GOOD INTENTIONS

FILTH was a much more divisive film than I expected as far as festivals go. I find this rather surprising seeing as I set out to make a film that was just straight up entertaining. FILTH received its share of rejections but I never took into account that the content might turn some festivals off. There are so many factors at play when entering festivals and it’s never easy to accept that, for whatever reason, those adjudicating did not see enough value in your film to include it in their lineup. It might even leave you second guessing your decisions moving forward. FROM HELL HE RIDES is a much darker film than FILTH and because of that I may be forgoing festivals upon its completion. I once worked for an animation studio. I took the job for several reasons but mostly I wanted to see where I stood as an animator. It was a wonderful experience but after a year I had my answer. I left before the idea of animation as work and not play set in. I’ve pretty much reached that point with festivals. FROM HELL HE RIDES will be the same film whether it plays in festivals or not and it will find its audience regardless of festival success.

GENRE

Horror, for all the progress it’s made over the years remains the ugly stepchild of the film industry. No matter how much creative ground it breaks, no matter how much money it brings in, there will always be a stigma attached to the genre, to the people who work in it and to the people who enjoy it. Nice, well adjusted folks don’t find things like that entertaining. I’ve always loved horror movies and am unapologetic about it but it can get frustrating when you feel you have to tip toe around the content of your film because someone might be offended. I’m not looking to change people’s mind about horror movies, but a little respect from the mainstream for the craft that goes into making them would be nice.

UNLEASHED

FILTH is on line so I won’t waste time with a long post. Give the film a look. Let me know what you think and share it as much as possible.

 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

 

Because I documented the making of FILTH so thoroughly I’m going to break from format on FROM HELL HE RIDES for a little bit. I’ll still be updating it (mostly with pictures which, like today’s, speaks for itself) but for the next few posts I’m going to be sharing some stories on what this past year was like for FILTH on the festival circuit. Before I get into that I just want to say that I’ve had many wonderful experiences with film festivals. I’ve found the people behind the scenes to be professional, friendly and encouraging. I may not enter as many festivals as I used to but that has more to do with me than any short comings on their part. I wanted to make that clear from the onset because, while it’s not my intention to cast dispersion’s, the next few posts could be taken the wrong way. You’ll see what I mean.