Introduction to Amateur Film (Wikipedia):

There are three types of filmmaking- Studio, Independent, and Amateur. Five Across the Eyes is the greatest amateur film I’ve ever seen, and I say that with the utmost respect and adoration. Amateur film has been the biggest inspiration in my life and is definitely a sub-culture of film that cant be denied. I’m talking about the classics like Two Ways the Same, the Imperial Pictures trilogy, or Sam Hain (not the one listed on imdb), even Zombie Genocide (IMDB) coming all the way from Ireland back in ‘93. ZG’s official site is still online, distributing dvd copies and has since put the entire film on youtube. As for breakthrough amateur films, I would have to say that the biggest and most renowned amateur horror films are the August Underground trilogy. Blair Witch Project was an independent theatrical release (not just festival circuit.)

The biggest reason why the casual moviegoer is unfamiliar with amateur film is because the filmmakers are generally film students, video production professionals, or aspiring filmmakers who have completely bypassed the film industry by creating and distributing movies on their own. A lot of the time the filmmakers only distribute a limited number of copies and their customers help spread the movies, when that number runs out, by making and sending copies through the mail. Not because they are helping the filmmakers, but because they are helping fans of amateur film so that they are not left out. Fortunately, FATE was picked up by professional distributors and didn’t have to resort to self-distribution or putting the film online for free, just to be seen.

The biggest problem amateur film has with critics (or audiences in general), is that 99.9% of the critics are not able to distinguish amateur film from independent, so they watch the films with the same mindset and expectations. Another problem amateur film faces is that the number of terrible films greatly out number the good films, and so amateur film is not highly regarded. But, just like with big budget studio or independent films, the viewer has to be knowledgeable enough to be able to avoid the bad films. Like, Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, Frightworld, or Murder-Set-Pieces (which I hate with a furious passion. No, it is not an independent film, shut your face.)

Retaliation:

With all of that said, it makes me pretty upset when I come across a negative review by a critic / self-proclaimed film buff who is entirely unfamiliar with amateur film. BC over at HMAD (I respect him even if I never agree with him on anything) rants about the production quality, making comparisons to Paranormal Activity, an independent film. Even though he goes on to say (about PA) “…the film is entirely digital video that looks no better/worse than what any average Joe can shoot..” Well, aside from contradicting himself, this isn’t Paranormal Activity, it wasn’t filmed to be a mockumentary, and mockumentary ghost movies are a million times easier to make seem scary when the audience automatically feels like what they are watching is real due, to the inherited home video look, which he inadvertently admits to later in the review anyway. (Run-on sentences FTFW.)The rest of his review is more like a confessional about how things moved too fast for him to comprehend and how he wasn’t happy that the film’s outcome didn’t fit into a generic formula molded by countless generic productions with insanely higher budgets. “…we hear gunshots… and none of them are seemingly injured at all”- The gunshots were from a shotgun, so what about the pellet wounds sprayed across Isabella’s forehead? Or did you miss that too? We did agree on two things though, the script is awesome and a remake of this would be awesome.

Here is the comment that was left in response to BC’s review “…The acting sucks. The sound is awful. Camera work is annoying. You got everything right, and I’m only thirty minutes into the film. I should have read your review before renting the movie…” Actually, you should stop sucking at life. Im sorry if the movie went over your head, but maybe you need to stop blaming the filmmakers and enlighten yourself instead of grabbing a movie off the shelf because the cover is pretty.

Brad over at B-D actually has a positive review up for FATE, giving it a score of 5/10. I mostly agree with him on everything with the exception of his rant about the casting of Sandra (Isabella, the driver.) I thought she was just as good as the rest of the cast and couldn’t imagine anyone else in her place. She did a kick ass monologue that she had to cry through, and it was one of the most convincing moments in the film. It was obvious that it was a good performance because all of the other girls started to cry too, and if they weren’t able to shed a tear on cue before, I’m sure they let the
directors get plenty of tear-filled shots for that scene because of it.

Violence Vs. Gore (Personal Disclaimer):

I’m a big fan of violence, but not in the same way that I’m a fan of gore. Gore, to me, is the execution of an effects masters craftsmanship, so I appreciate it in that aspect. In that sense, it’s exciting to see what the gurus can get onscreen and how refined their skill can be, the innovations they make, (not excluding CGI), etc. The actions taking place in a realistic story, that inflict the wounds which give the gore its stage, are just as repulsive to me, as they would be in real life. And I would never tolerate it if it were not in story form. (I hope that made sense.) So, being that real life violence is wild and unpredictable, it is intriguing to me that a writer can replicate that wild and unpredictable behavior with characters, in that nature. That’s what I’m a fan of. For those taking notes, that’s one of the big differences between a great horror film and people just getting mutilated on screen (i.e. torture porn.)

