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AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER SERGIO GUERRA, WRITER/DIRECTOR OF MURDER BALLAD

October 18, 2019 By Rick Hipson Leave a Comment

Sergio Guerra is a promising Latino filmmaker from Los Angeles bred on old school terror and suspense. I recently had a chance to check out his new short film, MURDER BALLAD, the review of which you can look out for at Hell Notes and should be able to read soon. The bottom line is I loved the film and can’t wait to see what Sergio does next.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did and, if you like, you can watch MURDER BALLAD for free right now on YouTube by clicking HERE!

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Sergio, when you mention in your press kit the location you filmed your short in is allegedly haunted you know I gotta ask: First, do you know the source of the alleged haunting? And, did this knowledge have any affect on how the film was shot or turned out overall?

Unfortunately, I’m not sure of the source of the haunting. The house was built in 1902, and the current owner would tell us stories about unexplained occurrences like televisions or lights turning on by themselves. You can read more about the history of the house here: https://historicharrishouse.com/history/

I do feel as though this presence created an ambiance that set the mood for the film. It was the fourth cast member, if you will. One time during lunch, I was all alone inside the house using the bathroom. Once I stepped outside and into the hallway, I just got this feeling that something was in the air. Not a ghost. Just an essence. Having been sufficiently creeped out, I went outside to join the others.

Your first short film, CREATURE COMFORT, won best script at the ATX Black List script competition in 2016. You mentioned that films got made with a man with a bad back and a woman who was seven months pregnant. For MURDER BALLAD, you mentioned your first day of filing began after only a single hour of sleep and after casting one of your stars just three days before shooting. Is it safe to say you’ve befriended diversity as a slight necessity to creating effective horror?

Being an ethnic minority myself, I understand that pulling from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences tends to enhance storytelling opportunities. (For clarity, though CREATURE COMFORT was a winner in the 2016 ATX-Blacklist competition, we didn’t get around to shooting the short film based on it until the summer of 2019.)

Regarding your casting choice of Frantz G. Saint Louis Jr who plays a most sinister minister, how did it come down to such a fine wire timewise to cast him, and what was your plan for his role up until that point?

Funny story: I initially thought of my good friend Frantz for the role of Deacon Ankou — but I got too inside my own head about it. I was worried that he might have been too young for the role. So we cast another older actor, which didn’t end up working out. So there we were, three days before filming, and it hit me again — Frantz! Sometimes the universe gives you an opportunity to correct something. Call it my “Quantum Leap” moment. But I called him up and said, “Hey, what are you doing this weeked?” He said, “Nothing.” I said, “ Well, good, because I got a job for you.”

Considering your full cast wasn’t completed until a few days before shooting, once the cameras started rolling and you got to see what your stars brought to their performances, did this change in any way the direction your film went?

I had the opportunity to rehearse with Daniel and Hannah a few times before filming, so I knew what they were bringing to the table. And they were both incredible to work with and gave amazing performances. But the Frantz situation was remarkable, because I really planned this film within an inch of its life. But because he was only cast with three days to spare, there really was no way of being sure what he was gonna do. I did the best I could by sending him my notes on the character, but when he showed up that day, what he was gonna do was anyone’s guess. I think you could be onto something with that suggestion. My favorite show growing up — of all time, really — was “The Twilight Zone.” To me, it was the perfect blend of trying to figure out the puzzle or mystery of what was going on while simultaneously trying to understand the theme or message — all rendered in a nightmarish scenario, of course. So I’ve tried to take that layered approach with my storytelling. Sure, the cruelty, and the brutality, and the violence on display in “Murder Ballad” is grotesque. But what about the implications going on underneath it all? Is it possible that those could be far worse than what we see?

In both of your shorts to date, it would seem if one were to point a finger at your calling card, it would be one made of subtleness, a underlying terror you prefer keeping beneath the surface of your films even while portraying some pretty brutal violent acts. It’s as if you’re telling the audience, sure this is obviously not pleasant, but try peeking underneath it all for the really scary stuff. What are your thoughts on this suggestion?

I think you could be onto something with that suggestion. My favorite show growing up — of all time, really — was “The Twilight Zone.” To me, it was the perfect blend of trying to figure out the puzzle or mystery of what was going on while simultaneously trying to understand the theme or message — all rendered in a nightmarish scenario, of course. So I’ve tried to take that layered approach with my storytelling. Sure, the cruelty, and the brutality, and the violence on display in “Murder Ballad” is grotesque. But what about the implications going on underneath it all? Is it possible that those could be far worse than what we see?

In MURDER BALLAD, I love the grainy feel of the film and how the lighting was used to create a feeling of desolation and despair without coming off blackened to the pint of having to strain to see what’s going off. Was this deliberate and, if o, how did you pull it off to such great effect?

Those black, shadowy lighting choices were very deliberate. I worked with, really, a genius cinematographer in Alonso Homs, and he was able to render those dark images I saw in my head perfectly. We took as inspiration the original “Halloween” and, especially, the ‘70s work of Gordon Willis, like “Klute,” “The Parallax View,” and “All the President’s Men.” All hail the Prince of Darkness!

If I may ask, can you give us an idea of the budget and time frame it took you to write, create and produce the finished product of this short film? Was it close to what you may have estimated?

The basic framework of the story I wrote in one sitting. Counting revisions, overall the short took me about three weeks to nail down. The budget was approximately $20,000, which was pretty much in line with what we were expecting. The shoot itself was two days, which was pretty amazing considering how much story we were able to cram in.

What is it about the medium of short film that has drawn you back with MURDER BALLAD and what has the medium taught you that you may not have expected to have learned from it?

Shorts are great because of their inherent immediacy. You just dive right into the story. And there’s no room for anything extraneous. So there’s this natural tension there because you know they could end at any moment. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that so long as you’ve got a camera — and nowadays, with our phones, that’s all of us — anyone can make one at any time.

What else might you be working on that we fans can look forward to seeing next from you?

I’m currently working on a horror feature script called “Snakehead” that deals with Native American folklore.

Thanks so much for your time, Sergio. Like I mentioned above, I can’t wait to see what you do next!

And to everyone else, if you skipped the film link above and dove right into the interview, click HERE to watch MURDER BALLAD for free. It’s 10 fearful minutes well spent.

Until next time, stay hungry… stay dark.

Reviewing: TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID

September 27, 2019 By Rick Hipson Leave a Comment

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID
Written and Directed by Issa Lopez
Filmadora Nacional
Peligrosa
2017 – Mexico
2019 – U.S. Canada

Heart breaking and honest, writer/director Issa Lopez brings us a gritty slow burner centered around a group of orphaned kids bonded by the perils of violence. And, it’s clear these kids are far from alright.

Tigers’ provides a stark sense of realism early into the film and never lets up. We watch children laughing and playing after school mere feet from where a barely covered body lays bleeding out into the street with part of his skull blown off. Welcome to the inner-city of Mexico where ancient folklore collides with the blood-soaked landscape to tell a dark fairy tale not meant for children despite the children guiding us through. Estrella (Laola Lara), leads us into the central story when, after arriving home from school, she discovers an empty apartment where her mother had been snatched by local cartel. Fearing the worst and armed with three wishes a classmate had given her for protection, Estrella wishes her mother’s return and that’s when we learn even wishes have teeth.

Back from the dead as a terrifying wraith, Estrella’s mother guides her to put the wrong things right. She sets out on a mission to not only avenge her mother’s death, but to also avenge the devastation wrought upon the city by the ruthless drug cartel. Along the way, Estrella meets a gang of young boys who are being hunted down by a member of the cartel over an incriminating item they had stolen from him. The leader of the boys, El Shine (Juan Ramón López), allows Estrella to tag along after she promises to kill the man chasing them despite the grumbles of some of the other boys.

What follows is a haunting masterpiece seen through the eyes of children while relying on the power of their wondrous imagination to save what remains of hope despite all which is lost and terrible.

Also now available on Shudder.

A Brief Conversation With Gregory Lamberson

August 20, 2017 By Rick Hipson Leave a Comment

Dark Bites Presents: Quick Licks

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A Brief Conversation With Gregory Lamberson

In between Greg’s very busy schedule of writing scripts, making movies, finishing novels and being a husband and father, I managed to get lucky and corner the notorious Slime Guy long enough to pick his brain for a brief moment about what’s been keeping him busy of late. Some fans will know him from his award nominated Jake Helman novel series with Medallion Press, or his Frenzy Way werewolf trilogy or other stand alone novels and novellas. Some will know him from his midnight cult classic film, SLIME CITY, or any number of other films he has either made, been a part of, or helped promote. Others will know him from the horror convention circuit including the one he has founded and continues to grow each year with the Buffalo Screams Film Festival where budding horror film creators from all over the world come to compete for top spots in the award ceremonies concluding the weekend long event. No matter how you came to know of the hardest working writer and indie filmmaker in the business (or maybe this is your first exposure to him in which case you’ve get plenty to catch up on), there’s no questioning his support, passion, and contribution to the indie horror community. As always, I’m grateful for his time and its always a pleasure.

