Interviews Archives | Otaku No Culture

Denver Jackson’s Esluna Continues with The Worlds Divide! World Premiere and an Interview!

The race is on to finish mixing Esluna, The Worlds Divide in time for the world premiere this coming weekend in Vancouver, BC by this local talent!

Denver Jackson is a very talented filmmaker whom I’ve had the pleasure of following ever since I first met him at Camosun College. Back then, he was part of a team of media artists of whom I interviewed (for Nexus Newspaper) and recognised would go far after graduating. Two of them would become frequent collaborators now that this individual is making films! The world of Esluna is no doubt influenced by other works (all the deets can be found on the Kickstarter page), and The Worlds Divide is ready to distinguish it from others!

And its ready to make its world debut at Spark Animation Festival and Conference in Vancouver, BC (Runs Nov 9 to 12th, playing Sat 6:15pm). At the time of writing, they’re hard at work putting in the final touches at Skywalker Sound, and he’s taken the time to answer some questions for those wondering about how he got to finally telling the story he first wanted since coming up with this world–sort of like how George Lucas got his start and telling that “Episode One.” And I’m sure Jackson can tell his version much, much better.

Humour aside, to interview him once again is always a pleasure, and fans can get an idea in how to prepare for part three of his saga. But first, an introduction for newcomers:

Denver Jackson: I’m a filmmaker that started out making films when I was 14, and slowly transitioned to working in VFX, then finally animation. I’ve always had an interest in the latter since I started as a visual storyteller, but it wasn’t until 10 years ago that I finally tried making a short film, Cloudrise, which is what I named my production company after.

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On Breathing New Life to Vampires and Other Stereotypes, An Interview

Visual Vengeance release of the cult film Vampires and Other Stereotypes shouldn’t be missed for fans of indie budget horror! And we got to talk to the filmmaker!

Kevin Lindenmuth Closeup Picture Kevin J. Lindenmuth is the type of filmmaker who loves his horror. One look at his filmography shows he’s covered the gamut, and instead of relying on producers from Hollywood, he’s all independent! The fact he published many books (Amazon link) about his process says it all. And along with the Special Edition release of Vampires and Other Stereotypes (Amazon link), he’s a talent worth following.

His career started much like a few other well-known names, like Sam Raimi, and as for who else he may have crossed paths with, I’m sure the list is long! Although I’m curious if he’d work with Troma Pictures since he’s based in the same State as this studio, it’s still possible for that to happen. He’s continuing to make movies and teach too! And yes, I got to correspond with him in this interview:

What made you decide to become a filmmaker, and why go indie instead of heading to Los Angeles?

I watched horror movies from a very young age, from the original Dark Shadows to whatever horror movie was on Saturday afternoons, so that was always an interest. They were these worlds that were totally separate from my current reality. So they were subjectively much better! And then I started making Super 8 mm film shorts when I was in elementary school through high school, then went to University of Michigan and went through their fledgling Film/Video program. And during all this time I was a writer, submitting short stories to small press zines.

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Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry, An Interview and Where to Find This Show Next

This parody of the Harry Potter world is a fun adventure, and in Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry, who knows who might make a guest apperance.

Although Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry isn’t headed to the Vancouver Fringe Festival, fans will have to check social media to find where Tim Motley will be performing next. I’m sure this talented magician-comedian has a lot more shows lined up during the remainder of this year, and as for what he’ll do afterwards, we have to wait and see.

As a fan of his works, namely his Dirk Darrow adventures, I knew I had to ask him about why change it up? As stated before in my review, he’s not retiring the character. Instead, he’s expanding his repertoire, and it’ll be interesting to see if his Barry persona will include brand-new adventures instead of recapping the Harry Potter universe, which is what his latest play does from an outsider’s perspective.

The following is my brief interview with him after the show:

When did you get the idea to create Barry Potter?

It was a few years ago. I had a girlfriend who was a Harry Potter fanatic, and we’d watch all the movies together. He was the biggest thing in magic since Houdini. He’s bigger, and also the whole world [this character lives in] is a massive pop culture phenomenon. I asked why isn’t there a magic show too?

I looked into it, and I tossed around the idea for me to do it instead. But I don’t even have an English accent [to pull the performance off]. Like, how can I possibly do justice to it? I gave it a go in January of this year, and now it’s like gangbusters–I’m taking it on the road!

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Believe it or Not, Satan Wants You in this documentary about the Satanic Panic

The journey undertaken by Sean Horlor and Steve Adams to discover why Satan Wants You doesn’t necessarily begin and end with a book titled Michelle Remembers. Instead, there may be more to this story that’ll be added to in the future.

