|
Alan Rowe Kelly is one
sick bitch!
From being on the set
last year of his film THE BLOOD SHED, which is just about ready to be
released, and from viewing I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW, Alan has one of the
most unique and twisted minds in independent horror.
Alan has been keeping
busy, with THE BLOOD SHED approaching as well as his short piece for the
HUNG BY A THREAD anthology called A FAR CRY FROM HOME. In addition to
these projects, Alan has acted in several others, including Bart
Mastronardi's VINDICATION, James Tucker's PINK EYE (written by BLOOD SHED
star Joshua Nelson), and many other projects.
Recently, Alan took time
out of appearing in VINDICATION to stop by the Crypt to discuss the impact
and challenge of I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW, the lunacy of the Bullion family,
and what's on the horizon for his twisted brand of shlock cinema.
COLONEL'S CRYPT: You were a makeup artist
before you decided to become a filmmaker. What started your interest in
filmmaking and who are your biggest influences?
ALAN ROWE KELLY: Yes, I started my career as a make up artist in the
early 80’s. I worked the fashion and commercial industry of New York,
traveled and had a blast. I really thought that was going to be my life
and career forever. What I’m doing now was just a far away dream then! My
love of horror started when I was about 4 years old, watching THE OUTER
LIMITS, CREATURE FEATURES, and MILLION DOLLAR MOVIE on my parent’s old B&W
television set (Yeah, yeah! You do the math!). I can recall my
first horror movies being ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, THE BEAST
FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and THE WIZARD OF OZ. I was hooked after that. I
remember being on vacation in Long Beach Island, NJ and my dad took my
older brother and I to the Colony Theatre to see DINOSAURUS! I was so
excited when the tyrannosaurus attacks a bus full of people and it became
quite graphic - for 1964, that is! But my brother got upset and we had to
leave! I was extremely miffed by that! In retrospect, what I loved about
DINOSAURUS! is it was made in 1960, yet still playing in theaters 4 years
later. A film is lucky to get 2 full weeks in the cinemas nowadays!
CC: I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW was your first film, which you started shooting
in 1999. How did the idea for TOMORROW come about?
ARK: I was doing hair & makeup for a production company that produced
those cheesy 30-minute infomercials that you see on late night TV. The
camera crew approached me about making a B-horror movie – just for fun! I
had been writing for a while and had a literary agent in NY and LA., so I
opted to write the story/screenplay. One of the co-producers suggested a
female necrophiliac who gets a job in a small town funeral home and I
loved the concept. I started doing research by studying mortuary science
and watched a lot of my old favorite films like DON’T LOOK IN THE
BASEMENT, FUNERAL HOME and ALICE, SWEET ALICE. I also went back to an old
TV horror soap opera called DARK SHADOWS that was extremely popular in the
60’s. Since we were shooting on video – I thought it best to try and
resemble that old look of the show – shoot on video, but light it for
film. I wanted a throwback to those great, nasty little movies of my
drive-in years.
CC: Was the part of Corey in I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW written specifically
for yourself?
ARK: Yes! After a lifetime of secretly dreaming about being in motion
pictures, my opportunity had finally arrived. I told my co-producers that
if I was writing and producing this film, then I might as well be in it
too! And they were cool with that. I never thought the film was going to
go anywhere in the first place, so I figured this would at least let me
know, once and for all, whether I had any acting chops or onscreen
personality. So I wrote Corey to fit my mannerisms and acted in a bad mood
once the cameras rolled!
CC: TOMORROW was shot on video at a time where DV technology was
fairly new. Why did you decide to use video as your medium for this film?
ARK: There was no other option in 1999 for shooting – aside film – and who
could afford that on a first film? What most people don’t realize, and I
do appreciate you bringing this up Scott, is that we shot IBYT right after
the onset of the Blair Witch craze. DV and hi-Def was in its infancy and
only available to certain television shows and Hollywood films - and even
then it was very new, untried and extremely expensive. Video was the only
way to shoot. So to further avoid that harsh soap opera-shot-on-video
look, we discovered new post processes called ‘Film-look’ and ‘Cine-look’–
another very expensive process at the time that cost us well over
$12,000.00. Nothing compared to the options we have today by any stretch
of the imagination, but you have to work with what you have!
