Dracula Untold (2014)

In production before Universal studio’s announcement of plans to create a common cinematic universe for their classic monsters, Dracula Untold is rumored to have undergone reshoots to make it more of a first chapter in the upcoming run of monster films.  I can’t tell if the reports are true or not, but the movie is a cautionary tale of things to come, the attempt to build a superhero style franchise from the Universal catalog of things that go bump in the night.

Yes, this is a superhero origin story, with the Prince of Darkness as the hero.  And regardless of whether you go into the movie accepting that premise or not, the film is a crashing bore, a cacophony of CGI bats swarming through armies, Dracula (called Vlad throughout most of the film) crushing armies with his super powers, yet void of any suspense or sense of dread.  It’s a ninety-two minute movie that ends up feeling much longer than the running time.

Even when he dons the superhero costume, it's just dull

The opening is narrated by Vlad’s son, who tells of his father’s time as a political prisoner of the Turkish army.  Trained to fight for them, Vlad (Luke Evans, The Hobbit trilogy, Fast and Furious 6) earns the nickname The Impaler after leaving the bodies of the Turk’s enemies on spikes.

Now, ten years later, he’s the ruler of his homelands, married and with a young son.  He pays a tribute to the Turks to keep the peace, but is worried when signs of Turkish scouts appear within his borders.

Searching for the scouts, Vlad and his party investigate an isolated cave high on a mountain and encounter a powerful being that only Vlad is able to escape.  Speaking to a priest in his kingdom, Vlad is told this is the first vampire (Charles Dance, Game of Thrones), tricked by a demon and now cursed to remain within the cave unitl the end of time.  Oh, and the priest foretells this being will bring about the end of Vlad’s kingdom.

Yeah, it’s a “surprising” foreshadowing moment in the script, but you won’t be surprised how it turns out.

But that warning is enough to keep Vlad off the mountain, at least until he’s informed the Sultan wants more than his tribute.  With plans of future conquest, the Sultan’s emissary informs Vlad that he must supply him with young boys, new fodder for the Sultan’s army.  And his son will become a political prisoner, to insure Vlad’s compliance to this, and future, request. 

Vlad kills the soldiers sent to collect his son, than returns to the cave to implore the First Vampire to give him the power to smite his enemies.  The creature agrees, warning Vlad that he will have the power of a vampire for three days, as well as the blood lust.  Should he feed, he will become one of the undead, which will set the First Vampire free to hunt down the one that betrayed him.  But, should he abstain from drinking, he will return to his mortal state at dawn of the third day.

Yeah, trust this guy.  Than expect to defeat a nation in 

three days.  Even Tony Stark would have second thoughts.

Okay, you might think this review is spoiling too much of the movie, but if you can’t figure out were the story is going, then you might enjoy this film.  And all this occurs in the first half hour, or so, of the film.  I can’t really say how long it took before the rest of the film was spelled out for the audience, as I was surprised at how short the movie was.  The plot spoilers provided by the script could have occurred in the opening ten minutes, for all I know. 

And that’s the problem with this movie.  It lacks any sense of suspense or tension, as the audience already knows the outcome.  Vlad will resist the urge to drink blood, but events will prompt him to satisfy his thrist before the dawn of the third day.  We know who’s death will prompt this (remember, his son’s narration opens the film), so it’s only a matter of time before his wife (Sarah Gadon, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) bites it (sorry, could resist the pun).  And, though Gadon gives it her best, her death scene is so unbelievable that her imploring Vlad to drink will shatter any suspension of disbelief you might have at this point. 

I don't know why she wasn't credited as Sacrificial Lamb

It doesn’t help that the villains of the tale are cardboard cutouts, with no depth or interesting back-story.  As a contrast, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man worked because the script also developed the Green Goblin as well as Spider-Man.  But the Turks are just evil because, well, they are, leaving us nothing to focus on but the journey of the film’s hero, whose fate is already determined.

Yes, his character is just evil.  No backstory, just EVIL!

I will say the acting is okay, but rather pointless, as the script doesn’t really give anyone a chance to shine.  Some of the CGI effects towards the end are nice looking, and at least the filmmakers didn’t shy away from Vlad’s signature forest of impaled victims.  All are presented in as gruesome a manner as the PG-13 rating will tolerate and I don’t have a problem with that.

My issue with the film is it spends all of its running time telling how Vlad becomes Dracula, but that’s already a forgone conclusion.  The script needed to deliver something more interesting.  But the focus is on spectacle, rather than story.  Vlad turns into a flock of bats, than back again into human form, so often it’s no longer impressive.  And as he controls a flock of real bats as a wrecking ball against an army, one has to wonder how the creatures of the night survived all the impacts against solid bodies in full armor.

As bad as this movie is, more worrisome is the ramifications for the future Universal Monster Universe.  And, in this section, I will revel a bit more than most readers might like, so beware.  SPOILERS AHEAD!

And, as a break, Luke Evan's best "I'm NOT Edward Collins" face.  

