Interview with Julius Ramsay, Director of ‘Midnighters’

Being a writer for PopHorror has provided me with so many opportunities to interview some amazing and talented people!

I recently got to sit down and chat with Julius Ramsay, the incredible director of the upcoming thriller Midnighters. It is in theaters and Available On Demand And Digital HD March 2!

Julius Ramsay via IMDB

PopHorror: Hey, Julius! Thank you so much for taking the time to grant me this interview! I am so excited to pick your brain for a minute.

Julius Ramsay: (Laughs) Thank you! I just want to say that I read PopHorror all the time, and I’m a big fan of your website!

PopHorror: Aw, that is such an honor! Thank you for following us. I know you are a busy guy, so I’ll just get right to it. How did you get started in the industry?

Julius Ramsay: I wanted to become a director when I moved to LA. I knew a lot of them started as editors, so started with a documentary called Behind the Music, and then did some editing for reality TV shows such as The Bachelor and American Idol. All of that led me into working on The Walking Dead.

PopHorror: That is really awesome! Okay, so I have to ask… is reality TV really real?

Julius Ramsay: (Laughs) It’s about as real as The Walking Dead. I mean, American Idol is real. As far as other shows, I mean, the people are real, but that’s about it.

PopHorror: (Laughs) Good to know! I have to tell you, I am the biggest fan of the Scream franchise, and I know you directed an episode of Scream the TV series. What was that like?

Julius Ramsay: It was fantastic. Such a wonderful cast and crew. Very talented actors. It was truly an amazing experience. The show was trying to take it up a level for the adaptation to TV, and I think they were very successful.

PopHorror: I love hearing that! What was your favorite thing about working on The Walking Dead?

Julius Ramsay: Everything. I would have been a huge fan of this show, even if I hadn’t been a part of it. When I first heard of the show 8 years ago and knew that Frank Darabont (The Mist) and Gale Ann Hurd (Aliens, Terminator), two of my idols and legendary producers… having these amazing people involved… I was so excited to work with them. I mean, I love the graphic novel as well. The Walking Dead is a cultural phenomenon. It was incredible to have full freedom to create this world. I believe this filmmaking tone is really established by editing.

PopHorror: So super cool to hear about how you got your start! Let’s talk about Midnighters. There are so many twists and turns in the film. What was your favorite scene to film?

Julius Ramsay: I think my fave scene in the film is between Ward and Alex in the kitchen, because it’s a psychological game of cat and mouse, and they are trying to play each other. There is a certain allure with the give and take from both of them. I mean, something is happening below the surface, and it has a great tonality.

PopHorror: How long did Midnighters take to shoot?

Julius Ramsay: We filmed for 22 days.

PopHorror: What was the most challenging thing about directing Midnighters?

Julius Ramsay: Two things. One: the cold. It was very, very cold. You can see in the film, in the garage, their breath. It was only ten degrees. The actors were real troopers. Two is that we had a very limited infrastructure on a low budget film. One day, our make-up artist was sick and had to go to the ER. She is truly a remarkable make-up artist, but being on a budget, we couldn’t find one at that last minute, and we had to shoot a scene with Alex with a big open cut that required a prosthetic. Alex actually ended up volunteering, and she applied the wound on herself successfully. You will always be challenged aside from directing and figuring out the shots you have to prepare for, so you really got to be innovative and keep the artistic integrity of the film.

PopHorror: Without giving anything away, is there a possibility for a sequel?

Julius Ramsay: I never thought about it, but now that you mention it… yes, it could. I certainly would wholeheartedly support Midnighters 2. No one would love it more than I.

PopHorror: The movie poster for Midnighters is really awesome. How did that come about?

Julius Ramsay: The artist who did the movie poster for Midnighters is the same one who did the poster for It Follows. If you need movie artwork done, I highly recommend him.

PopHorror: What upcoming projects do you have?

Julius Ramsay: I have several scripts in the works with my brother. One in particular is a story about hunting immortality.

PopHorror: Immortality is a very interesting subject. I will be on the lookout for it! Who is your favorite director?

Julius Ramsay: Danny Boyle.

 

PopHorror: What advice do you have for other directors breaking into the industry?

Julius Ramsay: My biggest piece of advice is to make a film. Don’t wait for permission. You have everything you need to have to do it. If you say you are a director, you can be. I wish I had done it sooner.

PopHorror: What is your favorite horror movie?

Julius Ramsay: My favorite movie of all time, specifically horror… geez that’s a tough one. The Lady in White. I wasn’t sure if that is considered a horror movie. People think a movies needs a lot of violence to be considered horror, but it doesn’t.

PopHorror: What is the one thing you want people to know about Midnighters before they watch it?

Julius Ramsay: I would say it’s a gothic fairy tale that will keep you guessing until the very end!