The Mini-View Featuring Jim O'Rear

Jim's Demo Reel

Check out Jim's official website for more info:

http://www.jimorear.com/

Jim's IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1252668/

Pick up a copy of Jim's book Tennessee Ghosts:

http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=9780764331183

This week I was lucky enough to get the multi-talented Jim O'Rear to take a break from his very busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Jim O'Rear has been involved in the entertainment industry for over twenty five years, beginning his career on tour as The Youngest Professional Magician with David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone Jr., and The Great Tomsoni and opening for acts like Cheap Trick and John Anderson.

With his "magical" background and having been trained in New York at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, it was only natural that Jim move into the realm of film, television, and theater where he has worked steadily as an actor, stuntman, and special make-up effects artist on such projects as Day Of The Dead, Star Trek 4, The Vampire Wars, Lethal Weapon 3, Creature Feature, Hayride Slaughter, Cop & A Half, Psycho Beach Party, Evita, Little Shop Of Horrors, No Retreat No Surrender 3, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, and many more with actors including Martin Sheen, Burt Reynolds, Mel Gibson, Amanda Plummer, Maximillian Schell, Robert Englund, Jon Voight, Chris Sarandon, and others.

Wanting to get some of his own ideas onto the screen, Jim successfully moved into the area of screen writing. Although competition is tough, he has written and sold a number of horror-related screenplays, including The House Of Pain (in development with Robert "Freddy" Englund, Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen, Tom "Friday The 13th" Savini, Bill "ChopTop" Moseley, and Debbie "Scream Queen" Rochon), Hayride Slaughter, Hayride Slaughter 2, The Deadly Obligation, Vampyre Tales, and (currently in production) Wolfsbayne. Jim also placed third in 2003 for Best Screenplay in TSA's screen writing competition and is a current finalist for Best Screenplay in the Fade In Screenplay contest and Writer's Network competition. Pre-production has just begun in Los Angeles on his new screenplay, The Demons 5, featuring an all-star horror cast.

Currently, Jim continues to work as an actor and stuntman on several films per year, recently acting in a new Manson-based movie with Linnea Quigley titled Miss Maniac, making a cameo in the upcoming horror film Skarecrow, playing a zombie slayer in Dead End, portraying an alien bounty hunter in It Came From Trafalgar (with Butch Patrick and Gunnar Hansen), pulling double duty as the star and martial arts stunt coordinator on The Corruptors, starring with Lynn Lowry in a follow-up to the cult classic I Drink Your Blood called It Feeds, appearing in Day Of The Axe with Tom Savini, and is in development deals for three more of his screenplays. Jim's production company, Underground Entertainment, is turning out Haunted Industry magazines and how-to books as well as a new haunted house how-to video and DVD series. As if that isn't enough, Jim continues to write for horror publications all over the world and consult for horror-related projects internationally.

1. Having got your start in film as a stunt man, with years of training in several forms of martial arts, do you have any one incident/accident that may stand out more than others?

Yes. It would probably be the one time I got seriously injured. It was on the set of THE VAMPYRE WARS with Robert Englund (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), Chris Sarandon (CHILD’S PLAY, FRIGHT NIGHT), Amanda Plummer (PULP FICTION), and Maximilion Schell (A BRIDGE TOO FAR). There were some pretty rough stunt sequences in that film and several stunt guys got injured and received broken bones.
It was a fight scene… a flashback to the Holy Wars… with swords and staffs on horseback. Long story short, I ended up with my spine twisted and pulled out of place.
The sad thing is, Universal still hasn’t released the film so the stunt guys who got hurt can’t even see the sequences that they were injured in.