Karen (Aprilann), Johnny Grssom (Anthony De La Torre),
Eric (Byron Brown II), and Gary (Chris Modrzynski)

DARK BITES: I was happy to have read recently bout you making it to the final stages of your feature length film project, JOHNNY GRUESOME, staring Anthony De La Torre from the latest installment of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise. What can we fans expect from JOHNNY GRUESOME and what’s next as far as promotion and distribution planning for the film goes?

GREGORY LAMBERSON: Johnny Gruesome was a screenplay long before I turned it into a novel. The movie is essentially the screenplay I wrote back in 1984, without most of the material I added to expand it into a novel. I did include three scenes created for the novel because I love them so much, but a lot of stuff from the book didn’t make it in. I’ve already written the screenplay for a sequel which includes any cool stuff I had to leave out this time, so maybe they’ll reach it to the screen yet. The biggest difference is that the novel is set during the winter, and we shot the movie in July last year, so the climax plays differently.

I really can’t say anything about distribution or promotion. My plan was to be finished five months ago and have it out this October, but some last minute visual effects I added ended up taking a lot longer to complete than I’d hoped, which created sort of a domino effect of delays: the score took longer, and because of that we missed the window we had for our cinematographer to do the color grading, and he ended up having to work on it in his spare time while he was shooting a TV series. So the only plan I have is to be 100% finished in the next week or two, and then we’ll look into distro. I think the film turned out well, much better than my other films, and horror people are really going to dig it.

Johnny (Anthony De La Torre) with creator Greg Lamberson

DB: You also made mention of completing a new script over the summer that you hope to direct and film in the near future. Given the early status of this project, what can you share with us about the content, storyline, or anything else regarding this one?

GL: I wrote a lot this summer since Johnny Gruesome was out of my hands. I wrote an original screenplay which I hope to shoot this coming winter. I won’t discuss the plot, only that my friend Craig Sheffer has agreed to star in it and co-produce it. I also wrote numerous versions of a script adaptation of my zombie novella Carnage Road. Craig and I spent a couple of years developing different versions as a possible TV series, but they didn’t lead to anything. The rights reverted to me and I plan to do it as a movie with Craig starring. I’ve also been working for a couple of years with George Mihalka (My Bloody Valentine), developing another of my novels into a possible TV series. I wrote a pilot script, which may or may not be used as part of his presentation, and now I’ve decided to write the next few episodes just for the hell of it, for fun. None of this may come to fruition, or may wind up being something completely different than I imagined. I could be cleaning offices six months from now.

DB: What else are you hoping to have available for mass consumption to feed your literary and film fans alike over the next couple of years?

GL: I have no books on the horizon. My regular publisher is focused on other projects, and I really only want to write novels about my occult detective Jake Helman. Most of my other novels – Johnny Gruesome, The Frenzy Way trilogy, The Julian Year – were written in a burst of creative energy that centered around writing Jake Helman as a series. I wrote six of the novels I had planned, but didn’t get to write the last one, the climax I had building to from the first book. Medallion co-owns the rights, so far now, that’s an unfinished project – sort of like Johnny Gruesome was for all those years.

Dyin Tonight Robby

DB: What’s the last movie you saw that genuinely disturbed you in some unexpected way, and how did the movie manage to pull it off?

GL: I was fortunate to see Night of the Living Dead, Martin, Dawn of the Dead, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in a theater the first time I experienced, and all of them disturbed me in some way, all though I would say they “thrilled” me. I think just listing the titles says why. Romero was my hero, really my hero, and inspired me since I was 12 years old.

DB: And, finally, I’d like to straighten something out for the horror community once and for all if I can. What in the actual Cthulhu is your secret to an obviously youthful exuberance for banging out multiple projects across various media platforms over the years as though it were an Olympic sport and you its sole competitor all while enjoying next to no sleep, ever, while simultaneously co-raising a family in the wilds of Cheektowaga, New York?

Gregory Lamberson and family

GL: Well, youth has nothing to do with it, and I think “youthful” describes physical appearance more than attitude or energy. I have a lot of friends younger than me who have similar ambitions as me, but they also like to party and do a variety of other things for recreation. I don’t party, and I don’t do anything for recreation except watch movies and TV, except for my family. I’m a storyteller, I’m driven to tell stories, and the way I look at it is that anytime I’m not telling a story in some form, I’m working against myself. Someone once asked me, “What do you do for fun?” The answer is, I write and I make movies, and I spend time with my wife and daughter. That’s all I need.