Sorry, doesn't really work.

Okay, this was bound to happen with a cohesive universe.  One has to have monsters that fight on the side of good, others on the side of evil.  And Dracula falls on the good side.  No, the filmmakers don’t go full Twilight, but his wife’s death, and his desire to protect his son from his vampire army, marks him as an anti-hero.  And, as the film ends, he is potentially reunited with his wife’s soul in a new body, only with the First Vampire trailing him and leaving us with cryptic line, “Let the games begin,” which sets Vlad up as the sensitive, trying to do good but forced to drink blood hero that Universal might hope will bring in female viewers, a la Twilight.

And this is the problem with Universal’s attempt to create a world in which their monsters interact.  The studio will pick the monsters to play the tragic hero, the absolute villain, and back them with enough CGI moments in an attempt to making the franchise another version of the Fast and Furious series. 

The Universal Monsters deserve better.  As the CLASSIC films show, these beings can be neither good nor bad, just misunderstood or cursed.  This is not a catalog of superheroes or supervillains, but creatures living within the limitations of their origins.  The Frankenstein Monster is the product of bad parenting and misunderstanding.  The Wolf Man is a human cursed to kill during the full moon, The Mummy longs for his true love, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon just wants to be left alone (at least until Julia Adams enters his lagoon).

Seriously, these monsters are MUCH MORE INTERESTING than

the sap coming to theaters tomorrow.

These are characters that more emotions when they are allowed to be amoral, beings beyond our concept of right or wrong, just the basic human emotions of desire, whether for acceptance, a mate or just not to kill during the full moon.

But, if Dracula Untold is any indication, we’re about to be introduced to a new set of Universal Monsters, where the battle lines are drawn.  A superhero verses supervillain smack down of epic CGI proportions. 

It’s too bad Universal doesn’t seem willing to try another route, one with engaging stories and characters that transcends CGI effects and rigid moral guidelines.  Should Dracula Untold be the future of the Universal Monsters, I dread the results, but not in the right way.  

All Hell Breaks Loose (2014)

Low budget genre films don’t fail based on acting, sets and effects.  Success rest on the script, as well as the filmmaker’s ability to recognize their limitations and find creative ways to deal with a shortage of preproduction time, a limited shooting schedule and finding engaging talent willing to be underpaid, if paid at all.

The filmmakers behind All Hell Breaks Loose avoid those common pitfalls and deliver a great slice of cheesy fun.  The script, by The Vocabulariast, is fast paced and contains some solid offbeat humor.  And first time feature director Jeremy Garner delivers a terrific looking film, with solid performances, decent looking effects and a quick pace that keeps the audience engaged, rather than looking for production shortcomings.

The plot mixes biker exploitation films, horror and bits of splatstick.  A group of bikers, released from Hell to corrupt innocent women for the Devil, come across newlyweds Nick (Nick Forrest) and Bobbie Sue (Sarah Kobel Marquette).  Nick is killed and the bikers ride off with Bobbie Sue.

However, God (Joseph Sullivan) is willing to give Nick a second chance to be the hero and resurrects him to save Bobbie Sue from eternal damnation.  But Nick isn’t really an action hero and continues to need divine intervention.

Well, if at first you don't succeed...

Sure, you might find a few problems with the story, like why God doesn't give Nick a few hints on how to take the bikers down.  But that would have deprived the film of some great moments, and it’s too much fun watching Nick try saving Bobbie Sue, only to fall short every time.  If you let such minor plot points ruin this film for you, you’re probably watching the wrong movie.

Also helping sell this absurd concept is the terrific work by the entire cast.  Joshua Lee Frazier is great as the lead biker, Sundown, especially as he talks to Nick’s corpse, trying to convince him not to come back.  He knows Nick’s efforts will be futile, and his sincerity to try and save the man from further pain (and death) is touching in a way.  Forrest is great playing the hapless hero, and Sullivan is perfect as a rather uncaring God.  Though these actors standout, thanks to their roles, the rest of the cast is quite good and really sells the absurd action and humor in the script. 

Seriously, I'd tell you not to get back up, but that would

really hamper the film's running time.

The gore effects, a mix of practical makeup and CGI, look better than one might expect from a low budget film.  The sets look fine, with a nice mix of locations shots and sets.  And the film has plenty of homages to other horror films, which should bring a smile to fans.  Just wait for Nick's uses of condoms filled with Holy Water, a great riff on the final battle in From Dusk Till Dawn. 

Another nice touch is Garner’s use of grain to simulate the experience of watching a slightly worn 35mm film.  The effect is very unobtrusive, unlike its use in other grindhouse homage films, and you will likely not really notice it a quarter of the way into the film.  But it’s a nice touch, giving the film a nice feel, and Garner’s restraint keeps it from becoming a gimmick. 

Yeah, someone's in trouble....

