Your upcoming movie Return to the Theatre of Terror - in a
few words, what's it going to be about?
We travel back to The Theatre of Terror
where it all began. We'll take a closer look at the history
behind the mysterious movie palace and see four new chilling tales of
terror play out on its silver screen.
What were your
sources of inspiration when writing Return to the Theatre of Terror? For
Soothsayer, ACT ONE of
the new anthology, it was H.G Wells, C.M Eddy jr, and
The Twilight Zone.
The rest are a combination of Creepshow, Tales From The Crypt,
and Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. Basic
question, why an anthology movie, and what are the challenges but maybe
also advantages of this concept?
Our first anthology was especially
challenging, but the experience was unforgettable. With the completion of
each short film we felt a new pressure to get the next one done and make
it better than the last. At the end of it all we realized what we had
accomplished. It’s extremely difficult to make one quality short film
and we had made four of them back to back. Looking ahead to the next
project, I decided there were more disturbing stories to tell, more
bizarre concepts to explore, and more sub-genres of sci-fi and horror to
get lost in.
Of course we need to pay for all of this, so that’s the first challenge.
We need to be able to budget for five stories. Four segments and the
wrap-around. If we achieve that, the next obstacle is making a good film.
We don’t want any of these segments to be the throwaway story in the
bunch. Every film we start needs to be the best film we’ve ever made or
it’s not worth showing up.
The advantages are the kind of films we get to make. Because we’re not
handcuffed to one plot, and one set of characters, we get to change our
style and our approach towards each film to better compliment the
narrative and keep the audience on their toes.
In what way (apart from
concept) is Return to the Theatre of Terror
related to your earlier
The Theatre of Terror?
The theatre itself is a character
in the story. We gave birth to that concept in the first film and will now
dive a little deeper into its origins and its purpose. What
can you tell us about Return to the Theatre of Terror's approach to
horror? We want the viewer to fall into a false sense of security believing they
know what they see unfolding when they actually do not. Redirection, the
twist ending, that final stab in the heart. Just when you thought you had
it figured out we get you where it hurts. Do talk about the intended overall look and feel
of Return to the Theatre of Terror! A return to the classics. Our
first short Soothsayer is 100%
The Twilight Zone in look and
feel. The next segments will reflect everything that’s inspired us from
the 70’s to early 90’s in both television and film. What can you
tell us about Return to the Theatre of Terror's tentative cast, and
why exactly these people? Because we’re only a quarter of
the way into the anthology I don’t want to jump the gun on cast
announcements. While we do have our lead players locked in for all the
films, you never know how life and circumstances can get in the way and
change that. For now, I can say we are working with some incredibly
talented individuals whom we’ve met through the film festival circuit
and through relationships we have in the film community. I do all the
casting myself and I am very particular about who I choose to play a part.
These actors have all demonstrated that not only can they convincingly
deliver the lines, but they ARE their respective characters. Almost as if
I wrote the part explicitly for them. As a casting director and the writer
of the material, you just know the feeling when you see the audition.
As far as I know you're
presently still raising funds for Return to the Theatre of Terror
-
so what can you tell us about your campaign? Our campaign is nearly 50% funded
and we are elated at the support we’ve received thus far. It’s a very
straight forward pitch and I believe the fans of our work, our friends,
and our families all know that we work hard to deliver a high quality and
entertaining product. Their confidence in our experience and in our vision
has given us an incredible amount of momentum going into this production.
It’s been very humbling to know that so many believe so strongly in our
work.
https://igg.me/at/Return-to-Terror/x/12861307#/ Once the
budget's in place, what's the schedule, and any idea when and where your
movie might be released yet?
I don’t like sitting on unfinished films and I don’t like
procrastination. I have set a personal goal of releasing the finished
feature anthology by October 2021 if not sooner. Any future projects beyond Return to the Theatre of Terror? There is a script I’ve been
discussing with a good friend and former actor in one of my previous
films. I like the concept and it could make for a great straight slasher
film. It would be a great deal of work to do it right but hopefully the
timing will be right and we can get it made.
Your/your movie's website,
social media, IndieGoGo, whatever else?
Website: www.theatreofterror.net
Twitter: TheatreTerror
Instagram: TheatreTerror
Indiegogo:
https://igg.me/at/Return-to-Terror/x/12861307#/
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I would just like to thank you for
consistently giving me a platform to promote where I can promote my work. Thanks
for the interview!
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