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 Banner by Wes Vance |
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Frustrated with the lack of work he was getting as an actor, NY native Joshua Nelson never deterred and formed his own production company, Savage Roses Productions, taken from the name of a play he had written, in 2002. Since then, Joshua has written and produced four films with the fifth, PINK EYE, in post-production. In between, Joshua has kept busy acting with filmmakers such as being one of the "Bullion" family in Alan Rowe Kelly's THE BLOOD SHED and partnering up with scream queen Melissa Bacelar's Lost Angeles Productions. With PINK EYE just about complete and EAT YOUR HEART OUT, a zombie prostitute tale, coming out soon for release, Joshua took the time out of his hectic schedule to discuss with the Crypt on being an actor/screeenwriter and the many projects he has been working on.
COLONEL’S CRYPT: What drew your interest in filmmaking? JOSHUA NELSON: Well, it comes from my literal lifelong interest in films. I remember the only thing I ever cried about when I was a child was when I couldn’t go to the movies…it has been my love and passions from as early as I can remember. CC: What is it about the horror genre that interests you? JN: Again, this comes from childhood…my mother let me watch NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD when I was very young and I was obsessed ever since…I would watch THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE OUTER LIMITS, and any and every horror film I could get her to take me to. There was just an excitement about horror films that no other type of movie could capture and that thrill never left me to this day. CC: You started out as an actor but have recently turned to writing and producing with Savage Roses Productions. What led you to form this company? JN: Honestly, I was out of work! No matter how much you’ve done or how good you might be, actors are out of work most of the time…So I thought I should just write my own material and at least I know I will get cast as the lead! It started with plays that I did with Melissa Bacelar in off-off Broadway theatres and then it evolved to making films…oddly enough, also starring Melissa Bacelar! CC:What are the biggest challenges in running an independent company such as Savage Roses Productions?
JN: I love casting the films, I love shooting the films and I love seeing the finished product…all of that is bliss to me…it’s shopping them around afterwards and trying not to get royally screwed by distributors…oh and finding money for the films also sucks…like, really sucks! CC: What is EAT YOUR HEART OUT about and how did you come up with the story? JN: One day I was sitting with my cat, Diva, giving her catnip when I said to myself, Hmmm, I would love to see a film about a super sweet, romantic guy that falls in love with a zombie prostitute…Wow, I’m pretty disturbed huh? Anyway, that’s what it’s about…there is a flesh eating hooker feeding on the men of New York City and she encounters a lonely, wonderful man…they fall in love with each other and then it becomes a story of how far you would go and how much you’ll accept in the person you love. Some people stand by their partner’s side through alcohol, and depression right? So why not cannibalism? CC: Explain your relationship with Melissa Bacelar, whom you worked with on EAT YOUR HEART OUT, PINK EYE, and ADDICTION. JN: Like I said, I cast Melissa in a raunchy, off-Broadway play I did when I first started writing. She was wonderful…they type of actress that can literally play any type of role, from intensely dramatic to hysterically funny…Once she decided to open her own production company, Lost Angeles Films, we decided to team up again and produce some kick ass horror films! CC: James Tucker has directed the features that you have written. What is your relationship with James and how did you meet him? JN: I wrote a play called The Savage Roses. Once it closed I realized that it should have been a film. I found an ad online that was looking for a character driven script that could be made for a low-budget. I thought, if I could do it on a stage it couldn’t be too expensive to put it on screen. James loved the script and we went back and forth online for almost a year! (He lived in LA and I am in NY). We made the film on a TINY budget and although it looked like it was for no budget, the story and acting was good enough to get it into almost every major lesbian film festival in the country! We’ve been happily working together ever since. James is a fantastic business partner! CC: Being you've worked with the same people on numerous films, does the writing process come easier when you have the talent in mind for roles? JN: Absolutely! When you find actors that you love to work with you start writing and seeing them in the roles as you do…and since you know what they excel at you can write perfect roles for them. I do this with Melissa, as well as actors like J. Scott Green, Frank Franconeri and Alan Rowe Kelly…At this point, if I don’t have a role for Alan I will write one in no matter what…why would anyone want to make a film without Alan???? CC: Out of acting, screenwriting, and producing, is there one creative outlet of the three you like the most and why? JN: Good questions…I know that I desperately need that creative outlet, no matter what it is just so I don’t go crazy. However, I am, first and foremost an actor…that is what I have always been and will always be…I write and produce in order to make the type of films I want to see…but I am in my heart an actor. CC: One film you worked on recently was THE BLOOD SHED. How was working on this film? I heard (and saw from the birthday sequence) that it was a very fun shoot. JN: THE BLOOD SHED is a sweet tale of family and love…on second thought, it’s one of the sickest and most twisted films I have ever had the extraordinary pleasure of working on. An amazing cast & crew and a story right out of John Waters’ nightmares…it was indeed an extreme blast to work on!
