Q: Red Midnight is your third horror anthology, so I'm assuming you're a fan of the anthology. What makes Red Midnight different than the other two you produced, EVIL STREETS and AND THEN THEY WERE DEAD?
I've always loved anthologies. In fact one of my very first amateur features was a film called SCREAMBOOK, which was a homage to CREEPSHOW. RED MIDNIGHT is definitely our most ambitious and most polished anthology to date. Certainly more polished than GUILTY PLEASURES and EVIL STREETS. It's a fun little collection of dream-like, surreal weird stories.
Q: You are in the last story, the most ambitious tale of the three, which takes place in Rome. How is your character different than others you have portrayed?
My character is very mysterious in that he (Lt. Angelo Santana) spends a majority of the story not saying very much, looking very driven and acting very determined for reasons very unspecified, other than that he is merely searching for his missing friend. The character has a very comic book/Clint Eastwood flavor, which makes the episode feel very comic book in essence.
Q: Did you shave your head specifically for the new movie?
No. That's my current look these days. I did shave my head specifically for the film DEMONIUM years ago, but three years ago, I decided to keep it smooth. I like the look, but the only problem is that casting people can't look past the fact that it makes me appear more menacing.
Q: How was it working on an independent film in another country?
Wonderful. The cast and crew were so dedicated and kind. Very hard-working and gracious. A lot of the smaller crew positions were filled by university students who were on Spring break and since a lot of them love horror films and wanted a credit on an American production, they were very willing. I speak a fair amount of Italian and the crew spoke varying degrees of English, but what was interesting was that we almost didn't need words to communicate. Since everyone on the set understood the process of film making, a lot of things were communicated instinctually. The Italians are pleasant people to work with (unlike the Germans).
Q: I didn't even recognize Jasi Cotton Lanier in that first story? What made you decide to cast her as the evil spirit?
We had worked with Jasi on NIKOS THE IMPALER. She had the small role of Officer Felice. When Ray Schwetz was casting for his episode, ANATHEMA, he needed an actress with an interesting look that would be also be able to do nude scenes. Jasi (who admittedly looks the best she ever has) was cool with the script and the nudity required. We only needed her for three days work (most of which were spent in the make-up chair getting spray-painted for three hours per day). She also did some stunt direction for us and she herself is a stunt woman, and quite fearless and dedicated. She's a health nut and asked us to have fresh fruits and veggies on the set so she make fresh juice with the juicer she brought to the set. She inspired me to go out and get one myself!
Q: The Dr. Grecoz tale reminded me of that early Charlie Band movie, MANSION OF THE DOOMED? Was that intentional?
It reminded of that film too, but director Brian Michael Finn didn't seem to know that title.
Q: How can people obtain the dvd of AFTER MIDNIGHT?
