Macabre...ish Cults, Classics & Horrors

Phil Stevens is an underground filmmaker who has been making movies for years and he is currently working on his 8th film, Paradis.

Phil’s first most ambitious film, Flowers became his lifelong dream realized, with national and international distribution and a worldwide audience.

He was inspired by Ronnie Sortor who wrote and directed Sinistre, Ravage and Remains.

And while Phil loves the camera, it doesn’t stop there. He loves production design and goes to great lengths to bring his vision to life. Even turning his home into a studio if he has to.

Every level of the house and every room is like its own production department. And he tells us all about that. And if you want to know and see more, Phil documented it all on his youtube channel.

He goes to bed and wakes up, thinking about making movies. Even between making features, he makes shorts. He has to constantly create.

Phil talks about going from making movies with family and friends to doing a proper production, complete with all of its problems. And he hated it and found the experience bizarre. Nothing about it was fun. He also had investors for the first time, which brought pressure he never had before.

Flowers took so long to make (3 years), was so grueling, that he was burnt out emotionally and physically. By the time production was complete, he couldn’t even look at it anymore to start the edit. So, he got his long-time mentor and friend, Ronnie (who hates to film but loves to edit) to edit the movie. That production was almost the end of filmmaking for him.

In addition, a lung infection he and his wife acquired during production became the inspiration for what was meant to be number two of a trilogy called Lung. That film would also be the determining factor in whether or not he still wanted to create.

Phil talks about how important it is to find your people. Having the right team makes all of the difference. The same person edits all of his films, his friend and mentor, Ronnie Sortor and the same person, Mark Kueffner, composes and scores them.

We talk about his current project Paradis, (which is also a novella). It’s a mythos ten years in the making. And it began life as a comic series. Phil talks about his love of world building and stop motion animation. And how everything he creates ties to everything else.

This is a fascinating listen and just in time for the 31st! Enjoy and Happy Halloween everyone!

Look for Phil Steven’s films on yt and keep an eye out for new physical media and mediabook re-releases!

To find behind the scenes footage and films, follow Phil Steven’s social media on IG, FB and YT.

YT: https://m.youtube.com/@Pstevensperhaps?ra=m

IG: https://www.instagram.com/phillipstevensmoviemaker

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6953494/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find me:

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IGhttps://www.instagram.com/macabre_ishhttps://www.instagram.com/macabre_ish and Tiktok @macabre_ish.

https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Since Gene Dolders was here last, he’s been expanding the promotion of his last feature his 70s/80s inspired Giallo, The Blade Cuts Deeper and working on documentaries, with director Brandon Spivey. Three documentaries in fact: one about a photographer (John Baliton) who documents people on the fringes of society, one about a prog rock band, Gong’s member (Didier Malherbe) and finally a documentary about devastating teen Ketamine abuse in Liverpool.

But wait, there’s more, he is also a producer on a stop motion sci fi fantasy horror film, 10 years in the making called Manifesto, directed by Steve Young. The incredible amount of work it’s taken to complete. If you like nostalgic 80s stop motion fantasy horror (Black Crystal x Flash Gordon), you might enjoy this one. There are tons of behind the scenes footage and interviews with director and crew on IG (@manifesto_movie).

Also in the works is Gene’s found footage feature called Forever Home. As a huge fan of found footage horror, Gene was excited to make his first one and so with a true story he heard from his friend and co-writer on The Blade Cuts Deeper, Alex (A J Ballard) and so they went to work writing Forever Home.

Gene talks about writing the script and how the story developed over time. He talks the difference between filming Forever Home and The Blade Cuts Deeper.

We also talk a lot about our love of found footage movies. Such as Man Bites Dog, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, The Devil’s Pass, Grave Encounters and so many more. We also talk about how found footage has modernized with Spree, Open Windows and V/H/S.

It’s always a pleasure chatting with Gene!

Find Gene Dolders:

https://bgdigital.org

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8969674/

https://m.youtube.com/@bgdigitalcic8194?ra=m

Instagram: @gdolders

Instagram: @manifesto_movie

And find me:

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Y’all know Hannah Fierman, she played a succubus named Lily in V/H/S (Amateur Night) and SiRen. And she has been acting since she was a child, her first role was a comedy called Krooks but after that, it has been mostly horror films.