Review:

The hardest part about writing this review is that I’m so excited about this movie that I just want to transcribe the entire thing. Yet, I want you to see it, so I don’t want to give any of it away since I want it to surprise you as much as it did me.

If you don’t know what the film is about, here is the spoiler-free synopsis: A group of girls get lost on the way home from a high school football away-game. *Something* happens when they stop for directions and they try to flee so they dont get caught. When they realize they are still lost, they cross paths with another vehicle that turns around and starts to chase them aggressively.

The reason I love this film so much is because it was like watching a low budget version of Battle Royale for the first time, all over again. Or, August Underground as a narrative instead of a home video (which is what I wish AU would have been.) If you’re already interested in seeing Five Across the Eyes, stop reading and go watch it. If you’re still not convinced, I’m going to mix in some of my favorite moments and lines with this review in an attempt to convince you, but I’m not going to reveal the best parts.

*** Spoilers Ahead ***

The movie starts out at a very high pace, in “real-time”, and doesn’t let up. Not only is the editing good enough to keep up with the story, but all of the actions and dialogue are extremely tight. From the opening scene, the plot is established and the story is up and running. The girls relationships and interaction with one another is actually realistic. While the lines are not delivered perfectly, they actually feel genuine and fit the scenario, as opposed to other movies where scenes in cars feel forced and scripted even if every syllable is flawless.

There are underlying elements of the script that demonstrate a heightened sensibility of the subject matter. Like, how since the driver hasn’t had her license for very long, she isn’t experienced enough to be able to feel how far she has driven without counting mile markers. So, it is entirely feasible that she could drive 35 minutes in the wrong direction without being able to judge the distance, if she wasn’t paying attention. Which, not a lot of teen high school girls do. That instance is never actually mentioned in the dialogue, but it only reinforces the plausibility of a new driver getting lost in an unfamiliar area. The backwood roads of Tennessee, no less.

Speaking of location, Brad mentioned that “…the film takes place in a car, in a field and in another car. With absolutely no locations…” which just isn’t true. The perspective never leaves the van, but there is actually a gas station / convenience store, some dead-ends, a wooden bridge, a concrete tunnel, and a ton of back roads. And I’m not mentioning those with any cynicism. It is just negligent to ignore the locations that actually are in the film, because the filmmakers intentionally included those areas to prevent the perception that all of the events only took place inside the van. That’s another thing that makes me like this movie so much and why I
won’t let it be dismissed.

Within four minutes of the movie, so much has already happened that everything has been established and the first major conflict happens. The girls play the “pretend to drive off as the last person tries to get in the car” game, at the gas station they stopped at for directions, and accidentally run into a parked vehicle. Now, I’m willing to bet you know exactly how it feels to deviate from being a good driver for a moment in the name of fun and how upsetting it is when something happens to your parents car after just getting your license, because I do too. And, you were probably getting confused about what to do because you had a car full of people who all had different opinions during the crucial moment of decision making. Then, realizing you’re in trouble after making the wrong decision (with the cops, another driver, etc.) So, for a story to relate to it’s audience, it doesn’t get much more relevant than that.

Which, in this movies case, how much shorter would the story have been if they had made the right decision? You wont find out until the end. <- That gets me pumped, almost as much as finding out.

After they get directions, Jamie is trying to figure out where the "Eyes" are on the map and Stephanie says "Are you sure he was'nt just using "I's" as in a conjuction? Like I's been living in this here area for about... well nobody's even listening." The point she was trying to make wasn't funny, but she realizes that it's lame and nobody is listening to her, then admits it, THAT is funny. lol.

When the other vehicle shows up and starts chasing the girls, they all start arguing about what to do. Stephanie isn't trying to be funny, because they are all getting scared at this point, but the way the line ends is hilarious; "He could have a gun, or a bomb, or stabbing weapons!"

To add another layer of depth to the story, alot of consideration is taken for realistic interaction between the characters themselves as well as the van. For example: When being chased, all of the girls are facing the back of the van watching the SUV chasing them, and Stephanie gets so excited that she starts motioning Isabella to drive faster, but accidentally slaps Jamie in the face who is turned around in her seat with her face where it normally wouldn't be. It took me an entire paragraph to explain it, but its just a tiny detail that passes by seamlessly as the chase progresses. Another example is when Jamie is turned around in her seat, except kneeling this time, and the driver punches the gas in an attempt to outrun the SUV, causing Jamie to hit her face on the headrest. It isn't slapstick or humorous at all, and that's what makes it so awesome / funny.