Playing at select Canadian
cinemas beginning August 11, 2023.

Local screening at The Vic (808 Douglas St.)
Aug 13, 2023 5:15pm

After Fantasia Film Festival 2023, the rest of Canada (especially the residents of Victoria, BC) are next in line to get a screening of Sean Horlor and Steve Adams‘ compelling documentary, Satan Wants You. Both filmmakers got their start in different sectors of the entertainment industry before finally getting together to make edgier works. Horlor was the co-host and creator of Don’t Quit Your Gay Job, and he teamed up with Adams to make Someone Like Me, for the National Film Board of Canada. Afterwards, they decided to look at the Satanic Panic as what should they produce together.

Although much of that was fuelled by the publication of Michelle Remembers, just how much of it is fact and other fiction depends on who you ask. What these self-taught filmmakers have uncovered in their research reveals a lot more than just a plan to capitalise on the spiritual xenophobia which existed evey before the book was published.

But for Horlor and Adams who’ve certainly done their research, just how they connect the dots will have some theologians wanting to double-check their sources, and others perhaps even more curious in why we’re attracted to such narratives. I got a chance to talk to them prior to the debut at the Montreal based film festival, and ask about how this film came to be and how it connects to pop culture.

What made you decide to focus specifically on Michelle Remembers and how it started the Satanic Panic?

SH: I grew up in Victoria, BC, right after that got published. Growing up here meant hearing all the talk. At one point, they lived 10 minutes down the road from where I lived, and it wasn’t until 30 years later when we started looking at it again. That’s when I realised Michelle and Larry’s book ended up touching the lives of millions and millions of people around the world.

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The Man Behind the Madness of Site 13. Nathan Faudree on Finishing This Found Footage Film 20 Years Later.

Sometimes, a movie must be finished despite all odds, and Nathan Faudree talks about why Site 13 had to be made and why H.P. Lovecraft’s vision matters.

Site 13 is now available on VOD.

Nathan Faudree is a man who wears many hats in the entertainment industry, and his work isn’t limited to genre films. He started in theatre and appeared in many performances of William Shakespeare’s plays, like Hamlet. And from there, worked his way into appearing in films to eventually became Fangoria Radio’s Scream King of 2006! From there, he’s had a blast playing cult heroes, terrifying monsters and even did monster noises for Troma’s Poultrygeist. This New York based actor has done a lot.

But to know him also means getting to talk to him, and chatting with him about why he wanted to revisit Site 13, a movie that was filmed two decades ago which never got finished. What he did to make it contemporary is a good thriller, which is Blair Witch meets H.P. Lovecraft.

For our readers who haven’t seen your past work, what can you recommend?

I’m a co-writer of A Wounded Fawn, which came out last year on Shutter, and we were nominated for Fangoria’s Chainsaw Award and made the top 20 list. Prior to that, I was in Kottontail, where I played a killer Easter Bunny.

About your theatre days, did you leave it all behind to work on film?

Actually, I knew that if I didn’t have something lined up to do after playing Macbeth that, I would be catastrophically depressed because that’s the role everyone wants to play. That’s when Site 13 came in. It’s been a few years now, and I miss that world. I’ve appeared in Hamlet, Alls Well, etc., Here, you have this automatic response with the audience and whether that night’s show went off well. You don’t get that with making movies. It’s only just now I’m seeing what people are thinking about my latest.

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[Interview] Secret Space UFOs and Darcy Weir, What’s the Connection?

In this documentary series, Darcy Weir looks at what’s out there in Secret Space UFOs and he tries to deliver some answers.

Uncork’d Entertainment

Darcy Weir is a filmmaker on a mission with his latest series, Secret Space UFOs. He developed a fascination with the idea of a reality concealed from the public at an early age, and it led him down a path of discovery to explore various facets of occult culture.

I’m of a similar mindset, and while I also embrace the scarier side (ghosts) too, he’s more about the cryptids and aliens. They exist, but to get the public to accept they are hiding amongst us means getting to truths few documentaries seldom want to talk about. He believes Ufology is going mainstream, and that’s good for those who want to believe.

In his latest series, titled Secret Space UFOs, he’s exploring everything that is made publicly accessible or spoken of in hushed words. There’s NASA’s First Missions, Apollo 1 to 11, and now Fastwalkers. The latter debuted this week on various streaming channels, and it should’ve been grouped together with his past works. The latest is a continuation, and he said, “I cover a lot of NASA UFOs from 1973 post Apollo missions, all the way up until recent years.” Continue reading “[Interview] Secret Space UFOs and Darcy Weir, What’s the Connection?”