But her directorial debut was a music video for The Lucid. Hannah met David Ellefson, from Megadeth, at a convention and he has another band called The Lucid. They asked Hannah to direct their music video for their song, Hair on The Lucid’s debut album.

While she has been directing plays forever, her first foray into directing film was an anthology called Dead by Midnight: Y2Kill on the segment called Hellevangelist (co-written by Josh Wilcox). Following that, she directed a feature called The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom. This film was offered to her after writer Brian James Fitzpatrick emailed her with a part written with Hannah in mind and years of stalls, hiccups and the pandemic, it finally happened after the project was funded and co-producers Felissa Rose, Ryan James etc. asked her to direct and she accepted. Terror Trips happened in the interim. As of right now, The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom is still on its festival run.

Currently, Hannah is a producer and actor on a creature feature called Bunker Heights, like CHUD meets Lethal Weapon, directed by Drew Fortier and starring some of your horror favs like James L. Edwards, Paul T. Taylor, Chaney Morrow and L.C. Holt plus a lot of musicians from David Ellefson to Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge, Crud) to Violent J (Insane Clown Posse).

Hannah shares some words of wisdom for aspiring actors, and she explains why she’s passed on parts. Did y’all know there’s a new horror subgenre known as incel horror, there is and we talked about that too.

Hannah was also on Creepshow and she shares how it was working with Greg Nicotero, D’Arcy Camden and Justin Long et al. Finally, we talk movies and how cool would it be if Hannah Fierman returned to V/H/S as a director! Support indie horror and keep an eye out for Bunker Heights and The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom!

Find Hannah here: www.hannahfierman.com

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Steve Merlo, director of fan film The Sawyer Massacre, prequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, returns with another homage to iconic horror films from the past, this time with his full feature Unseen.

Steve talks about his film inspirations and what it took to make Unseen. He enjoys storytelling and the twists that come with psychological horror filmmaking. The differences in directing Unseen vs The Sawyer Massacre and which was harder to make,

If you like 70s and 80s horror movies keep an eye out for Unseen, directed by Steve Merlot.

From his last visit:

A Prequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Sawyer Massacre

With Musician and Filmmaker, Steve Merlo who decided to create a fan film prequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Being a fan of just the original, he wanted to see more story in that vein and with the feel of that time period.

After years of working on the screenplay and finally working on the film, it will be complete this summer, August 2022.

He explains to us the rules of making a fan film. Find out the struggle and pitfalls of making a movie today that is set in the 1960s and why he felt cursed during filming.

This prequel is set 8 years before the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so if you are a fan then you might like this one.

Support indie horror!

Find Steve’s youtube here:

https://m.youtube.com/@SteveMerlo?ra=m

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Lowell Dean started making movies as a kid and so getting an education in film was a natural progression, he went into the film program at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan after returning from Calgary. He was so serious about filmmaking, he’d make three feature films before he went to film school. And the first film he was proud to actually let anyone watch was a zombie film called Doomed. It was the first film that wasn’t just done with friends with no money, he funded it and it had a screening.

Lowell went from making $500 short films to his first publicly released feature, 13 Eerie, which cost millions to make. The story of how he got to direct 13 Eerie is a great story because he started on the crew as the Assistant Director but things happened and he got a bout of good luck. After being tossed in the deep end of his first feature, it was tough but he learned a lot. Thankfully. Because just one year after 13 Eerie was complete, he started writing Wolf Cop.

It did make him question if he even wanted to make films though. And so Lowell and some industry friends made a concept trailer for Wolf Cop. The plan was to raise what money they could and make it, in a year. As luck would have it, Lowell entered the Canadian Cinecoup Film Competition and won! This was in 2013 and part of the prize was the film would be released in major movie theaters, the next year.

Lowell talks about the potential of a Wolf Cop franchise and how hard it was to make a sequel.

We talk about his film Dark Match, Die Alone and what he’s up to at the moment. Plus the heartbreak and loneliness of writing, the highs of directing films he cares about and the grind of the time in between movies. He tells us what the dream project would be, here’s a hint, it’s a sci fi trilogy. And finally, Lowell gives fledgling filmmakers advice at the end.

All of Lowell Dean’s films are streaming now, go watch them! And for all the media collectors most of his films have a physical release. Support indie film, Fam!

