Interview with Filmmaker Adam Barnick

If you’re not familiar with the name Adam Barnick, you soon will be! Adam is the director and writer behind the short film Mainstream, which was released via Fangoria’s Blood Drive II: America’s Best Short Horror Films DVD as well as producing, directing and editing the behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes for the films Frozen and Grace.

Adam is a long-time fan of the horror genre, and has contributed to many horror websites, including Icons of Fright and Dread Central. He is currently working on the exciting experimental horror documentary entitled What is Scary?

Sarah Jahier: Hi Adam and thanks for joining us today! Tell us a little about your background and how you first fell in love with the horror genre. 

Adam Barnick: I grew up in a wooded, spooky area in central New Jersey that gave me a deep appreciation for mood and atmosphere, both in its isolation and in the textures of Fall and Wintertime. Being forced through years of Catholic School as a kid definitely brought room to daydream and become familiar with talks of damnation and fear. And Halloween was always a big deal in our house. But I was introduced to the fantastic through a book on classic science fiction films that my Aunt gave me when I was 5 or 6. And my diet was primarily sci-fi for the next few years, whether through books or films. But I always enjoyed scary movies, I think we’re either wired to love this stuff or we’re not. My mother is a big horror fan so while I wasn’t, say, watching The Exorcist at 7, I was definitely seeing what I could on TV growing up and nobody minded within reason.

I think I was 12 or 13 when I got to see A Nightmare on Elm Street on cable one night, which scarred me good…but then I found out there was a part 3 coming out and managed to coerce my folks into taking me to see it. That’s really when the full-on obsession kicked in. Soon after that I had the Fangoria subscription and was diving in head first to catch up on any and all forms of horror.  That’s the best time in life as a horror fan, when you first jump in and discover classic after classic.

Sarah Jahier: After falling in love with the genre, what made you want to actually get involved in the horror industry and how did you go about accomplishing this goal? 

Adam Barnick: Well what Dream Warriors did was kick off an obsessive love for horror but also for practical makeup effects. Both the execution/artistry of them as well as the surrealistic ideas they depicted. That really got my brain cooking with all sorts of bizarre distortions of reality, human and inhuman form, etc. Originally I was thinking that as a career path. I absorbed everything I could that had to do with special makeup effects; started mold making and learning…And of course I began “attempting” films with neighborhood friends. But the preparing for filmmaking, brainstorming story ideas and capturing ideas on film/video really took over. It felt right and correct, and by the time I was 16 I knew it was filmmaking, not FX, that had really become my passion. But I’m obsessed with all genres of film…horror just happens to be the favorite.

I was always a fan, went to film school and worked on sets…and began doing genre interviews on my own website and for a site named Entertainment Insiders in an effort to meet more people in that area and learn from them. But it was my short film Mainstream getting picked up for worldwide DVD distribution that creaked open the doors a bit.

Sarah Jahier: How did you come up with the idea for your short film, Mainstream? 

Adam Barnick: The idea for Mainstream (the short) came about at a time when I was working in a video store, at the start of college; because that’s a requirement if you’re going to be a filmmaker, right?  While the film did deal with a lot of the themes that obsess me as a person that has shown up in other work (conformity, individual vs. a group, artists vs. non-artists), it was the clientele from the job that inspired it. I think maybe two percent of the people who I dealt with in the store were the types who were open to anything different or out of the mainstream, or who had a good attitude towards themselves and their lives. Two percent who didn’t have an angry/powerless/victim mentality. 98% seemed like whatever had made them unique at some point had been literally drained or burned out of them, that they’d given up. Anything creative or different, they’d snap at.

One day while at home I was contemplating this and the entire short film hit me all at once. Every image, sequence, beginning to end. I think only 2-3 times in life have I had “visions” like that for a project I wanted to do where it showed up fully formed. And I became obsessed with that surgical sequence that could be interpreted as symbol, or literal. As time went by I was able to articulate/understand every image in it as it pertained to the things I was haunted by as a creative person. And it still took like seven years from when I had the idea before we actually got to shoot it.

Sarah Jahier: As Mainstream was your first short film, how did you go about getting it from page to screen? What challenges did you face? 

Adam Barnick:  It wasn’t my first short, but it was the first to get out there and do well or be distributed. I’d prefer my older student films never get out there.

We never got the budget or resources to do it anywhere near the level I’d imagined, but for next to no money we were able to shoot something on film that affected people and got them thinking. While it’s “small” for a short film, it was the most ambitious project I’d done at the time; I was barely in the film business then, didn’t really know anybody well. Going about producing something like that without the resources/aid of a school, and trying to get talented people involved for next to nothing was the big challenge. Instead of waiting several more years, can we possibly do this on what we have now? As cheap as that short is, it took years to get to where we could afford to do it. Biggest challenge was just raising the meager funds. Getting people who don’t know you excited about what you’re doing was certainly a new and vital area a director needs to cultivate.

I don’t think we had many production-related snags once we got going though, once I’d accepted it had to be done at this scale or not at all. A few props malfunctioning, a few shots that had to be cut or combined, some minor personality conflicts on crew…but other than that, there weren’t many troubles we didn’t push through. I’m happy we accomplished it after so long, but I’d make it totally differently now, even if we were stuck with the same budget again. You almost make a film to figure out the way to properly make it!

Sarah Jahier: You’ve worked on the horror journalism side of the industry with several online publications. Do you have a favorite article or interview you’ve done? 

Adam Barnick: Interviewing Guillermo Del Toro for Pan’s Labyrinth was a highlight.  That was a brief but a seriously joyous moment. I saw him the following year again at the premiere of The Orphanage; we ended up nerding out over DVDs with some friends near the coat-check room when he should have been on the main floor doing press photos! He’s the world’s greatest geek.

I’m particularly happy I was able to interview Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni (Opera, The Third Mother), who’s since become a good friend. You learn a lot working on sets, but I’ve learned a lot as well with every interview I’ve done. Particularly from the interviews I did on the sets of Frozen and Grace…that’s one thing I think really helps those behind-the-scenes featurettes stand out. We didn’t settle for less when really getting into detailed questions on craft. And by then I’d worked enough in film to be able to interview actors/crew on their level instead of just asking for random anecdotes. And that was really the impetus behind getting into doing interviews in general…to get to know people and pick their brains while helping promote them.

Sarah Jahier: As mentioned, you’ve worked on the amazing special features for Grace and Frozen. How did you become involved with filming the special features for these films?

Adam Barnick: Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them. That started when I met Paul Solet. Fangoria and Koch Vision both picked our short films to go on their Blood Drive II: America’s Best Short Horror Films DVD. That was a big break for us both, and he and I really went to town promoting that. I read and did coverage on a bunch of his scripts, so I knew about Grace. And he was gearing up to do the short-film version of it to pitch the feature. He’d asked if I wanted to work on it and suggested doing a behind the scenes doc for the disc. I hadn’t done one before, but figured between my thorough interviews and having been a DVD geek I could stumble my way through it.

It’s really rough compared to ones I’ve done recently, but it did what they’d hoped it would do. While the short-form Grace showed Paul could direct a high profile project, the BTS showed who he was, what he was about and how he could pull it off. I know it helped in Adam Green wanting to meet him in the first place about producing this. Obviously he wanted to because the script was great but at least he knew Paul was a good, smart guy from seeing him work. That BTS also helped Paul get his world premiere of the short at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in LA, since I’d already given it to the heads of Fango and they were excited to see what was coming…but we’d hoped if the feature got going that I’d come on board to do more of the same.

It was a bit of a fight to get me on board for the feature because of the Canadian tax credit issues, limiting the amount of Americans you can hire…and we had almost no resources at all to make those special features. I didn’t care. I’d been involved since the start of that project on some level, and needed to make sure I was involved at its end. They weren’t as technically proficient as I’d desired but they had the smarts/visual finesse I was hoping to have. Green gave me a great compliment after seeing them, that you could tell a film director did them and not just an EPK guy brought on the job as a random hire, and that he was dying to see what shorts/features I would do in the feature. He and ArieScope brought me on board for Frozen soon after that, and I tried to kick it up a notch even higher than Grace. The response to the Frozen DVD/Blu-Ray has been overwhelming!

Sarah Jahier: Do you have any funny stories from behind-the-scenes of Grace and Frozen that you can share? 

Adam Barnick: We had fun on set even while busting our asses, but the strangest thing I can think of from working on Grace was the one night we went out, when I was there.  (Adam Green tells part of this story on the Grace DVD commentary). On our night off, several of the crew, Paul, Green and I went to a tavern in the middle of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. We walked into this place, and quickly realized we were right in the middle of Cerebral Palsy Karaoke Night. None of that statement is a joke. But it made for a unique backdrop for the rest of the night’s quirks.

