Review of Rough Cut ... 2013 Movie Chris Leto ... You would do anything to finish a movie ....

Rough Cut

2013 Movie by Chris Leto

Starring .. Mike Duffau , Tanya Christiansen & Aaron Quick Nelson, Joel D Wynkoop & Bob Glazier.



So recently I was contacted by Chris regarding Rough Cut asking if I had time to review his earlier effort after really enjoying Die Die Delta Pi another excellent horror movie, so of course I had to snap his arm off at the chance to check out any directors earlier work....



This is clearly going to be another Floridian classic definitely Chris Leto's other efforts Die Die Delta Pi, Housewife Slasher have both been hits with me and this wasn't any different either, the story is simple it is like a demise of a man losing his wife, losing the funding for his movie he wants to make has to make some drastic decisions to make the CUT !!!!, Sean Donohue is producer of course we know when Sean is attached it is going to be a instant hit, he is so familiar in the Indie Horror scene with so many classic's in the genre under his belt....

This has a feeling of "Falling Down & Last Horror Film" with breakout of a character and loss of everything until something has to give, Chris has really done well with this the Character Jack is really haunting the main reason being he is your normal Joe (well Jack) that is willing to do anything to make it ... in reality who isn't there is always someone that you can relate him with in life and it makes it more chilling as a character due to the fact that he isn't any different from anyone else just desperation has made him become a monster...



Being a lower budget movie / feature although this isn't anything negative there were some slight flaws in the movie like anything, you rarely these days see a perfect movie but like everything this had its Oh Shit moments, the violence and the character of Jack were commendable Mike Duffau played Jack to a tee he is a impressive actor and should be thanked for the role he played in the movie dearly gave the movie that edge with the filmmaker turned homicidal psychopath on the click of a switch and the fun interaction with his ever so loving and doted wife is definitely some of the highlights of the feature...



The violence / and blood is a plenty in this there definitely isn't a shortage and it done really well so hats of to Chris & Sean on that as it is always nice to see blood & violence not looking like a rubber dummy or plastic covered in Jam , the movie plays out like a old skool grindsploitation movie you would see at your local Drive in Theatre back in the day full of nudity and extreme violence so this will really fall into a lot of categories and please a lot of people in wanting to seek out the movie upon national release...

Yeah the movie isn't perfect, yeah some of the cast / characters don't have a lot of depth so you can relate with them feel there story, but on the whole this is a really good effort from Leto and is definitely worth a viewing with friends and beers if you love your movies with Gore/ humour & and a wee bit of torture seek this out upon release....

7/10




Rough cut on facebook ..

Rough Cut

Trailer ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFpQ2dri3h4&feature=youtu.be

Interview with Dan Ellis .... you know that guy... the one in those Movies with Ryan Nicholson oh and Bloodshock that movie with Guinea Pigs ?

Today's interview is from the slippery devil himself Dan Ellis the star of many classics and professional Hockey player :) Ha-ha I'm kidding he's the guy who starred in many Gore movies , welcome Dan to the interview ...




Matt : Fresh out the block, you’ve had some proper comedic performances in a lot of horror movies giving such a twist to them all, with the odd dramatic change have you always wanted to be a actor?


Dan : I was what they used to call a “latch key kid” back in the day. My mother was a single parent and had to work a lot to keep us afloat. I would come home from school and make myself something to eat then I'd park myself in front of the television till mom came home or I passed out. I loved movies and they used to show movies every night at 8 o clock and since we only had 4 channels, it was before VCRs or cable, my options were limited. On Saturday or Sunday nights it was a completely different story, that's when “The Kool Ghoul” was on. He was our local late night horror/monster/B movie host and we did not miss his show for damn near anything! Scared the shit outta me sometimes but I loved it!

We were pretty poor for most of my childhood, another thing that didn't really sink in till later in life, but when we did have money we'd treat ourselves to a trip to the movies. My mom took me to see some crazy stuff when I was little but I think she thought I wasn’t paying attention anyway so what the hell right? At the drive-in they had a playground right in front below the screen and moms and dads would send their kids to go play while the grown folk watched the movie. You'd have 15+ kids down at this playground, at night, mostly unsupervised and probably some seriously inappropriate movie playing above. She probably figured I was down whooping it up with some new friends but not me, I was watching whatever movie was playing. I love you mom and thank you so much for everything.