Find everything Macabre…ish related at https://macabreish.com

Find Lowell Dean:

https://www.instagram.com/lolofilm

Twitter: https://x.com/lolofilm

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG https://www.instagram.com/jekyl6669and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG https://www.instagram.com/theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IGhttps://www.instagram.com/macabre_ish and Tiktok @macabre_ish.

https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Youtube playlist:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNblhfc6MVBMUe65EA-lWSzG_joW27ZSf

Joe Miale wanted to make movies since he was a kid and since it was important for him to learn and understand the process of filmmaking, he went to film school in NYU. He worked for 15 years in editing and making celebrity PSAs (You may remember them!) featuring Rhianna, The Jonas Brothers, Martin Sheen, just to name a few. Then he got a break when a production company was interested in one of his sci fi action concepts, and that was how Revolt came to be. And Joe had some of the best minds in the business to help with the creation of his aliens, including Cole Wertz and if you've seen Star Wars, Dune, Transformers or any other popular sci fi film from the last 20 years, you've seen and like his work. Even Revolt's soundtrack was designed and created by a veteran, Bear McCreary and you have to hear how the soundtrack was created for this film,

Joe not only wrote and directed Revolt, his film's distributor, Vertical Entertainment, let him design the poster! There is more on the horizon, sci fi and horror (follow him on IG for updates) and if you are a fledgling filmmaker or just a fan of film follow him for his really outstanding takes and breakdowns of his scene inspirations, script writing etc.

Check out Revolt, it is streaming and on physical media. Support indie films and all the great people who make them!

http://joemiale.com

And look for him on IG @joemiale

And find us:

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Youtube playlist:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNblhfc6MVBMUe65EA-lWSzG_joW27ZSf

Gene Dolders’ love of cinema began as a bonding activity with his Mom (though he ran out of the theater a couple of times!) and during the era of the video nasties, his brother acquired a copy of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that, to this day, is one of his favorite films, including Nightmare City by Umberto Lenzi. He started writing scripts very young and by 15, he had the format down. Originally Gene wanted to be a special effects artist but amended that because he couldn’t draw or model clay, so he pivoted to camera work.

Unable to get into film school, Gene headed to college and with help from his multi media instructor, he landed his first job at a video production company. There he worked as a camera man and editor. After a while, because of his love of Asian cinema, he move to Hong Kong for a year and taught English and the year in Hong Kong turned into a decade of moving around Asia. There he did some camera and post production work while still teaching English. It wasn’t until 2016 that he returned to England.

He started his company Barbra Green Digital in 2018. And while his full time job is cinematographer, he started with a few short films and then he was ready for his first feature, The Blade Cuts Deeper, co-written by him and his friend Alex (AJ Ballard). The film was made over a week with a lot of favors, some good location deals and a low 5 figure budget.

Gene talks about submitting his film to festivals and tells the story about how he got distribution. He also talks about working on Blood Stream as the director of photography and also having his own segment. So keep an eye out for that anthology!

Carlos, Gene and I were in fan mode toward the end talking about documentaries such as Mancunian Man and horror movies such as Shelby Oaks, The Dark and the Wicked and Predator Badlands. We also talked about indie filmmakers taking chances and the guerrilla marketing of the 80s and 90s and how it helped build horror fandom and film success.

This is another fun one and if you haven’t yet, support indie filmmakers and watch The Blade Cuts Deeper! And maybe leave a review.

Find us:

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Gene Dolders:

https://bgdigital.org

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8969674/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Director Jason Horton has a life long love of film and he and his Mom bonded over them. Instead of sports, he was into cinema. He’s from Indiana and he had a rough start, he did substances, joined a band and dropped out of school. But Jason eventually regrouped, got his GED and after getting an offshore job at 24, with his brother, he saved up enough for college. Jason went to the University of New Orleans, he wanted to be a lawyer but changed his mind after checking out the film scene and seeing the opportunity, he joined the undergrad film program, instead.

After graduating in 2003, Jason directed his debut feature, Rise of the Undead. He and a friend pooled their money and made it happen. He got a distributor and while they didn’t make any money, Rise of the Undead, did make it on to the shelves of Blockbuster. This was the era of Katrina and so Jason moved from New Orleans to LA. He hoped that opportunities would be plentiful and that because he directed a movie and it was in Blockbuster, he would be a shoo-in but no, it was hard. He was back to working at Starbucks again.