The rest of the night’s events remained offbeat to say the least. This older, Wilfred Brimley-esque guy came over to Green and asked if he was interested in fighting. Keep in mind he says it in the most kindly way…I was sitting next to him when this happened and I thought he meant it like “do you like boxing?” But no, he clarified that he wanted to know if Green was interested in going outside to fight, just for the hell of it. Green politely turned him down. Then he asked if anyone else at the table was interested in fighting…We respectfully declined. But then at the next table, he found another older man who was like, “sure, I’ll come outside and fight!” And they went outside and fought.

So we decided to try out a different bar after that, and this one was supposed to be the one where the younger folks hung out. We get to that one, there’s a dozen flat-out hammered people falling down in the parking lot, and one girl trying to open a pocketknife to attack some other guy’s girlfriend. We sidestep this and go inside and it was just a whirlwind of strange Canadian drunkenness. And a lot of people beating each other up. Set to a drum and bass beat. People are really nice up there, but they let their hair down in a very unique way on the weekends it seems.

We told this story to other crew members on Monday and one of them explained the ‘Moose Jaw handshake’ to me. You break a bottle on your bar table, stick out the jagged end and go ‘pleased to meet you.’

Sarah Jahier: That sounds like quite the experience! You are currently working on What is Scary?, an experimental documentary. Can you tell our readers about this project and where you got the idea for it? 

Adam Barnick: After Mainstream I was trying to get several other projects going while working on other people’s films and developing my own work. As you probably know, everything’s built on sand and projects often take forever to come together…What is Scary? came about from being frustrated at a lack of resources to pull off bigger ideas I was developing. And after a few lean years where even getting a camera and lights was out of the question for any no-budget ideas I was trying to think of something that didn’t need anyone else but myself, really.

I’d participated in a similar project in which I was asked to call a voicemail and answer the question “What is sexy?” which right there can generate a ton of varied, thoughtful answers. I thought about taking a similar approach and asking people to answer ‘What is scary?’ however they saw fit, and it was an idea I could begin with just an answering machine. The answers are being edited into a visual tapestry of stills and possibly animations, akin to a Ken Burns documentary but with its own offbeat approach.  I invited people in and out of the horror world to call in with the answers to their questions.

So it became a project I could do on my own but I do have photographers including Paula Burr (Killer Eye Photography, Dread) involved; she’s been featured on your site a few times. It’s still a done-for-nothing passion project but it will be a bit more polished and involved than what’s been seen. I imagine it on the wall in a multimedia art gallery with a pair of headphones where you can drop in on this little world. There’s been a terrific response, both in the answers I got and in the film community/fans who’ve seen the teaser. I think it’s unique enough to grab people in and out of horror fandom who are open to something different. It’s become a smart dialogue between myself and the callers, though I only ask one question. I was concerned at the start that it might get too repetitive, but it’s the distinctive takes on what “scary” means to people that has made it fascinating to me.

Sarah Jahier:  I know the horror community, myself included, is extremely eager to check out this project! When can we expect to see What is Scary?
 
Adam Barnick: I only recently started postproduction and I’ll know what it’s truly going to take to wrap it up by this Spring/Summer…I’m kind of letting it tell me what it needs and it could keep changing- but I hope to wrap it up by the end of the year. I’ll be making more announcements about it at that time.

Sarah Jahier: The horror landscape is always changing, but right now mainstream Hollywood seems stuck in the remake rut with the only original ideas coming out of the independent scene. What’s your take on the current horror climate? 

Adam Barnick:  I think the past decade or so of horror’s been a complete 50/50.  Which is still better than the completely stale, sterile ‘90s in which I can only think of maybe four worthwhile horror films.

I can’t shit on remakes just because they’re remakes though…we all know some that surpass the originals and will remain classics. I recently read a script for an upcoming remake that was one of the best scripts I’d read in years. Scripts in general, not just remake scripts. You can’t really scream at Hollywood for playing safer bets, it’s completely rational from a business standpoint. But the fact is, if you look at what’s making money, they’re not seeing the support financially for a lot of original genre films.

A film on 50 screens isn’t going to make a huge dent, but it can make an impact and a decent per-screen average, which counts. And there’s ways to support original films, financially or promotionally even if you’re not fortunate to live close enough to see one you’re interested in. Sure, the Elm Street redo is going to have 30 million in marketing behind it; and a smaller film can’t compete…but it’s not hard to find what’s out there these days if you’re a serious horror fan. But every horror fan/filmmaker I know went to see Elm Street opening night last year, knowing they wouldn’t like it but they went because “they had to see it.” And then they went online to complain they didn’t like it.  Why bother if you’re certain it’s terrible?  And many of them just sit and wait for DVD when something unique comes out. So Elm Street made a ton of dough and people continue to be angry because they can’t get their scripts made and they don’t see enough variety at the theater. Every once in a while we get a gem, and overseas filmmaking continues to take chances, but I still believe people can vote with their wallets. Good horror may wax and wane but it doesn’t die.

Sarah Jahier: Who are your favorite horror filmmakers that really excite you today?

Adam Barnick: Not counting friends/people I’ve been fortunate to work with that I’m fans of…well obviously Del Toro is at the top. I wouldn’t call Neil Marshall strictly a horror filmmaker, but I’m up for whatever he’s interested in. Christopher Smith is another one who’s impressed me from the start who I’ll continue to watch. I will follow Tom Shankland around for life after he kicked me in the face with his film The Children. And I’m still down to see anything that the old-school masters of horror come up with.

Sarah Jahier: What are your picks for the 5 scariest horror movies?

Adam Barnick: This changes often since there’s usually a list of 20 from various eras that rotates…so I will pick 5 that are on my mind right now…not necessarily my favorites, but ones that continually freak me out.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Probably where I got my fear of “a group vs. an individual” in films…you can read so much into this film regardless of the period of history you’re from. A big unconscious influence on Mainstream.  The ‘70s follow-up is equally amazing but my heart remains in the original.

Don’t Look Now (1973) – A waking nightmare. This film made me nervous from the start and didn’t really ever let up. Literally two minutes in, it was unsafe.

The Shining (1980) – No explanation needed.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) – I grew up surrounded by woods and understand the primal scariness of them, all too well. The perfect film to me to utilize your imagination to scare the crap out of you. Plus, my friends and I were obsessed with exploring abandoned houses in high school…that film’s ending is like watching us get what we deserved back then. One of the few films that truly made it tough for me to sleep at night.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002) – I don’t know how much of a following it has, maybe people avoid it because it seems like a giant glossy star-driven horror film? But it’s seriously smart, has a visual approach unlike any other studio picture, has probably the most overt yet absorbing sound design I’ve heard, and it’s conceptually daring and quite subtly subversive for a big-ticket movie. It’s seriously eerie to see this film flirt with its spiritual concepts and ideas of the bigger picture behind the curtain that no human ever sees ‘til they die.  And then it doesn’t resolve much of the questions it poses about them.

Sarah Jahier: What horror movies (besides your own!) are you excited for in 2011 and beyond? 

Adam Barnick: I was beyond over the moon for At the Mountains of Madness and will remain hopeful the stars align someday and that film happens. Aside from projects directors I know or have worked with have brewing, I’m seriously excited for Insidious.  Any kind of supernatural tale always wins over real-life psychos with me. I’ll probably have seen Chris Smith’s Black Death by the time this interview surfaces. I know I’m not alone in thinking he’s consistently underrated. Bereavement is a seriously disturbing film just coming out now, though I saw that last year. Other than that, I’m definitely down for Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark’s redo even though I love the original…and there’s a film in prep called American Mary by the Soska sisters that won’t be out till 2012 but has already got me seriously intrigued from what little I’ve heard about it.

Sarah Jahier: How do you get inspired for ideas for your films? 

Adam Barnick: Music is a big help. And just trying to remain active and interested in people and life around me. Catching bits of conversations and imagining what came before and after. Spending too much time thinking about themes and ideas that obsess me. Traveling. As for developing scripts, and adding to the ideas I start with, I generate inspiration and ideas just through the process of working. And music helps a lot at that time. I used to wait till I was fired up and inspired before doing anything or working on any random ideas, but that resulted in basically losing ten years of being productive. It wasn’t until Summer 2009 that I kind of figured my own creativity out, and how to get the most out of it and demand of myself that I put the time in daily. The more digging I do, the more I find…but I rarely, if ever, find something before I’ve started digging. I’m still not at “full strength” yet, but I’m working out all the time now, if you get what I mean.

Sarah Jahier: What are your favorite things about the horror genre? 

Adam Barnick: It has no limitations. In terms of visuals, atmosphere, sound, subject matter, depth of intelligence. You can go anywhere and there’s an audience that can roll with it.  From the nastiest slasher to gorgeous, poetic films like Eyes Without a Face, there’s so many shades to horror and how you can approach it or what you can say with it.

Sarah Jahier: Besides horror, what makes Adam Barnick tick? 