At some point the way people watch movies can change and for me it did at an early age. Hell, I must have been 7 or 8 and I began to closely watch the actors, their faces, when they spoke, how they said what they said and not just what they were saying. I thought he idea of pretending to be someone else and make people believe you were who you said you were was the coolest thing ever. There were people willing to pay you for this? How cool is that? I had never thought of what actors did as a job before, I never knew that was a career option and when it did dawn on me I knew right then what wanted to be. It's all I've ever wanted to be.

 I'd been a ham most of my life and when I was in 3^rd grade I was presented with some choices of schools to continue my education at years end. It was a list of all the local public schools and one of them was S.C.P.A. (the School for the Creative and Performing Arts) and when I saw that I knew what my choice was. It was part of the public school system but you still had to audition, so I told my mom about it and she signed me up and took me down. On the way to the audition my mom asked me if I was nervous and, with the confidence only a 9 year old could have, I said “I don't get nervous mom, I get excited”.  I'm still the same today!

I was accepted and I can't tell you how happy I was! One of the best days of my life still. There’s a whole mess of shit in between that and where I am now but I have to save something for my memoirs. So I suppose the short answer is, yes, yes I did. Hahahaha





Matt: Bloodshock is still under the breath of a lot of people after SinS what was it like being cast into such a perfect role and the opportunity …



Dan: I really can't express how excited I was honestly. First of all, it was Marcus and we had been wanting to work together for years. Secondly there was the story itself and how he wanted to shoot it. There was no doubt in my mind!

I knew of the Japanese series and how crazy those films were so the chance to be involved in the American series was just a no brainer. Marcus told me the story, how he wanted to shoot it and what he wanted from my character. I knew it was going to be a challenge and I was going to get to expand my range a bit and show people, and myself, a different side. I've been labeled a character actor and I'm absolutely fine with that, a lot of my idols are character actors, but I can do more and I want to do more.

I am always flattered to be considered for anything but this, well, this was special.

Matt: Over the years its clear you have an amazing friendship with Ryan Nicholson and his movies, be honest, what is it like to work on set with and any funny stories to go with over the years?

Dan: Ryan is a really fun guy to shoot with. He has his serious side on set, like anyone else, but working with Ryan isn't work at all. Ryan is just one of those guys you can't help but love. He listens and he's open to input, it's always nice to work with someone that wants to know how the actors feel about what they're doing. Besides all that we really click on set and off, we share a fucked up sense of humor and a lot of the same views on things. We do, however, have some differences of opinion on films. There is some stuff he likes that I can not stand and vice versa but that’s just some good discussion material there. 

When we were shooting “Gutterballs” we had a gallon jug of fake blood outside the bowling alley. We were filming in a less than savory part of town and had group of homeless people always roaming around. Well one of the gentlemen though it would be a good idea to nick our fake blood. The caterers husband wound up paying one of the guys $10 to get it back. I think the guy was gonna drink it or some shit or maybe he thought he could sell it.

Filming “Hanger” was another surreal experience. We filmed in this motel that was also housing for out patients, mental patients. We were up late and the scene had some yelling and screaming and apparently it didn't sit well with the residents and we got shut down for the night due to some freak outs. We also had to call the cops because some guy thought we were following him and he was getting more and more agitated. It was pretty scary because dude was so sketched out and we didn't know what he was gonna do.

Matt: Is it true in your spare you are an avid gardener (I jest) do you have a pastime on your slower periods

Dan: Why yes, my hydrangeas are magnificent! Ha ha ha!

I really like to watch movies, that consumes a lot of my free time but I have been doing some writing lately and hope to have a script or two finished by years end. I'd like to try my hand at directing so I have been debating doing my own film as well.

I also like to build things when I have time. I have a shop in my garage and some projects in there to take my mind off things. There's something about making things and working with your hands that I find satisfying.

Besides that my kids are my biggest hobby right now. They take as much time as I can spare and then some, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Matt: Its known you love horror movies well any what have been your essential viewing this year ?

Dan: I watched “What we do in the shadows” and that was a hoot! It's more of a comedy but highly recommended. I really spend a lot of time revisiting older films and, so far this year, I haven't really seen anything new enough to be relevant.

I hear a lot about films that people really like so I have a list of things I want to watch.