If you get the chance, check out All Hell Breaks Loose at Cinema 21 on October 3 at 10 pm.  It’s a fine slice of cheesy fun, filled with solid performances, plenty of quirky humor, and is more engaging than most low budget genre features dumped onto home video these days.

For advanced tickets, check out the Cinema 21 website.

_________________________________________________________________________________

As is my policy at The Shadow Over Portland, I need to state that I viewed a screener of the film online.  I was able to watch the film without incurring any cost to myself, and in a venue not available to casual viewers.

Also, my interview with the director and scriptwriter took place after I saw the film, though the interview was posted first.  The delay in writing and posting this review is my fault, though life and a day job played a role.

That said, I enjoyed All Hell Breaks Loose and hope readers able to attend the Portland premiere enjoy it as well.

Interview with Jeremy Garner, director and Thevocab Ulariast, writer of All Hell Breaks Loose.

Last week, I was able to sit down with Jeremy Garner and Thevocab Ulariast, the team behind All Hell Breaks Loose, which has its Portland premiere at Cinema 21 on Friday, October 3, at 10 pm.

The Shadow Over Portland:  I’m talking with the creators of the exploitation tribute, at least that’s what I assume it is, All Hell Breaks Loose.  Now, I know this is a Portland premiere, but is this bigger that that?  Or have you shown it elsewhere?

Jeremy Garner: The world premiere was in Eugene (Oregon), where the majority of the cast and crew are from.   This is the Portland premiere.

TSOP: Vocab, this is the first movie you worked on.  Where did you find the inspiration for the script?

Thevocab Ulariast: Well, a friend of ours, Joseph (he plays God in the movie), he rides a motorcycle.  And he asked Jeremy if he wanted to make a biker movie.   We had the resources, and had been working on some short films, so Jeremy asked if I wanted to write a biker movie. 

In my style, I wanted to be left alone with it as I wrote it.  And the only thing Jeremy asked is to have a séance in it.  And that drove to me where I went with it.

I didn’t want it to be like Sons of Anarchy, or Dear God, No.  So I came up with an amalgamation of the movies that I love, enjoy and think are funny. 

TSOP:  Jeremy, you produced and worked on special effects on several films shot in Eugene.  Is this your first time directing?

JG: This is the first feature film I’ve directed.  I’ve directed shorts, which no one ever saw, but it’s my first feature film. 

TSOP:  What was the difference between producing, or working on special effects, and directing?

JG:  It was pretty crazy.  We didn’t have much of a budget and everything you’re doing is tenfold.

As far as locations, casting, what I had to prepare to do for effects, it was hard.  Everyone involved in production had to wear many different hats, which was difficult. 

TSOP: Vocab, were you working on the film as well?

TU: Like Jeremy said, everyone was wearing a bunch of hats and I helped out with every aspect of the film, except for editing and sound effects. 

When I was on set, I’d try to work with the actors on their lines and try to make sure they hit them right.  A lot of the jokes in the script are about the timing and the way the lines are delivered.  I think we did a pretty good job with that, and the actors responded to that and that was my most important part on the film, other than being around and doing all sorts of little things on the set to make it work.

TSOP: Jeremy, you said you didn’t have much of a budget, but you have some really nice bikes in the movie.  Did you find people who had them, or did you know of actors with bikes and told them you were making the film?

JG: Like Vocab said, Justin Sullivan, who plays God in the movie, he rides and is in a motorcycle club.  He was able to put us in contact with a large motorcycle club in Oregon that was willing to help us out.

 

TSOP: Where you able to find enough actors in Eugene, or were you able to pull from actors in Portland?

JG: As I said, we’ve been working on short films for a while, so we have a pretty good core group of people we work with on a regular basis.  And for some of the larger roles, like Statch, we did a Portland casting call and were lucky to find the perfect people for it.

 

TSOP: The movie has an obviously intentional warped sense of humor.  Vocab, did you find yourself reigning in the humor?  Did you ever think you were going too far?  Or did you just decide to go as far as you can?

TU: My intention with everything I write is to go as far as I can.  In my dealings with scripts, it limits the people willing to take a chance on it.  Jeremy’s one of the few people I know that says, “I like that, let’s do it.”  And the film is pretty close to what’s on the page.  We didn’t really cut anything out, other than for time, or the end standards not being what we wanted.  Everything that’s in the film is on the page.

There were a couple things the actors added in, which were pretty hilarious, like the scene where the bartender keeps getting slapped on the butt.  It wasn’t planned, I didn’t add it in there, but it adds a nice touch.  The actors put their own flavor into their roles and got into the hilarious meanness of the movie.  I’m pretty happy with it.  And no, I never had to reign myself in on anything.

TSOP: Jeremy, where did you find the locations?  There’s a scene in a bar.  What did you do to get that location?

JG: Goggle Earth was my friend.  I scoured the state looking for the perfect locations for the riding sequences, which, if you watch old biker films, always have an Arizona/New Mexico look to them.  And the great thing about Oregon is you’ve got deserts, you have mountains, you have the ocean.  You have every thing you could possible need in this state.