Adam Barnick: Nature, Twin Peaks, French Onion soup, being around and having smart conversations with artists of any type, kickboxing/fitness, friends, reading, learning, New York City, London, pumpkin carving and dachshunds.

Sarah Jahier: What projects are you working on next? 

Adam Barnick: Besides what I’ve mentioned, I’ve got half a dozen scripts in various stages of development, in different genres. Though the main focus has been the feature-length version of Mainstream. It’s much more story/character based than the short was but still has a layered, smart and experimental vibe. I didn’t have an idea for a feature when I did the short, but came up with a take on it last year that has obsessed me, so I’m shaping that. I’ve got two music videos I’m in various stages of planning right now, and have written two other shorts I’m hoping to get funds for so we can shoot them this year. There are a few other behind-the-scenes docs I’m supposed to begin soon, but the films they’re for still need to get started, so I’m waiting at the starting line for the trigger to go off. And there’s a few other “maybes”, in and out of horror films, that are circling. I’m just trying to make up for lost time and continually improve myself, as a filmmaker and a person.

For more info, visit www.adambarnick.com!

Interview with Photographer April A. Taylor

April A. Taylor's Post-Apocalyptic Princess

April A. Taylor is an internationally published and exhibited dark art horror photographer from Detroit, Michigan whose work has been featured in over 50 galleries, books, magazines, DVDs, calendars, websites, conventions and events. Her recent publication credits include Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Darkfaery Subculture Magazine and WU Magazine. Over the next year her work is slated to appear in several more books and magazines in two different countries, including the horror anthology What Fears Become (featuring authors such as Piers Anthony and Ramsey Campbell).

We had the absolute pleasure to interview April A. Taylor, which fortuitously landed during Women in Horror Month! She uses her long-term love affair with all things horror to create dark art, horror and fine art photography which is described as “unique, unusual and unconventional”. Below you can read about her cinematic photographs, how she feels about women breaking into (and taking over) the “boy’s club” of horror, her most prized possession, what kind of art she has hanging in her home and just how fortunate she feels to spend her days covered in fake blood and call it work.

Fatally Yours: Hi April and welcome! When did you become interested in the field of photography?

April A. Taylor: Hi Fatally Yours, it’s my pleasure to speak with you today! I’ve been interested in photography since I was very young, to the point where I usually joke about coming out of the womb with a camera in my hand. I didn’t become serious about it until 2007, though.

Fatally Yours: How would you describe your photographic style?

April A. Taylor: The grittiness of many of my photographs has often been referred to as looking like it’s from the ‘70s and although that wasn’t intentional, I definitely see a lot of the style of the ‘70s in my photographs. In addition to which, I’m not content to take photographs at the same angles that most photographers do; I’ve been known to lay in greasy railroad tracks and climb trees just to get a different perspective on something.  And those photographs are almost always the ones that become fan favorites so my willingness to get my clothes dirty and, at times, to take what some would call “a risk” has definitely been a good thing, and has defined a lot of my work and my style.

Fatally Yours: Horror obviously plays a large part in your art. What made you want to focus on dark art and why? 

April A. Taylor: I’ve been in love with horror movies and novels since way before it was probably age appropriate. When I started focusing more seriously on photography, I was instantly drawn to the dark side of humanity. It didn’t take long for me to connect that with my love of horror. Each of the photographs has a dual meaning; the meaning you see on the surface, which is the more basic horror story, and a back story that is usually rooted in social commentary. Horror/Dark Art just makes the most sense to me and speaks to me the most.

Fatally Yours: I’m really struck by the vividness of your photographs, which really helps them stand out from other horror art. What inspired you to use this mode of expression? 

April A. Taylor: Most horror/dark artists use starkness to express the horror in their images. I chose to go in the exact opposite direction with the majority of my work by infusing it with bright, vivid colors. The intention behind this was to make the photographs feel more real to the viewer, in order to allow them to feel as if they’re seeing the scenes happening right in front of them.

Fatally Yours: Can you tell us how you go about creating the back story and characters for your photographs? 

April A. Taylor: The basic storylines come from a number of different places; some are inspired by things I encounter in real life, some come while sitting still and rooting through my blood-soaked imagination and others come from the models (for example, She’s Dead is based on a poem written by model Shannon Waite). Once a basic storyline is selected, I create a back story for the character(s) that is fleshed out enough to allow me to inhabit their headspace during a shoot. I also make sure that the basic concept has a dual meaning (societal commentary) as I never shoot gore just for the sake of gore.

Fatally Yours: What is your creative process before, during and after a shoot? 

April A. Taylor: Once a storyline is selected, a model(s), costuming, props and a location are chosen. Based on those, other elements of the shoot fall into place organically. On the day of a shoot I listen to music that allows me to inhabit the headspace of the character(s). Once I’m on set, I walk the model(s) through the basics of the storyline and any specific poses/actions that I want to capture. My sets are typically run more like a movie set in that the model(s) actually acts out the scenes that are captured instead of just holding a pose. I experiment a lot on set, in that I don’t just capture what was already in my head, I also capture any new ideas that come to mind during the shoot and also anything that the model(s) wants to try out. Once the shoot is done, I use music to stay in the headspace of the character(s) during the editing process in order to best bring out what the character(s) was trying to say in the shoot.

Fatally Yours: Which one of your characters would make the most interesting dinner guest? 

April A. Taylor: That depends on what you’re serving, as they all have, shall we say, particular tastes in food. But in all seriousness, probably either the unnamed character from Loss of Innocence, as that character is the manifestation of the beaten down (but never broken) spirit of the city of Detroit or the Princess of Decay from A Twisted Fairytale, as she’s torn between two different personalities and that would definitely make for some interesting conversational twists.

Fatally Yours: What do you hope to accomplish/express through your art? 

April A. Taylor: I seek to shed light on the darkness within all of humanity. Most people try to hide their darkness; I think it’s better to bring it to the forefront in order to examine it.  I hope that my photographs will make people pause for a second and think. Sometimes people are visibly jarred by looking at my photographs and since the point of art is to evoke an emotion in someone, be that a good emotion or a bad emotion, I take it as a compliment whenever someone has a strong reaction of any kind.

Fatally Yours: What equipment do you work with?

April A. Taylor: I use Canon equipment and do the majority of my Dark Art shoots with a wide angle lens, as opposed to the more traditional usage of a portrait lens, which is part of why my photos have a different “feel” to them.

Fatally Yours: How does digital manipulation play a part in your art? 

April A. Taylor: Aside from enhancing colors and sometimes adding what I’ve dubbed “bleed frames” I don’t really use a lot of digital manipulation. All of the makeup that you see was really on the models and the props and background were all really there during the shoot, too. I prefer to capture things for real whenever possible as I believe that a viewer can tell when something has been altered, no matter how well done it is, and that keeps them from really believing in the photo.

Fatally Yours: What was the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?

April A. Taylor: Probably the photo from the Post-Apocalyptic Princess set that features the princess holding an oriental fan while standing in front of the Michigan Central Station (which is an abandoned train station in Detroit, MI).

Fatally Yours: If you could choose a horror icon as a subject for your photographs, who would it be and why? 

April A. Taylor: The child in me that grew up loving the original A Nightmare on Elm Street says Freddy Krueger and Nancy Thompson, but the one person working in horror that I’ve always looked up to is Clive Barker, so it would be very interesting to photograph him.  His work has always pushed boundaries and I admire his courage to be completely open about who he is with the entire world.

Fatally Yours: Music usually plays an important role in the creative process. What is your favorite kind of music to listen to? 

April A Taylor: When I’m not creating I tend to listen to Alternative and Indie music, with a lot of my time spent listening to the two latest albums by Green Day. But when I’m creating, I listen to music that helps me inhabit the headspace of the character(s). For example, the theme song for Mine is “Lights Out” by Breaking Benjamin. Sometimes my day to day music does inspire me (a Green Day song led to the creation of the Nuclear Series) but for the most part I tend to put on something with a heavier/darker feel to help me create a Dark Art piece. Fortunately I have a very diverse collection of music, so there’s something on my iPod for just about any scenario.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel women in your business get the proper recognition when compared to their male counterparts? How about women in the horror industry as a whole? 

April A. Taylor: There are not many women in my specific niche of the horror genre, but as with just about any industry, men do unfortunately seem to get more recognition. The horror industry has long been known to be basically a “boys club” and this can be seen through the disproportionate number of working male to female directors, writers, etc. Things like Women in Horror Recognition Month are shedding light on this issue, though, and independent film festivals such as BleedFest are making it easier for female filmmakers to get their work in front of the public eye.

Fatally Yours: What women do you admire?

April A. Taylor: I admire every woman who is working really hard to break into the long standing “boys club” that is the industry of horror and I give special props to Rachel Talalay for all of her work within the industry. I admire the women in history who have stood up for women’s rights and civil rights. And I admire the women in my personal life who do amazing things daily, such as my aunt who spends almost all of her spare time making hats and scarves to donate to the homeless.

