually had done a horror film just prior to this. I like the genre a lot. I’m very, very interested in blurring lines. My goal is to make really smart horror films, which is kind of an anomaly. And I to me a good film is a good film. I think horror films, sometimes there’s a real bias against them. You know a lot of people are condescending towards them, but honestly I think it’s a fun genre to play in.”
It is a fun genre to work in but you have to look at the direction the genre has gone in recently. ‘Torture porn’ was the way the genre seemed to be heading, and audiences are actually getting a little fed up with that kind of thing and want the old school horror back again. Do you see it curving back around and getting more into character-driven horror stories?
“I really hope so because that’s the thing about the horror genre. I think the appeal comes and goes in cycles. I think there’s a hard-core horror audience that will always go, no matter what. I think that they, because they’re at the mercy of what comes out, they go watch anything good or bad. They’re like someone in a desert and they see a mirage. They don’t care whether it’s good or bad water, they just take whatever they’re handed. I think, hopefully, we’ve reached the end of these films that are strictly about gratuitous violence. For me, the horrific aspects and the violence come from the story. That’s an organic part of the storyline. It’s not there strictly to have one horrific event after another because there’s nothing left. I mean, if there’s no story or character, characterization, then what’s the point? I don’t like films that pander kind of to the lowest common denominator of the horror fans. I think it’s better to try and transcend those expectations and give them something that’s really intelligent, that’s got a good storyline.”
How important is to be a part of the After Dark Horrorfest?
“Actually it’s great for an independent filmmaker like me. I get incredible exposure. Their marketing and advertising is excellent. I get to sort of play with a group of filmmakers. We all get to band together so I’m in the company of other diverse and interesting filmmakers. It takes these small indies much, much further than they would by themselves.”