The exterior of the bar we found in this logging town called Noti.  I called up the owner and they were awesome.  They let us come out and take over the place for an entire weekend.  We shot all of our exteriors there.  For the interior, we used a motorcycle club’s clubhouse. 

TSOP: I called this an exploitation film homage, and it looks it.  You put a grainy texture into the film.  Was that purposeful, or were you just having fun?  And what did you do to make this look like a movie you’d see in a grindhouse theater?

JG: Well, I didn’t want to take the Rodriguez/Tarantino approach and overdo it.  I wanted to give it the look of being period dated, but not really.  I added the things I enjoy about watching old films, like the 35mm grain and dust on old prints.  But I purposely stayed away from doing film burns, scratches and hair, because I don’t want to have people comparing my movie to Planet Terror.  And I didn’t want it to come across as gimmicky. 

But, at the same time, I’m a fanboy.  I wanted the film to have to have that look, without being in your face. 

TSOP: Vocab, do you plan to write another script in the near future?

TU: I have scripts out there, but they’re all like All Hell Breaks Loose, weird and quirky.  I had one reviewer call the film “uncategorizable,” which is how all my scripts are, weird, funny violent and unique.  All Hell Breaks Loose is an exploitation biker film, but I don’t think you’ll find someone to write it like I did, with the weirdness, humor and oddball jokes here and there.

I try to sell my scripts, but people don’t get them.  The one time I had someone try to buy one from me, they had me rewrite it, and it took all the heart out of the script.  That really killed me and made me done with Hollywood.  I only want to work with Jeremy, or any other director that might understand what the hell I’m trying to do.  That one experience of cannibalizing my own work really pissed me off and I’m not into it. 

TSOP: It looked like the film poked fun at some other movies.  For example, the holy water in the condoms sequence seemed a little joke at the moment in From Dusk Till Dawn. 

JG: There’s only so much you can do with holy water.  Just the fact that the priest is an alcoholic pervert made the condoms come across as the perfect vessel for his holy water. 

TSOP:  I just loved the fact that the condoms wouldn’t break on impact with the bikers, which makes sense.  I was watching the scene and thinking, “Oh, that’s good.”

TU: I was playing with that, like it could be a weapon.  But in reality, you have to fill a condom with a lot of water to make it break on impact.  And I think that’s funnier, that it’s realistic.  We have so much silly stuff going on, when that dose of realism hits, it become hilarious. 

JG: The first time I read that, it was Vocab’s personality coming through.  His humor is to add insult to injury.  That describes it perfectly. 

TSOP: Jeremy, the film uses both practical and CG effects.  Did you try to stay with practical as much as possible, or was it based on the film’s budget?

JG: It was a little bit of both.  Everything was planned out for us to do the effects practically, but on set, we were all wearing different hats.  I planned on doing all the effects, but we had a three-week shooting schedule on this feature film.  And a lot of the effects ended up looking like garbage.  We had to go to digital to add to the practical effects that didn’t quite come across the way I wanted them to.  Every effect in the film is practical, but with digital overlaid to complement it, except for a few shots that weren’t obtainable with our budget.

It was a lesson learned, you can’t do everything yourself.  Directing is a big enough job.  I can’t wait for the next film.  There will be a crew, effects and makeup artists. 

I’m not totally against digital effects.  I think they can be nice, and add to practical effects, if you can get them mixed properly. 

TSOP: Vocab, you take some pretty humorous potshots at religion in this film, especially with the end.  And let’s not spoil it!  Where did that part of the film come from?

TU: I’m not quite sure where it came from, other than the fact that I’m not really religious and the idea of superhuman beings deciding the fate of our lives is pretty humorous to me.  Because I’m a non-believer, I find humor in religion.  And twisting religious ideals to mess with an audience makes me laugh on the inside. 

I know the people who watch our movies won’t be the most religious people, so I felt I was safe.  I’m not trying to offend anyone, it’s just my personal humor and I think horror fans will get it. 

TSOP: So, what’s next for you guys?

JG: Our next big project is Desecration. 

TSOP: Is that one you wrote, Vocab?

TU: No, and I want to give the writer credit, but I can’t remember his name.

JG: It was Michael Shelton.  We purchased the script and, with his approval, rewrote it to fit our style.

TU: I took what was a really nasty, brutal script and injected humor into it.  It’s irreverent, weird and, once again,  “uncategorizable,” which is a weird word to say.  But that’s what I like.  I’ve done movie reviews before, I’ve done a lot of studying into what makes a cult movie, and I have a certain philosophy I write by, because my idea is to make everything a cult movie.  Make it so weird, so bizarre, yet so accessible that people will enjoy it, even if they didn’t think they would. 

With All Hell Breaks Loose, you say it’s a biker exploitation movie and people will say, “It’s not really my thing.”  Than they watch it and enjoy it because it has elements that are funny and enjoyable.  So with Desecration, I feel I took that script and did the same thing.  It remains to be seen how we shoot it. 

TSOP: When does shooting start?

JG: It’s all about money at this point.  We have to recoup some of our funds from All Hell Breaks Loose, and as soon as we can do that, we’ll get started.

TSOP: What was your biggest difficulty in getting All Hell Breaks Loose filmed?

JG: The biggest difficulty I had was having such a large cast that was unpaid, or underpaid, and getting all these people together at the same time.  Everyone has day jobs, everyone has families.  I needed three weeks out of their life and that was difficult. 

TSOP: So this was shot in three weeks, not over a series of weekends?

JG: No.  I’ve worked on plenty of feature films that have stretched out over a year, shooting on weekends, because the filmmakers are working with low budgets.  I didn’t want to fall into the pitfalls involved with that, so I decided whoever was cast would have to guarantee me three weeks time, so we could get the film shot and done. 

TSOP: All Hell Breaks Loose screens at Cinema 21 at 10 pm on October 3.  How do you think the screening will go?

TU:  I think we’re gonna pack the place.  There will be lots of beer around, lots of laughs.  I think it will be great. 

One thing I want to point out is, this isn’t a movie where you sit and watch quietly.  This is rough and rowdy.  Go to the movie drunk, laugh and scream and have fun.  That’s what we want to see. 

TSOP: I assume you both will be at the screening.  Will any members of the cast be there as well?

TU: I think the majority of the cast will be there.  Definitely Ehren “Danger” McGhehey will be there.  Nick Forrest, who plays the hero, and Joseph Sullivan, who plays God, will be there.  April Mai, who is our wonderful kidnapped stripper will be there.  So, if you want to meet everyone, be there.  October 3, 10 pm at Cinema 21. 

TSOP: Will you be selling DVDs at the screening?

TU: Probably not.  Right now, we are looking into different genre distribution companies that might be interesting in the film, so we’re holding off on selling any physical copies at this time. 

TSOP: Where can people find you on the web?

TU: I run a website called moviecynics.com, and my information is on the website.  I have a Facebook page called Thevocab Ularious and on Twitter I have @vocabularious. 

JG: I’m on Facebook.  You can find search All Hell Breaks Loose film and look us up under Frenetic Films Production on Facebook. 

TSOP:  Well, thank you both for your time and I hope the screening of All Hell Breaks Loose is a success.

TU: Thank you.

JG: Thanks.

The Portland premiere of All Hell Breaks Loose takes place at Cinema 21 on October 3 at 10 pm.  

The Babadook looks freaking AWESOME!

Okay, I'm basing my opinion only on a trailer, and trailers have been know to lie as to how good the movie being promoted.  Still, the trailer for The Babadook looks scary as hell.

Yes, it's a simple concept.  A supernatural creature is stalking a widow and her young son.  Easy enough for most, but the trailer is a textbook example of how to make an enticing promotion for a horror movie.

FIrst, the trailer never revels the creature.  Sure, we see a picture of it in a book, and a few shadowy glimpses, but never the entire being.  The trailer never lets us see the creature (or the ending, as countless other trailers have).  it gives just enough to whet our appetites and nothing more.

Second, the trailer plays up the idea that mom might be seeing things.  Sure, other supernatural horror film plays with the idea that the person experiencing the event might be going insane, but I've yet to see it played out so well in a trailer.  Perhaps this is more a testament to writer/director Jennifer Kent, for crafting a tale that blurs the line between insanity and reality.  It doesn't matter, as the trailer really hammers that idea home, as the mother sees the Babadook when she reports a stalker to the local authorities, or hears the creature asking to give her the child.  It leaves one guessing which direction the film will take and makes you want to buy a ticket and discover how the film plays out.

And, finally, I don't remember a creepier moment in a movie where a character was hiding under the covers.  Perhaps it was because this time, an adult character was hiding rather than a child, making more of a connection with me.  Or the display of director Kent's use of lighting and the slow burn approach of the trailer hooked me.  It really doesn't matter, as I plan to be in line on opening weekend for this film.

The Babadook is set to open on Friday, November 28.  It's too bad it's not opening in October, but it might be the jolt you need to kick you out of your Thanksgiving tryptophan coma.

Stay tuned to The Shadow Over Portland for Northwest screenings as I find them.

Joe Sherlock interview

Joe Sherlock, Northwest filmmaker, will have the Portland premiere of his latest film, Drifter, at The Clinton Street Theater this Saturday, August 23, at 4 pm.  Tickets are $5 dollars (cash only) and he, as well as several cast members, will be present for a Q and A after the film.  Additionally, you can pick up a DVD copy of Drifter, as well as some of his other films, at the screening.

Sherlock was able to spend some time talking with The Shadow Over Portland about the film, his inspirations and some tips on how to make your own low budget horror film.

The Shadow Over Portland:  I’m talking with Ray Sherlock, Northwest filmmaker, whose latest film, Drifter, will have its Portland premiere on Saturday, August 23 at The Clinton Street Theater.  How are you tonight?