Fatally Yours: Who are some of your favorite photographers?

April A. Taylor: I really love the non-landscape work that Ansel Adams did earlier in his career.  I find that a lot of the other work that I’m really drawn to is being produced by people who have no interest in actually having a career as a professional photographer. There are a lot of really talented people out there who have shared their stuff with me, some who have been kind enough to say that mine inspired theirs, and I love to look at photography of all kinds/from all fields.

Fatally Yours: Recently, have you come across any new artists whose work you’ve absolutely fallen in love with? This can include photographers, filmmakers, musicians, etc. 

April A. Taylor: Although I wouldn’t say I came across him recently, one of my absolute favorite artists is Chris Mars. His work inspires me greatly. As to musicians and other artists, I constantly seek out new work and seem to have a new favorite song and movie every other day, so any list of recent favorites would be extremely long. However, my current favorite song is “A Walk Through Hell” by Say Anything and the last movie I saw that I really loved was Buried.

Fatally Yours: What is your most prized possession? 

April A. Taylor: Aside from my camera I’d say my iPod. Music is one of the few things in life that I really don’t think I could live without.  The second runner up would be my passport because I want to see, and photograph, the entire world.

Fatally Yours: If you weren’t a photographer, what would you want to be and why?

April A. Taylor: A cinematographer, which is something that I may eventually branch into. I’m too strongly connected to telling a story through a visual format to not have some form of a camera in my hands.

Fatally Yours: What kind of art do you have hanging in your home? 

April A. Taylor: I have a lot of Halloween related art (most of it throwbacks to “classic Halloween” from the ‘30s – ‘50s).  I also have several pieces from artist Matt Busch.

Fatally Yours: You also shoot many haunted attractions. What is your favorite haunted attraction you’ve visited and/or shot and why? 

April A. Taylor: I have many favorite haunts around the country, but probably the best one I’ve ever been to is The 13^th Gate in Baton Rouge, LA. It is the most lovingly detailed haunt I’ve ever seen and, for obvious reasons, the visual presentation of a haunted attraction is very important to me. As far as just having a really fun and unusual experience, though, The House of Shock in New Orleans wins hands down for their full body contact style of haunting.

Fatally Yours: And lastly, one of my favorite questions to ask…What are some of your favorite horror movies? 

April A. Taylor: I have so many favorites!  Here are the ones that come to mind immediately:  A Nightmare on Elm Street (the original) parts 1 & 3, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Evil Dead, Fido, Shaun of the Dead, all of the Romero zombie movies, Hellraiser, [REC], Cube, Saw (parts 1 & 2), Halloween (the original), Trick R Treat, 1408 (the director’s cut), The Collector, Cabin Fever and The Human Centipede.

Fatally Yours: Let me sneak one more question in here…can you tell us about the next series you are going to shoot or any other projects you have lined up? 

April A. Taylor: Although I have several sets lined up, I typically don’t discuss them in advance. I will say, though, that a few popular sets are going to have continuations, one of which will probably really surprise the fans with the direction that it’s going to take.  As to publications, appearances, etc., some of my darker Fine Art pieces will be featured in an upcoming horror anthology entitled What Fears Become. Some of my work will also be seen in an upcoming short horror film entitled CathARTic, written and directed by Devanny Pinn.  I will also be making appearances this month at Con Nooga in Chattanooga, TN and MystiCon in Roanoke, VA and then in April at Motor City Nightmares in Novi, MI.

Fans can see more of my work at www.aprilataylor.com and can get sneak peaks of upcoming shoots, exclusive content & discounts, etc. by “liking” the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aprilataylorphotography.  Thanks, Fatally Yours!

Interview with Author Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas is the author of the short story collections Midnight in New England, The Ghosts in the Garden and his newly released Quill and Candle anthology. His supernatural tales are sophisticated spookfests that are usually based in rustic locales that add to their creepy charm.

I was delighted to interview Mr. Thomas to find out the secrets behind his unnerving stories, how his older brother got him hooked on horror and how writing runs in the family. Enjoy the interview below!

Fatally Yours: When did you fall in love with the horror genre?

Scott Thomas: I can hardly think of a time when I wasn’t interested in horror, though in my younger days horror was not the primary focus so much as one of several major interests, the others being science fiction and fantasy. Not to diminish any fascination with the genre. It’s actually hard not to say we when referring to those more youthful times, because my interests were so interwoven with and influenced by those of my older brother Jeffrey — yes, Jeffrey Thomas the author of Punktown. My interests were our interests. We loved monster movies and Halloween, spooky old time radio classics like Lights Out, and publications such as Eerie, Creepy, and Famous Monsters of Filmland. Oh, yes, and TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.

FY: When did you realize you wanted to pursue writing? Have you always known you wanted to be an author?

ST: I came from a home where creativity was highly regarded. My father was a poet and an artist and my mother used to have her own musing newspaper column, so, creating, whether it be art, or homemade comic books (and eventually penning stories) became a way of expressing and inventing, a way of processing and indulging interests. Story telling, in that environment, seemed to come naturally. As far back as 5th grade I was writing what I considered novels, though I don’t think the actual word counts would have justified the label. Even so, my desire to be an author goes back at least to that time.

FY: How did you start your writing career and what was the very first thing that you had published?

ST: I wrote a certain vignette, an October mood piece called Only the Night Knows, that saw print in a pagan periodical called New Earth Journal some years before being published in anything like a horror publication.

Back in the early nineties there were a lot of small press genre magazines being put out with subject matter ranging from traditional horror and sci-fi to gothic stuff and hardcore fantasy (some will remember Deathrealm, Elegia, 2AM and Eldritch Tales, to name a few). Well, I started submitting short stories to some of those markets and scored a hit with a sale to a handsome magazine called Haunts. That was in February of 1991. The story, Memento Mori, came out in May of 1993 and later was scooped up for a reprint in DAW’s The Year’s Best Horror #22. Other short works appeared in this and that little magazine before the May issue of Haunts came out, but Memento Mori remains my first fiction acceptance.

FY: Do you follow a certain routine when writing a novel? Do you put in a certain number of hours per day?

ST: Well, whether I’m working on a novel, which is infrequent, or a short story, I guess I do it when I have time and energy and I’m in writing mode or mood. I can’t say there’s an actual pattern. I’d certainly like to write more often than I do.

FY: Your collection, The Garden of Ghosts, is set in Victorian times. What interests you about the Victorian period and why did you decide to set your book in this time period?

ST: My interest in that period stems, I would say, from my interest in the classic Victorian ghost story. The classic British Victorian ghost story especially. Some decades back, I was also rather taken with the architecture of the era, though I’ve since become more fond of earlier period houses. The Victorians were fascinated with death, of course, so setting stories in that environment seems appropriate. And, in my humble opinion, stories of a ghostly nature seem more at home in a time when people rode in carriages and relied on fireplaces and candles, and women wore long picturesque skirts. With The Garden of Ghosts I simply determined to do a collection of nothing but Victorian ghost stories, though in my own idiosyncratic interpretations of the tradition.

FY: Did you have to do a lot of research on the Victorian period before writing The Garden of Ghosts?

ST: I tend do quite a bit of research when I’m doing period stories. I get obsessive, learning more than I need. Even so, the research is a way of tuning into a certain place and period, so it proves a valuable expenditure of time. Yes, I would definitely say I did quite a bit for that particular collection. I recall looking into things such things as village life in 1830s New England, and the building styles and street lay-outs of old British villages, even the kinds of plants one would have encountered in Victorian times. A great deal of research went into the Jack-the-Ripper story Mr. Pickergill’s Unusual Oak-wood Box. I aimed to capture details of the actual crimes as well as the dreary slum environs where that gory bit of history took place. I wanted that crime-infested, down-trodden part of London to almost function as a character in the story.


FY: What are your favorite stories that you’ve written?

ST: Favorites change over time, but one that I would absolutely list is The Swan of Prudence Street, which appeared in Ministry of Whimsy’s Leviathan 3. I’m rather proud of that one. Two others that I consider favorites are The Second Parsonage, from my collection Midnight in New England and the title story from The Garden of Ghosts. The collective stories of my book Westermead are very dear to me as well.

FY: How do you feel about ultra-gory horror novels as opposed to more psychologically chilling tales?

ST: I can’t say I’m much of a novel reader, but as regards horror fiction in general, I favor quiet ghost stories to gore. I’m a big fan of Thomas Harris, though, and his violent, bloody work borders on horror (but also works on a psychological level as well). It’s sort of ironic, I suppose, because back when I was in my early twenties I wanted my writing to be the most violent stuff around. Not that I’m a prude now by any means. I enjoy a good exploding heads zombie flick as much as the next guy.

FY: What do you think of the recent popularity of period-based horror novels that take established classic texts and infuse monsters in them, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters?