CC: What were the challenges in making I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW? I believe
it took you four years to complete the picture from shooting to
completion?
ARK:
Yes it did! I like to think of those days as my ‘film school’ years! I
learned everything good and bad about making a movie during that time –
any disaster that could occur on set – did! We ran out of money, lead
actors dropped out and we had to start over from scratch, 9/11 disrupted
the world, and some partners became ambivalent and no longer cared. But we
had come so far and I wasn’t going to stick my tail between my legs and
walk away from it. I had to finish this film and bring it home – too many
people had given up so much valuable time and energy. I wasn’t about to
fail them now!
CC: TOMORROW was your first collaboration with Zoë Daelman Chlanda,
Jerry Murdock, and Katherine O'Sullivan, who you have used in other
projects. What is it about these three individually that makes you want to
keep working with them?
ARK: All you have to do is see them on, and off, camera to know why I’d
always work with them! I respect the three of them and their craft
immensely. Especially after all the time, support and talent they lent me
on IBYT. They we’re top professionals who take their work very, very
seriously – and they take me seriously too! Plus they are also chameleons
that can play ANYTHING. That’s why I recast them all the time and give
them completely different roles in all my films! They love costumes, make
up and it totally breaks the monotony of being typecast. I also have to
mention another actress, Kristen Overdurf, who played Ellen in IBYT - she
stood by me throughout the full film as well and was always around to give
me pep talks! A great friend! Kristen hasn’t been in features lately due
to her starting a family, but you’ll be seeing her again in my upcoming
features!
CC: How did you take the initial reaction to I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW?
Were you surprised by it? Overjoyed?
ARK: Both! But I think the main emotion I felt was RELIEF! LOL! There were
moments when you would stand under a theatre marquee of a screening in
Manhattan, or Telluride, or San Francisco, and I just wanted someone to
pinch me! I’LL BURY YOU TOMORROW was my rite of passage into this
wonderful industry of indie horror. People treated me like I belonged. I
was respected and liked. How could that not change your life? To have
people enjoy your work, want to see more and even join forces with you, is
a dream come true – plain and simple!
CC: What is your relation with Heretic Films, which released I'LL BURY
YOU TOMORROW?
ARK: Heretic Films is my distributor and they are located in San
Francisco. Alex Afterman found my film through various reviews and
interviews and asked for a screener. At the time they were called Zealot
Pictures. Once they took IBYT, he and owner Ian Reinhard decided to
recreate the company and call it HERETIC FILMS, specializing in edgy genre
films. Now they are growing and have two divisions, HERETIC GENRE and
HERETIC INDIE. They have stood behind me as a filmmaker from the beginning
and I’m grateful to have them as associates and friends.
CC: THE BLOOD SHED is your second feature, what were the origins
around the film and the Bullion family?
ARK: I didn’t intend to make another ’hillbilly, cannibal’ movie, but this
story just popped into my head and wouldn’t go away! The best way to
describe THE BLOOD SHED is combine elements of MOTHER'S DAY, TEXAS CHAIN
SAW MASSACRE, with a touch of PINK FLAMINGOS for fun, LOL! I created the
family around the main character Beefteena Bullion. The eldest daughter of
the clan who stands well over 6 foot, barrels in at 300lbs, thinks she’s
12-years old, dresses like Shirley Temple, and has a very vicious temper.
I based her on a combination of Janet Wright’s character ‘Fanny’ from
AMERICAN GOTHIC, Rhoda Penmark from THE BAD SEED and a horrid little lump
of a girl who lived next door to my friends.
CC: What were the differences in working on THE BLOOD SHED as compared
to I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW?
ARK: Night and day – on all levels. I had a budget to work with, a time
frame to shoot it, a ‘dream team’ of professional crew and cast who
totally kicked ass… AND…one year later the film is complete and ready for
festivals, screenings and a September ’07 release! I’ve come a long way
baby!
CC: Playing Beefteena required you to gain
a substantial amount of weight for the film. What are some of the biggest
challenges of your films as an actor as opposed to your challenges as a
director?
ARK: The biggest challenge to acting in my films is simply to be
‘good’! I’ve had no training since drama class in high school and even
then I just sat around like a log – too insecure! So I surround myself
with the best actors to help bounce ideas off of and take suggestions
from. I have good instincts and totally understand camera angles,
blocking, timing, etc., but the biggest obstacle is letting myself go,
immersing into a character and stop worrying about how I look or showing
vulnerability in front of others – especially my crew. I know it’s vanity,
but I can’t help myself – too many years in the fashion industry can make
you a self-conscious wreck about your looks and lack of them!
Gaining over 50lbs for the role of Beefteena Bullion was an experience –
and easy too! (I’ll never do that again!) Once in that character – I had
no choice but to let loose and take her all the way. Certainly no beauty
pageant contender in this role – LOL! – and that was a relief! And for the
past year while I steadily loose the weight and get back into shape, I’m
still taking on fat and ugly character roles to keep busy– no need to go
on hiatus for something so self absorbed - I’ll get there eventually! I no
longer care what I look like on film as long as the character is
‘correct’! I just want to get better with each film.
CC: How did you go about casting the rest of the Bullion family?
ARK: I had the great fortune of meeting so many talented actors in the
community by going to conventions, film festivals and acting in other
films. I have very little need to audition a lot of people because I know
so many and have seen their work. And a lot of times when I meet new
talent, I just know! I can see that twinkling sparkle in their eyes. It
tells me the truth. They love the genre, they have to be a part of it and
want it bad, no matter what. I like to consider myself an Actor’s Director
because they want to make my characters come to life as real flesh & blood
individuals. You can’t buy that. And if actors need guidance with their
part, a line in the script, or are simply feeling uncomfortable on camera
– then I have to be there to help them get the very best they can give.
When casting came about for THE BLOOD SHED– It was cast before I even had
to ask! LOL! I’m very, very lucky in that respect to know so many devoted
artists who believe in me. And to work with talents like Joshua Nelson,
Terry West, Don Money, Susie Adriensen, Mike Lane, Robert Norman, Michael
Todd Schneider, Benzy, Sandra Schaller, Brian Juergens, and of course,
Zoë, Jerry and Katherine – Well, it’s like going to a party! We had great
news the other day, WEIRD NJ magazine let us use their magazine as a prop
in the film – so we took a Bullion family portrait for the magazine! They
loved it so much that they are actually using it for their 2008 calendar!
CC: THE BLOOD SHED was originally going to be part of an anthology called
HUNG BY A THREAD. Why the decision to make it a stand-alone feature?
ARK: This is a crazy story! Michael Todd Schneider, the Pittsburgh
horror maestro who directed me in OPENING THE MIND (Finally being released
in 2008!) contacted myself and director Tyler Tharpe (FREAK, RETURN IN
RED) and asked if we would be interested in doing an anthology. I already
knew Michael’s work and after I saw Tyler’s I immediately said YES! So my
story was called THE BLOOD SHED, Tyler’s CRACK-THEN SPLIT and Michael’s
was titled …AND THEN I HELPED.
Well, I finished BLOOD SHED first and began editing and realized that
to condense all this great footage into 30 some minutes would be an
abomination to the film! I had enough footage for a feature and after
discussing it with my cast and crew, they were overjoyed that I made the
decision to make it a feature. So I promised Tyler and Michael I would
make a short right after and discovered they were in the exact same
predicament with their stories! They all are becoming features! LOL! So
miracle of miracles, I created A FAR CRY FROM HOME, Michael’s new story is
LET’S MAKE A HORROR MOVIE and Tyler’s is called BOWLING NIGHT. And now
it’s even better than the original film we intended! So everybody won on
this one!
CC: For HUNG BY A THREAD, instead of THE BLOOD SHED you filmed a
segment called A FAR CRY FROM HOME. What is FAR CRY about?
ARK: A FAR CRY FROM HOME is the third tale in HUNG BY A THREAD and
tells the story of a young urban gay couple (myself and actor Don Money)
taking a weekend off to mend their troubled relationship. They stop at an
old dilapidated antique store in the middle of the north NJ/Pennsylvania
wilderness and Don’s character enters the store to check things out - but
he never comes back out! Trouble brews immediately when my character
meets up with a pack of crazed, homophobic killers that stalk and hunt me
through dense woods in hopes of ridding the world of just one more
‘queer’! It’s pretty rough going, but I wanted to introduce a new terror
to horror called ‘HATE’. And it makes for a very mean and vicious monster!
I’m very, very proud of this piece!
CC: It seems that A FAR CRY FROM HOME has a very topical subject about
the treatment of homosexuality in America. Do you feel personally that's
an ignorance that will subside in the minds of certain people?
ARK: I really don’t know Scott. One hopes that you could make a potent
film that could change the mindset of others less educated or tolerant,
but that would be presumptuous and irresponsible. Even though the film
deals with real issues of hatred and prejudice, it is STILL JUST A HORROR
MOVIE. It will be interesting to see the response to it and I am also
prepared to be accountable for it. But what can anyone really say? Shit
like this really happens…period! Nobody wants to face it or look at it,
but here it is. I have been the recipient of such hate and bigotry
throughout my life – and from complete strangers! This is nothing new to
me. So I’m just putting it on film. “Write what you know” is what
my English Literature teacher in high school always told me…that is, when
I was actually in class!
CC: In addition to acting in your own projects, you have acted in
several other projects, Bart Mastronardi's VINDICATION being one of them.
For a project other than your own, what preparation do you do for these
roles?
ARK: I love working on other filmmaker’s sets! It’s like a vacation! I
love working with Bart Mastronardi – he’s a talented visionary. He loves
to get into detail about his characters and rehearses his actors a lot to
make them comfortable in their new skins. I’m ready to help out with
anything on set at a moments notice. But when I’m acting in someone else’s
film, I take on the sole role of ‘actor’. I come prepared, know my lines –
and never ever yell CUT! Even though sometimes I slip, out of
habit! LOL!
CC: Anything you'd like to explain about UNHALLOWED GROUND, which is
slated to be your next project?
ARK: I wanted Unhallowed Ground to be my second film. It’s my best script
and is definitely ‘My Baby’. But I realize that I have to wait for the
proper budget in order to film it the way I’d like. So UG will just take a
back seat until fate deems when the time is right. I can be doing a dozen
more crazy and creative movies in the meantime! And that was my downfall
after IBYT was released. Being new to the film business, I think I just
expected sponsors to be knocking my door down to see what was up my sleeve
next…not true! So 4 years lapsed between making films and I realized I had
to get with it and make all this happen for myself and not be a one-hit
wonder! I have a hundred stories inside of me and there’s no reason to
stop. Perhaps with the good body of work I’m building now, someone will
take notice and say – ‘Hey, give the kid a break and give him a real
working budget!’ I can do A LOT with very little!
CC: What's next for Alan Rowe Kelly?
ARK: This summer I’ll be working on Anthony G. Sumner’s horror short BY
HER HAND, starring Jerry Murdock and Zoë Daelman Chlanda. Anthony directed
me in W.O.R.M., which will be hitting the festival circuit this summer and
is a fabulously trippy piece of film! He’s so very talented and I can’t
wait to work with him again! Also Jerry Murdock is on my back to get
moving on another film A.S.A.P. – so I am developing a nature-run-amok
film called SPORE! and hope to be filming by late August. And thanks to my
FAR CRY costar Don Money, I will be appearing in an episode of Z.E.R.O. –
WAR OF THE DEAD - the first digitally distributed episodic zombie series
by Mike Disairo and Melissa Rubin in which Don is starring! And it’s
getting great notices!
CC: What is your take on the current state of horror and where do you
see the genre headed in the next five years?
ARK: Well, they have definitely arrived and are here to stay! Horror
movies make money and people love them and the emotional release it gives
them, be it an original, a remake or even a cheesy grade Z thriller! I
can’t forecast where the horror movie will go in the next 5 years, but
I’ll still be here making them!
CC: Alan, I leave the last word for you.
ARK: I think your next quote kind of sums things up very well!!
CC: Thanks for your time ‘you sick bitch’.
ARK: I love that!
|
|
HOME
NEWS &
UPDATES
ON THE SET
REPORTS
INTERVIEWS
REVIEWS
BLOGS
Colonel's Blog
VIDEOS
MEET THE
COLONEL
LINKS
CONTACT
|
