Blog post 'The True Measure of a Horror Film by Kirby and Lois'
The True Measure of a Horror Film by Kirby and Lois
- Published: 8 months ago
- Comments: 0
- Reads: 75
The true measure of a horror film’s worth is whether there is a sequel. Well, the bloody combination of horror, rock and roll, pin-up, gospel revival, and the burlesque – “The Horror Convention Massacre” – has now become “The Horror Convention Massacre, Part 2.”
The movies are the creation Old School Sinema, a Cleveland-based production company that produces B-movies, horror films, exploitation cinema, cult films, grindhouse features, or whatever else you want to call it. Their goal is to bring back the drive-in cinema scene, but they throw screening parties with movies and music for now while their DVD library continues to grow.
Founder Joe talks about THCM2, whether the Horror Convention Massacre Holy Trilogy will be completed and other things Old School Sinema:
Do you have any plans to release “Guys” or any of your earlier films on DVD?“GUYS,” which won awards for Best Comedy and the coveted Viewers Choice Award at the Indie Gathering Film Fest, is indeed available on DVD right now for just $5 plus shipping. If you’re into Kevin Smith films, you’ll love it. Just e-mail us at ossfilms@yahoo.com to get a copy.
(Joe on left, above with Toby Radloff and Wayne Alan Harold, on right)
Who did you kill for Part 2?
We kill lots of people in Part 2. If you’re wondering about what cameos we have, well there is one very popular Cleveland figure, a certain “Killer Nerd,” if you will (laughs).
Who would you love to slay onscreen?
That’s a great question. I don’t think of actors or actresses in a manner of, ‘Gee, I’d love to kill them in a movie.’ It’s more of who I want to work with. Sure, I make horror movies, and a lot of people do die in our early films, but that’s just due to it being a slasher film. Everybody has to die! (laughs) But if you’re curious as to who I’d like to work with, there are a ton of actors I admire. Off the top of my head, I’d love to work with Harry Dean Stanton. He’s one of the coolest actors around, and he’s been around a long time.
Besides having bands play during showings of your movies, what are other ways you promote?
We promote heavily online and do lots of interviews and stay in touch with the online horror community. We work just as hard at promoting our films as we do making them, which is something I’m very proud of. Plus, it helps when you’ve made a film that people actually like and find entertaining too.
Besides the premiere for “THCM 2,” what do you have planned for the rest of the year?
Shooting two more films is at the top of the list. Another exciting thing we’re working on is bringing a Zombie Walk to Cleveland. It will be for charity and will give horror fans and zombie lovers a chance to get made up like a zombie and walk around city streets living out their zombie fantasies. Afterwards, we’ll likely throw a big bash with some great bands.
When do you plan to release “THCM 2” on DVD?
We’d love to have it ready by Halloween weekend. If not, early November, for sure.
How far along are you with THCM 3?
No immediate plans to do a third movie. I want to tackle other stories and sub genres within the horror, cult, exploitation universe. If the fans really demand it, we’ll probably make a third “THCM” movie someday.
What are your plans after the “THCM 2” DVD is completed?
We actually started production on a third film back in July. We just have to resume shooting, hopefully this fall, and have it ready for an early 2008 premiere. Then there is a zombie film I plan to do during the winter. I really want to shoot an ambitious project on 16mm in 2008, which will take place in the 1950s and be a throw back to sci-fi/horror B-movies of that era.
What’s harder – filming or finding financing?
As difficult as filming can be, we always have a blast on an Old School Sinema set. Finding financing is much more difficult, but as we continue making more films and getting the word out about us, more people want to get on board. So things are really looking up for OSS!
How do you find your talent?
A lot of them find us. But I love working with the same people over and over. My goal from the beginning was to form a “film family,” people I can trust and depend on to show up and give their all when we are in production. We’ve got a nice group of crew members and actors so far and are always looking to add more key pieces to our unit.
What are some of your recent talent finds?
Natasha Talonz, who is from California, came all the way out to Ohio just to be part of “The Horror Convention Massacre 2.” She’s definitely going to be a major Scream Queen in the underground/indie horror market. She’s a throwback to the Scream Queens of the 80s and early 90s. She’s a team player and completely fearless. She gives it her all and has a true passion for the genre.
You said you want to make a film “in the scope of ‘Evil Dead’.” Is that still an ambition of yours?
Yes, it is. I plan on producing a film called “Demon Camp,” hopefully in the summer of 2008. We’re assembling a very talented crew for it and just have to come up with the financing and key location. This is another big undertaking, and I think the gore-hounds who love the wickedness of the “Evil Dead” movies will really get into it.
What do you think of the resurgence of horror and slasher films at the big studios?
Horror is in a whole new hey-day, the biggest it’s been in since the early to mid-80s. My only complaint is that the studios, even the independent ones, are all trying to copy off of that “torture” horror movie format, instead of giving us a variety of different horror films.
What do you think of efforts like “Grindhouse” to capture the cult film experience?
I think it’s great, especially with how they are educating the mainstream audiences and media about the grindhouse films. However, I think it was ironic that they spent over $60 million producing a “grindhouse” double feature. Every single grindhouse ever produced didn’t cost $10 million COMBINED. It would have been much more interesting seeing Tarantino and Rodriguez trying to make a real grindhouse movie with a micro-budget and without any A-list actors. That would have been a real grindhouse movie.
Who would attend your dream showing of one of your films?
I’m not worried about fame, fortune or celebrity. I would just hope the regular everyday people and our fans get to attend one of our screenings and have a blast in the process.
Is there such a thing as “too much” in terms of onscreen violence?
Sure there is. But it also depends on what context it’s in. Our films definitely push the envelope, but that’s the whole point. In the case of the “THCM” movies, we are producing exploitation slasher films and we have never said it was anything else. It’s for a niche audience, and those fans expect us to deliver the goods for them.
Can you please give me the details on the sequel to THCM and the third film you started and the epic rockabilly zombie film next year?
“The Horror Convention Massacre 2” takes place immediately after the first film ends (just like “Halloween 2” picked right up after the original). It’s the same day, and our crazy killer is still around the hotel, stalking new victims. This time we show what the party scene is like at horror conventions, and our killer has his way with many victims.
The epic rockabilly zombie movie is probably an epic rockabilly MUTANT movie. That’s the film I want to shoot on 16mm and really looking forward to the most.
To find out about more OSS’s movies, casting calls, upcoming shows, or other cool stuff visit them on the web at www.myspace.com/ossprojects or www.ossfilms.com
DON’T miss the PREMIERE of THCM 2 on Friday, October 26 in Cleveland!!
-
- Trigs
- 0