Midwest Movie Maker

A test scene from the upcoming 'Fetish of Flesh' by Demented Media >>> Newark, Ohio’s, own Freddie Meade was 11 years old when he became a horror movie fan and we all have Andrew Copp to thank for it. Copp was an ultra-low-budget indie filmmaker from Dayton, Ohio, known for The Mutilation Man and Church of the Eyes . Copp died in 2013. “I met Andrew Copp and Tom 'Woodstock' Lee [Copp’s colleague], and I thought it was incredible that I actually got to meet someone who did that,” Meade says. That chance encounter set him on his filmmaking path. Meade's latest project, A Fetish of Flesh , is a spine-tingling endeavor that blurs the line between reality and fiction. Drawing inspiration from their own experiences, Meade and his friends ventured into the woods to create their first movie. However, what transpires in A Fetish of Flesh is a chilling tale of a group of students embarking on a thesis project, stumbling upon a modern-day Manson family reminiscen...

The heroine (maybe?) from 'Sweetest Day'  > > > A new film festival in Akron, Ohio, kicks off the spooky season on Sept. 16, but The Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival is less about grisly visual effects and jump scares. It’s about community, says festival director Neil Sudhakaran.“It’s community building,” Sudhakaran explains. “It’s about giving artists a stage and an audience to showcase their work.” As if to underscore the festival’s commitment to community, films will unspool at The Akron Civic Theatre , which has a rich tradition of funding and producing local programming led by local artists. “We want to give these filmmakers the most eyeballs and exposure to their work as we can - and horror brings in eyeballs,” Sudhakaran says. We sat down via email with Sudhakarn recently to learn more about the new film fest. Q&A with Neil Sudhakaran, director of The Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival Midwest Movie Maker: How important was it to show...

Hell hath no fury like a vampire scorned. The acting bug bit Pittsburgh hyphenate David Dietz early and often. (It’s Halloween, after all, so shouldn’t it be a swarm?) “I've always acted in plays, going to back to when I was in elementary school,” says Dietz, who grew up outside Pittsburgh and attended Robert Morris University. “Then, when I got older, and learned that people would actually pay me to do it, I was sold! Now, with the technology making it easier for Hollywood outsiders to bring their visions to the screen, not only have I been cast in more films, I can even make my own!” Since, Dietz has acted in a fistful of films made in and around Pittsburgh, including End Game and Death from Above , both starring Kurt Angle , Strange Girls and Fetish Dolls Die Laughing .  Dietz is making his own movies these days. His proudest achievement (so far)? Indemnity: Rage of a Jealous Vampire . The horror film tells the tale of what happens when a woman, scorned, happen...

A 'Dying 2 Meet U' contestant on the run! We continue our quest to learn what frightens horror movie makers from the Midwest by trapping Branislav “Bruno” Tatalovic in the torture chamber. Tatalovic, originally from Serbia , has spent nearly half his life in Ohio – and a fair amount of that pursuing his filmmaking passion. It’s a passion that began with photography and soon bled over into motion pictures. He’s most proud of Dying 2 Meet U , a feature film Tatalovic co-wrote, co-produced and directed. The film tells the tortured tale of a troubled man who uses the guise of a reality show to choose a wife. Nine lovely ladies join the show. Not all survive “the elimination process.” “This was a true ‘labor-of-luv’ indie film,” Tatalovic says. “And it’s a prime example of creating magic on minimal budget.” Horrific Question No. 1: What’s makes a horror movie scary?     Tatalovic: What makes a movie "scary" is director's ability to project a...

Director Ed Douglas, left, with Jason Carter >>> In 1996, three John Carroll University graduates got together and made an ultra-low-budget horror film, The Dead Matter . Shot on Super-VHS (remember VHS?), the horror flick – featuring zombies, vampires and the occult – was in the can for no more than $2,000. It caused a bit of a buzz among the Ohio film - and Ohio horror - community. And then, like a zombie rising from a freshly dug grave - and more than a decade later - those three friends - Ed Douglas,  Mark Rakocy and Jeff Kasunic -  were back at it, remaking their ultra low-budget film with a much bigger budget. Now they had professional actors – including Lost fan favorite Andrew (Mikhail) Divoff and horror FX maestro Tom Savini – and industry backing by way of  Creature Corps , once Precinct 13 Entertainment, headquartered in Crestline, Ohio. They even had their own production arm: Midnight Syndicate Films. But why remake a feature shot years ago on vi...

Akron filmmaker J.R. Bookwalter >>> It was more than ambitious for the time. Forget digital cameras and Macs loaded with editing and special effects software – the kind of off-the-shelf film staples that define the modern no-budget filmmaker today. This was 1988. A feature-length horror epic shot on a shoestring budget and Super-8mm film in downtown Akron, Ohio? What was J.R. Bookwalter thinking? “It was a complete fluke,” the filmmaker says. “A once in a lifetime thing.” That fluke turned into The Dead Next Door , a thunderbolt fueled by flesh-eating zombies, tough-as-nails soldiers, genius scientists, insane cult leaders, and gore – lots of it. It was even named one of Top 50 Essential Gore Films by Rue Morgue magazine. While it was made on a ultra-low-budget, it comes from a rich horror pedigree. Sam Raimi , the Detroit-born writer/director/producer, known for both his low-budget, independent horror film franchise  Evil Dead and his big-budget, studio blockbusters, i...

Just a quick post to point you toward two great interviews posted in the last week. (I know, a post. Can you believe it? The first is with Erik Bork , Emmy-winning screenwriter and producer of From the Earth to the Moon and Band of Brothers . Bork talks about what it takes to make the journey from Dayton, Ohio, to the Emmy stage, and gives valuable insight into the screenwriting craft. The second is with J.R. Bookwalter , an Akron-native who has moved back to the Midwest after more than a decade in Tinseltown. Bookwalter wrote, produced, directed, edited, acted in, and scored the ultra low-budget cult phenomenon The Dead Next Door . He's still in the biz, helping produce and distribute from his offices in Akron. More later! PS: I'm always looking for folks who might like to contribute. If you'd like to write or do some design work, e-mail me at midwestmovies@gmail.com.