“We are still here” and “it follows” are a couple I want to see, heard a lot of good things about them but I'm not really into found footage or paranormal type stuff, I like slashers, monsters and the surreal/bizarre films the most. I have to say, I am not a Rolodex of information like some fans. I remember movies I like and that's where it ends; I couldn't tell you the cast in half of them, who directed it or any other bits of trivia. I know people that can tell you damn near anything about any movie but I've just never been that kind of fan. I really respect those people, super cool to talk with and I learn a lot from them.

There is so much content out there! It's not just main stream either, the underground/independent scene is full of people doing some really amazing stuff  but unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to watch a good chunk of it yet. Sad huh?

I keep my eyes and ears open, I'm a member of a few facebook horror groups and I follow a some websites to stay as up to date as possible. I always welcome suggestions from people on things to watch.

One of the good, and bad, things about the horror community is the varied opinions. You can talk to 100 people and get 100 different opinions on films and I really like that but you never know when a “Man, it's fuckin killer” endorsement is more of a “Man, I had to turn that shit off after 5 minutes” in reality. I will watch damn near anything, regardless of a negative review. I don't think its fair to not personally give something a shot just because so and so didn't like it and I wish more people shared that opinion.

Matt: Who has been the best and worse people to work with over the years and why?

Dan: I guess I've been lucky since I really get along with everyone I've worked with. Sure, there have been some folks I have wanted to strangle for one reason or another but that's life right there. You're not going to get a long with everyone all the time but for the most part everyone has been pretty cool.

Here's the deal man, when I do a production, I completely dedicate myself and I become so emotionally involved with the project, and the people, they become family to me. When we wrap it's really sad for me and I get pretty depressed for a few days after. It's kind of like that feeling you had when you were a kid and your best friend moved away. You work so close to all these people, sometimes under very unsavory conditions and by the end of the thing you can't help but gain some really cool relationships.

Matt: Is there anyone u aspire in life as actor growing up as your still a spring chicken ?


Dan: I've told this story too much so I'll summarize, my mom took me to see “The Phantom of the Opera” when I was about 6 and I was hooked. I wanted to be Lon Chaney, learn how he did what he did and become monsters of my own.
I remember watching guys like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood a lot but Lon Cheney in particular fascinated me because he took it to a whole different level. I was amazed at how he could alter his appearance and, the characters he got to play were fantastic! London after Midnight Oliver Twist and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, any of those roles would be so much fun to do! I used to go to the library and get whatever I could find on monster make-up, effects and on the master Lon Chaney himself. 

I've always wanted to be the monster, heroes had no appeal to me except for war movies but I didn't watch too many of those. I loved the critters, the vampires, freaks, monsters, the deformed things that crept in the shadows and the bad guys; those roles always looked like more fun to me. They scared the shit out of me and that's the reason I respected them so much I think. People feared the bad guy, the monster and the psychos and that was interesting to me. since I was usually on the wrong side of that fear since I spent a lot of time home alone watching scary movies. I remember the commercial for “The Exorcist” used to scare the shit out of me. I would hear that music and make a run for all the lights in the house! I guess because of that I thought it would be empowering to play one of those roles. As I got older, and less of a skerty cat, I really started to appreciate the other characters more, they all had purpose, and if I was going to truly do this acting thing I would be remiss not to study them as well.

Matt: Any hints on what the future holds for you ? The return of BBK, Hanger 2 ?

Dan: Ha-ha, that would be nuts huh? Anything is possible right? 

Ryan and I have been talking lately about a few things but I can't really give too much information away this early. There really are so many people I'd love to work with and if the stars align 2016 could be interesting.

I'm focused on hitting some cons this year, Texas Frightmare in particular, and see what comes my way between then and now.  There may be a couple others as well, I know “Bloodshock” will be making the rounds  (check your local fest/con) and it would be cool to sneak in and watch it with everyone at a few of them.

As always it is a pleasure chatting to Dan and his insight on all his work and the industry he loves, follow his movies ....

Dan Ellis on IMDB ...

Sweet cheeks on IMDB check him out .....

Review of Vomit Gore 4 AKA Black Mass of the Nazi Sex Wizard .... Was gutted there wasnt any magic ....

Vomit Gore 4 AKA Black Mass of the Nazi Sex Wizard - 2015

Lucifer Valentine
Starring....
Sister S , Chalice, Heather Cage & Hank Skinny




Lucifer Valentines 4th Movie in the Vomit Gore series and it clearly doesn't skim out any of the elements vomit or gore and still keeps to the theme of everything visceral imagery, flashing lights, HEAVY music (which I love) and the theme of Satan always looming over the production like a guardian on a quest to guide Lucifer on his way ....


I personally class Lucifer as a flower when he was born he was a bud awaiting to grow and over the years, the growth has been the Vomit Gore Movies / Black Metal Veins and anything else he has put himself to, because even though people will moan and bitch and complain the guy is a artist ? He is like the male version of Tracey Emin lets face it, I would happily pay for some commissioned work from him or a story book of his exploits/ideas the guy is a genius and has such a powerful mind and it is shown throughout the movies Black Mass of the Nazi Sex wizard is no exception its beautiful...





The movie itself is pretty flawless, the sound and production and the gore effects stepped up a notch definitely and of course when I say that you know what you are going to expect, you walk into a room and Lucifer is waiting there so you have limits that you can take well you may as well walk out the door because I'm going to smash all them , its made atmospheric with everything to a build up to the finale, a lot of people slate his work but I cannot fault him at all ....


The additional clips of cartoons throughout as well creep the hell out of me but the whole idea of it being pieced together is pretty impressive they gel perfectly to make what you are seeing something short of art, Satanic rituals, self harming, disclaimers and warnings throughout makes it so the more interesting indeed , I found myself within the first 3 minutes of Sister S speech thinking YES I am totally going to be loving this piece of art ...





Given all this, VG4 takes a lot from the other 3 movies but this in places actually looks like a Snuff movie with a lot of ferocious traits, the way its filmed in some places and the fact that most of it is real, well of course the gore isn't .... or is it ha-ha, the vomit the piss the harming and the bondage its all real so some would mistake it for an actual crime as the gore is so expertly done you would mistake it definitely ....


If there was anything I could take away from the movie, is probably that it wasn't long enough I could of watched this piece of art for hours, got a family size bucket of chicken and a crate of beer and just sat this over and over and over, yeah that probably would make a lot sick but I find it compelling, lets face it , the movie isn't for everyone's tastes as it pushes the boundaries to the point of no return and will make you question your tolerance and comfort zone throughout, saying that I loved it ....


Overall Vomit Gore 4 Black Mass of the Nazi Sex Wizard 9/10


Although there wasn't any magic in it so viewers beware this isn't another Harry Potter movie on steroids ....

Review of AGONi (2015) Ryan Vincent Logsdon ...... That ending .......

So after chatting away with Ryan last week and saying that I need to see AGONi I come home to find the Limited Edition DVD on my door step so like a little girl run to put it on at the first moment I get ...





AGONi 2015


Ryan Vincent Logsdon & AGONiiNK productions


Starring :

Sarah M / Joey M / Mel L / Deanna Lynne / Ashley G / Jim E / Ryan K / Mander Jane / Baby JD / Emmy Z / Sweet Livi / Ryan Vincent Logsdon

You wont be seeing me go into lavish detail on the story its simple, you are getting an insight into a impulse murderer and his exploits through the police footage found, basically after speaking to Ryan quite a lot recently and telling me about one of his favourite movies "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" it is a perfect homage but easily on par for a debut to be as creepy.....





The name AGONi fits perfectly for the movie it is such a dark account of the exploits of a murderer and the journey we are taken upon through the 67 minutes of the feature, Ryan is a master of work the use of the camera and limited dialogue and the theme clouding around the characters is extremely impressive....





Its dark its depressing its full of visuals and very haunting the ode to "Poughkeepsie tapes" that he was telling me about I would probably say it easily is the equal maybe better, some of the scenes are quite horrific in places but I wont mention anything about them wouldn't want to spoil the movie ...





It is pretty much your perfect voyeuristic debut from Ryan, it is visually beautiful and brutal in the same gasp the violence is small but so effective there are genuinely scenes in the movie that make you think Jesus if this is something as a first effort I hate to see what we are going to be watching in 6 months....


1 thing I will say is the last 10 minutes of the movie, wow mind provoking and visceral definitely and THAT ENDING ..... I'll leave it at that .....


I wont put this as any comparison to movies of recent years Ryan clearly will stand alone and his future will be full of violence and gore and beautiful scenery to match...


Overall 8.5/10


Find AGONi on Facebook (It will make your day) 

AGONi

Interview with Trashmonger Video (As by Request) Everyones cutiest VHS/DVD & Cassette may I add company ....

