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Interview by
Ray Hom
1) On your
production site at “Very Scary Productions”, it
is proclaimed that
you’ve been “producing horrifyingly
entertaining movies since 1996.”
Tell us about who Jeff Kirkendall is, and the various works
you have produced
since that year. |
| I first began as
an actor in the mid 1990’s, and was fortunate enough
to land parts in
some independent movies being produced in my area. At the
same time I studied
video production while completing a Communications degree.
Right after
graduation from college I used these skills to produce
“Terror of the
Master”, a feature-length independent horror movie
about two sisters
besieged by a vicious vampire. That was 1996, and the
experience served as a
crash course in guerilla moviemaking, encouraging me to
continue making indie
movies. Since then I have written, produced, directed, and
edited six movies.
The others are “Night Therapy” (1998),
“The Green-Eyed Monster”
(1999), “3 To Murder” (1999), “The
Temptress” (2002),
and “Of Theatre & Bikinis” (2007). All of
these are in the
horror genre except “Of Theatre & Bikinis”,
which is a comedy.
“Night Therapy” concerns three patients talking
to a therapist
about their experiences with a disembodied head. “The
Green-Eyed
Monster” is about a young woman home alone one
Halloween night who is
contacted by a mysterious voice “from beyond the
grave”. “3
To Murder” is a story involving a criminal gang
menacing three suburban women.
“The Temptress” continues this story in a
feature about three women
battling an evil vampire cult in upstate New York.
“Of Theatre &
Bikinis” is a lighthearted comedy about a college
girl who wants badly to
become an actress, and the crazy quest she goes on to meet
a Hollywood director
visiting her small town. Many of my independent movies are
available to
purchase on DVD & Download at FilmBaby.com.
In addition I was an Associate Producer & Editor on
several horror features
produced by other independent filmmakers, such as Joe
Bagnardi’s “The
Edge of Reality”, and Bruce G. Hallenbeck’s
“London After
Midnight” and “The Drowned”, the latter
of which I also
served as Cinematographer on. I have also appeared in quite
a few movies over
the years, and always enjoy new projects as an actor.
Currently I am producing
& directing a new feature - the horror anthology movie
“Die
Laughing”. I use the tagline “horrifyingly
entertaining
movies” on my web site because I believe my indie
films have always had a
sense of fun about them that audiences can identify with. I
try to make movies
that are, above all, enjoyable and entertaining to
audiences. |
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2) I’ve
read in a bio that you were inspired by “A Nightmare
On Elm Street”
to become a filmmaker. What is your opinion on the reboot
in 2010, and the
recent remakes of horror classics in
general?
In general
I’m not a big fan of the current trend of remaking
every horror movie one
can think of. Many bad remakes have been thrust on
audiences, and although
there have been some good ones as well, most of these have
still been
unnecessary. For example I thought the remake of “The
Texas Chainsaw
Massacre” was generally well done, but still not
needed when we have the
original. I believe remakes can also do a disservice to
younger audiences, who
may think these newer films are the only versions, or as a
result not have any
desire to see the “old” movies. Filmmakers
should concentrate on
original stories, or creative sequels that move established
franchises in
interesting new directions. With respect to “A
Nightmare on Elm
Street”, I’d rather it wasn’t being done
because that movie
is still one of my all-time favorites and I can’t
fathom a
“re-imagining” of the story with different
actors. However
I’m not surprised that it is happening considering
the trend. We’ll
just have to wait and see what they’ve done with
it. |
3) What
experiences in the lesson of filmmaking can you pass on to
hopeful filmmakers
that may be reading this now?
I think
it’s important to learn as much as possible about the
tools of the craft
such as cameras, lighting, and editing equipment. And I
believe it’s also
important to work with people who are equally as passionate
about your project
as you are. And above all, “persistence is key”
because, while
filmmaking can be a wonderfully rewarding creative
endeavor, there are times
when the process can be tedious and difficult. So just keep
on filming and
never, ever give up! |
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4) What are
your favorite horror films? Which one is the scariest, and
why?
As mentioned
previously, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is one
of my all-time
favorites. This is because it was the movie that drew
me into the horror
genre when I was a teenager. It had a compelling story and
presented great
drama, in addition to being a truly frightening horror
film. I also liked Wes
Craven’s “New Nightmare” ten years later,
because it took the
story and expanded it further in an exciting new way. So
those would be two of
my favorites. Some other favorites include Herk
Harvey’s “Carnival
of Souls”, the original “Halloween”,
Lamberto Bava’s
“Demons” and its first sequel, and George
Romero’s “Dawn
of the Dead”, just to name a few. Some movies that
scared me when I first
saw them were “Jaws”, “The
Exorcist”, and (the
original) “Friday the 13th”.
A recent movie I
found creepy was “Paranormal Activity”,
primarily because it
presents a story that is thought provoking. In other words
I think it has the
potential to be most effective after it’s
viewed. |
5) If you
were stuck in a horror movie, would you rather be the evil
that lurks, or the
hero that confronts the dark? Why?
Now that’s
an interesting question! From an acting standpoint
it’s always fun to
play the villains, because they’re usually more
dynamic and memorable. If
I was really stuck in a horror film though, I believe
I’d rather be the
hero who (hopefully) triumphs in the end over the forces of
darkness. I’m
sure it would be very satisfying! |
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