Friday March 13th I made the 2 hour trek to Raleigh, NC for the premier of a new horror film from upstarts Richard Myles and Mischa Perez, under the Viper Productions banner.I was impressed and intrigued by the trailer for “Mental Scars,” so I was hopeful. But I reserved judgment for the final product.

Upon arriving at the theater, I had a chance to sit down with Richard Myles who is not only the lead character but also the writer, composer and one of the executive producers, among other things. He is a soft spoken man who puts you immediately at ease. He began with the creation of the villain and the original idea for the film. “It all began when I was a young boy” he said, “playing in my uncle’s junkyard.” That’s where Taggart was born. We also talked about the highs and lows of Indie filmmaking. Rich quipped “We were truly blessed to be able to work with this cast and crew, they were truly professionals, and Mischa and I were concerned that they would not take us seriously. But they saw that although were neophytes that we had the passion, drive, and vision to make this project come to fruition.

As newcomers to filmmaking Rich and Mischa both have had to do a lot of learning as they go and have been extremely stressful at times. Rich said, “I am a complete perfectionist and have had to tone it down some when dealing with others as well as myself.” “This project has been a great learning experience and has helped me grow on both a personal and professional level.”

After my talk with Richard it was obvious that the passion was there. You could see it in his eyes. Mischa has the same passion. A horror lover as well, this in Mischa’s first feature film in the director’s chair, he is a reserved fellow with the confidence of his partner as well the cast and crew. “I am very proud of this film and the job that everyone did.” Mischa said Chelsea, on of the main characters in the film said that it was an incredible experience and that she was amazed that this was Mischa and Rich’s first outing. The next person I spoke with was Michael Jones, the make-up FX manager, a genre pro with severe film projects under his belt such as, The Forever Dead and Evil Woods. He’s very excited about Mental Scars and the potential of the film.

I made my way to my seat to see the culmination of all the blood, sweat, and tears of many people.

The story was one of greed and revenge. A group of investors plan to turn an old junk yard into a new parking lot. Simple enough, wrong. This particular junkyard is the home of David Taggart, no longer human but a creature of an animalistic hunger and rage.

I am happy to report that I am both impressed and surprised. Had I not known that this was their first feature, the film would not have let me know. It was well shot, well acted, and well directed. It has a good story with plenty of atmospheres, as well as just enough humor and sex. I will tell you as I told Rich, Mischa and Mike; it was a great experience that I will not soon forget. I expect great things from Viper Productions, as well as Richard Myles and Mischa Perez.

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