Joe Sherlock: I’m pretty good.

TSOP: All right.  Before we get talk about Drifter, can we get a bit of background from you about your filmmaking?  It looks like you have a pretty extensive list of credits on IMDB.

JS: Most of the stuff isn’t on there.  Maybe that’s not the right way to say it, but there’s a lot of stuff that never got on there.  And I’ve done a lot of bits and pieces for things that, for one reason or another, never got listed. 

I’ve had this filmmaking addiction for many years.  I have a similar story to a lot of people.  I watched a lot of sci fi and horror stuff on TV when I was a kid, I drew my own comics, and all sorts of geeky stuff.  I use to make movies with my dad’s Super-8 camera when I was youngr.  When I got out of high school, a friend of mine had a VHS camera and we started making skits, little movies and things like that. 

All through college, I made shorts and things like that.  In 1995, I decided to try and make something serious, and that was Dimension of Blood.  That was the first thing I took seriously, not just goofing around in the backyard.  From then on, it was it was making horror stuff, horror comedies, sci fi comedies.

TSOP:  You’re in Corvalis.  How hard is it to find a crew, actors and all the things needed to make a movie?

JS: It all happened very organically.  I started just working with friends.  And I co-owned a comic book and game store for 1989 to 1996.  Through the store, I met people involved with Live Action Role Playing Games, comic book artists and various people.  When I was doing the movies, as I was getting out of the shop, I had my friends, and I had a larger circle of customers.  And that was pretty good.  There were people into belly dancing, people into Live Action Role Playing, people into costuming, great people who wanting to be involved in something like that. 

As time when on, I would get friends of friends.  They would tell people, “Oh, I made a zombie movie this week,” and their friends would think that was cool and want to be involved.  So, the circle widened and that continues to this day.  Most of the people involved in the projects I do today are friends, friends of friends, or people who find out that someone was in a movie project and decide they want to do that.

I’ve also actually gotten several people involved from screenings.  I shown several things at a theater in Salem and a lot of people attend, than come up to me and say they want to get involved.  So, I get the contact information, we try things out later and see how it goes.

Now, the crew part, most of the stuff I do myself, so it’s not like I have to find a lot of technically adept people, as I usually write, direct, shoot and edit my movies.  So if I can get someone able hold the boom poles, I’m pretty good as far as the crew goes.

TSOP:  I did notice you have an extensive background in cinematography, directing, producing and writing.  Is there any role you prefer when making a movie?

JS:  It’s a cliché answer, but I like all of them at different times for different reasons.  I like the writing when I’m writing, the directing is fun and the cinematography, in terms of lining up shots and being as visually creative as I can be is fun. 

As for the editing… Well, they say you often make three movies.  You write a movie, than when you direct it, it becomes a different movie.  Than, when you edit it, it becomes, perhaps, another movie.  And I think that has some truth to it. 

And, I think at any given time during that process, there’s a magic that happens during any one of those phases.  So, I guess I don’t really have a favorite. 

TSOP:  It just depends on the time?

JS: Yeah, it really does.

TSOP:  Where did you learn how to make films?

JS:  I just learned by doing.  I’m self-taught, I didn’t go to film school, I didn’t take any classes.  I’ve been told by several people that I make movies because no one told me I couldn’t, which is kind of true (chuckles). 

As I mentioned, I drew my own comics and made my own ‘zines, so I was always into that do it yourself mode anyway.  When I started doing the video movies, there were magazines like Draculina and Alternative Cinema that were talking about people in the country, and around the world, making these shot on video movies.  There was the start of this community and, of course, once the Internet was being used more, that was the perfect place to connect with all these like-minded, back yard filmmakers.  People would put up articles, you could go on bulletin boards, and I’d correspond with them.  We’d trade movies, and that would give you ideas from watching them. 

And on DVDs, one of the things I watch, if they’re well done, is the behind the scene features, because they will talk about how the filmmaker did things.  So, I just pick that up as I go along.

TSOP:  As far as directors and writers, who would you say is your greatest influence?

JS: For the longest time, I’ve said John Carpenter.  I wouldn’t necessarily say if you watch my movies, you think, “Oh, that’s just like a John Carpenter movie.”  But I really like the feel of a lot of his movies.  He has a mood to them.  And it’s a combination of the story, the cinematography and the music, and the way it’s all put together that add up to a vibe his films have.  And a lot of the time, he would be writing, directing and scoring the film.  He didn’t necessarily shoot it, but he was doing a lot of the pieces like that. 

I also have to say, director Fred Olen Ray, and Jim Wynorski to a certain extent, that I admire because they make movies happen often out of sheer will.  They made all these B movies, they made a lot of horror movies, as well as TV stuff and family fare; their work runs the gamut.  But I think their love is horror, a lot of times B movie horror.  And to see they work through the heartache you always experience trying to pull together a low budget production and get things done.  They are both prolific and open to talking to fans.  Fred, for a long time, ran a bulletin board I was on, and I got all kinds of great ideas and information from that. 

TSOP: Is there any movie that inspired you to get into filmmaking?

JS: Well, I have a couple answers for that question.   I grew up in New Jersey, until I was eleven.  Then, my family moved across the country to Oregon.  It was a little traumatic, it was a long distance and I was away from my friends. 

There was a movie made by Don Dohler, called The Alien Factor, made in Baltimore.  Are you familiar with that one?

TSOP:  Oh, yeah.

JS: I love that movie.  For all its faults, I love that movie.  But part of the reason I loved it was because I’d moved out here to Oregon and it played on KPTV Channel 12.  And here was this movie, that was obviously low budget, amateur, you might say, and all the houses, all the weather, looked like where I use to live.  Baltimore isn’t too far from New Jersey.  And all the actors had thick accents.  Not like Jersey accents, but a thick accent compared to out here.  It was nostalgic.  Even when I watch it now, the architecture, the cars, reminds me of the first eleven years of my life.

On top of that, it had all these crazy monsters in it.  That was very inspirational.  In fact, I started writing my own story inspired by that, with the intention of filming it on Super-8, and similar things on video once I got to work with a VHS camera. 

And it was inspirational because when I watched it, I thought, “Wow, I could do that.”  I was thinking, these guys went out in the back yard of their houses and on these country roads somewhere near where I lived, got their friends together and made a movie.  And I was like I could do this.  They made a movie, and it’s on TV and I’m watching it.  So that was very inspirational.

The other movie that is inspirational to me is Phantasm.  That would be my favorite horror movie, and part of the reason I love Phantasm is it has so much character to it.  It’s unlike a lot of traditional horror movies and has an oddball vibe that appeals to me. 

TSOP: Sounds like you were a big fan of KPTV back when the station was showing horror movies. 

JS: I was.

TSOP:  Same here.

JS: And sci fi as well.  I remember watching Dark Star and Silent Running.  It seems like that ran that one all the time.

TSOP: Oh yeah.

JS: And The Green Slime.  (We both chuckle)

TSOP:  Let’s talk about Drifter.  It sounds like a slasher flick, though the preview hints at it being a bit more than that.  Can you tell us what the film is about?

JS: I don’t know if you want me to talk about the genesis of it or anything like that…

TSOP:  Please do.

JS:  I have a friend I went to high school with.  He owned a house and a restaurant outside of Silverton.  I’ve shot two other movies there, Underbelly and Blood Creek Woodsman.  Well, he called me at the end of 2012.  I knew he’d sold the house and moved, but he called me and said, “You know, I sold the old house, but the buyers aren’t moving in for several months.  So if you want to come and shoot some kind of blood murder scene in there, you can have free run of the house, just clean it up when you’re done.  It’s empty for the next several months.”

He just thought I would make up would just make up some random scene that he could work into a future project.  But, of course, I figured I could shoot a whole movie.  And knowing I had the full run of the house, as no one lived there and I wouldn’t have to work around anyone’s schedule, was appealing.  And it was my friend’s wife that suggested the idea of someone hiding there, and killing people as they came to the house.  So that was the genesis of it.  It was an opportunity.  Here’s this location, here’s the time frame.  What can I do with it? 

The initial thoughts were a slasher movie.  Someone is hiding within the house and killing people that would come by, like a plumber, a painter, some kids that might break in to party.  I mulled that in my head for a while, but I couldn’t figure out why.  Who is this guy, why is he doing this?  I had ideas, like maybe he was an escaped mental patient.  I actually had an idea for a while that flying saucer crashed in some farmer’s field, an alien crawled out and its possessing some guy.  Just some wacky stuff. 

It was on a long drive to Washington (State) that I came up with the twist.  It was, “Okay, here’s what it could be.  Here’s why the guy is doing these things.”  From there, I wrote it really fast and worked it all out. 

So, it has its origins that that slasher/body count/kill, kill, kill, kill kill.  But I hope a little more depth comes to it from the twist.  You’re still strung along with the mystery of who is this guy and why is he doing these things, but there is a payoff and hopefully it’s an interesting twist.

The other thing I tried to do as the director, and this is akin to Phantasm, was to put some interesting, quirky characters into the film.  Some people who have seen the film say it’s got a fair amount of humor in it.  But it wasn’t so much that I tried to make it funny, but I think the humor comes naturally from some of these characters and the dialog between them. 

Like the lead character and his wife.  I really tried to write their scenes so you got the sense that this couple had been married for a long time.  So they have their own language they speak to each other, they can be short with each other but it’s okay, because they’ve been married for a long time and it’s a tit for tat kind of thing.  And, by putting some of that into the script, it gives the film a little more depth than the traditional here’s a character and they get killed routine. 

TSOP:  The film had its world premiere at Crypticon in Seattle.  How did the audience respond?

JS:  It was pretty good.  We had a good showing, considering it was a midnight show.  It was kind of cool to have a Friday night midnight screening, because it works as a midnight show.  It is a B movie, it has all the elements in it.  But, you never know.  I was competing with one other screening and the big dance party, where all the drinking occurs.  And however many room parties were happening.  So you never quite know how the attendance will be for something that late.  But I had about 45 people in there, so it was pretty good.  And they were scared at the right parts, and laughed at the right parts, so it was all good.

TSOP:  The film is showing at 4 pm on a Saturday afternoon here in Portland.  Do you think that will change the dynamics of the crowd?

JS:  That’s a good question.  I don’t know.  To be honest, I looked at what it would take to rent this place, and I decided to do late in the afternoon because I don’t know who’s going to show up.  And we’re bookended by another movie and, later that night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I’m hoping a bunch of people come out. 

At least it’s a Saturday.  I know it’s a little early, but we’ll see.

TSOP:  I understand you will be there for the screening, as well as members of the cast and crew. 

JS: Yes.  Michael Hegg is going to be there.  He plays Angus.  Sabrina Larivee, Dale Wilson, Emily Howard, Bryn Kristi, Richard Johnson, who plays Don, the main character, Roxxy Mountains, and I believe Rob Merickel is going to be there, who plays the coroner. 

TSOP:  Sounds like it will be an interesting Q and A.

JS:  Boy, I hope so.  The plan is, there’s a trailer, then we’re going to watch the movie, then we’ll screen a ten minute making of feature, which is attached to the DVD, then open it up for question. 

I’ll have copies of Drifter, as well as my other movies, available for anyone who wants to pick them up. 

TSOP:  I hope it goes well.  I know I’ll be there.

JS:  Excellent.  

TSOP:  What’s your next movie?

JS:  I mentioned Blood Creek Woodsman, which we showed at Crypticon last year.  That went well, and there was a bunch of color correction and sound work that had to be done, some minor stuff.  The goal is to try and wrap that up and, once that’s done, I’ll look at getting DVDs made and set up some local screenings for that. 

The other thing I’m wrapping up is a movie called Odd Noggins.  The trailer will show before Drifter at The Clinton Street Theater.  And again, I’ll get some copies and start looking for local screenings. 

TSOP:  One final question.  It sounds like you’ve learned filmmaking by doing, and some of the answers to my questions have talked about what to do when you make a low budget movie.  Any other suggestions for filmmakers, or wanna be filmmakers thinking they can make a film?

JS:  First of all, you can.  Just do the best you can with what you have.  I’ve been told that over the years, and it’s true.  I shoot Dimension of Blood on a VHS camera, moved up to High-8, then Mini DV, now I’m shooting on HD.

But if all you have is your phone, make a movie on your phone.  Just do it.  It’s learn by doing, it really is.  You might make something great, or you might make something crappy.  But if you make something crappy, you’ll still learn something from the process.

 

The other thing is… Well, a lot of people will say, “Write what you know.”  There is some truth to that, but in terms of a low budget movie, write to what you know you can do.  Write stuff that happens in your house, or in your neighborhood.  I had a friend who had a restaurant and how often is that?  So I shot a bunch of stuff there.  I had a circle of friends, related to my comic shop, who were all belly dancers, so in Monster in My Garage, there’s a whole sequence of these alien belly dancers. 

There are resources available, you just have to think about them.  Do I know anybody has a cool car, or a particular skill, or a cool costume or the nurse who has a nurse’s uniform.  You know, there’s a lot of stuff, you just have to figure out the story to tell about it.  Or, if you have a story in mind, see what’s around that you can adapt to that story. 

Even if you don’t know people who have these locations or own this stuff, it’s amazing if you have the balls to ask people stuff.  Often, they are very accommodating because, to the people who aren’t involved on making movies on any level, being involved in a film sounds really cool.  As long as you treat everyone well, it is very cool.  So, it could be you talk to the owner of a restaurant or bar, a warehouse, a farm or whatever the case may be and say, “Hey, I want to make this movie and wonder if I can use your place.”  Maybe they want to be in it, and you have them in the background or make a small part for them, or whatever.  Most of the time, people are quite excited at being involved in making a movie and sometimes you can get access to cool cars or locations.  You never know until you ask and the worse thing they can say is no.  Then you just move on to the next person, or do it a different way. 

TSOP: How can people keep up with your future movies and such?

JS:  The best place for that is skullfaceastronaut.com.  That’s a hub for all the stuff I have going on.

TSOP:  Thank you for your time.  I don’t want to take up any more of your evening.  And I look forward to meeting you in person at the Portland premiere of Drifter.

JS:  Thanks a lot.  See you in a couple of weeks.

Again, my thanks to Joe Sherlock for taking the time out of his evening for this interview.  And, if you're a fan of local, independent horror films, head to The Clinton Street Theater this Saturday, August 23, at 4 pm for the Portland premiere of Drifter, the preview of Odd Noggins, the making of feature and the Q and A with writer/director Joe Sherlock and the cast of the film.