CC: What was it like working with the rest of the
"Bullion" family? JN: They were fantastic! Terry, Mike, Alan and Susan were so much fun to work with and to work off of…I feel that they are my true second family, and that is one scary thought!!! CC: How did AUNT ROSE come about and what was its original title? JN: It was originally called NO ONE GETS OUT… a much better title if you ask me but when we sold it the distributor felt Aunt Rose would get the point across better…Sure, if you want to see a movie like DRIVING MISS DAISY! Ridiculous…. Anyway, my original idea was to pit evil against evil…I wanted to have human evil, just heartless, dregs of society and match them against a supernatural evil…as in an old, nasty Witch! I was pretty happy with the results…HOWEVER, upon the films release through Anchor Bay, ALL, yes ALL of my good scenes of gore were cut out to get an R rating…this really took all the punch out of the film…it used to have a breast being cut open and an implant removed, one girl stabbing a knife into another’s mouth over and over and a drill coming from behind someone’s head and out their mouth…ALL were cut and I have never been that pissed off before!
CC: Coming soon is PINK EYE, which on its Myspace page looks incredibly bloody. What is PINK EYE about?
JN: PINK EYE is set in a rundown mental facility in upstate New York where medical experiments have resulted in the horrible deaths of numerous inmates, with the survivors transformed into vicious, rage-crazed lunatics. Eventually, one of them escapes, (Joshua James who plays Edgar) and begins a rampage of murder in a neighboring town. The film stars Melissa Bacelar, and from AUNT ROSE I was thrilled to have Raine Brown back. I also cast Alan Rowe Kelly, Nathan (KOTTENTAIL) Faudree and Kenneth (X-MEN) McGregor
CC: What are your thoughts on the horror scene today, particularly the independent scene?
JN: Well, it’s great that so many indie filmmakers can make films these days…and like the bigger budget horror film, you’ll have a strong mix of good, great, terrible and I can’t believe I paid $4 to rent this unwatchable piece of garbage!
CC: Where do you see the genre in five years?
JN: I’m not sure…it seems that what’s old is new again as the resurgence of the old 70’s and early 80’s style of films is back…and I LOVE that since it’s what I grew up on…the problem is, you can’t recreate that magic time…even I’ve tried and failed! But my hope is that remakes and CGI fade away and horror films go back to real special effects! CC: What's next for Joshua Nelson? JN: Well, I am recently married to a beautiful girl and we are currently raising my absolute angel of a daughter, so I do have my hands full…but Melissa and I are trying to put together a new film that is unlike anything anyone has ever seen! CC: I leave the last word for you. Thank you so much for your time Joshua. JN: Thank you…I love your site and it’s people like you that keep this genre alive and kicking! And I also wanted to say thank you for realizing that the future of horror IS in the independent world…you taking the time to interview people that might not be household names is an awesome thing to do…and much needed in this industry!
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