ST: I looked one of those books over in a store once. While some tolerant part of me almost wants to find the concept amusing and witty, I’m really pretty disgusted by the idea. It’s so smirky and arrogant to deface antique works of literature. Would it be cute and funny to spray paint giant boobs on the wall of some historical figure’s birth place, or to superimpose party hats on the portraits of historical figures? Splice silly blips of annoying music into a Bach cello piece? No, I can’t say I care for the trend and I hope I’m not alone in that sentiment. Is it, perhaps, just another emanation of a soulless, jaded, and barbaric pop culture?

FY: Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

ST: It really varies. Sometimes elements of a story will just sort of pop into mind. Sometimes it’s an image, or a line of descriptive, or I may get inspired by reading something about life in the past and roll from there. Reading or hearing something by a skilled author can stir the creative juices, certainly.

FY: Who are your main influences?

ST: My brother Jeffrey has always been an influence. Who knows, if it were not for his early interest in writing, I might not have gravitated to that pursuit myself. I’ve been influenced by M.R. James and Dylan Thomas, the singer/ musician/storyteller Robin Williamson and I’ve always loved Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with its ghostly elements.

FY: What are some of your favorite horror books and films?

ST: My favorite horror books are collections by M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft and H. Russell Wakefield. And my brother’s work, of course! For novels I’d have to mention William Peter Blatty’s Legion. Films…The Innocents, which is a haunting 1961 black and white version of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. The masterful The Others! Carpenter’s Halloween! Others favorites include Eyes of Fire, Ghost Story, Kubrick’s The Shining, An American Werewolf in London, Carpenter’s The Thing, Reanimator.

FY: Who are your favorite authors?

ST: Jeffrey Thomas, Dylan Thomas, M.R. James, Charles Dickens, Thomas Harris, H. Russell Wakefield, H.P. Lovecraft, Thomas Hardy, Truman Capote.

FY: What was the last book you read?

ST: Devil’s Gate by David Roberts. It’s a haunting tale of true life horror and suffering, a documentation of the plight of Mormon pilgrims who died from starvation, exhaustion and freezing weather while pushing handcarts for over a thousand miles in the western wilderness of 1856. The book explicitly illustrates how dangerous religions can sometimes be. Over two hundred people lost their lives. It was the greatest tragedy in the history of western migration. Devil’s Gate, which is wonderfully written and constructed, was an odd choice of a book for me to read, as I’m not terribly interested in western history. The human drama of the event was what drew my interest.

FY: Do you have any upcoming projects you are working on?

ST: Well, my latest collection of supernatural short stories, Quill and Candle, is now available from Dark Regions Press as part of their Ghost House imprint. It features superb cover and interior artwork by Erin Wells and, like my book Midnight in New England, contains stories set in New England’s past.
I’ll soon be starting another collection for Dark Regions, more ghostly tales.

Thanks for having me by for a chat!

FY: And many thanks to you, Scott!

Buy Scott Thomas’ novels on Amazon:
Midnight in New England: Strange and Mysterious Tales
The Garden of Ghosts

Interview with Goth-Industrial Band God Module

Don’t ever change
I like it spooky

Zombies eating brains
I like it spooky

Serial killers
And the insane
I like it spooky

Angry ghosts
Rattling chains
I like it spooky

-”Spooky” by God Module off their Let’s Go Dark album

How can any self-respecting spooky kid resist those lyrics? It’s like a horror-lovers’ anthem! Not to mention that a wicked sample of Trash (Linnea Quigley) from Return of the Living Dead appears throughout the track asking “Do you ever fantasize about being killed? Do you ever wonder about all the different ways Of dying…you know, violently?” as well as her famous “I like it spooky” line.

This song is not only representative of all the horror fiends out there, but it also shows what the goth-industrial/harsh EBM band God Module is all about. Founded by Jasyn Bangert (vocals, synth, programming), God Module also consists of fellow horror-lovers Byron C. Miller (vocals, live keyboards) and Courtney Bangert (vocals, live keyboards), and all three like it spooky!

As the creepy creators of “spooky dance music”, God Module has released the albums Artificial, Perception EP, Empath, Victims Among Friends EP, Viscera, Let’s Go Dark and recently released their new album The Magic in my Heart is Dead.

God Module has been one of my favorite bands for quite a long time, and it certainly was a pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with members Jasyn and Byron about crazy tour stories, their favorite horror movies and what is next for the band!

Fatally Yours: Welcome Jasyn and Byron! I’m very excited to have the opportunity to interview one of my favorite bands! 

Tell me, before God Module, what musical experience did you have?

Jasyn Bangert: When I was 14 I started playing drums. No formal training at all other than music class in middle school. I just played along to records like Misfits Walk Among Us and Ramones Rocket to Russia over and over again until I could play them. I was in an assortment of attempts at punk and death rock bands off and on while in high school but they never really worked out for too long. My interests in gothic and synth pop music brought me to be exposed to industrial bands. After hearing 242, Leather Strip, and Skinny Puppy I had no choice, I pawned my drum kit and bought an old shitty Alesis drum machine and set out to learn how to make electronic music and find out what the fuck MIDI meant.

Fatally Yours: Jasyn, you released God Module’s first album, Artificial, in 2000 before Byron and Courtney were in the band. How did the dynamic change after they joined the band in 2002? And Byron, how was your experience with joining the band?

Jasyn Bangert: Originally God Module was collaboration between one of my high school friends Andrew Ramirez and myself. At the time we met we both were really into Belgian new beat, techno and Ambient music. Looking back on those times its hilarious how little we knew about making a CD when we created “Artificial”. The stories of how we recorded our vocals on that release would scare most people who have a clue what they are doing musically. Sadly, people change and our friendship ended, as did his time being a part of God Module. Courtney had actually always been in the band since the first CD. I am very drawn to ideas of duality and the addition of clean, female vocals to my effected vocals was always part of the plan. With my music, lyrics and vocals I always try to exist somewhere in between good and evil, light and dark. I think the female vocal tracks really help to do that. Byron joined God Module after Andrew left due to my need for another live member. We have grown as a live band together since then and I feel Byron has really matured as a performer from where he was when we started. He also contributes vocals in the studio from time to time, as well as handling half the vocal duties live.

Byron C. Miller: I joined the band right around the completion of the Perception EP. I knew Jasyn wanted do something a little different with the next album Empath, and that we shared a great love for Horror in film and literature, and how well the genre can be used to explore, just as much as entertain. It only seemed natural that Jasyn would want to use horror as a backdrop and have always pushed for it in the music. Come to find out Jasyn was thinking the same way.  My overall experience in God Module is an evolution in live performance. The music and themes convey very powerful emotions and I always strive to really give an intense physical interpretation on the stage. I also do what I can behind the scenes to contribute to the albums by writing some lyrics, contributing vocals, finding many of the samples, and in general sitting there with Jasyn as he’s putting the song together and making suggestions.

Fatally Yours: Can you tell us about your main influences/inspirations when performing and/or writing material? 

Jasyn Bangert: When it comes to mood and imagery I am very inspired by artistic imaginaries such as Clive Barker, David Lynch, H.P. Lovecraft, Joel-Peter Witkin and Mike Mignola to name a few. I find myself drawn to these people because they seem to touch on places and experiences that “normal” people cannot begin to comprehend with their art. It’s not just personal or expressive but it is otherworldly at times. Performing live I think that my stage persona is very unique in the type of music we make. I don’t try to emulate anyone else when I am onstage.  I use my physical stature to become a reflection of the music I create. In doing so, I take a very animalistic, intimidating, monstrous approach to my stage persona.

Byron C. Miller: In performing live I strive to completely transform into something inhuman, evil.

Fatally Yours: Many of your songs are influenced by horror movies and it is obvious you are all big fans of horror. What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Jasyn Bangert: Some of my favorite horror films are: Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its sequel, Phantasm, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and Halloween, Clive  Barker’s Hellraiser 1 and  2, Lord of Illusions, Stewart Gordon’s Reanimator films, Dagon, From Beyond, Return of the Living Dead 1, 2, and 3, Pumpkinhead, Trick R Treat, The Resurrected, etc., etc. I am also an insane Jason Voorhees fan, so I love all the Friday the 13th movies but, Part 6: Jason Lives is my favorite, followed closely by Part 7.

Byron C. Miller: I have many favorites for many different reasons, here’s a taste: Dust Devil, John Carpenter’s Halloween, The Thing,  Night of the Creeps, Dawn of the Dead (‘78), Return of the Living Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (‘78), Near Dark, Fright Night,  The Haunting (‘63), The Exorcist, Re-Animator, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (‘86).

Fatally Yours: Was there any specific moments and/or events that made you the horror fans you are today?