Well this is different I was speaking to my friend (Kerr Wykes) about the blog and he was like you have to speak to these guys they are filming and releasing there own SOV movies in house it is sick please interview them for me .....





Matt: Your a small VHS well I can say VHS/DVD and Cassette label putting out wacky Trash horror releases where did it all begin?


TMV: Well, I guess it all began in Viola, DE, where we grew up. Trashmonger is a (mostly) three man operation, consisting of myself, Trevor Bather, my lifelong friend Ben Kepley and our other more or less lifelong friend Tyler Antoine. Ben and I have been watching horror movies together since we were 8 years old. Tyler came along in high school and joined us in watching loads of movies, horror, art-house, sex comedies, action, exploitation, whatever tickled us. We were always interested in film, all three of us, and with age the obsession increased. Not too long after high school, we became aware that there were all these great movies from the 80's and 90's that were made by passionate, film obsessives like us with no budgets (the same as we had) on video equipment that by now had become obsolete thrift store fodder. One of the big reasons we had never given any serious thought to the idea of making movies was a lack of interest in the way DV and HD looks, especially in a genre context, so when we got turned on to the whole SOV thing, we made our first movie not long after. That was about 5 years ago. After we made a few shorts, the project kind of got derailed for a while. Then last year, we regrouped, re-edited our original shorts into one feature film called Scrapbook of Blood and commenced to move forward from there


Matt: So its been a roller-coaster year with a lot of amazing releases can you give us your feelings on how it has gone any highs and lows ?


TMV: It's gone great! We went three years without filming at all and that was a bummer so it's good to be back to it. The time away, I think, also really shed some light on what kind of movies we really wanted to be making, and I think the stuff we're doing now is exactly what we want to do, which is the goal. In terms of one year as a video releasing entity, that's been a lot of fun too. We've had some positive feedback on our releases, and met some really nice people along the way. All highs, no lows.





Matt: Have you came across any imitations filming on vhs, i.e. sound or lighting problems ?


TMV: The only limitations we've found are the limitations limitlessness brings, painting ourselves into a corner of freedom so to speak. Sound is wonderful, colors and lights pop in a way that only video allows them to. We love VHS because it treats us so well. As a filmmaker, when you know you're shooting on a format with the kind of idiosyncrasies that video has, you just work it into your gameplan to counter those things. Stuff like shooting outside, shooting in rooms with windows, capturing live dialogue, none of those things are difficult if you factor them into the way you shoot.


Matt: How quick is a films complication from ie to final edit?


TMV: That's been different on every film. Scrapbook of Blood took us 4 years or so. Fine Housekeep took us probably 4 months, Demonator 4 somewhere between those two. It can be a little lengthy sometimes because we do everything ourselves, but I think we move at a pretty decent pace.





Matt: What are your Favourite SOV Movies and Directors?
TMV: I like directors who are driven by passion, whose films are a reflection of their own idiosyncrasies and personal obsessions. In the SOV arena, that translates to people like David 'Rock' Nelson and Nick Millard and Chester Novell Turner, three filmmakers that I connect with a lot and look up to. I find all three of their catalogs to be an everlasting supply of inspiration. The movies that really connect with me are the weird ones, the personal ones, movies that are less interested in re-enacting Hollywood formulas. Carl J. Sukenick is another filmmaker who exists completely in his own universe, never really coming in contact with our "real" world at all, which is why his movies are so exciting and strange. SOV can be pretty tame and, often, lame when it just tries to be a straight detective tracking a serial killer style slasher. Chances are I'm still gonna watch it, but it won't stick with me like Splatter Farm or Pieces of Darkness will.


Matt: How long as directors have you been making films ?




TMV: Give or take five years or so, with some extended downtimes in the mix.







Matt: Do you have any earlier work and also any idea if you will ever release it ?




TMV: Ben and I made a feature film when we were in high school for my film & video class called 'The Mangled Baby Massacre' that almost got me expelled from school. The title is much better than the film, which features only one mangled baby and an entirely improvised script. It's a dreadful movie and will never be released, though we might chop it up and use some of the better parts of it at some point. I haven't ruled it out just yet.




Matt: What are your media backgrounds as everything seems to be all done in-house ..
TMV: Honestly, the only one of us with any media background is Ben, who does all of our video covers and gore effects. He has a degree in graphic design. Apart from that, our only experience comes from watching a ton of movies.