After a while, he did get something in the film industry, his first gig there was as a behind the scenes videographer. And through those connections came opportunities. Jason’s next project was an anthology called Edges of Darkness. It also made it to Blockbuster with a huge dvd release, it did better than the first one. But once again, Jason didn’t see much in the way of profit on it. He was still working full time at Starbucks.

It wasn’t until around 2012 when Monsters in the Woods was released that he finally quit Starbucks for good. He was instead, directing, editing, doing camera work etc. for other people. It still wasn’t a lot but it was industry work.

After a while, Jason started directing documentaries just as the movie business started taking a turn and the movie on demand (MOD) model was no longer as lucrative as it once was. Movies that were once making 6 figures on Amazon, were now lucky to make, five. So for 4 or 5 years, all he made were documentaries.

He’d outgrown the micro budget film model and wanted to get back to narrative filmmaking and so he found crowdfunding. His first campaign made $80,000 for a film called Craving. The experience was so good that he did it again for A Hard Place. The next one, he collaborated with the Mahal’s to fund his monster movie, The Apex Predators Club.

Jason talks about what has made his career, building community through the work and returning to conventions. And then he talks his most ambitious project yet, The Apex Predators Club. It’ll be out next year, 2026, keep an eye out!!

To find J. Horton’s filmography:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1862032/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

J. Horton's youtube:

https://m.youtube.com/@JHorton

And find me, Kimberly:

http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Part 2

After Dead Season, Adam and Enzo, started making cartoons (Oishi High School Battle) and it was one of the biggest shows on youtube, at the time, with billions of views. And it ran for 3 seasons for Smosh. Then they got the band back together for Yeti 2! When it was time to start work on Decade of the Dead, it was rough and expensive from the beginning with a quarter of the budget going to cøvid protocols. Adam co-directed Decade of the Dead with Fairai Branscombe Richmond, in the jungle, in 100 degree heat, wearing essentially, hazmat suits. And it was miserable.

Decade of the Dead took 8 years from start to finish, it began as a Dead Season series and evolved into a sequel. One of the potential options for a location was at the facility of a Hawaiian cult but that fell through and so they settled on Oahu, then people started getting sick. Including their Producer who was so ill he was put on a respirator and then production was canceled. So in the mean time, Adam went back to writing and made a short in honor of a disabled friend he lost. And his producer, Brian Spicer (Briscoe County Jr.), he made 3 movies and when it was time to film Decade of the Dead again, he doubled the funding and gave Adam access to his equipment house.

And as awesome the extra infusion of funding was, Adam couldn’t be away from his kids and quit the production. He was supposed to be replaced by his co-director Fairai, who’s native to the island. Unfortunately, they would lose their funding if Adam quit so he had to gut it out.

Adam and Fairai shared the movie, two A units shooting in tandem, everyone pounded out the production, essentially two movies, one action, one horror, made at the same time. Adam barely slept or ate for a month and a half. It was brutal but they made it happen. A point of pride is all of the FX were practical, all of the explosions etc. is real.

To add to the already grueling production was extortion and if they didn’t have a native Hawaiian on their crew, it would’ve been worse than they got. Oh and a tropical storm blew in while they were filming on the water. It was all bad.

Ok, not all bad. Some of Decade of the Dead has sets from movies you’ve seen and will probably recognize because they were abandoned and used by other productions, including this one.

While waiting to make his next film, Adam is making a retro video game based on Yeti A Love Story, an adventure game and nod to Monkey Island, a full circle moment. And since his day job is in visual fx and animation, he’s right at home.

So many of Adam’s friends who were in his indie low budget Yeti films, are pretty successful right now and you’ve likely seen their shows. From Joe Mande (Hacks, Parks & Recreation) to Adam Malamut (Universal Basic Guys) all started in the Yeti films and at least some of them, want to make more.

Decade of the Dead is full of easter eggs so keep an eye out while you’re watching (now on Tubi) and while you’re there, check out the prequel, Dead Season and Yeti: A Love Story if you are a fan of low budget, adult horror.

