Red Scream Films LLC Year Two

A year ago this week, a somewhat ragtag collective of people gathered at the Buffalo Central Terminal to make a movie. That movie was Prison of the Psychotic Damned, the first feature film by a newly formed Red Scream Films LLC. If I remember correctly, the incorporation papers had not yet arrived. I had fired the original director a bit over a month ago. I had fired one of the cinematographers the day before. And had nearly shut down production completely and taken the whole fuckwad to Prague. But I didn't. Several months later I had a director's cut of POTPD curtosy of DW Kann (www.darksidefilms.com) and the rest is history. RSF has come far in just one year. We've completed one feature film, are probably less than 2 months away from completing a second, and have a third waiting in the wings. We have gone from being a completely unknown entity to one that, should you care to Google us (and use "quotes" so only exact matches come up) - we have nearly 10,000 listings. That's pretty impressive considering we have no advertising budget or a marketing team. We have gone from having our phone calls and emails to distributors and producer's reps and other production companies ignored to having them call us looking for screeners and coproductions and what not. It's a good feeling. Sure, there's still no cash flow to speak of, the majority of horror fans still don't know we exist, and our local media continues to refuse to admit we exist, but those are all things that will change as we continue to move forward. That forward movement, that never say die attitude is what really characterises Red Scream Films LLC. Nothing is perfect, we certainly are not, but if we stumble, we straighten up and keep moving. If there are problems, we fix them. If roadblocks, we go over, under, around or if we have to, right through. We don't piss and moan and wring our hands - well we might, but we don't stop moving forward while we do. We don't believe in endless meetings. We don't believe in filmmaking by committee. We believe that if we give someone a chance to prove themselves, they are expected to prove themselves. And they will, one way or the other. We don't believe in the auteur theory - we believe in the group effort. If everybody does their job and contributes 1000%, success is assured. Those who can keep up with us will be taken with us as we move up the ladder. If we move up the ladder. Filmmaking is a risky business, but to those who take the risks go the rewards. Those who cannot - or more often just don't want to - keep up with us, can stay wherever they are and have a good life. But when we do get to where we want to be, don't bother writing.

FrightWorld: Not A Horror Movie?

Horror is a funny thing. There are people who absolutely adore "old school" horror films like the Universal Frankenstein films and Bela Lugosi's Dracula. There are those who rather the Hammer remakes and promote Christopher Lee as God. There are also those, typically younger, who, when you want to talk "classic" horror films, think you are talking about Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween. Personally, I side with the old schoolers and the Hammer fans. I'll take Peter Cushing or Ingrid Pitt over Freddie or Jason or Mike Meyers any day of the week. A slasher film has never frightened me nor made me jump nor surprised me nor made me want to go back and watch it over and over again. The only good thing about most are the splatter fx. There is nothing like a good splatter fx. Nothing like a decent decapitation or body cut in two or something sharp and nasty driven through the body of a late 20s/early 30s year old trying to pass for a teenager. And as we all know, 80s splatter was the best splatter. Over the top with copious amounts of gore and grue, all served up with an almost giddy nihilistic relish.

At its black core, FrightWorld is the Red Scream Films LLC version of a slasher/splatter film. It was not written nor directed to cause the audience to jump or cover their eyes or pull the covers over their collective heads. It was meant to creep out, maybe gross out. The nude/sex scenes are meant to arouse and perhaps cause some uncomfort. To a degree FrightWorld melds the slasher genre with the more recent "torture porn" genre (Hostel and SAW come to mind) with a generous dollop of eurotrash erotica smack in the middle. When the final cut is ready sometime near the end of this year, I think fans of slasher films, fans of torture porn and fans of eurotrash cinema will have something to look forward to in 2007.