Another one of Stephanie's lines "Oh there's the popcorn I had at the game, it's about to come back up... Oh god, I had nachos too." lol

Okay, prepare yourself for this- one of the stories elaborate chain reactions: Melanie poops in the van so she can throw it at the SUV chasing them. After they lose the SUV, she wipes her hands off on a rag that she accidentally puts in Stephanie's face because she has to use Stephanie's window since the side windows don't roll down. Stephanie pukes in her hands and distracts the driver, when the driver looks up, she has to slam on the brakes before running into a fallen tree. Stephanie is thrust forward with the abrupt halt and the puke splatters all over the dashboard. "You've got puke all over your shirt, take that off... ooohhh there's popcorn kernels in it." "Well dont examine it, I'll throw up again." (She takes off shirt.) "Just throw that
away." "You're sure?" "It has throw up and pee all over it." (I did'nt even tell you why her clothes have pee on them. lol.)

If you read the part I mentioned earlier about Isabella's monologue, it really is one of the most emotionally effective scenes I've seen lately. At just the right moment though, as some comic relief (I'm hoping), she starts to get apologetic "I'm sorry for all the things I've done to you lately... Like, shooting roman candles at you..." lmao. It took me a few seconds of laughing to realize she had actually said that.

And THEN the action picks up when one of my most favorite moments happens, and it's pretty ingenious. (I'm not giving it away though.) Followed by a great one-take that was choreographed and executed perfectly which was only enhanced by effective sound design. BC had a problem with the rotating shots when Jamie is in the back of the van, but they seemed relevant as a disorienting camera or post-pro technique, like in the opening of Irreversible. Which, I'm sure it would be disorienting to be hiding under a seat that your friend is being victimized on.

At this point, there have been a few clues as to why the maniac is actually chasing them but nothing has made sense until they find the person's SUV abandoned on the side of the road (which they are looking for intentionally, and with good reason.)

Any movie that can consistently find good reasons for people to keep puking is a win in my book, and there is alot of puking in this movie. Not the pointless mind-numbing bullshit like Slaughtered Vomit Dolls (please dont ever watch), the over-the-top spray gun from the far-side of the actors mouth, or the pukeless off-camera puking alot of movies do. Im talking about involuntary projectiles that make you wonder why more movies cant do it realistically like this, because its that awesome.

The biggest dynamic that the characters have is the arc from being innocent youths to becoming battered warriors. Thats not a spoiler, it even says it in the plot on IMDB- "the five girls will lose their innocence and possibly their lives in this brutal and shocking thrill ride." Adding yet another layer of depth to that dynamic is how it manifests as the story progresses. Not just the confessions and secrets that came out from the stress and crying, but the pleas and survival mechanisms that begin to surface as they become more bruised and broken as their lives loom in peril.

"Tell me about the time you fell off that parade float." lol

As much as I've talked about this movie and how awesome it is, I still haven't even told you about a third of it yet. I didn't even mention anything from the final act, because it's just that awesome and it's a great ending. If you like what you've read so far, you're going to like the movie. Go watch it, I highly recommend it.

Lastly, the official rating of 2.5 good apples below is the highest possible score I give it. Read the rating system details for more info.

- Wes Fierce

Official HFM Rating:

(Read more about the rating system)

Screenshots

Honorable Mention

5 Good Apples - One of the best movies of the year

4 Good Apples - Better than the average theatrical release, but not good enough to be best of the year

3 Good Apples - Average theatrical release

2 Good Apples - Better than just an entertaining direct-to-video release, but not good enough for theaters

1 Good Apple - An entertaining direct-to-video release

1 Bad Apple - Can’t give a good rating to with a clear conscience

2 Bad Apples - For completists only, or if you’re out of options

3 Bad Apples - Generic DTV that was most likely made strictly to profit from unsuspecting viewers, just ignore

4 Bad Apples - Avoid at all costs, but not the worst ever made

5 Bad Apples - One of the worst movies of the year

Undecided - The staff reserves the right to withhold an official rating

Rating System Criteria:

While we all love certain elements of movies that cause us to list them as one of our favorites, HFM tries to remain as objective as possible. When giving a movie an official rating, we try to keep every quality in mind, such as -Story, Dialogue, Progression, Effects, Cinematography, Direction, Acting, Score, Soundtrack, Editing, Audio Design, Set Production, Picture, Composition, Framing, Visual Style, Scope / Scale, etc.