Jasyn Bangert: When I was really young I saw the trailer or TV spot for Phantasm somewhere and I became obsessed with seeing it.  I bugged my Mom constantly, every day trying to get her to take me to see this movie. From a very young age, I couldn’t wait for Saturdays so I could watch Creature Feature on Channel 50 in Detroit, where I grew up, in the suburbs. So it wasn’t that I had never seen a scary movie,  I just  had never seen anything other than what was shown on TV, which was mainly older Hammer or Universal films with the occasional 50’s B monster movie thrown in. So I think my mom finally gave in and took me to the movie in hopes that it would scare the shit out of me and I would shut up…and it did, I couldn’t walk past a mirror for a long time without expecting the tall man to jump out and grab me. Rather than turning me against being scared of things, it did the total opposite. I loved that feeling even more than ever and that is still going till this day.

Byron C. Miller: I attribute a lot of it to growing up for half of my childhood in Owensboro, KY. It’s a small town with plenty of legends and ghost stories, and my Grandma on my Dad’s side would always tell me of these stories and I could never get enough. Her house at the time was haunted and located on a hill next to an abandoned cemetery. Sometimes it’s like I was a kid in a horror movie and I loved every moment; I love to be scared! The late night horror host Sammy Terry was my hero, and Halloween was always my favorite holiday. I would even build haunted mazes in my room and have the neighborhood kids go through them. I suppose it’s just in my blood.

Fatally Yours: On the subject of horror, could you give our readers examples of your songs that directly relate to the genre and what inspired you to write them? 

Jasyn Bangert: From the beginning, God Module has been directly tied to horror in the sense of the majority of the themes I use in my song writing are in one way or another connected to the genre. Even our first CD, Artificial, which many people place in the sci-fi category is mainly based around ideas I got from movies like Aliens, Event Horizon, and Cube. After that CD, the title track on the Perception EP is based in the paranormal and uses ideas like telekinesis and ESP to express other more personal matters hidden in the words. This has become very synonymous with my work with God Module. I take extremely personal thoughts and feelings that I need to expel from my own self. I just use very dark imagery through words to get these things out of me. So while a song that seems like it is about the end times of the world (“Skeptical”), evolving into a fish person in Innsmouth (“Forseen”), or murder and rape (“Lucid”), they just might really be about very different aspects of my personality at their core. Then there are songs that are more obviously inspired by specific horror films I love like: “Your True Face” (Nightbreed), “Orange and Black” (John Carpenter’s Halloween), and “Brains” (my favorite zombie films like Return of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc., etc.).

Byron C. Miller: The song “Spooky” had an interesting evolution. Jasyn and I had always wanted to sample Trash and Suicide from Return of the Living Dead. When Jasyn sampled the “I like it spooky” line I started thinking of what the lyrics to such a song would be. I left a voicemail one day with the phrase “Don’t ever change I like it spooky.” This was a message to everyone that’s a little different to always be themselves. It was an anthem for everyone, and for myself as at the time I had just gotten out of a relationship that made me feel like I couldn’t always be myself. Jasyn liked it and thought that it could be the basis for a song that was not only a message, but also a fun tribute all things Horror that we enjoy. It would be like a trip through a haunted house. He then wrote the first verse, I wrote the second verse and the rest is history. I like that despite it’s more tongue in cheek approach, “Spooky”, like all God Module songs, is about much more than what it appears on the surface.

Fatally Yours: On your many tours, what has been your most memorable concert experience? 

Jasyn Bangert: There have been many. One of my Favorites was when we toured with the Mexican EBM band Hocico as part of the Out Of Line festival throughout Germany. At the time I was such a fan boy of Erk and Racso’s music that it was unreal to be driving around Europe on a bus performing with them every night. Sitting on the side of the stage watching Hocico every night after our set was over is something I will always remember as being fucking amazing. Also a lot of the early shows we did with my good friend Alex Matheu’s band Negative Format are very special to me.

Byron C. Miller: It’s a tie. Playing the WGT festival in Germany, performing for about 5,000 people was amazing and so much fun. However I don’t feel that I had reached my full potential at the time, and in a way that show and its success helped give me the strength to finally become the performer I always knew I could be. So the tie is with performing at DAS BUNKER in Los Angeles. The last two shows (this might be considered a threeway tie…) were just great. Such emotion and power from the crowd, and something overall about that venue just really makes me come alive. I love it!

Fatally Yours: Do you have any favorite venues/cities you just love to play?

Jasyn Bangert: Das Bunker in Los Angeles because the crowd is always fucking crazy! Sadisco* in Arizona is really cool too. When we first played there they asked me if I had a choice which movie would I want to play a concert in and of course I said The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2..because who wouldn’t? So when we got there they had turned the club into a rendition of the underground world beneath the old the Texas Battleland amusement park the Sawyer family lived in. Bones, Christmas lights and body parts were everywhere. They even had one room set up like the dinner scene. Then of course playing bigger festivals like Wave Gothic Treffen, Kinetik, Infest etc are always really fun. Not only is it nice to play in front of hundreds and sometimes thousands of people but getting to see and perform with many bands we are fans of or friends with or both is awesome.

Byron C. Miller: Los Angeles, San Antonio, Montreal, Mexico City, Leipzig – Germany

Fatally Yours: If you could pick any bands that you would want to tour with, who would they be and why?

Jasyn Bangert: I would have to say I would need a time machine to get the full effect out of this question. With that said the incarnation of the Misfits when the line up consisted of Doyle, Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Robo. Their music has been such a huge inspiration on so many aspects of my life. I would even settle for the opening spot for Danzig on tour for their first record. Runners up include touring with The Cure for Disintegration on the Prayer Tour, Christian Death for Only Theater of Pain, Skinny Puppy for Too Dark Park, Front 242 for Front By Front and Marilyn Manson for Antichrist Superstar.

Byron C. Miller:  Calabrese, it would be fun to tour with a great Death Rock band. GhoulTown for the same reason as Calabrese. Imperative Reaction, because they’re awesome and it would be lots of fun to hit the road with our friends Ted and Clint and the gang, and we’ve been talking about it forever, time to do it!

Fatally Yours: Oh yes please! Those would be great tours! So, tell us about your new EP, The Magic in My Heart Is Dead which is out now!

Jasyn Bangert: The new EP is based around 4 new God Module songs that after finishing I felt were strong enough to be released as their own entity and not part of the next CD:

“The Magic In My Heart Is Dead”: This songs title, which is also the title of the EP, comes from the name of a painting done by my good friend Ashley Kitchens. I was inspired by her work to write a song that I planned on using as the instrumental opening for our upcoming shows. I ended up simply speaking the words – “The Magic in My Heart is Dead” – on the song and I really liked the way it turned out. The title of her painting really appealed to me at the time. There were things I was dealing with in my personal life that had left me feeling as if parts of me had in fact died. I see this song as a funeral march of sorts. Mourning the loss of a very important person in my life and also as chance to become stronger from my own loss.

“Skeptical”: Is about the doubt, anger and fear I experienced after losing a very important person in my life. There were times when I felt like I was not sure I would ever be able to get over what I was feeling. Of course at times like these people are quick to tell you how these feelings will pass and in time they do. But this song is not about that, rather it is about me expressing my desire to be nothing like these people who can easily accept such things and move on. While I believe everything that does not kill us does make us stronger, I will never accept the belief that things happen “for a reason” or that any part of being born, growing old and dying is fair or just. There are many magical things to experience in life but at the same time no matter what your belief or faith is, you have to accept that we are brought into life to lose it and everything else we find while we are alive. That is how we are made and how the cycle of life works. And it’s really catchy and you can dance to it!

“Art”: In this song I used metaphors such as film and my nightmares to express some very intense emotional problems I was experiencing when writing the song. These are far too personal to detail here but let’s just say the lyrics “I’m breaking, I’m falling apart, all for the sake of my art” in this case were very true
“A Minute to Midnight”: Is a dark, twisted Halloween song about spooky sex and depravity. Right now I think it is close to being my favorite God Mod song I have ever done. While it’s nowhere near the most complicated or meaningful song I have written, I love the fact that it’s really deceiving in that at its core it is written simply as a pop song but at the same time it’s very perverted and kinda fucked up…well depending what you’re into I guess.

I also did a cover of the Gary Numan song “Me! I Disconnect from You”. It has been one of my favorite songs for over the last 20 years and i have always wanted to break it apart and recreate it in my own image so to speak. There are also remixes by some amazing artists and I did a more club oriented remix of our song “Spooky”. To sum it up, people can expect a crazy, fucked up ride through the haunted and sometimes deranged chambers of my brain. That every once in a while will show them that there might be a light at the end of their own fucked up tunnel. The trick is that I try to make the things hiding in the dark so appealing that they will lose all interest in ever wanting to leave.

Fatally Yours: What kind of touring have you done or do you plan to do for the new EP? 

Jasyn Bangert: We just finished a 24 date US tour in support of the EP. Overall it was an amazing success. We played some really big shows and a couple very small shows but they all were really fun. In June this tour will continue with 4 shows in Mexico followed by 3 shows in South America. Also we are already planning our next tour in support of the new CD that I am working on now.