2. Besides working in film, you have also released a book titled Tennessee Ghosts. How did this come about?

I’ve always been interested in the paranormal and have hunted ghosts as a hobby in my spare time for many years.
I was appearing as a guest at DragonCon, in Atlanta, and a publisher who knew my writing from screenplays and various magazine articles approached me and asked me if I wanted to write about my paranormal experiences in Tennessee. I knew that if I didn’t do it, someone else would. So, I agreed.
The book has done very well and they will be publishing a new paranormal book I’ve written later this year titled Hollywood’s Paranormal Movies.


3. Looking back over your film history, what one film stands out that you learned the most from?

You really learn something on all of them, but it would probably be a couple of films I produced titled THE DEEPENING and SCREAM FARM. I guess I learned the most on them because I wrote them, produced them, directed them, cast them, acted in them, edited them, etc etc etc etc… I was, basically, forced to learn every aspect of putting a film together from start to finish, as well as the marketing and distribution headaches that come after the film is done.


4. If you weren't so heavily involved in film, and were to fall back on a past career which would it be and why?

Not that it’s a drastically different career path, but I would love to go back into live theater. I spent many, many years as an actor and director of plays and musicals. There’s nothing quite like live theater.

5. Working in horror, what truly scares the hell out of you in life?

That commercial with the talking babies.
Just kidding….
I’m not easily intimidated or scared by much of anything. I suppose I’m just desensitized to a lot of things due to my experiences in horror entertainment and the paranormal.
I guess if I had to pick something… and I’m completely serious about this… it would be chickens. They creep me out, man.

Many thanks to Jim for his time!

- Brandon Bennett

Caught on Tape: The Art of VHS Collecting

If I could use one word to describe myself, it would be 'collector'.

Over the years I have taken on comics, action figures, video game systems, cds, computer games, TROMA films, and other treasures. Yet the one that thing that I have had the most fun with is horror films. Specifically indie and B horror. There has always been this great joy playing treasure hunter at Goodwill's, thrift stores, garage sales, and pawn shops. Experiencing that moment of a rare find and having to share it with someone. Perhaps this is the fulfillment that archaeologists have when sifting through the years of disappointing digs to find that one piece of history that, in their mind, helps piece together fragements of history.

Horror is in my blood. I grew up with it. I sometimes tell a story of the first film I ever remember seeing  as a child being George Romero's Night of the Living Dead at my grandparents house. They were always supportive of my love of the genre having introduced me to such cult films as Return of the Living Dead, A Bucket of Blood, Horror Express, Web of the Spider and so many others. My grandma Bennett gave me my first TROMA VHS, Monster in the Closet. She herself owns two copies to this day.

My mother has always been a fan of the more classic style of horror films, ala. Castle and Hammer films, and having a sweet spot for the more romanticized vision of vampires (Dark Shadows). She has never quite understood mine, or my brothers, love of gore. Saying that gore does not make a movie scary, it only appeals to our sense of disgust. Which, maybe she's right. I truly can not think of an instant where added gore to a film has frightened or terrorized me.

From my dad I have gained the love and respect of the old drive in style horror, he still being a big fan of the great horror host Sammy Terry. Myself, my dad and my brother were no stranger to TNT's Monster Vision hosted by Joe Bob Briggs. They were classic and cheesy films that were timeless to ourselves. My father has always been a hard working man, and I have always respected that, so any time that I had to spend with him in instances like this I treasure.

I remember watching old episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and newer anthology series such as Tales From the Dark Side, Monsters, and Tales from the Crypt as a family growing up. It wasn't uncommon for my mom and myself to spend hours on the couch when I was sick wasting away to these absurd tales. Still to this day there is a feeling of comfort and safety vegging out to any of these shows. Guess it's that feeling of nostalgia.

As I am writing this I feel like I have veered off course of where I was going with this piece, yet to understand my connection to these films I feel like you have to understanding of where it came from. Every story has a history I suppose.