Adam mentions a long list of names, movies and series, find them on my website in the linktree below. Thanks so much for supporting indie film and this podcast!

Find Macabre…ish Cults, Classics & Horrors Podcast wherever there are podcasts.

https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Find Adam Deyoe:

https://pro.imdb.com/mobile/name/nm1951858/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Kimberly

It's Halloween season and we have a great episode for you with a delightful human being, Adam Deyoe, if you've seen Dead Season, they you already know his work. And he made a sequel just for you, Decade of the Dead, it's on tubi, check it out. He'll really appreciate that!

Filmmaker, Adam Deyoe’s love for horror and film started in childhood with a game called Monkey Island and as a movie rental store clerk called Video Revolution in Concord, Massachusetts. All of his old video store buddies either moved to New York or out to LA with him, all in pursuit of a career in film, after college. And it worked out for many of them, (his friend from those days, Rob, just edited the new Naked Gun movie!)

But let’s go back…

Adam’s first foray into filmmaking was in high school, where he made two ‘bad’ movies, after graduation he went to film school. At Emerson, Adam made The Mental Dead, his first zombie film (Look out for the re-mastered re-release!). That was also the first film he sold, it was bought buy the man who made Splatter Farm, Todd Michael Smith. Soon, Adam also made a movie called Street Team Massacre, released only online through Troma.

After college, Adam and a college friend, Eric Gosselin made four feature films (Yeti: A Love Story, Another Yeti Love Story: Life on the Streets, Street Team Massacre and Psycho Sleepover)

Then, another friend, from another video store, named Matt Manjourides (who makes low budget horror films and is the producer of The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs) is an FX guy that helped Adam study up on zombies by getting him to watch Fulci horror in preparation for his first zombie feature, The Mental Dead. Matt also had a hand at helping another of Adam’s films, Yeti: A Love Story, get a little nudge toward success at Troma, unbeknownst to Adam.

At the time of the making of Yeti: A Love Story, Adam met filmmaker John Waters, he used to read Adam’s scripts and they became friends for a time.

Yeti was made during the time of MySpace and random people from there were excited to be nude in a very adult, very low budget and very Yeti movie. And a lot of Adam’s college friends. who were also in this movie, all moved to LA together. And unfortunately, because of the state of the industry recently, some have moved away.

Adam talks about the Yeti fandom, the changing landscape of LA and the rapidly changing business of film and then his feature Dead Season. He talks about scouting out the island where he was housesitting for filmmaker, John Cameron Mitchell (director of Short Bus and Hedwig and The Angry Inch), the island was Viajes, in the Bermuda Triangle. While there, someone said they should make a zombie movie, instead on the intended comedy, Boat, Island and that zombie movie was Dead Season. The only other film ever shot on that island was Lord of the Flies.

With his partner, Enzo, Dead Season was green lit and written within a month. Adam talks about a pretty major scam that bankrupted the production before they even started. He talks about the scramble to fund the film and still having to deal with this thief and their nonsense, during filming. That same person also told a lie about a permit, and that lie could have cost the cast their lives. (This story is crazy!)

After all of that, the film made it to its screening, hosted by a friend and something went wrong with the way it played. If this film didn’t do well or sell, Adam and Co were moving back home. This was a hail mary. With luck on their side and being in the wake of the first season of The Walking Dead, they hit the jackpot.

Years later, just as Adam is ready to film Decade of the Dead, it was canceled due to the pandemíc and the sudden hospitalization of his producer. And so for a year and a half, he waited (and made a stop motion short!) but it wasn’t over, soon pandemic or not, the film was greenlit.
This is just part 1… c

Andrew K. Clark is the author of Where Dark Things Grow and Where Dark Things Rise and we had a nice long chat about Appalachian horror in books and film. We talked culture, lore and the rich culture as is shows up in art. Where it's lacking and where it is done well.

Andrew also explains how the culture includes Native American lore and faith and how all of that exists in his stories and in the tone and point of view of the part of Appalachia that he grew up in and relating to his families' stories. The heroes of his book, Where Dark Things Rise are imperfect teens, who do imperfect teen things with their skills that include magic. If you like Stand By Me and Stranger Things, you might really enjoy Andrew's duology.

