I was so honored to get to interview the talented Kerry Fleming, the co-writer of Rock Paper Dead (check out my review here), which happens to be one of my favorite indie horror films of 2017! Check out this interview and see how he came to work with famous icons Victor Miller (Friday the 13th) and Tom Holland (Child’s Play).
PopHorror: Kerry, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Tell me, how did you get into filmmaking? Especially Rock Paper Dead…
Kerry Fleming: Ten years ago when I was forced to relocate due to a job change and I began thinking how my career as an air traffic controller would make a hilarious sitcom. I shared this with a close friend of mine while traveling to California for job training. He mentioned to me that he was close friends with a writer who may be able to give me guidance on how to get started. The person he connected me with was Victor Miller. Victor was very supportive right from the beginning and became my writing mentor. After several years, I pitched an idea to him and after months of story discussions, we decided to co-write the story that became Rock Paper Dead.
PopHorror: That is amazing! Talk about connections! What draws you into the horror genre?
Kerry Fleming: I’ve loved horror films since I was a kid. There was a program called Chiller Theater which aired every Saturday night in the ’60s and ’70s that showed mostly B horror films that scared the hell out of me. (laughs)
PopHorror: What was the most challenging aspect of writing Rock Paper Dead?
Kerry Fleming: The challenge, at least in the beginning, was to believe I was capable of co-writing a story with a three time Emmy Award winning writer who also created the Friday the 13th franchise. It was daunting at first, but Victor put any fears to rest early on by being so easy going and encouraging.
PopHorror: Rock Paper Dead also has an amazing cast and crew. What was it like to work with them? Do you have any fun, behind the scene stories to tell?
Kerry Fleming: It was truly something special and more than I ever imagined. To be able to be involved with such legends in my first feature film is an incredible honor. It seemed like every day on set was more amazing than the previous days. It started on the very first day by chatting with Tom Holland, discussing the role of Peter with Luke Macfarlane, and going into the motivations of Jennifer Titus’ character. I feel spoiled now because I had the pleasure of working with the amazing Amy Williams, awesome effects artist Vincent Guastini, and the incredible Carl Ciarfalio, who oversaw our stunts. I literally could list every team member as being someone I truly enjoyed working with and learned so much from that this section would be two pages long by itself. The day I posted a picture of myself with Maureen McCormick, I received messages from kids I grew up with saying how much they hated me.
There was one morning, the caterer was making breakfast burritos for the cast and crew. The line was really long and they had to wait a long time for their food. Suddenly, a member of the cast showed up out of the blue, marched to the head of the line, grabbed a burrito as the chef was about to hand it to someone else, then turned to that person and said, “I’m the talent, I can’t wait on this line,” then marched off to their dressing room. Everyone on line was mad, but no one dared say anything. I found that amusing.
PopHorror: That absolutely sounds like a dream come true! Also, that is hilarious! I’m just imagining who that could have been… What upcoming projects are you working on that you can share with our Pophorror readers?
Kerry Fleming: Victor and I recently finished the draft for the Rock Paper Dead sequel, Rock Paper Dead: Betrayal. It is a continuation of the events at the end of the first film, but written in a different style. While RPD is more a psychological thriller with horror elements, the sequel is more of a true horror film. The story is fast paced and doesn’t slow down for a moment. We bring back many of the original cast and also introduce some cool new characters as well. This should begin principal filming in 2018.
I also recently finished a screenplay for a slasher tribute film called Dead Slate, in conjunction with the fine folks at Ghost Walk Films. It is a slasher film within a slasher film with the prototypical slasher film cast of cool kid, diva, nerd, slut, stoner and virgin. The cast is stalked by a real killer but they are too clueless to realize what’s going on until it’s too late. Each of the kill scenes pays homage to a classic horror film with an ending that will be sure to twist people’s minds. We expect to begin filming in the first quarter of 2018.
I was just brought on board to help produce a cool horror film currently titled
William’s Grave. It has all the elements we love in horror, but with a time travel element. This will also begin filming in early 2018.
I’m also writing a story called Nefarious, which is inspired by the haunted house I grew up in as a kid. The house was super creepy and there was always a sense of dread hanging over it. The story will be based on true events, so it will be that much more creepy.
PopHorror: You certainly are busy! Those all sound fantastic and I will be on the look out for all of them! You have also been in some movies as well. Do you prefer being on camera or behind it?
Kerry Fleming: Actually, RPD was my feature film debut. It was an honor to be able to break in by sharing a scene with Nicole Pierce, who plays my partner, as well as the incredible Michael Madsen. It would have been surreal, except it came on the last day of shooting, so I think I was too exhausted to be nervous. In between takes, Tom Holland helped by telling me I was a natural. I don’t know if he was being sincere or if he really just wanted to wrap up filming. I plan to be involved on both sides of the camera, at least for the near future.
PopHorror: So great to hear! What do you want the audience to take away from watching Rock Paper Dead?
Kerry Fleming: First, I would like to say I truly hope that everyone who loves horror gets a chance to see our film. We wanted to make a film that makes people uneasy. There are scenes that will make them uncomfortable to watch because it might remind them of situations they had to endure or they know someone who were subjected to similar acts of violence. We all know that there have been and always will be serial killers that prey upon the unsuspecting in our society. Many of these killers prey upon young women because they use their strength to overpower them, but to us, the really terrifying ones are the ones who look normal. They are good looking and charming, yet hideous monsters underneath their skin. We also want people to see how the effects of abuse can change a person forever. Many people are scarred from events they endured during their childhoods and hopefully our film will help them understand that they are not alone and it was never their fault.
PopHorror: Since I’m writing such a new iconic horror script myself, I have to know: what is your favorite horror film?
Kerry Fleming: My all time favorite horror movie, besides
RPD, is probably
The Exorcist. It’s my favorite for scaring me the most when I first watched it, and also my favorite for really bringing horror films into the mainstream film business. There are many others that I love and have influenced me including:
28 Days Later, Halloween, Psycho, Friday the 13th, Night of the Living Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, Child’s Play, The Silence of the Lambs, and
The Conjuring.
PopHorror: All epic choices! What advice do you have for people wanting to break into the industry?
Kerry Fleming: I would suggest that you do as much research as possible on which particular field you want to get involved with and then begin to network. Social media is an amazing way to reach out to other individuals who share your passion. Ask them questions and seek their advice. Try to do it without coming across as a weird stalker, though.
Thanks again to Kerry for doing this interview and be sure to stay tuned to PopHorror for all his future projects!
PopHorror Let's Get Scared