The popularity of DVD has helped so many lost films find their way to accessibility, and so many newer films find a home through social networking. I could sit here and list so many friends of mine who are directors who have used Facebook, blogs, and podcasts to get their names and films out there to people who may not have discovered them otherwise. Yet, even some modern film makers who share the love of VHS and see the market for them have been putting their films on VHS. Bloomington, Indiana's Arthur Cullipher and Kirk Chastain released their film COME on white VHS in a white sleeved box. Thomas Berdinski from Muskegon, Michigan released his films Zombie Abomination and Zombie Atrocity: The Italian Zombie Movies 1 & 2 in a very select number of VHS copies.

Truly not every horror film will ever see its way onto DVD. It's a select niche that most companies are not willing to put the time, effort, and money into. Making an obscure find that much more meaningful. For there are so many out there that are almost lost, perhaps hiding in a closet or in someones basement. Film makers like Todd Sheets (The Zombie Bloodbath trilogy, Dominion, and Goblin), Tim Ritter (Killing Spree, Wicked Games), and the Polonia brothers (Splatter Farm, Feeders) have made cult status via VHS. Hell even so much of TROMA's catalog is still only accessible on cassette.

Collecting VHS as a hobby is a very tedious, often expensive ordeal. Yet places like Amazon.com and Ebay.com are great places to find many rarities at an inexpensive price. It's something I can throw a few bucks at a week and the only thing it takes away from is my space. There are far worse addictions that I could have.

So when you see some goofy looking bastard sorting through the racks of VHS at some thrift store, think of me and smile. Because they might just have a story as well.

Thanks for your time,

Brandon S. Bennett

The Mini-View Featuring Mike Hartman

Silver Bullet Pictures website:

http://www.silverbulletpictures.com/

Mike Hartman's IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3650874/

Trailer for Silver Bullet Productions film HEAVY MENTAL released by TROMA:

This week I bring you my good friend Mike Hartman director/writer for Silver Bullet Productions.

Silver Bullet Pictures an independently owned, digital production studio based in Metro Detroit. Formed in 2002, Silver Bullet Pictures prides itself on producing creative, challenging projects that appeal to a wide audience. Silver Bullet Pictures has produced multiple forms of media including short and feature length films, television programs, commercial media, and live media events. The Silver Bullet Team is composed of some of Michigan’s best and brightest filmmakers. Mike Hartman, president and founder has been the driving force behind Silver Bullet Pictures. His vision, to produce high- energy, creative independent film projects in the Metro Detroit area is what sets SBP apart from other production companies. Mike is an experienced writer and director with a resume that includes multiple short form and feature length film projects, television projects, and live media events. Some of his recent projects include his current role as director of the Detroit based television program, Wolfman Mac’s Chiller Drive-In, and as writer/director/producer of the feature length film, Heavy Mental. Heavy Mental is now in worldwide release and is distributed by Troma Entertainment Inc.

1. If you were to watch the first film you worked on, then to travel back in time to talk with your past self, is there any advice you would tell him? Anything you would do differently?

I would tell myself to spend less time trying to be an actor (its been 17 years and I still cant act) and more time trying to get woman naked in my films.

2. What have you found has been the hardest part about promoting your own films?

It has been a little tricky to launch a full scale promotion beyond our local reach. With social media like Facebook, myspace. etc it has become a little easier to get the word out but were always looking for ways to travel and screen our films outside of Michigan without going broke.

3. If you could pick any director/writer to 'remake' one of your films: who would it be, which film, and why?

Yikes! I hate remakes but to answer this one I would say: any one of my movies and I would pick the highest bidder to remake it then I would use the money to make a new. movie

4. If you could choose just one film to watch over and over for the rest of your life what would it be and why?.

Terror Firmer (1998) Troma. its the funniest, most entertaining, and inspiring movie i have ever seen and I already do watch it over and over now!

5. Finally. If you could remake any film in history (imagine that the budget is unlimited): what would it be, who would you cast, and who would direct?

(Laughs) With all the shit I talk about remakes I would be crazy to even try to answer this one!

Thanks to Mike for being a part of The Mini- View!

- Brandon Bennett