What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?
I have this memory from when I was a kid, about 8 or 9. My father used to watch all the bloody, violent, and horrific films in the basement as per orders from my mother. I remember walking through the basement seeing gory snippets from the opening of Blade, parts of Predator, and also From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. Flash forward about 5 years and I’m sharing a room with my older brother and I come home from school to see the ending of the Exorcist. I remember being both grossed out at all the green and engrossed at what was happening on screen. Those were some of the earliest memories I have with Horror films.
You work both in front of and behind the camera, do you have a preference to where you like to be?
I’ve been very lucky to get the opportunity to work both sides of the camera and I have to say my preference is to work crew and act in the same project. What I love about working on the crew is you get to see the entire film being shot. You’re there from the first set up to the last and I just love that. If you’re acting then you usually get to do cool stuff like punch a Nazi or get strangled by a guy in a clown mask. However, when you are just acting, unless you’re the lead, you’re generally there for a few days max so you don’t get a great sense of how the rest of the film is going. I love being able to dive into a project and devote all of my energy into one overall goal which only happens when I’m on set. I find that the more I work with a crew and make friendships the better my performances become when I step in front of the camera. We build a trust together and for me it makes for a positive environment where everyone creates their best work.
Your filmography is almost entirely horror is that something you've actively worked towards?
Yes I have! I love the crazy things we get to do while making a horror film. I’ve fought Nazi-Werewolves, hunted a T-Rex, killed by a raptor, killed by a killer clown, killed by a psyco in a panda mask, been a werewolf tearing apart people in an inn, and been an undead scarecrow hell bent on reuniting with my long lost daughter. I mean what other genre allows you to do cool shit like that? My wife thinks I’m crazy when I tell her what film I’m off to do next and I love it.
You have a few projects recently released, and some coming up, would you like to tell us a bit about them?
So the US just saw the release of Andrew Jones’ A Killer Next Door which we shot last year in Wales. The film is about real life family butcher John List, played perfectly by William Meredith. It follows Harriet Rees as our lead female in a James Stewart type role spying on her next door neighbour whom she thinks to be John List. The project was really special to me as Andrew gave me a lot more responsibility on the crew side of things and I consider it the film that really developed my interest in all the aspects of filmmaking. Unfortunately there is no UK release yet but it should be out soon.
September 1st sees the US release of The Haunting of Margam Castle which was another film I shot with Andrew last year. The film is about a group of American parapsychologists who are tasked with doing an investigation at Wales’ most iconic haunted castle. That project was really exciting because we got the opportunity to shoot 4 nights in Margam Castle which was incredibly eerie! The film also stars many hammer horror greats such as Caroline Munro, Judy Matheson, Derren Nesbitt, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jane Merrow, Simon Bamford, and Star Wars alum Garrick Hagon. I was really lucky to work with such experienced legends of the genre and we were so grateful to get so many for the film. The UK release is slated for October 19th!
And on September 28th A Werewolf in England comes out in the UK. The film is about A Parish Council and a criminal taking refugee in a countryside inn that becomes besieged by blood thirsty werewolves. This film is directed by the incredibly talented Charlie Steeds. What makes me so excited for people to see this one is that all of the effects are practical. It was bloody carnage and all done in camera. Charlie was kind enough to let me play one of the werewolves as well as help him with his crew duties. The amount of heart, soul, blood, mud, and tears we all put into that film has made it something really special to me. The cast is incredible, Charlie is a mad genius and what he’s been able to do with the film will give people the werewolf film they’ve been waiting for!
Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?
Some of my favourite people working in the genre at the moment are Mike Flanagan, David F. Sandberg, Patrick Wilson, and Fede Alvarez to name a few. The first thing I saw from Mike Flanagan was Oculus and thought it was such a unique take on the genre, and he smashed it out of the park with Hill House. David F. Sandberg just comes off as the coolest, most humble famous person making horror movies out there. I also love his youtube channel and how candid he is when talking about his process in filmmaking. I find him really inspiring. Patrick Wilson is just one of the most grounded actors I’ve seen in horror films recently and he’s gone to work with some incredible directors. And finally Fede Alvarez blew me outta the water with his Evil Dead remake and I really enjoyed 90% of Don’t Breathe.
And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?
This month I am working on a killer rat film called Rats: Reborn with Scott Jeffrey and Jagged Edge Productions. In that film I will be playing the Rat as well as working on the crew. After that I will be helping Charlie with his next film. I have also been attached to Huw Lloyd’s feature film debut School Hall Slaughter which is an 80s inspired slasher film which we are currently funding and plan to shoot next year!
Thank you again to Derek Nelson for the wonderfully insightful interview. To find some of the projects mentioned in the interview just follow this links below:
Pandamonium:
https://mycho.weebly.com/pandamonium.html#
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