I was lucky enough to be invited back to participate again, so in the interest of expanding on the matter, here is the list that I submitted:

1. The Silence of the Lambs
2. The Ring
3. Se7en
4. From Hell
5. The Sixth Sense
6. Interview with the Vampire
7. The Others
8. Scream
9. Ju-On
10. Final Destination

Runner-ups: Dawn of the Dead ‘04, Candyman, The Blair Witch Project, Murder Party

The biggest / only problem I had with this list and the previous Top 50 list, was that even though the list is titled “Top”, the definition of Top was left open to interpretation. Meaning, participants were allowed to list their favorites. …… ….. …… Yeah, let that sink in for a moment. …… ……. …… It’s like the “It was all a dream” plot device, isn’t it?

So, that means that within each list, there are entries submitted that have no relevance to how much better a film is than the one listed below it. (In terms of everything from acting to production value.) Which also means that “Best” and “Favorite” lists were compiled together to form the “Top” list. The lists make a little more sense, looking at them from that perspective, don’t they?

Peter Hall over at Horrors Not Dead makes a great point about why he thinks The Descent shouldn’t be number one on this list. But, if that tiny change had been made in the criteria for submitting our lists, I think the results would have been much different and Peter wouldn’t have even had to write his post in the first place. Sure, the lists would probably be a little more boring with alot of expected results, but I am just as excited to see a true “Best of” list as I am a true “Favorites” list. I know my list would have been drastically different.

I think Brian has a great idea going and I’m honored to be included, but unless that differentiation is made, how valid / authoritative / important are these mashed up lists, anyway?

Top 25 Horror Films of the Modern Era- Participants:

Brian Solomon of The Vault of Horror
Wes Fierce of Horror Film Magazine
Vince Liaguno of Slasher Speak, horror novelist
Max Cheney of The Drunken Severed Head, 2007 Rondo nominee for Best Website
Karswell of The Horrors of It All
Stacie Ponder of Final Girl and AMC’s Horror Hacker
Ryne Barber of The Moon Is a Dead World
Brad Miska of Bloody-Disgusting
John W. Morehead of Theofantastique
The Lightning Bug of The Lightning Bug’s Lair
Sean T. Collins of Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat, Marvel.com and Maxim
CRwM of And Now the Screaming Starts
The Horror Guy
Justin of Send More Cops
Gary D. Macabre of Blogue Macabre and The Many Faces of the Frankenstein Monster
Garg the Unzola of The Necro Files
BC of Horror-Movie-a-Day
Peter Hall of Horror’s Not Dead
Unkle Lancifer and Aunt John of Kindertrauma
John Kenneth Muir, horror critic (Booklist Editor’s Choice)
Pax Romano of Billy Loves Stu
Curt Purcell of The Groovy Age of Horror and Cinema Nocturna
Scott Weinberg of FEARnet, Cinematical, Horror.com and Rotten Tomatoes
Brian Matus of FangoriaOnline
Jo of Nightly Accounts
Nate Yapp of Classic-Horror.com

Brian Solomon of The Vault of Horror
Iloc Zoc of Zombos’ Closet of Horror
Wes Fierce of Horror Film Magazine
Vince Liaguno of Slasher Speak, horror novelist
Max Cheney of The Drunken Severed Head, 2007 Rondo nominee for Best Website
Kim Paffenroth, author of Gospel of the Living Dead
Karswell of The Horrors of It All
Casey Criswell of Cinema Fromage and Bloody Good Horror
Stacie Ponder of Final Girl and AMC’s Horror Hacker
The Vicar of VHS & The Duke of DVD from Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Movies
Ryne Barber of The Moon Is a Dead World
Brad Miska of Bloody-Disgusting
John W. Morehead of Theofantastique
Carnacki of The Mystery of the Haunted Vampire
The Lightning Bug of The Lightning Bug’s Lair
Sean T. Collins of Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat, Marvel.com and Maxim
Jeff Allard of Dinner with Max Jenke and Shock Till You Drop
CRwM of And Now the Screaming Starts
Paul Bibeau of Goblinbooks, editor at Maxim, author of Sundays with Vlad
The Horror Guy
Justin of Send More Cops
Gary D. Macabre of Blogue Macabre and The Many Faces of the Frankenstein Monster
Garg the Unzola of The Necro Files
Pierre Fournier of Frankensteinia, Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Famer
BC of Horror-Movie-a-Day
Peter Hall of Horror’s Not Dead
Chad Helder of Unspeakable Horror, writer of Vincent Price Presents
Unkle Lancifer of Kindertrauma
John Kenneth Muir, horror critic (Booklist Editor’s Choice)
Pax Romano of Billy Loves Stu
Curt Purcell of The Groovy Age of Horror and Cinema Nocturna
Tenebrous Kate of Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire

*Art credit- The Madd Hattress

The strange thing all the movies I watched had in common were that I didn’t really know much about any of them, but I had watched the trailer for each at least once at some point. So, I ended up watching (trailer links:) Splinter, Midnight Meat Train, Dance of the Dead, The Night Flier, Fear(s) of the Dark, and Trailer Park of Terror (not in that exact order.) If I would have bet myself which ones I would end up liking, I would have picked MMT, DOTD, and FOTD. But, I would have lost the bet. “Oh, really?” you say? Yeah. Really.

For some reason, I thought the scope of Splinter was going to be slightly larger, in the vein of something like Slither (idk.) The total cast list comprises of like, 7, and the majority of the story takes place in the gas station seen in the trailer. Splinter was the only movie I didn’t completely love, but it wasn’t bad enough to give a bad review. It was actually pretty clever for such a small cast in a small location with a high-ish concept. The acting wasn’t terrible, but Splinter isn’t nearly as effective as Cookers. I will admit, though, that I now have a faux crush on Jill Wagner. What a lame dvd cover, btw.

Somehow, I found FearNet OnDemand (which I couldn’t find again later(?)), and got to watch Midnight Meat Train for free. I was probably the most aggravated by this one, because it’s one of those “it had such potential” films, yet totally dropped the ball. The only really good thing I can say about it was how good the cinematography was. It seemed like every scene was very picture-esque. If you’re someone who can let logic and rationale fly out the window while watching a movie, you might actually like this one. But if not, things start falling apart left and right, and it gets really distracting. The gore was decent for the most part, but alot of the CG looked bad and I don’t understand how half of it can look good and the other half totally suck. I’ve been a fan of Leslie Bibb since the show “Popular”, and if Trick r’ Treat ever gets released, she’s in that too <3<3<3. Bradley Cooper also seems like one to keep an eye on, especially with his role in “He’s just not that into you.”

I was most looking forward to Dance of the Dead, and it seemed like it would stand out from the rest of the crap that Ghosthouse Underground released. At one point, I turned to my friend and wrapped up the entire film with “it’s like a low budget R-Rated disney movie for teens.” Alot of cliche characters saying alot of cliche lines while killing zombies in ridiculous ways (bodyslamming, and beating them with ripped off limbs, etc.) It wouldn’t have been so bad if it didn’t look like they filmed the entire movie with a camera that could be checked out of a high school videography class.

What I wasn’t very surprised with was The Night Flier. A low grade King adaptation that makes me wonder what King was smokin when he wrote it. That’s all I really to say about to movie. A couple of memorable shots, that’s about it.

The biggest letdown, sadly, was Fear(s) of the Dark. What a terrible movie for such a fantastic trailer. It’s screening at some festival somewhere, the interwebs are buzzing about it because of the trailer, it shows up on AMC’s Horror Ranking List, or whatever. It’s even subtitled, so it already seems like a solid pick to watch. Watching the film, however, was like watching one of those old PBS animated movies, where nothing really happens, ever, barely any dialogue, and I found myself nodding off constantly. The last story of the anthology *might* be worth watching, but not worth sitting through the entire movie to see. If I had a top ten list of movies I wish I could the time back from watching, this would be on it.

Finally, the very last movie I got around to watching, was the one I expected the least from. I wasn’t really impressed (at all) with the trailer for Trailer Park of Terror, but dammit if it didn’t grow on me as I watched it. In fact, watching the trailer again, it doesnt even seem like the same movie. The production quality is above average compared to most DTV crap that gets shoveled out. This one was actually good enough that I’m going to do a formal review on later. If I had to describe it by comparing it to other movies, I would have to say something like Night of the Demons + Texas Chainsaw Massacre + Evil Dead + House of 1,000 Corpses. It’s based on a comic and the soundtrack is awesome, it’s almost like a musical in the vein of Dead & Breakfast, but enough restraint to keep the baddies from doing Thriller like dancing.

So, my apologies for not posting more quality reviews or studies lately, but it’s really hard to find good/new horror to write about, to keep things even, so I’m not writing about all the other older horror movies I’ve seen a million times, cause it’s not as motivating as writing about something fresh

This past year, Massify.com launched a project with After Dark Films to develop a feature length horror film entirely online with a competition which would let users piece the film together through voting, known as “Ghosts in the Machine”. The resulting film became “Perkins’ 14″ (Winning Pitch, Wiki), which will be a part of After Dark Films’ Horrorfest III, aka 8 Films to Die For this coming January along with The Broken, Slaughter, Butterfly Effect 3, From Within, Dying Breed, Autopsy, and an as yet unannounced 8th film. Not only does the plot sound extremely interesting but the hype has already begun as well. The trailer is on it’s way, but until then, B-D has a few stills in their gallery, or check out the making-of series Webisode 1 and Webisode 2.

As part of the competition, users voted for the lead role, which was won by Josh Davidson (Massify, Josh-Davidson.com, Blog, Myspace.) HFM got the chance to catch up with Josh to talk about the film after seeing his chilling performance as The Joker in a series by his production company that he co-founded.

How big is your role in Perkins’ 14 in terms of screen time? Have you seen a cut of the film yet? If so, what did you think of it? If not, how do you think it will turn out?

Well, while I won the “lead” role in Perkin’s… it’s more of a featured role. So, you can expect to see me on screen 5-10 minutes. It really all depends on how the editor cuts it together. As with most movies, as an actor, I haven’t seen a cut and won’t see it until the premiere. I’ve seen a few of the Horrorfest movies from the past 2 years, particularly Craig Singer’s (Dir of P14) 2006 Dark Ride and Tiffany Shepis’ 2007 Nightmare Man (I co-star with her in a film soon to be released called Zombthology). I think P14 will be one of the best Horrorfest movies of the 3 years. The scariest movies, in my opinion, are based on reality, and I think they stuck with Jeremy Donaldson’s original concept that these “bad guys” don’t do anything outside of the realm of possibility. Perkins’ 14, conceivably, could happen and that’s what will make this movie hit home.

It sucks that the politics involved prevented you from getting a bigger role, but it’s cool that the concept of the project panned all the way out for you. What was it like working with a professional film crew (in Romania no less)? Why were they filming in Romania?

Any movie set can be described as controlled chaos (or at least you hope it’s controlled!). The P14 set in Romania was a little more chaotic than usual due to the dual languages, but at the same time it was very well controlled. Craig would yell out his direction, then the AD, who was Romanian, would yell out the same direction in Romanian. Aside from the big hitters on the crew (director, director of photography, producers, etc.) most of the positions were filled with Romanians. Some could speak English pretty well, some could barely say much. It made for an interesting situation. But other than being on the huge studio lot, the set wasn’t much different at all from some of the indie films I’ve worked on. The best set I’ve been on is my soon to be released thriller, Good People. I felt like a king on that set, they treated me very well and it was well organized. The cast and crew were all amazing and I’m sure that will be reflected in the end product.

I think P14 was filmed in Romania to save money, however by flying everyone to Romania and putting them up in hotels… I just don’t see how it could have been cost effective. A lot of times the governments give a huge amount of the production budget back to the filmmakers for employing many of the crew from the country, so that could be a motivating factor as well, but I just don’t know.

Any production that lenses somewhere offshore seems like it would be a more interesting venture for everyone involved. Now that you have a role on your resume that will be seen by so many people around the world, are you going to pursue a career in acting for film? Do you plan to move to Los Angeles or New York? Do you have an agent or plan on getting one?

I am thankful for my opportunity to be in P14 and I hope people enjoy my character. Sometimes it’s better to have a few good moments on screen than to wear out your welcome across an entire 90 minutes. Hopefully that will be the case here. I am pursuing a career in acting, and I do not feel I need to move to NYC or LA to do so. I fell into acting 2.5 years ago when I was an extra in “The Invasion” and on my first day on a movie set EVER, I was chosen out of a crowd to pick up and carry Nicole Kidman, had lunch alone with Daniel Craig (within days of his crowning as the next James Bond), sat next to Keith Urban and watched his wife act in a little monitor he was holding, and was allowed to give my thoughts on a scene to Oscar-nominated director Oliver Hirschbiegel. Surprisingly he actually listened and used what I said! That’s a good start to anyone’s acting career!

Even with all of this, what really got me going was just being on set and getting high off of the energy and that controlled chaos. I KNEW right then this was what I had been searching for my whole life. 6 months later I signed up for a movie making competition without knowing what the hell I was doing and I made a movie… a pretty decent short called Run Down for the 2006 Baltimore 48 Hour Film Project. Thus, Be More Films was born. I didn’t do anything with film for 6 months while I dealt with other issues, then finally ramped back up in 2007. Since May 2007 I’ve been in 10 shorts and 9 feature length films (lead role in 6 of them). This month I’m working on 2 features and 2 shorts where I’m the lead and I’m filming 2 more scenes in my latest Joker fan film, which I’m also producing. I’m also doing the voice work for a published horror novella, The Watching, written by the very talented CS Johnson. We are putting it out as podcasts and eventually an audio book on CD. On the web production side I have to create 6 different websites in the next few weeks for actors or companies. A website is a very important tool in today’s world and most actors, especially at my level, just can’t afford one. I’m dedicated to creating quality websites for actors at affordable prices.