Matt: What was the first SOV movie you watched ?


TMV: I can't remember exactly what the first one was, but I remember the first three. I know Redneck Zombies and The Last Slumber Party were ones we saw before we even knew what the term SOV meant. They were just movies we picked up at thrift stores, but it was pretty obvious there was something a little different about them. Then there was Criminally Insane 2 (along with the Death Nurse movies) from Nick Millard. Again, I had no idea that these were shot on video, I just knew I wanted to see where the Criminally Insane saga went after the first one and ended up getting more than I bargained for. After those three, the floodgates were open.





Matt: What does the next year hold for you guys ...?


TMV: We're in the middle of production on our next original feature film, Mondo Absurdo, as we speak. That'll be another anthology film like Scrapbook of Blood, but with more of an emphasis on horror than satire, not that the satire is going anywhere anytime soon. We're also planning to release our next Carl J. Sukenick title, Bloody Death/Wizard of Violence 2 in August. We have a lot of Sukenick titles to get around to releasing, but we're really excited about this one. We've also got the OST cassettes for our films Fine Housekeep & Demonator 4 coming out next month. Lots more creative things on the horizen, video essays, film collaborations, a sitcom, a graphic novel, even our own line of breakfast cereal. We're looking into it, anyway.


Thank you again guys for everything you have done and will be getting all of these new releases when they come everyone give them some love on facebook ...


Trashmonger Video

Interview with Brian Paulin ... This guy will ruin your date night if you show up with anything in your hand of his ....

Brian Paulin, wow its a pleasure to have interview the guy over the years its release after release sickness after sickness with some outstanding effects its a pleasure to have him ....





Matt : So I can imagine I could be wrong u didn't always want to be a filmmaker do u have stories you like to share that has got you to where you are now filmmaking?


Brian: I started making movies just for fun. My obsession for horror films got to the point where watching was no longer enough. I had to take part some how. It was just a few of us horror fans with a video camera running around in the woods, and it gave me an excuse to create make-up effects. Over the years we started to gain exposure and distributors noticed and picked up our movies and eventually made it into large retail stores. This pissed off a lot of Hollywood veterans! I started receiving hate mail saying I had no business being in stores while professional filmmakers had 35mm films collecting dust in their closets. I found that amusing.


Matt: What's the inspiration for your work because it is quite, can I say, Nordic in themes ?


Brian: If there is a Nordic feel, that might be from my black metal side. I have been playing for years. Hopefully I will get a cd recorded some day. There is definitely a black metal influence in At Dawn They Sleep. Since then though more traditional horror has been inspiring me. Classic horror films with heavy atmosphere. Even the mood and feeling you get here in New England in October around Halloween. I enjoy trying to recreate that atmosphere.





Matt: You are known for the extreme gore and images in your movies what has the reception been like over the years and festivals that you have been to in the past is it all good or some bad ?


Brian: The reception to our gore has been great! It is what got us noticed. Once Bone Sickness was picked up by Unearthed Films, people wanted to know why this movie was along side notorious gore films like Aftermath and the Guinea Pig series. I do put a lot of effort into the stories of my movies, but I know it’s the gore that is the real star of our films. Bone Sickness head lined the Rhode Island Horror Film Festival in 2007 and the reactions from the audience was awesome. The rest of the films were basically short student films with no effects. So I don’t think the audience was expecting the gore we delivered. Especially once Rich George started shitting and vomiting worms all over the place! The stuff we did in Fetus has made that one our best seller. Some reactions to Fetus have been odd. I’ve had people tell me that it is too grim and not fun to watch. It makes me smile!





Matt: What for you have been your standout movies for 2015 in the community ?


Brian : American Guinea Pig has been by far the best underground horror film I have seen from this year! It was great to see a movie like that again. I haven’t had the chance to see much else yet.


Matt: Are there people whom you look up to as a director ?


Brian: John Carpenter is my favorite director. I love his style and the atmosphere and dread he creates in his films. Tom Savini’s work is the entire reason I do what I do now. His amazing creations is what made me want to learn how to do special make-up effects. H.P. Lovecraft and H.R Giger are also major influences on my work.





Matt: Cryptic Plasm what's the story with it .....


