DoomsdayDVD had the unique opportunity to interview William Winckler, director of the upcoming independent horror movie titled Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove, about the production and upcoming distribution of his film.

What inspired you to start this film?
I've had the idea for a retro-style horror film for many years, but it wasn't until I formed my own independent production company, William Winckler Productions, that I was eventually able to start on the picture. "William Winckler's Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove" began with a simple image: a vintage-style, black-and-white scene of Frankenstein's monster battling a half-man, half-fish creature on a beach, with a thunderstorm raging, lightning flashing, and waves crashing on the shore. From that simple seed, I built an entire story written in a classic style. 

What was the shooting schedule like? 
The shooting schedule was tough because we had a ton of people in the cast and crew, and only about 21 days to get everything shot. And although our monster make-ups and costumes looked great on camera, the make-up, especially the latex appliances, took forever and a day to get done. I was constantly worried we'd fall behind schedule; luckily, we were able to shoot nearly everything written. Still, I'd say that my main concern throughout the picture was the time it took each day for the various monster make-ups to be completed.

Who handled the special make-up effects? 
Rich Knight handled the special make-up effects, with numerous other folks working under him, including Rufus Hearns. Their credits collectively include "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Stargate," "Spider-Man," "Fear Runs Silent" and "Power Rangers in Space," among other movies and TV shows.

What films inspired you in making this film?
I love the classics: the Universal Studios pictures, the Hammer horror films from Britain, the AIP Sam Arkoff/James Nicholson drive-in movies, old Japanese monster movies, the Roger Corman films and anything with Vincent Price. Price is my favorite actor, bar none. What a genius he was -- there's absolutely nobody like him today! 

What was the biggest obstacle during production?
The biggest headache for me was simply worrying about the long time it took to get the make-ups done. Again, I must stress that all of our monster designs looked incredibly good, and on camera they appear awesome -- just as good or better than the work done on the classics. However, like any producer/director, I was always worried about staying on schedule. It was a constant source of stress and anxiety. 

Did you consider shooting in 3D or using a gimmick? Did you consider shooting in color at any time? 
To be honest, I never even considered 3D, color or any other gimmick. I shot in black and white because I absolutely love its look for horror movies. There is something about a black-and-white image that really creates a sense of pure escapism. Frankly, for the most part I simply don't think horror films -- especially traditional horror pictures -- work in color. 

What type of cameras and post-production means did you use?
We used state-of-the-art digital cameras, not unlike those used by ILM for the recent "Star Wars" films. Our movie was shot in 24 P, basically replicating 24 frames per second, so our finished film resembles a black-and-white, 35mm wide-screen Panavision-style motion picture. 

When do you expect the film to go into distribution? Will there be a theatrical release prior to home video release? 
Distribution deals are currently being negotiated, and if all goes as planned both domestic and international fans should be able to see the film by the end of the year. 

Is there room for a sequel? What's on the horizon? 
I don't have any immediate plans for a sequel, but I do have lots of ideas for other exciting, fun, retro-horror films. In fact, though I can't reveal the details just yet, I've already written a script for another horror film that we may shoot next March.

 

Any advice for independent filmmakers?
Independent filmmaking is really the toughest type of moviemaking out there. The major Hollywood monopolies -- which should more correctly be called oligopolies -- now control 99 percent of television and film production and distribution. This leaves indie filmmakers altogether out of the loop, so you have to really fight like hell to get your films seen. You're going up against corporations that have essentially worked to hog-tie your distribution outlets. It's a tough situation, and people like Troma's Lloyd Kaufman -- who, incidentally, has a cameo in my film -- have been fighting this situation for years. The studio stranglehold wasn't the case in the 1960s and 1970s, but in the 1980s they slowly began to kill off independents by dominating all the major distribution outlets. Theatrical distribution is almost entirely out of the question nowadays for most independents, as are showings on the oligopoly-controlled free and cable TV outlets. Unless he or she is really lucky, the independent filmmaker is largely left with the worldwide DVD markets. So my advice is to really be prepared to fight to get your film out there and successfully distributed!

Stay Tuned for new developments on director Winckler and Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove!