PopHorror Let's Get Scared
We recently heard that indie horror staple P.J. Starks has a lot of toes in the basket… or something. Well, let’s just say he has a lot going on. And we were thrilled to get the chance to chat with him about it all.
PopHorror: Hey PJ! I heard you have a bunch of new projects in the works. Let’s talk about them! First, tell me about New Fears Eve. How far into this film are you?
P.J. Starks: New Fears Eve is a project we’re incredibly excited about. It’s a change of pace for Eric [Huskisson] and me. It’s a feature narrative versus an anthology. I wrote the script, which is a very personal screenplay. I tackled my divorce, rekindling an old love and the dynamics of change. I named characters after people I’ve lost, like Moses Moseley and Brian Storm, who were both in Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories and have since passed away. Don’t let all that fool you, though… it’s also a very gory and very funny slasher comedy. Overall, it’s our largest project to date. Currently, the film is in post.
It’s being scored by Frank Dormani. I’ve been singing his praises because the compositions he’s sending us are phenomenal. I wanted a big orchestral sound reminiscent of the latter ’90s slashers such as Halloween: H20, Urban Legend or I Know What You Did Last Summer. He’s absolutely killing it. We’re having some visual effects shots touched up by Joshua Siegel who was also our Script Supervisor on set. Lastly, we’re sending the film off to a colorist and sound designer to finish things off. We’re hoping the film will be ready by March or April of next year.
PopHorror: You have a lot of gifted cast and crew involved in this film. What was it like getting so many talented on board?
P.J. Starks: The casting process for New Fears Eve was a lot of fun. Of course, it was amazing getting Felissa Rose, Dave Sheridan, and Hannah Fierman. Hannah was a blast to work with on set. If you get a chance to work with her, take it. We also brought back some familiar faces from previous Blood Moon projects. These are actors we love working with such as Jason Crowe, Roni Jonah, Sonya Delormier, Jay Woolston, and Alyssa Rhoads. We also worked with some great new talent. Our three leads Lily-Claire Harvey, Turner Vaughn and Matthew Tichenor, were perfect for their roles. Jesse McDonald, who portrays our villain The Doctor, had never acted before in his life. He came in and blew away the audition. Because of his height and build we offered him the killer but also gave him a supporting role and, I believe, will easily become a fan favorite character. Some other newcomers for us are Cody Webb, Emily McAnulty, and Gina Parker. We had so many strong actors who gave such solid performances.
For me, the highlight was getting to work with my buddy Jeffrey Reddick. Jeffrey and I have been wanting an excuse to get on set together for years and New Fears Eve became that project. He really wanted to spread his wings and do something more comedic. That gave me an opportunity to tailor a role for him and he nailed it. Plus, he was just awesome on set. Very generous with the cast and crew. Everyone had a really good time working with him. All I can say is if he doesn’t pull strings to get a character in Final Destination 6 named P.J., I’m going to be very upset.
PopHorror: Have you had any bumps in the road in creating New Fears Eve?
P.J. Starks: We had a few, but truthfully, I’d rather talk about the blessing that was the immeasurable amount of support we received from Owensboro businesses and owners. In the past, we struggled to get the full support we needed locally, but by the grace of God, we got all of that plus with this film. Our sponsors Musick Studios, The Asylum Tattoo and Art Gallery, and Fetta Pizza deserve thanks. Especially LeAnne Musick and Danny Sexton. They helped in so many ways outside of just financially.
As I said previously, the film is very large in scope, so it required a lot of big set pieces. Thankfully we were given the help we needed from Owensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, OCTC, KWC, Riverpark Center, Owensboro Police Department, Famous Bistro, The Pub on Second, and so many others. It truly does take a village to make a film, and without the support of people like Claude Bacon, Ben Skiadas, Mark Calitri, John Condray III, and Dinah Singleton Chapman, there’s no way we’d pull this thing off. The list goes on and on.