Fatally Yours: What kind of hardware/software do you use to create your music?

Jasyn Bangert:  My current studio is based around my PC running Cubase 4. I use far too many software synths, samplers and insert effects to name them all. Hardware wise I have a Korg MS2000B, Access Virus B, EMU Audity 200 and X-treme Lead 1 all hooked up into my mixer for the new CD.

Fatally Yours: I love all the movie samples you use within your songs. Do you find a sample and build a song around it or do you search for samples to fit into song after it has already been written? 

Jasyn Bangert: Sometimes a scene in a film or television show will just stick out right away and I will know I have to use it in a song. Other times I just use what I or Byron has collected recently where they seem to fit when the time comes. Usually I try to do this after the lyrics have been written if I am using something I didn’t already have planned for a particular song.

Byron C. Miller: I find a great deal of the samples and it’s usually a process of me going through a number of films I love and going to scenes where I remember something interesting being said, and then if it seems like it could work for something I sample it. Then I give Jasyn all of these samples and he goes through them when it’s time to add one to a song. Sometimes him or I will be watching something and be like “man we have to sample that!” Or Jasyn will occasionally give me a certain thing to search for like someone talking about the end of the world, or someone talking about fucking and eating somebody.

Fatally Yours: Byron, I was surprised to learn you made a vampire film not too long ago called Night. Can you tell us what that experience was like?

Byron C. Miller: I’ve been writing scripts and making short horror films since middle school, so it was a great feeling of accomplishment to Write, Produce, Direct, Shoot, and Edit a feature length motion picture for under 7grand and get distribution for it. It was a lot of hard work and a huge learning experience, and I loved every single minute.

Fatally Yours: I hear that many industrial bands also contributed to the soundtrack and that Jasyn actually did the soundtrack for Night. Byron, can you tell us what it was like putting together the music for the film?

Byron C. Miller: It was really just working with Jasyn, explaining what each scene meant to me to give him as much insight as possible for him to create the music for the film. As far as the bands go, some were on Sector 9 Studios, the record label then owned by Jasyn and Alex Matheu (Negative Format), the rest were on our European label Out Of Line. So we had an idea of the bands and some of the songs we wanted and once we had permission we simply began plugging in the songs where they worked best.

Fatally Yours: Byron has also directed several God Module videos. Do you plan to direct more and make more films, Byron?

Byron C. Miller: As far as the videos go, yes I certainly hope to do more. We talk about new videos constantly, and I’ve probably had 5 ideas for songs for each release. It’s just that sometimes we get too busy with other things, and the videos go to the background.

Fatally Yours: Jasyn, you scored Byron’s film Night. How did that experience differ from writing music for God Module?

Jasyn Bangert: It was very different from writing for God Module of course but at the same time it was something I have always wanted to do. Night was a very early version of the work I hope to be able to do in the future and it was a very good learning experience. I want my style to fall somewhere in-between the simple and ultra effective electronics of early John Carpenter film scores and the unsettling beauty of the work that Angelo Badelamenti has done with David Lynch. I think music and sound add just as much to a film as the imagery if done correctly.

Fatally Yours: Where do you see God Module going in the next few years? What are each of your plans and goals for the band?

Jasyn Bangert: After a few years of not being as active as I would have liked to be I am very happy with the current direction of the band. We just finished our first US tour in quite a while and it was very well received. The new EP has gotten great reactions from fans and critics and I think the next CD will take us even closer to where we are supposed to be within the realms of music we exist in and beyond! I plan to keep pushing God Mod everywhere possible in the next couple years and exposing my music to people who should already know about it but don’t. I think we have the ability to crossover and appeal to many different scenes if given the chance. I want people to find out that not all good hard, dark music has to be metal.

Byron C. Miller: My goal is to help make it bigger, starting with our recent tour it’s time to really push things to a whole new level. A new world of gods and monsters.

Fatally Yours: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Jasyn Bangert: Thank you for your support of my music and long live the HORROR!

Byron C. Miller: Stay evil.

Buy the new album on Amazon!

God Module on:
Myspace: www.myspace.com/godmodule
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/God-Module/189868733492
Vampirefreaks: www.vampirefreaks.com/vorhees
Online store: www.godmodule.org
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/xGodxModulex
Out of Line: www.outofline.de
Metropolis: www.metropolis-records.com

Interview with Actress and Producer Katrena Rochell

Katrena Rochell co-stars in the much anticipated comic book adapted film Kick-Ass starring Nicholas Cage and Mark Strong. Katrena plays a sexy junkie in the Matthew Vaughn directed film, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Production Company, which was recently released in the US from Lionsgate. Also in 2010, Katrena stars in the, Psychosis opposite Charisma Carpenter and Paul Sculfor. She plays “Helena” in the psychological thriller that she co-wrote and executive produced.

On the small screen in her native Untied Kingdom, Katrena will be seen this year in the made for TV movie, Casting Nina a British mockumentary about the absurdities that surround the world of the entertainment industry. She is best known for her role in television film currently airing on the BBC The Last Days of Lehman Brothers, where she plays “Ezzy” opposite esteemed actor, James Cromwell.

Katrena was just cast opposite Michelle Morrow in an untitled sci-fi thriller about the end of times directed by Michael Shelton. She also just signed on to produce and star in a new untitled film that deals with a small town family’s struggles with crystal meth addicts. Her other film credits include the independent film, Joy Division and the video short  JD Pilot.

Katrena is co-director of the British production company Kingsway Films that produced Psychosis and Joy Division. She began her acting studies at Mesa Conservatory and continues to study at the Impulse Theatre Company when in the UK. She divides her time between London and Los Angeles. In her free time she enjoys reading, painting, hiking, tennis and cooking.

Fatally Yours: What are your first memories of the horror genre and what drew you to it?

Katrena Rochell:  Friday the 13th was my first memory… I was a little girl and having a slumber party. We somehow got one without my parents knowing. I remember I felt so  terrified…and alive! Then we would all go outside in the dark and walk…Terrified.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Katrena Rochell: Fear of the unknown

Fatally Yours: What made you want to pursue acting as a career and how did you get your start in the entertainment industry?

Katrena Rochell: I love the stage and performing on it. I fell into it by accident really at university. I was terribly shy and when it was my turn to go on stage, I would just die….But it made me feel so alive! It also made me curious and question things….look at things differently. I did what everyone else trying to be an actor did. Moved to LA and auditioned and did as many plays and films as I could. I have been doing it for awhile, it’s just lately things have started taking off for me.

Fatally Yours: What made you want to create your own production company and what kind of films are you hoping to produce? 

Katrena Rochell: I was frustrated being in London and never being “right” for the part. I’ve always been told I’m very hard to pinpoint. I decided if I was ever going to do anything I would have to do it myself. I was lucky because I was surrounded by people who make things happen as opposed to waiting for things to come…I guess it rubbed off on me…When I started doing my own things, that is, when I started booking. What type films would I want to produce? Anything dark with shock value! I also want my films to be honest and explore the dark side to our humanity.

Fatally Yours: You are in the comic-book adaptation of Kick-Ass, a film that everyone seems to be buzzing about! Tell us about your experience working on the film with the cast and crew and your overall thoughts on the film itself. 

Katrena Rochell: The film is great! Matthew Vaughn was a dream to work for. He is so creative and willing to play to create something that fits. I also worked the two weeks with the stunt guys, which are so amazing.  It was the biggest film set I have ever been on and it was absolutely fabulous…I didn’t want it to end.

Fatally Yours: You will also be starring in the upcoming Psychosis, alongside Charisma Carpenter. You not only star in the film, but also executive produced as well as co-wrote Psychosis. Tell us what it was it like acting and producing simultaneously, as well as being a writer on the film. 

Katrena Rochell:  Reg Traviss and I had wrote Charisma’s part for me and we were only making a short. It just continued to grow and we gained amazing support along the way. I ended up playing a smaller role. It was not anymore difficult than just acting because Reg was so on top of everything. I consider that film my “film school”  as it is where I educated myself on the ways of making a film from start to finish.

Fatally Yours: Speaking of being a writer, do you wish to pursue that career more along with acting and producing? Are there any scripts, etc. you are working on now?

Katrena Rochell: I don’t consider my self a writer. I could not do it alone. I am currently working on a film about crystal meth set in Tennessee that I developed along with my partner Andrew Docker. We are also producing it and plan on shooting at the end of summer. I also have an idea that I am going to do next which is something I have wanted to do for a very long time….

Fatally Yours: We celebrated Women in Horror Month here on Fatally Yours back in February, so now I’d like to ask you a few female-centric questions. Do you think female roles in horror films have shown improvement and that there are more strong female characters being featured in films nowadays? 

Katrena Rochell: I think it is better but still has room for improvements…

Fatally Yours: Have there been any roles that you’ve turned down because you found them too stereotypical, offensive, exploitative, etc.?