I’m tired just talking about it! So after all that, you see that yes it is possible to make a career in the film industry and not live in NYC or LA. I don’t have an agent, not that I’m opposed to having one. I’ve just stayed so busy since deciding to go after this career that I haven’t really had time to seek one. I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket. I know that I will make a career in the film industry, I just am not sure which area I’m going to do it in. I like acting probably the most, but I am very good at producing, and really good with directing actors. I also like holding a camera in my hand. I’ve had a hand in producing or directing 2 features and 6 short films and I’m planning on directing (possibly co-directing with my very talented Joker films director/editor Joseph Nasto) my first feature this coming summer.

It sounds like you’ve definitely found your calling, especially with such an exciting introduction to the industry. How did you get involved with “Good People”? How did that experience compare to working on Perkins’ 14?

I was called by the producer of Good People and she asked me
to audition for the lead role of Deven. I can’t say much about the role or I’d be giving away major plot points in the movie, but I will say this is a role of a lifetime and I’m SO grateful to have been given the opportunity to bring Deven to life. I wanted this part and I put everything I had into the audition and I think it showed. A few days later the producer, Stacie Gentzler, called me up and asked, “Is Deven there?” I knew then I had the part. It was a great feeling. The premiere is this coming Sunday, Nov 9th and I’m very excited to see the movie. The director, Lewis Long III, is a huge Hitchcock fan and that is reflected in his style. So you won’t see a lot of blood or brutality on screen and I think that’s refreshing in this age of Hostel and Saw type horror films. If it’s half as good as the amount of fun I had playing this character it should be a hit!

Comparing Good People and P14 is just too tough. They were two very different experiences. I got to travel through Eastern Europe and see some parts of the world (Transylvania!) I probably would have never gotten to see, so that was a huge positive for P14. Good People’s Deven is by far my favorite role and what I believe is probably my best work… but I guess we’ll see this weekend for sure.

It’s funny you should mention Hostel and Saw, as they have been mentioned on this site recently in relation to the death of horror, lol. Anyway… Perkins’ 14 is playing alongside 7 other horror films during the horrorfest in January. If our readers only have time to see one at the theater, why should they choose Perkins’ 14?

Why go see Perkins’ 14… like I said before, there’s nothing supernatural about it. This is something that could happen and that makes for the scariest of scary movies. And Katherine Pawlak is in it… she’s damn hot, and talented. Go see her now before she’s HUGE! She’s working on her music career right now and as you can see from the massify webisode 2 she can sing. Don’t worry, she’s still acting, but the girl has some serious pipes… and legs!

I did spot Pawlak while prepping for this interview, she does seem like one to watch for.

You also co-founded a film production company called Be More Films. What plans lie ahead for the future of the company?

Haha, I keep answering questions before you ask them. As I said, once we wrap filming on Vengeance With A Smile, I am going to film a 10 minute short about a serial killer that may or may not turn into a feature later on down the road. Then I’m going to put these two films and a business plan in front of investors. I’ll be seeking funding for a serial killer horror/thriller in the same vein of Silence Of The Lambs, only smaller scale. I plan to start filming that in Tennessee in the summer of 2009 provided I have enough funding in place. This movie will be based off of a coming book from CS Johnson. I’m very excited about this one as the story and characters are fresh and just chilling!

That sounds great. It seems like you have alot of work ahead of you, which is always promising. Is there anything else that I didn’t cover that you would like to mention to our readers?

I went to High School with DJ Qualls in Manchester, TN. He was 1 year ahead of me.

My daughter, Alexa, is probably the best actor in the family. She is the lead alongside me in a film I did called Kaytee Never Cries and blew me away. She also co-stars alongside me in Gary Ugarek’s new Zombie feature film Deadlands 2: Trapped. And while it’s called Deadlands 2, it is not a sequel and it is light years ahead of Deadlands: The Rising. DL2: Trapped is going to make some studio quite a lot of money on DVD and hopefully will rise to cult status in the world of indie zombie films. My daughter has some great moments in this movie and I can’t wait for people to see it. It also stars Jim Krut who is of course the Helicopter Zombie from the original Dawn of the Dead. It was so cute to see her signing posters alongside Jim at a special Halloween theater showing of the movie last weekend!

You can watch and read about my experiences in Romania via Massify’s blog. My first entry was put up a couple of days ago and there will be 4 or 5 to follow which will include some behind the scenes footage of filming of the actual movie.

Thanks for your time Josh, all great responses! I look forward to seeing you in Perkins’14 and wish you the best of luck with your career in the industry.

Josh is doing a great job at marketing himself across the web. If you missed any of the links in the interview or would like to know more about Josh and everything he is involved with, check out all of the links below:

Josh-Davidson.com
Josh-Davidson.info
Josh Davidson on IMDB
Josh Davidson on Massify
Josh Davidson’s Myspace
Follow Josh Davidson on Twitter

Be More Films
Be More Marketing

Good People’s Official Site
Good People on Myspace
Good People (Trailer) - Youtube

Be More Films & Clearvision Production’s Youtube Channel
Be More Film’s Youtube Channel
The Hostage - Youtube
Kaytee Never Cries - Youtube
Zombthology (Trailer) - Youtube
Deadlands 2: Trapped (Teaser) - Youtube

Perkins’ 14 on Wikipedia
B-D’s gallery of stills for Perkins’ 14
Horrorfest Online
The Massify Contest
Massify Webisode 1 / Massify Webisode 2

Infini-tropolis: Halloween Essentials 2008

And feel free to post your own list in the comments below!

A young female college coed happens upon a charming “wig shop”, which just so happens to have a room for rent sign hanging in the window. After approaching the door she meets the kindly old Mrs. Pringle (Elizabeth Davis) who greets her welcomingly, asking her in and promptly introducing her to her stuffed Lynx Napoleon. After a brief inquiry about the room, Mrs. Pringle quickly ushers the girl towards a closed door. Here she begins calling out to her mentally deficient son Rodney (Chris Martell) Swiftly opening the door and pushing the young girl into the dimly lit room, hurriedly locking the door behind the very frighten and befuddled young girl. Here we get our first glimpse of the slack jawed Rodney, who immediately pounces upon his unwitting victim. He produces a carving knife which he proceeds to slowly cut into the girl’s forehead, cutting away at the base of her scalp. It’s quite apparent this is not your average “wig shop”, nor is this your standard fair sourcing of lovely locks. Mrs. Pringle and son rinse and repeat the above scenario to satiate the ever growing demand for their all-natural wigs. With time the disappearance of so many young girls begins to garner the attention of the local police and media, with reports wildly circulating and insinuating murder. Such reports work into the worries of local student Kathy Baker (Gretchen Wells), who has a noted reputation of being a bunglingly inept Nancy Drew knock off. Much to the annoyance of her boyfriend Dave (Rodney Bedell) and her small circle of friends, Kathy once again takes it upon herself to play detective in hopes of solving the mystery of the missing college girls. When one looks at any Herschel Gordon Lewis film from the surface, what they’ll most likely see is a poorly produced, shoddily yet entirely manufactured piece of shameless shit. The actors therein among the worst you’ll ever come across, productions values likened to that of construction paper and magic markers. Wooden dialog, amongst an elementary transgressed scripting. So just why in the hell would anyone ever bother watching, let alone enjoying one of his so called “films”? Simply, they’re fun as hell. There’s a truly unexplainable compulsion derived from his works. He creates a bizarre world all his own, which remains endearing not wholly in spite of its many flaws, but because of them. The Gruesome Twosome opens on a couple of quarreling mannequin heads, made up in a quirky yet an entirely appealing fashion. Rightly so, it proves to be a disorienting initiation to the coming feature ahead. Yet somehow it seems to work, despite its clear intent to pad the features runtime. Unfortunately later attempts to lengthen the runtime prove less tolerable. They don’t call Lewis the “Godfather of Gore” for nothing, and the Gruesome Twosome certainly lives up to its name. There is no other gore, like that of a Herschel Gordon Lewis film; true to form the effects here are crude in origin and application alike. Personally I find this only heightens the overall enjoyment, the vibrantly shocking red amongst the mushily slopped chunks of flesh a hilariously pleasing endeavor on all counts. The story holds just enough of a semblance of creepiness and plausibility, yet ultimately leaves a lot to be desired in terms of actual depth and character appeal or development. Realistically, it leaves you unvested and rooting for everyone to get slaughtered. While the Gruesome Twosome offers no real inspiration in terms of direction, it does vibe a morbidly surreal twist to the “Leave it to Beaver” era of the early 1960’s. The contrast of the unappealingly bland “gee whiz” spouting college students, amidst an ever growing bludgeoning of bloodied corpses is a delightful attack upon senses. More a film for the D grade cheese hounds, you might want to avoid this one unless you’re specifically looking for something outlandish and or laughably bad. Even as far as Herschel Gordon Lewis flicks go, this is notably below the upper echelon. Still it remains in good fun, and fans of Lewis, gore and cheese should find themselves well satiated. - Count Dragula

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