Where Dark Things Grow is also available as an audiobook, voiced by E. B. Barkley. Where Dark Things Rise will also be available as an audiobook soon. Check out all things Andrew K. Clark on his website at andrewkclark.com. There you can get his books, including signed ones from his publisher Quill & Crow Press (quillandcrowpublishinghouse.com) and Malaprops.com.

Plus there is a play list that accompanies his book. Support indie horror and indie authors! Get the book, leave a review!

And find me:

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Melissa Vitello has always loved writing and storytelling, starting at age 9, she was writing books and at 12 or 13 when her aunt, who worked in the film industry, starting letting her read scripts, she learned to write her own. Her first screenplay was written at 13 years old.

Melissa moves to LA at around 19 years old and went to school and started a club called Dark Heart Pictures, which ended up being her first company. That’s where she began making short films with her friends and there she found a love of producing and collaboration. Afterward she met her husband, also a filmmaker, they made their first film together in 2016.

Ms. Vitello also worked freelance producing and started work as the head of production for a short form content studio. Then the pandemic happened, and it was time to move on. That began her career as a feature film producer and the creation of her horror film company with another producer, Stacy Snyder, called Moon Castle Films. Moon Castle Films specializes and centers women in horror films.

As well as the work, Melissa also talked about the value of making connections and maintaining relationships plus balancing work/life with her husband who she also shares a production company with.

Melissa’s directorial feature film under the banner of her production company, Moon Castle Films was called Abigail. But her first original full feature film, (directed and written) with Moon Castle Films is called Regression. (Keep an eye out for it!)

Find this podcast wherever you get your podcasts as well as on youtube here —> ⁠https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNblhfc6MVBMUe65EA-lWSzG_joW27ZSf⁠

And find Melissa Vitello and her work here:

⁠https://www.mooncastlefilms.com⁠

IG is melissa_makes_movies:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/melissa_makes_movies?igsh=MTVoZTZjMmhodWg5dQ==⁠

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

⁠https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/⁠

Kimberly at ⁠http://www.macabreish.com⁠ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. ⁠https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish⁠

Allison Pittel joins us and shares her journey from college, her decision to work in entertainment and moving to New York. She spent 2 years there as a Production Assistant and working in reality tv. Allison explains how she auditioned for Fuzz on the Lens (The producers of Terrifier) with David Howard Thornton and even though that project didn’t come to fruition, it was a really good experience and she kept in touch.

A year and a half later, with Fuzz on the Lens, she was cast in their feature, Stream. Later on, Allison got the call to do a chemistry read for Screamboat and booked that one too!

Though Allison paid the bills with production and had enjoyed the experience, she prefers to act. And she just moved to L.A. to do just that!

That’s not all, she’s also an indie horror fan and she sees the potential in horror film and is excited to be apart of it. We talk about being in another renaissance in indie horror, as well as women in horror.

Allison is a collaborator at heart and talks about just wanting to make good horror with great people. You will also find her on stage because she is also a play actor.

Keep an eye out for Allison Pittel (Pit-Tell) look for her in Stream and Screamboat which is in theaters April 2, 2025! It is a limited run so go see it! This movie is made for the big screen and an audience!

Get tickets for Screamboat here:

https://steamboatwilliehorrormovie.com/

Find Allison Pittel:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8110323/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

https://www.instagram.com/allisonpittel

Find Carlos and I:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Patrick Rea has been making movies his entire life, in high school, he was given free rein to put his movies on the school’s cable tv channel. And his introduction to the filmmaking business was on the set of Election, at 17 years old. He went to college and one of his mentors was his professor, academy award winner, Kevin Wilmott (you’ll know him as one of the writer’s of 2018 Blackkklansman).

Instead of leaving for LA after graduating from KU, Patrick, instead worked at a tv station making short films. He still lives in Kansas City and most of his films have been shot there.

Patrick shares the pitfalls of filmmaking, sequels and the importance of picking the right distributor. His feature Nailbiter gained steam on Chiller channel and again after it landed on Tubi. He has ideas for a sequel which he’ll make if he can get funding. (everyone stream it so we get that sequel!)

Then he wanted to make a camping horror and called it Enclosure, it was originally supposed to be made in the Ozarks but funding was acquired for South Carolina. The film was shot in 12 days. The distributor changed the name to Arbor Demon (in some places it is still called Enclosure).

Patrick creates interesting stories and unique spins on already established monsters. Even the lower budget films are good, where it might save in expensive production value, you’ll get in story, brutal scenes and a solid twist. Like in I Am Lisa, if you are a Ginger Snaps fan, give this one a watch. It’s a much lower budget film set in the 80s but go for it so we can get a sequel to this one too!

The next one, They Wait in the Dark got him his first New York Times review and it was positive. Unfortunately, this one is distributed by Red Box/Chicken Soup for the Soul who went bankrupt. You’ll have to listen to find out how much of a problem that’s turned out to be and still is.

Patrick has made a ton of shorts, many of which find their way into anthologies, everywhere. Watch and enjoy them!

Support indie filmmakers! Watch Nail Biters, Arbor Demons, I Am Lisa and keep an eye out for Super Happy Fun Clown!

Find Patrick Rea’s filmography here:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1408696/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Steven La Morte started making stop motion videos as an only child in New York, then moved his little productions to the school tv station in high school, where he found his love of storytelling and there he met the producer of Terrifier.

After high school he went to NYU Tisch and also spent time lying about his age so he could direct music videos for labels. It wasn’t long before he moved to LA and as of today, he’s been there for 12 years.

nd making seemingly impossible scenes happen on a strict budget as well as

If you’re a fan of The Mean One, you’re going to want to hear how that came about. It was never a concept that was going to exist in the real world but it does now! On that note, get the collector’s edition of The Mean One because it includes a documentary about how it was made called Christmas Chaos: Making the Mean One.

Steven’s newest project called Screamboat, starring David Howard Thornton as Screamboat Willie, is a reimagining of the public domain character Steamboat Willie. It is set on a New York ferry. Steven talks about the idea for this movie and how it came together.

Support indie films , Screamboat is out April 2, 2025, go see it!

It’s meant to be seen on the big screen folks! Get your tickets here:

https://steamboatwilliehorrormovie.com

Find Steven LaMorte here:

https://www.stevenlamorte.com/

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

This is the 3rd and final part of Kellen & Sheff's episode...

Kellen Garner’s journey into the film industry. Starting from when he was a kid and not really getting that it was a job. He realized being in drama and theater, it was a good outlet him and he was in theater in high school and in college and in community theater. Some theater friends got him into a noir indie film.

In that film, he discovered he needed more than just acting, in film, he wanted more autonomy and control of the production. The next opportunity is where he met Sheff, who was hired on as cinematographer and they became fast friends. Mostly bonding over the ineptitude of the director. It was a terrible experience that culminated in an unwatchable movie but they stuck it out to the end. It actually put them off of westerns, it was that bad. They jokingly call the beginning of their friendship a trauma bond because of that movie.

Kellen’s next movie was the exact opposite of that and solidified his love of directing. And now after Blood in Them Hills, their paths have converged and Kellen is directing a western and Sheff is directing a horror.

They also talk about the differences between doing their own films and making films for producers. The freedom they had in Blood in Them Hills and being able to do what they’ve never were able to do before. Plus being able to do it with an amazing cast, that was easy to work with and with their ability to embody the characters so well.

Support indie filmmakers and check out Blood in Them Hills if you haven’t already!

Kellen Garner’s work:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5814459/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com/

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Part 2

Sheff and Kellen tell us how the production for Blood in Them Hills came together. Making the monster FX work and worrying it wouldn’t. Talking about the random adjustments that were made to make it all look authentic.

Sheff talks inspirations for certain scenes and Kellen explains how the landscape and weather is what makes the movie work. Making hard decisions including cutting a really good scene with Joe (Kellen Garner) but it didn’t necessarily serve the movie in that moment.

We chatted about a potential sequel and Kellen explains what that might look like, the location and how it would be more of a universe than cannibals chasing Joe in the snow.

Everyone get out and see Blood in Them Hills, the release is 2/18/25 and come back here for part 3 in a few days! That’s going to be all about how Kellen got into the film industry and his and Sheff’s earlier and sometimes unfortunate jobs they’ve had together.

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com/

Find Kellen Garner and his work here:

https://www.instagram.com/broomhorse

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Christopher Sheffield is back and this time with co-director and writer, Kellen Garner and they’re here to talk about their new film, Blood in them Hills. This is part 1 and they talk about how they work together, the idea for Blood in them Hills and the often grueling task of getting the film made.