Katrena Rochell:   Yes.

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed by the stereotypical “bimbo in distress” who always seems to end up naked for no apparent reason in some horror movies?

Katrena Rochell:  It has its place… but that is it…

Fatally Yours: Do you think there is a horror movie that is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least losing the same amount of clothes?

Katrena Rochell: Nothing comes to mind

Fatally Yours: What are your overall thoughts on how women are portrayed in horror films (or in films in general)?

Katrena Rochell:  Obviously women do not get the same opportunities as men…which is totally unfair. Now more women are moving into other aspects of film making (myself for instance) so I believe they have a responsibility to create change. Saying that, generally, women do not care so much if you have a hot man taking off his clothes…we find it cheesy… or at least I do…I suppose that is the difference in men and women.

Fatally Yours: Behind the scenes, do you think more and more women are getting involved in directing, producing, writing, etc.? Why do you think that traditionally more men have been involved in the behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking than women? 

Katrena Rochell: I’m not sure why men have been more behind the scenes in the past, but I certainly know that is not the case anymore. I produce and act and have occasionally tried writing…anybody these days can create anything.

Fatally Yours: And now, back to some fun questions! What has been your favorite character you’ve portrayed? The most challenging? 

Katrena Rochell: I loved playing Desserick in Finding Nina. She is absolutely a lunatic…crazy alive character. We did mostly improv for that  show.

Fatally Yours: If you could play or go up against any fictional horror villain in a film, who would it be and why?

Katrena Rochell: I’ve I always wanted to play a serial killer… It is fascinating to see what makes them tick. I’d love to explore that.

Fatally Yours: What women in the entertainment business, specifically the horror genre, do you admire and look up to?

Katrena Rochell: I honestly look up to any woman who manages to have a career. It is so difficult and even more so the women who manage to keep working once they get a hand in the door. It’s easy for people to sit around and criticize and judge. I try to see the good in all.

Fatally Yours: What would be your dream role/project?

Katrena Rochell: I’m working on that one at the moment. We have just commissioned a writer to write it and as soon as I’m finished with the crystal meth project, I will focus on “my baby”.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to pursue a career in the entertainment business?

Katrena Rochell: Do it. It’s the time now… it’s just like the revolution of the 70′s. People can do it themselves now… and women have already started leading the way… [like] The Hurt Locker [Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win the Best Director Academy Award].

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Katrena Rochell:  www.katrenarochell.com Psychosis will be out in July!  And Kick-Ass opens this Friday [since this interview was conducted, Kick-Ass has opened in theaters across the country].

Interview with Author Jeremy C. Shipp

Jeremy C. Shipp is a weird author of Bizarro, horror, dark fantasy, and magic realism. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in over 50 publications, the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Harlan County Horrors, Apex Magazine, Pseudopod, and The Bizarro Starter Kit (blue). While preparing for the forthcoming collapse of civilization, Jeremy enjoys living in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse with his wife, Lisa, and their legion of yard gnomes. He’s currently working on many stories and novels and is losing his hair, though not because of the ghosts. His books include Vacation, Sheep and Wolves, and Cursed. And thankfully, only one mime was killed during the making of his first short film, Egg.

Fatally Yours: When and how did you fall in love with the darker genres of horror, fantasy and sci-fi?

Jeremy Shipp: In truth, I can’t recall a time when I didn’t love dark tales. My favorite movies as a kid included Dark Crystal, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Return to Oz. And when I played pretend with my brothers, our recurring characters consisted of a mummy, the grim reaper, and a floating mouth that could eat people and transport them to another dimension.

Fatally Yours: When did you realize you wanted to pursue writing? Have you always known you wanted to be an author?

Jeremy Shipp: In 4th grade, I wrote a rather long short story about a semi-friendly opera-loving alien named Chomper. That’s when I first realized how much I loved the writing process. Then, when I was 13, I wrote my first novel, and I’ve been writing about one book a year ever since. I think I’ve always wanted to be a writer. As a baby, one of my favorite toys was a pen.

Fatally Yours: How did you start your writing career and what was the very first thing that you had published? 

Jeremy Shipp: When I was 18, my high school creative writing teacher took me under his wing and encouraged me to send out my work. So that’s what I did. The first story I sent out was a horror comedy called “Love Thy Demon,” which was soon published in an online magazine.

Fatally Yours: Do you follow a certain routine when writing a novel? Do you put in a certain number of hours per day?

Jeremy Shipp: After an idea wriggles its way into my skull, I brainstorm my brains out. Then, I start writing the novel from the beginning. And I carry around an Idea Notebook everywhere I go. My novel-writing process also involves eating copious amounts of peanut butter. I try to write at least a few hours every day.

Fatally Yours: The worlds you create are usually surreal distortions of reality. How do you come up with such imaginative worlds and make their issues so relevant to our own reality?

Jeremy Shipp: When writing a tale, I let my imagination run wild and I let my muse dance a strange jig, but my mind is always rooted deeply in reality. And so, my stories are funhouse mirror reflections of my life and of our world.

Fatally Yours: Do you hope to convey a certain message to your readers through your writing? When a reader is finished with one of your books, what do you hope they take away from it? 

Jeremy Shipp: I want my readers to explore the evils of our world. Evils like racism, sexism, class stratification, factory farming, hierarchical thinking. And, above all else, I want my readers to recognize the light in the darkness. There is evil everywhere, yes. But there is good everywhere too. And that’s a wonderful thing.

Fatally Yours: Does your writing ever involve any kind of research or do you make it up as you go?

Jeremy Shipp: I’m always researching various topics and interviewing people. Even when writing a story set in unfamiliar reality, I want the details of that reality to ring true. For instance, I recently spoke to a guy who eats raw animal organs, so that I could realistically describe the taste of brains.

Fatally Yours: Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

Jeremy Shipp: I’m inspired by the wide, wide world of twisted social systems, and I’m inspired by my small world of family and friends and strangers (the stranger the better).

Fatally Yours: Tell us about Cursed, your novel that is on the Stoker Awards final ballot. 

Jeremy Shipp: Cursed is the story of Nicholas and Cicely. They’re cursed, so they decide to create a support group of sorts for cursed individuals. Together, this group of oddballs and outcasts attempt to figure out who cursed them, why, and what the heck they can do about it.

Fatally Yours: What are your favorite stories that you’ve written?

Jeremy Shipp: Right now, I feel especially fond of Camp, Those Below, Dog, The Sun Never Rises in the Big City, Fungus of the Heart, Monkey Boy and the Monsters, Ula Morales, and Agape Walrus.
Fatally Yours: How do you feel about the trend of ultra-gory horror novels as opposed to the classically more psychological tales? 

Jeremy Shipp: I’m actually rather wimpy when it comes to reading and writing and watching ultra-gory tales. For instance, I could barely read American Psycho, and my soul ached for weeks after watching Martyrs. I don’t have a problem with ultra-gory horror novels, but as far as my own preferences go, I don’t like reading or writing stories where violence exists for its own sake.

Fatally Yours: Who are your main influences?

Jeremy Shipp: I started writing novels when I was 13, and back then, my main influences were Ray Bradbury, HG Wells, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne. These days, I’m inspired by many of my favorite writers, including Arundhati Roy, Lois Lowry, Franny Billingsley, George Orwell, Jeff Kinney, Francesca Lia Block, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Kurt Vonnegut, Amy Hempel, Aimee Bender, Haruki Murakami.

Fatally Yours: What are some of your favorite books and films?

Jeremy Shipp: Some of my favorite books: The God of Small Things, 1984, The Giver, The Mighty Book of Boosh, Wicked, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, American Born Chinese, The Folk Keeper, Let the Right One In, Slaughterhouse-Five, Like Water for Chocolate, Kafka on the Shore, Original Wisdom, Ishmael, I Was a Teenage Fairy, A Clockwork Orange. Some of my favorite films: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Princess Mononoke, Oldboy, Memento, Happiness of the Katakuris, Fight Club, the original Star Wars trilogy, Spirited Away, Kung Fu Hustle, Lagaan, Lord of the Rings, Ponyo, Totoro, Dead Alive, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, City of Lost Children, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Up, Robin Hood, Enchanted.

Fatally Yours: What is one horror novel you think more people should read?

Jeremy Shipp: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Fatally Yours: What was the last book you read?

Jeremy Shipp: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, which is a superb novel about family and illness. One of my goals right now is to read all the Newbery Medal winning books.

Fatally Yours: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects and/or new novels you are working on? 

Jeremy Shipp: My newest story collection, Fungus of the Heart, is coming out later this year. I also have short stories forthcoming in Cemetery Dance, Rosebud, Apex Magazine, Agape Walrus, Wicked, and other publications. In addition to this, I’m working on a new novel, a comic book series, and a short film. You can learn more about all my projects at www.jeremycshipp.com