FRIGHTFEST DAY 3 (the amendments)

Hey All,



So yeah, the big premere came and went, and I think it did REALLY well. I was so relieved that, on the day, the film seemed to play off better than expected, but the rousing response from the fans afterwards was really really great. So many fans were so kind, and I thank you all for coming out and supporting the movie, it meant so much.

So a few other things that happened on Saturday.

So first I run over to the Odeon and see Alan Jones who is demanding I follow him to this club where we were having the "filmmakers" luncheon. Oh, wait. Dont I have media interviews now? Well, I get pulled off anyway, much to the chagrin of Liz, who set the interviews up. Im yanked down the street, so im already sweaty from the racing heartbeat, and then after Amanda desperately tried to get Liz to move the interviews so i can enjoy the lunch (it looked so good, bawls) but no go so she throws me into a cab and it's back to the theater where i finally get to meet Bryn and Mark (or was it Matt? shit my brain is frazzled) from Gorezone Magazine (killer mag, mind you), who named me and Green part of their "Splat Pack" (or "Spalt Pack" cause i guess they dont use spell check here, too funny). We had a GREAT interview, and they were so cool. After that, another interview (fuck I forgot that guys name too, I need a "name pad") which went even better. I gotta admit, I am proud of my movie, and I think it shows when i talk about it, at least I hope so.



Then, I raced over to do interviews with the lovely Emily Booth at Zone Horror, which as you can see HERE, I was practically panting. But I think I came off ok, Emily was super nice and sweet (and easy on the eyes is good too) and the crew were cool too. These guys are around all weekend, tireless bastards.









The "badges" come and Im making sure that they are properly placed on all of the ladies for optimal exposure. Hey, sex sells right?

I miss out on JOSHUA (coming out on DVD in the states in a few weeks) so i can go back, put on my decent clothes and head back to the screening. I wanted to see the shorts, so time was of the essence. I get all doodied up, get the tie around the neck, and off I go. I dont know why, but seriously, I need a headband or something because this sweating thing is fucking bollocks. So embarrassing. I feel like my body is pulling a Cronenberg and revolting on me, crap!

Back to the Odeon, sweating of course, and I sit for the shorts. Most of them were kinda bad actually, except one named LITTLE BRATS which was like a deleted scene from DELLICATESSEN, a gonzo favorite. Great kooky style, creepy fat frenchman, and killing kids...a winning combo in my book.



The film that played after that was Jamie Blanks' STORM WARNING, which was another "Hillbilly Horror" movie like mine, just an Aussie port of the genre. Started out slow but I appreciate that, getting to know the protagonists as they boat out to fish, then get stuck on a mysterious island where the locals are not too friendly, and by the end it was splashing with gore and the crowd loved it. I was getting a little nervous though; could the audience take another type of this film? But seeing the crowd take in Blanks's visceral climax gave me hope they'd be into the splatter of WT2. Crossing fingers. Nice to see Jamie back int he game after a long hiatus from the scene (he directed URBAN LEGENDS & VALLENTINE). Welcome back man!



After, Emily from Zone Horror and I had to go up and announce the "Cut" shorts competition which Im a judge for, a major honor thank you, I got to snap that shot that's already on the blog of all the fans, who were piling in for WT2 and still, I wasn't nervous, just excited to get the ball rolling, even though my wet clothing probably betrayed that sentiment.



...and well, if you read the previous post, you know how the screening went. After the first 5 minutes, i think the audience knew what kind of movie they were in for so if you got it then, I knew you'd like it. If not, hey, sorry, better luck next time!







Afterwards, I talked and signed with fans for at least a full hour, maybe more. Everyone was so nice. Poor Amanda; she had to be relegated to being my "Sweat Wrangler" and wait in the wings with napkins ready to be used. But thank god she was there, cause I was pouring with perspiration. Hey, I was excited!!!

Later, the crew went over to dinner and we met them there, walked the busy London streets to a nice Mexican feast down the road. It was an honor to have Marshall (up int he first pic above, looking on at my sweating in wonderment) say he liked my film after I basically told him DOG SOLDIERS was a major influence on WT2, and he had some great notes and points on the flick that Im glad to hear. Both Ian and Paul seemed relieved that WT2 did well too and we toasted to it, which filled my heart with cinematic love. I am in London, being toasted for my sick little flick by my peers and people I totally respect. It was a memory i wont soon forget.

What I wanted to forget was the horrible feeling I had after the meal. As we walked back to catch one of my definite must-see's, THE DEVIL DARED ME TO, I could feel my stomach twisting and coiling, my body not quite agreeing with the argument the Burrito is dishing out. But we had to go...



THE DEVIL DARED ME TO: THIS is what HOT ROD should have been. A rauchous, crude, over-the-top comedy that might be questioned as being valid at a horror fest like this if it was not for the splatter style of the violence and the fact that it's just an out-and-out blast of a time. The crowd was loving it, and we did too, even though Green seemed to catch the bad meal bug too. This was the PERFECT midnight movie, a 6 beers to fun cinematic romp that doesnt quit.

Afterwards, we hung out with the DEVIL guys (who both acted and wrote/directed it) who were a fucking hoot. Great fucking guys, and man do they know how to party. We ended up back at the hotel, where Slo-mo the waitress was back and took fucking FOREVER to hook everyone up with the proper booze. Chris, the director of DEVIL, at one point went up to her and said "17, no...18 beers please luv" and she looked at him like he was crazy, or from New Zealand.



We then got some fresh air by walking around the streets of London, which was fuckign glorious. Such a nice breeze for a change, we talked with a few guys from the Festival like Scotty (total metal head, above) and Greg (total film geek) who were super nice. Everyone here is just here to enjoy and celebrate the horror scene, so it never really felt like there was a difference between fan and filmmaker; we were ALL fans there, so the company was nice.



We then headed back to the hotel where we found it HILARIOUS that there was a restaurant named "Green's" so of course we had to take snaps. Look at that diva Vogue!



People were petering off but I wasn't tired for some reason, still hopped up and overtired from the day, so Amanda (who NOW had the unfortunate task of babysitting me, poor girl) and I walked around some more, taking in the sights (at least I was) and geeking out about horror and how she could kick my ass (I believe it) before I finally got to bed, a huge shit eating grin on my face. It was a specatcular day and night, one I will never soon forget.

Now I get to just dork out and watch a shit load of movies...including, DOUBLE UWE BOLL tommorow! I've seen POSTAL (which I had a jolly good time with) but curious about SEED....can Uwe live up to this new promise?

Man, so glad it's all over, but so sad it's over too. Can I do it again please?!?!?



Staying Scary,
Joe