From the first day, it was tough, from grinding through terrible winter weather, to an absent lead and a death of a cast member. It took years to complete this project for so many reasons, but these guys are professionals, and you can’t see any of that struggle on screen, somehow it all came together.

This episode is a behind the scenes chat and a play by play of the effort that went into this film, the challenges and how Sheff and Kellen overcame them all.

If you like Westerns or Horrors, check out Blood in Them Hills, out on 2/18/2025. Also, check out Bite the Dust (formerly Bite the Ground) it was also directed by Christopher Sheffield and Kellen plays a hired gūn in this one!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com/

Find Kellen Garner and his work here:

https://www.instagram.com/broomhorse

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Elliott Lester got his start making music videos for everyone from Jessica Simpson and Selena Gomez to Alicia Keys and Method Man. He got his start as a filmmaker with funding from an unusual source. But then the big break came when he was offered a movie called Blitz, starring Jason Statham and Paddy Considine, it's about a serial k!ller who hunts cops.Later, after his divorce, Elliott was offered a script for the movie, Nightingale, starring David Oyelowo and he could not get the funding, everyone turned him down. But he did have another interesting source to fund the film. Once the movie is done, Elliott, once again, hit a wall and couldn’t get the film into any film festivals.But with the help of Brad Pitt and his company Plan B, the film’s trajectory made a complete 180. The film went on to win awards and nominations (Golden Globes, Emmys) and David Oyelowo, the star, earned a Best Actor win at the Critic’s Choice Awards. And Nightingale was picked up by HBO.Mr. Lester also talks about the difficulty of working in television and one of his films called Sleepwalker (2017). Then one day he gets a phone call from Darren Aronofsky, wanting to know if Elliott would like to direct a drama, Aftermath, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and so he goes to a meeting with Arnold.You have to hear about that and the story of how he got the script for The Thicket, the meeting with Peter Dinklage, you have to hear how Juliette Lewis (who goes on to play, Cutthroat Bill) and James Hetfield (Metallica) came to be in film. Then Tubi came along and the movie is greenlit.The Thicket was a huge hit getting 127 million hours in its first week on Tubi..You’re in for a great and hilarious story! Enjoy!Also, watch Elliott Lester’s movies...Blitz, Sleepwalker, Nightingale, Aftermath and The Thicket.

And find us:

Kimberly at ⁠http://www.macabreish.com⁠ and IG @macabre_ish. ⁠https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish⁠

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Paul Andrew Williams got his start in acting having landed a place in a prestigious drama school in London at age 18. But he became disenchanted, was side tracked and returned home to start over. But he returned to London to make a short film and music videos, little by little each small project brought in more money until one of his indie shorts got the attention of Fox Searchlight Director’s Lab where he created, It’s Ok To Drink Whiskey and it premiered in the Sundance Film Festival.

After a stint in LA, Paul returned home and the entire time he was trying to get The Cottage made but it kept stalling. In the mean time he was offered the Wild Things 3 but severe anxiety attacks forced him to quit.

But then he wrote a script called London to Brighton from that Friday to Monday, then got the funding (£60,000) to make it and the gritty thriller ended up being a success! Paul decided to finally make his horror comedy. The Cottage. While it was well received at festivals, the critics back home didn’t get it.

While his first feature, a gritty thriller, London to Brighton, was a critically acclaimed hit that made him an indie darling, this horror comedy, cost him and changed the trajectory of his career. First, was a rating system choice because of one word and had the word been removed, Paul believes it would have a different outcome. It was a big lesson to learn.

The next movie was like starting over. It was another low budget indie thriller, Cherry Tree Lane which was better received.

Paul changed direction again to TV and making dramas then he created Bull. And if you are a fan of the film The Children, that was based on a script he wrote and sold.

Paul Andrew Williams is one of my favorite filmmakers and one of my favorite comedies is apparently his worst feature, The Cottage! Check out his other work if you haven’t already, London to Brighton, which put him on the map. Watch the more recent Bull and Cherry Tree Lane! Watch everything and support indie films.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Find Paul Andrew Williams’ filmography here:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1440314/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com/ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish