Ryan Nicholson April-2010
Welcome to our April, 2010 interview, with this month's featured guest, Ryan Nicholson a Canadian based filmmaker and who has previously directed the films "Gutterballs" and "Live" feed. Ryan will be here to promote his latest film Hanger.
Welcome to the Vault, and thanks for agreeing to this interview, Firstly why don’t you tell us about yourself!
My name is Ryan Nicholson. I`m the creator of Plotdigger Films. I write and direct extreme horror movies and exploitation films. I`m located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
How and why did you get into the business?
I first got involved in motion pictures as a special make-up effects artist. I worked on crews doing some cool creature fx and also formed my own company, Flesh and Fantasy Inc. where I designed and created make-up effects for big budget Hollywood movies like ``Scary Movie`, Èlf`and `Final Destination`. I operated the studio for a decade before making the move into producing my own movies and teaching make-up FX as well.
What are your aspirations?
I really love horror movies. My tastes range from Jess Franco to Lucio Fulci to John Carpenter to anything in between. I give every horror movie a chance regardless of budget. The cheaper more diy films tend to be the ones I watch more often these days because the less money you have to work with, the more creative you need to be. I know that first hand!
Who are your idols, and/or influences?
David Cronenberg is a big influence. Being Canadian, it seems natural to be influenced by another Canadian!
Tell us about your movie, What Should we expect from it?Any comparisons to similar movies?
"Hanger" is a very unique viewing experience. It's really a Father/Son tale...an unlikely friendship forms after a brutally fatal abortion where the Mom dies and the fetus lives...it's a very dark story with some comical undertones. All of my stuff has humor mixed throughout the gory mayhem. It's just the way I write.
What where the best, worst, and hardest parts of making this movie?
The best is seeing your film get distribution because if you can't share your movie with horror fans, it makes it nearly impossible to continue making movies without the resources. The worst is having to rush post production to meet the distribution you have agreed upon. The hardest part is paying for the movie after you realize the movie won't be putting the money back in the bank as quickly as you thought. Making a movie doesn't stop once you have it on the shelf in video stores...you have to actively promote it...it's an ongoing process.
Did you enjoy making it?
I had a blast making "Hanger"! It was the no "holes" barred kind of film-making that I enjoy the most...when I can shoot what I want, how I want.
Any unique/interesting storys about making the movie?
Having Lloyd Kaufman fly into Vancouver and arrive for a cameo on the first night of shooting was a great experience. Lloyd has seen it all so I tried to make it a unique time for him. Debbie Rochon was totally awesome to work with as well. I usually work with the same group of actors so bringing in some fresh faces for their sake as well as mine was a good thing to do...shakes it up a bit. A unnerving thing happened on the day of the coat-hanger abortion shooting which I've never shared until now...I was reading the paper that day before set and the first thing I see is an article about abortion! I was like, is this some crazy sign? Anyways, pretty strange stuff.
Any upcoming or past projects you think may interest of readers?
I have a few ideas cooking. I'm shooting a high-school slasher type movie in the Summer called "Famine". It's really a nod to those 80's school slashers that are always fun...like "Massacre at Central High", that movie is in dire need of a dvd release! I'd like to focus on building our website and store into a place where horror fans can visit often and find cool stuff. With Blu-ray dvd out now, my latest movie "Star Vehicle" stands a good chance at being released on blu-ray. We shot true HD so it will look great!
What are some of your favorite Favorite Horror, Sci-Fi or Action movies (your own excluded)?
"Street Trash", "Driller Killer", "I Spit on Your Grave" and "The Warriors" to name a few. I dig the more exploitation style of movie...lots of nudity and gore. Italian horror is great as well. Giallo movies and gangster stuff that came from Italy in the 70's and 80's is fantastic.
This movie contains what is probably the most graphic abortion scenes ever filmed, can you shed some light as to how that scene was accomplished.?
We bought a very expensive pocket pussy, a casting of a pornstar and rigged it with blood/gore tubing, repainted it and punch some hair...made it look totally real. We bought a realistic newborn baby doll and did the same thing basically...with enough lubrication, the fetus pulled out of the silicone sex buddy really well. Sometimes keeping things this simple work better than sculpting, casting brand new stuff. I'm pretty notorious for all of the fake dicks I put in my movies so it was nice to switch it up.
Gutterballs was more or less a satire of 80’s slasher cinema, Hanger has a more unique and original story, was there any specific inspiration for it?
80's slashers for sure. There's also some 70's nods in there. A big one too "Halloween". But there's subtle stuff like nods to "The Howling" and "Porky's", as well as a few sex comedies of the 80's. I'm a product of that era so it was very cool to make that movie that way.
While where on the topic of Gutterballs, plotdigger.com, your company’s, website has a mention of Gutterballs 2, can you confirm that project, and if so, tell us a little about it?
It will happen...not until 2011 though...I'm too busy with other projects and I also want to give the original some more time to get around in horror circles...I still have people saying "I just saw Gutterballs!"...it's still being discovered and that's a good thing. Dan Ellis, who played The Janitor, will be back...yes his head is blown off but there's a spin on his character we created. It also won't take place in a bowling alley...as scripted now it takes place at a water park but we're still deciding on the location.
Any chance of a Hanger sequel?
There is for sure...I've thought of doing one and it is a very real possibility. As with "Hanger", it would be a quick and dirty shoot. It's crossed my mind.
Thanks, for participating in our interview, I greatly appreciated it, is there anything else you would like to add before we go?
Just to check out www.plotdigger.com and our new movie "Star Vehicle" website www.starvehiclemovie.com which has tons of cool stuff there. Thanks!