Brian: Cryptic Plasm came together after I had made a few short fake paranormal videos with Joseph Olson to make extra money from a website that bought video material for companies. I decided not to sell the videos and created the story that became Cryptic Plasm, which included two of the videos I shot. The plot involves a guy who explores unexplained mysteries and the core story is about a small town who’s entire population mysteriously vanished. The movie has many Lovecraftian elements and I think it might be the best movie I have made so far. Unfortunately it is also the first time we have been unable to release a movie once it was finished due to finances. We are working on it and are very close to finally releasing it. The waiting for the DVD release has been killing me. I want people to be able to see it!


Matt: I noticed that you were approached for the Gore shorts compilation recently with Yan Kaos what was that like ?


Brian: Yan asked me if I would like to take part and I thought it would be a cool thing to do. Unfortunately I did not have time to film something new for it so I gave him a sequence from Cryptic Plasm. Since the scene is about an exorcism I called the sequence The Possession. Hopefully that won’t confuse people, thinking it’s a spin off or short sequel to Cryptic.





Matt: What's for the future ?


Brian: Trying to stay in business!! Man the last year and a half has been rough. Even though I finished Cryptic Plasm and filmed a new movie called Morbid Tales, which is an anthology of our very first short films from the early 90’s, this has been a very difficult time for Morbid Vision Films. But we are still pushing forward and refuse to let this die! I plan on re-releasing some of our older movies after Cryptic comes out and I might film some smaller stuff before I begin my next big movie. If all goes well there should be a few new dvd releases from us over the next 12 months.



Everyone if you haven't got any of Brian's movies or just watched them show the guy some love believe me after speaking to the guy he will appreciate it like you wouldn't believe ....


Check out Morbid Vision Films on Facebook ..


Facebook


Also buy something from his store ...


Buy Buy Buy ....


Believe me you wont forget it ...

Interview with a old skool SOV director and all round great guy Tim Ritter (Killing Spree, Wicked Games, Day of the Reaper)

This time around we have someone that everyone should really know about and if you don't then your clearly not into Indie Horror he has been putting out movies since the 80s Tim Ritter .....





Matt: So was going into movies/directing always what you wanted to do in life or were there other things you dabbled in before directing ?


Tim: Aside from wanting to be SUPERMAN or THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, yes indeed, my aspirations have always been to make movies- to produce, direct, edit, create, and write them in some capacity. While I’ve had many odd jobs and deviations in between projects, it’s always been the goal to do what I love: write and direct movies! I’ve also written a couple of novels, which was great fun as well.


Matt: Killing Spree, Wicked Games, Day of the Reaper, Creep: you have put out some beautiful indie horror movies in your time and it was so nice to see you having a segment on HI8 as well. What was the inspiration for all your slasher movies in your early days?


Tim: Well, thanks! Appreciate that you like them. The inspiration for those has always been the movies that inspired me the most- LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT ’72, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD ’68, DAWN OF THE DEAD ’78, HALLOWEEN ’78, the DIRTY HARRY films, especially the first three. HILLS HAVE EYES ’77, I mean, all the classic movies of the 70’s and 80’s by Carpenter, Cronenberg, Craven, and Romero- those guys were the big inspiration once I got into slasher movies. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2, that was another biggie for me. MANIAC! Wow, just spectacular. And of course, when I was just a kid, JAWS, STAR WARS, THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN…those kind of whispered to me and I always wanted to emulate what I was seeing in some way with the family super-8 camera! Then there was a love for Italian cinema like SUPIRIA and ZOMBIE, and the oddball slasher madness like the incredible PIECES…H.G. Lewis and John Waters! Discovering their stuff was a revelation…





Matt :  Recently you have been concentrating on SRS Cinema, releasing all the great limited releases. I can imagine its hard work. How do you chose what you want to release or is it personal favourites? I know a lot of your movies have gotten some lovely limited editions?


Tim: Well, SRS Cinema is run by filmmaker/distributor Ron Bonk, and he actually comes to me and says, “I think there’s a market for this or that…do we have the materials? Can we get them?” And off we go! Which has led to some great releases in limited edition VHS and Blu Ray. Ron thought there was great potential for DAY OF THE REAPER, my 1984 super-8 gore film that was made while I was in high school, and I still had the original celluloid elements, so we were able to do a very nice HD transfer of that material for a Blu Ray which was very successful! It was great to be able to SEE the footage so clearly again after over 30 years, you know? It had great artwork and all kinds of extras, plus a new commentary. Same with KILLING SPREE, Ron actually went back to the best original elements we had, the 16mm negative transfer to Betacam tapes and did an entire new cut of the movies based on my original timecoded VHS cut. Plus tons of new extras, an interview show where I was on the radio with H.G. Lewis, and all kinds of goodies—not to mention the original cut and all the extras from ALL the previous DVD releases ported over onto Blu…So this was just a HUGE endeavour with a ton of extras! Everything is chosen by SRS as far as what to put on the discs- how much space we have and how much the fans like a particular project, that sort of thing. KILLING SPREE is selling well and will probably sell out before the end of the year. 


Matt: What has been some of your worst and best films you made to date?


Tim: That’s a difficult question. I usually don’t watch my own stuff too much once it’s completed and I’m probably too close to it all to actually judge it fairly, but WICKED GAMES still holds up well for me and the SNUFF edition [from Germany] is just an awesome occasional watch. RECONCILED, I watched that at Easter and thought it held up well, very cinematic and entertaining for such a small budget! As for the worst, well, not sure on that one, these are all my children in a way, and when they were made, there was always something inspiring and special that made each one happen, so…can’t really honestly say which one is the worst! I’m sure some people might have an opinion on that, though! [laughs]


Matt: It was nice to see Killing spree had a beautiful new re-release. What's coming on the horizon that you are releasing with SRS that you can tell us ? ....


Tim: Next up is DEADLY DARES-TRUTH OR DARE PART 4, which will feature CELLULOID CARNAGE- The Making of TRUTH OR DARE- A CRITICAL MADNESS on it as an extra, plus the 2 hr. HD cut of Deadly Dares, Truth Or Dare 4….Again, SRS comes to me with requests based on what they think will sell, which is based on fan requests and such! It’s pretty exciting, especially in a world changing over to streaming. There should be trailers and a new commentary and maybe some other surprises as well.







Matt:  What have been your standout movies you have seen this year?


Tim: THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN reboot/remake/sequel, whatever you want to call it---STELLAR! Loved that one. Also, in the theatre, I saw JURASSIC WORLD and TERMINATOR: GENYSIS and enjoyed them both! Gotta love the long franchises! Of course, I’m a huge FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN fan, so looking forward to the next entries in both those series…


Matt: Are you taking a step back from directing to concentrate on SRS .. As it would be such a shame?


Tim: I work with SRS all the time and used to oversee some of their branches, like Sub Rosa Midwest, but right now, I have no big plans to step back into the distribution game other than working with Ron Bonk and SRS Cinema to get some of my older movies out onto the new formats---which means finding the best source material available and helping to create the extras...I try to keep in the directing game when I can, at least collaborating on something every few years, but it has gotten to be a long process, with coming up with a cool script and raising funds, etc. etc. It takes about two years to fully complete a “no-budget” cheapie movie from start to finish, so… There you go! So I wouldn’t say I’m stepping back, but if a project hits a snag…it can take 3, 4 years to get something out…So it takes so much time!





Matt: Who do you like working with the best, as you frequently work with Joel D. Wynkoop?


Tim : Joel is awesome! You definitely try to work with a core group of like-minded people over and over to keep cranking stuff out, but I’ve enjoyed working with so many cool people over the years, including Ron Bonk, Scott Tepperman, Kathy Willets, Patricia Paul, Kevin Lindenmuth, and all the great actors in Kentucky that have been in my latest projects, like Heather “Scream” Price and Claude D. Miles, so many very cool people to collaborate with all around. It was great collaborating with scream queen Jessica Cameron on Truth Or Dare 4- Deadly Dares…I mean, that’s why you do these things, to work with all these great talents! And definitely don’t want to forget Hi-8, all the great directors involved with that one like Todd Sheets and Brad Sykes, it was an honour working with those guys and gals...


Matt: Can you tell us anything new on the horizon for you ?


Tim: Future plans? Hopefully some novel writing! Just finished the screenplay for TRUTH OR DARE 5: I DARED YOU, which looks like I’ll be co-directing with Scott Tepperman,[ from HOSPITAL 2 and GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL]. Scott initiated the project with his star power and is just a huge fan of the series and wanted to see it continue, so I was obliged! Should be out in 2016 sometime. Beyond that, you never know what might creep up!





Thanks again for the interview Tim it was an absolute please indeed always nice to hear an insight of directors from 80s...


Check out some of Tim's hard work at ...


SRS Cinema