We’re still trying to raise funds, so if anyone wants to get in on the project and be part of this very cool horror slasher, they can check out our Indiegogo Campaign and get in on the ground level.
PopHorror: Let’s talk about The Boy from Below. What’s this film about?
P.J. Starks: Tory Jones is bringing back some of the old school and some of the new in his updated proto slasher, The Boy from Below. The plot is simple. A video store clerk, played by Spooky Madison, a major horror nerd, is being stalked by a sadistic killer. It becomes a fight for survival. While the synopsis sounds familiar, there are some original twists and turns that will keep the viewers on edge. It’s going to be a fun film.
PopHorror: Who’s involved?
P.J. Starks: Jace Carson, Jack Norman, Dylan Hughes, Kamarra Cole, Harper Dawahare, and Joey Mann are all part of the ensemble. Tory just announced Leah Voysey of Terrifier 2 and Chaney Morrow from Haunt, Wrong Turn and Malum. There’s a lot of incredible creatives involved in front of and behind the camera. Frank Dormani is also scoring this project as well, which means musically, it’ll be on point. I know Tory has some more incredible casting announcements in the coming weeks.
PopHorror: How is this one different from Tory’s film, The Wicked One?
P.J. Starks: Back in 2017, Tory released The Wicked One and has now decided to do a reboot of sorts. It’s the same slasher, but the story goes in a different direction than the source material. This is technically the first reboot I’ve executive produced, and I’m excited to be part of that. When I produced The Confession of Fred Krueger,I location scouted, which led to the project being filmed in Owensboro. That was a fan film as well as a short. I’m doing something similar with The Boy From Below. This may be the first feature I’ve helped get shot here on my turf as well.
PopHorror: Where are you in terms of production?
P.J. Starks: The film is still in pre-production. A majority of the cast are in place, and as I stated, I’m helping location scout. It’s still months away from filming. It’s also campaigning on Indiegogo to help raise additional funds. We’d love for anyone who’d like to be part of this project and get some kickass perks to take a look.
PopHorror: I’ve heard about Sweet Meats through the indie horror grapevine. Tell me about that one.
P.J. Starks: It’s a horror comedy musical akin to classics like Motel Hell and Texas Chain Saw Massacre. An aspiring country music singer gets intwined in gruesome circumstances that change his life forever. Ricky [Glore] wrote a very fun and clever musical chock full of gory horror and tongue-in-cheek comedic moments. The script was a fun read, so I know it’ll be something that audiences will love. especially fans of Troma because it falls right in their wheelhouse.
PopHorror: How did you get involved?
P.J. Starks: Ricky and I were chatting on social media. We started talking about me executive producing other filmmaker’s projects. I offered up any help he might need, and the rest is history. This one also has a current crowdfunding campaign, if anyone wants to check it out.
PopHorror: I see Troma is involved. What was it like finding out they were on board?
P.J. Starks: I know Ricky was over the moon when they got locked in. Their films are ones we grew up on. I watched Monster in the Closet and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town probably a hundred times growing up. I had been introduced to Lloyd Kaufman the year prior at Scarefest, thanks to my buddy Antonio Pantoja, who’s an incredible talent in his own right. When things came full circle, it became surreal seeing my name alongside Kaufman’s on a project. One of the many milestones during my filmmaking journey.
PopHorror: I heard you filmed in a rather infamous place. Tell me about it.
P.J. Starks: We did! A large chunk of the movie was filmed at Bobby Mackey’s in Wilder, Kentucky. The honky tonk dive has been featured on several reality TV series over the years for being haunted. However, I believe it was made famous thanks to Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. It was cool being in an infamous location for the film, but unfortunately, nothing spooky happened while I was there. The day I visited, there were a slew of kills being done. Blood was all over the floor and walls. The aesthetic of Mackey’s was made for horror. The basement, or the old slaughterhouse where we were shooting, was creepy and falling apart. The cast and crew were nice and hard workers. Ricky had a good crew, and it was a real pleasure spending time on set.
