Talking With The Dead: 14 Questions with Jason Stephenson
Michael Jones-Slit of the Wrist FX

1.  You are a self professed horror film fanatic and former “Lifestyles of the Bodily Dismembered” horror fanzine editor. What can you tell us about the fanzine and how did it transfer to the creation of NFTS Productions?

Lets start even before the fanzine… I grew up getting to watch movies like the Incredible Melting man, The Boogens, Jaws, Orca, Famous Monsters and who knows what the heck else. So yeah, I was tainted early on and finally in my last couple years of High School and into college I did a horror fanzine as my way to be a part of horror and not just watch movies but be involved. I got to write about them and do articles etc. That lasted 5 yrs and 13 issues before I called it quits. Shortly after I got married to my wonderful wife Dina and had 3 crazy little boys. It wasn’t until my 2nd son was born that I got the itch to finally make my own horror movies. Always dug horror and this was my ultimate goal and low and behold I shot a couple short films and then moved on to features. Loving every minute of it, Finally carving (no pun intended) my own mark in the horror genre!!!

2.  St. Paul can’t be the easiest of locations to find and film a horror film in. What obstacles have you had to overcome filming there, and at the same time, what inherit advantages do you have being there?

The Twin Cities is awesome to film in if you can find a location for next to nothing or free but a lot of places want money to come and turn the place into a movie set. But yeah, we’ve had a bunch of cool locations over the years like bars, coffee shops, gas stations, houses, old run down cabins etc. The cool thing about Minnesota is that not a lot of people are doing horror movies in town so NFTS Productions tends to stick out in the crowd a bit more than just your normal filmmaker doing comedies, art films, experimental stuff.

3.  Out of all of your projects, titles including You’re Next 3: Pajama Party Massacre, Doomed to Consume, The Locksmith, Separation Anxiety, Off the Beaten Path and Terror Overload, which of these projects did you find to be the most difficult to do and what obstacles did you have to overcome to achieve success?

With each new project comes new challenges that’s for sure. I consider these to be learning experiences that will hopefully make me a little better filmmaker each time we go out and shoot another movie! Every movie we’ve done has had some sort of bump in the road whether it be an actress getting cold feet and backing out at the last minute like The Locksmith or filming at all hours of the night in 30 degree weather like Off The Beaten Path or even trying to shoot a big zombie scene in one evening as with Doomed to Consume… Now that was an obstacle that we thankfully overcame! The key is to be persistent but still know when you should just step back reevaluate the situation and just go at it again!

4.  You have had the opportunity to work with some of the most beautiful crop of current Scream Queens in the genre. How did you come into contact with actresses like Elske McCain, Scarlet Salem and Rachel Grubb and how did you sell them on your projects?

We actually met Elske at a Fangoria convention in Chicago back in 2006 when she was hanging out with the Troma gang. At the time she was doing a webcast where she would interview horror filmmakers, actors, actresses etc and she actually did one with me and a couple of our actors from our latest movie at the time Doomed to Consume. Plus we got to hang out during after show hours and party of course! Scarlet Salem got a hold of me way back when on the Fangoria forums after she read one of my threads about a movie we had just finished up. She left a reply expressing interest in acting in any upcoming movies and a short time later we met with her in person and hooked her up with a roll in Pajama Party Massacre. She’s been working with us ever since! We first met Rachel Grubb during an interview/audition for Doomed to Consume, which she came on board as a zombie for. And judging from how little the blood, guts and gore affected her we always kept her in mind for future projects when the time was right thus she ended up playing three very different roles in our latest completed horror film Terror Overload! As for selling these really cool scream queens on our projects. I think our reputation for getting things done and consistently screening movies, releasing DVD’s, promoting at various horror conventions help them feel that we intend to finish our stuff and put it out there for horror fans everywhere! One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard from actors and actresses alike is that they attach themselves to a project and a lot of the time it never transpires or gets released for that matter so yeah, people know we get things done!

5.  Your projects are shot on a digital format. Have you found this to be an easier medium to produce your projects on, and do you ever have the dream to actually film on 35mm?

Digital is the only way to go when you shoot very low budget movies like ours not only because it’s cheap it’s also very user friendly once you get a handle on setting up shots and stuff plus being able to get as much coverage as you want without breaking the bank is an added bonus too. Personally I’m not to worried about ever getting a chance to shoot on film. There was a time when I wanted shoot a short film on Super 8 just to say I did it but I’m totally content with shooting our movies digitally!

6.  With more and more indie genre films being put out there everyday, are you finding it any more difficult in getting your product out there, and what are some of the roadblocks you have had with distributors getting your films released?

It’s not tough getting your stuff out there these days thanks to websites like Myspace, Facebook and all the horror forums and such. But because there are so many Indie horror filmmakers putting stuff out for the masses it does create more of a problem for genre fans in deciding which movie is worth plunking there hard earned cash on. But I’ve found that the best way to peak people’s interest is to keep putting out fun movies that deliver what people want to see and eventually they come around with a little perseverance. Sad but true the biggest roadblock we’ve had with distributors in the past is that they almost always want some sort of nudity added to a film. Early on we never had any of this but still managed to get two feature films released nationally despite this. Mainly I’m sure because of just how professional the whole package came across. Now with our latest movies we’ve gone over the top with nudity and gore but still keep things looking kick ass so we expect even better distribution deals to come about soon!

7.  You guys have done more than your fair share of conventions on the genre circuit. Can you share some of your experiences on how tough the travel can be in comparison to how the crowd reacts to you and product sales?

Travel always takes a toll especially in the winter and driving through snowstorms and such and it’s never cheap to get to places either. The coolest thing about conventions, besides the after parties of course, is getting an opportunity to push our product to people that are specifically there looking for something new, something fresh, something that they can’t get just anywhere! And yeah, most of our sales come from taking part at horror conventions. The Internet is hit or miss and you go through dry spells now and then but I think the conventions really hit home for people because they get to see the product beforehand and also meet and interact with the filmmakers and/or actors in person before plunking down there hard earned cash for a movie they’ve never seen before!

8.  You guys have been doing this for several years and have found a successful niche for yourselves. Are you content with how things are going, or are there even bigger plans in store for you and NFTS?

I am totally content with how things have been progressing since we started making movies. But we will always do what we can to keep touting our gospel of gore and hopefully garner more and more fans of our work and possibly even start utilizing horror celebrities more often on our future projects.

9.  You have a very obvious love for the genre and the films contained in it. Does it bother you to see all of the remakes of genre classics, and if the opportunity presented itself, is there any one title that you would like to tackle as a remake?

All the remakes they are doing these days don’t bother me in the least. I’m a die-hard horror fan first and foremost and feel there is nothing wrong with re-exploring some of the classics and actually look forward to checking them out. Most end up sucking and others turn out pretty cool if you look at it as a new take on something golden and not dwell on the fact that they remade your favorite movie. Good question man, if I could helm a remake that hasn’t been done already it would have to be ????????????????????

10.  You are getting ready to go into production on Strip Club Slasher. How did the idea for this project come about, and what can you tell us about the cast and crew involved in the film?

Strip Club Slasher kind of evolved from a well-received short film we shot a couple years ago called Pajama Party Massacre. We had intended to one day make a feature length version of it down the road but ended up liking the strippers and a slasher idea much more so we went with it. The cast and crew in Strip Club Slasher has a quite a few returning NFTS Productions alumni and also a few new faces. Kevin Myhre will be handling the camera work and editing for a 2nd time in a row and Make-up/Fx are actually being handled by your group Slit of the Wrist FX!!! (NOTE! Due to outside business, I was unfortunate enough to not be able to work on this film. Christina Crowther is now doing an excellent job on the FX!) Returning cast members include sick and twisted horror author/actor and also our screenwriter Joe Knetter (Terror Overload, Pajama Party Massacre and Doomed to Consume), Shawn Bartle (Doomed to Consume) plus lets not forget sultry scream queens Scarlet Salem (Terror Overload, Pajama Party Massacre), Elske McCain (Pajama Party Massacre) and Rachel Grubb (Terror Overload, Doomed to Consume)! New to working with us are Saint Deville, Obituary Mary, Corrine Manning, Lindy Starr and this wild and crazy guy named Sonny! Plus we have a couple uncasted parts that we are in the process of filling so there will be more soon!

11.  You have your plate full with promotion of Terror Overload and the upcoming Strip Club Slasher, but what other projects are you and NFTS planning on in the next year or so?

Believe me… if I could squeeze anything else into what little time I have left each day I would. But unfortunately I think our plate hath finally overflowithed! So yeah, we will just be trying to secure a notable distributor for Terror Overload and screening it at conventions and festivals as much as possible plus get Strip Club Slasher shot and edited over the next year or so!

12.  The success of NFTS is evident with several films all ready released and several projects on the way. What advice can you give to new filmmakers out there, and what would you steer them away from?

The best advice I can give new filmmakers is to keep things within your means. Don’t get a camera and some lights and expect to make the next big blockbuster. Start small (unless of course you’re independently wealthy) and work your way up to bigger and better things with every new project including things like the script, locations, fx, and of course cast and crew! And even more than that don’t forget to incorporate some fun into your projects, no one likes a hardcore dictator that won’t loosen up once in awhile!

13.  With all of the talent you have worked with, if money was not an issue, what would be the ideal script for you (non remake) and who would the cast be?

The ideal script for me would be an all out non-stop roller coaster ride of thrills, chills, blood, guts, gore, sex, drugs and rock-n-roll intermingled amongst a bevy of hot scream queens getting stalked and chased, sliced and diced and covered in blood like no one has ever seen before! Maybe even throw in a car crash and an explosion or two, now that would kick some major ass! As for the cast… I’m down for working with whoever was willing to take things to the extreme with me and not complain about getting bloody or having to run through the woods at night… Plus I’d love to work with Tiffany Sheppis, Monique Dupree, Bill Mosley, Sid Haig, Ken Foree cause they seem like the type that would go that extra mile much like most of the people I’ve already been working with over the years!

14.  Thank you for all of the entertaining and frightening moments that you have provided us! What would you like to say to both your fans and critics alike?

Keep supporting independent horror and we will keep releasing fun movies that deliver what genre fans want to see! Not that PG-13 dreck that keeps getting pushed on people from Hollywood these days! Also be sure to stop by the NFTS Productions website and our various other movie sites as well to check our stuff out! And always remember kids… If you think it’s enough blood than you better use more!!!