The Horrorwolf666 Podcast
On the Horrorwolf666 podcast, I talk to horror lovers from the metal and heavy music community, as well as authors, actors, directors, and more. I also do a few spin-off series, including one on Stephen King, Seinfeld and The Devil’s Chord doom podcast.
The Horrorwolf666 Podcast
Director/Writer McClain Lindquist
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On this new episode of the podcast, I talk with McClain Lindquist the talented Writer/Director of the killer horror short film "The Tell-Tale Heart." We also talk metal and werewolves so that's always a good thing in my book.
IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10501804/
The Tell Tale Heart IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11622026/
Film website
https://telltalemovie.com/
Horrorwolf666 contact email
brandonlegion666@yahoo.com
Synth Outro by Abraxas Horn
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This episode of the podcast, I talked with director, writer, and producer McLean Linquist. He did the movie The Telltale Heart. It's a really killer horror short film that you definitely should check out. Um highly recommend that one. Um yeah, this is a fun podcast. Uh we talk metal, we talk movies, we also talk werewolves, so that's always a plus. So hope you enjoy this one, and thanks for checking it out. All right, we are live now. How's everything going your way, McLean? Going great. Thanks for having me. Oh, no problem, man. Thanks for being on. I've been um a fan of your film since you sent me that screener, man, of the Telltale Heart. It was great. All right. That's what we like to hear. Yeah, I've noticed um it's been making its way through a bunch of festivals and stuff.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, uh, so far we're in 30 plus film festivals uh in 20 countries, I believe, and we've won uh 40 plus awards. So yeah, it's been well received.
SPEAKER_02It's really cool uh meeting people across the world as well. Um, really uh the filmmakers, the other filmmakers kind of cherish those um relationships that I've had. So it's going good, even though it's kind of strange because the vast majority are uh digital online streaming um film festivals, but that's what we're dealing with in the world, so it is what it is, and uh we've taken advantage of it.
SPEAKER_00So it's been great. That's killer. Um, I did the uh Horror Hound weekend festival, it was an all-virtual one. It was like um sometime earlier this year, and they had your film on there. I was like, oh man, that's killer. Like, you know, going all over the place there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, horror hound was really cool. I think we won an award from them as well.
SPEAKER_02It's hard to keep them straight, but yeah, horror hound was great. And I uh that's fun for me because it's a term that I have always used, a horror hound.
SPEAKER_00So yeah. Yeah, that that's a cool term, and it's catchy too. So like horror hound. Yeah, I've used that before. I knew about the magazines. Like, oh yeah, I'm a horror hound, you know. I'm always looking for different horror movies and stuff like that. So it was cool when I found out about the magazine and stuff, so you can sniff it out. I have a friend that works over there, uh JK. I don't know if you've ever talked to him before, but I think he does like publicity and stuff for Horror Hound, if I'm not mistaken. But um, he's really killer, and um, he's doing a short film that's going around in some festivals right now.
SPEAKER_02So I'll hit him up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, JK's great. Uh so um how did you get started in film? Like, how did tell me your origin story?
SPEAKER_02Um uh through music videos. Uh my band, uh Basement Pros. Uh we had toured um all over and um had multiple releases, but we never did a music video. And since I'm very opinionated and was always talking about films, I got tasked the uh role of writer, director, and producer of our three music videos that we did. And uh through that I kind of cut my teeth, learning, you know, the tricks of the trade. And each one just uh became bigger and bigger, and it was kind of just a natural progression and very organic to then do a short film. And I've always thought the Telltale Heart would make a really cool short film because it's an incredibly cool short story, and uh also I think it just uh deserves the justice of a you know kind of modern take on it. So it's you know, slick and intense and maybe a little gory. And uh I figured that'd be a good start as well to get into film. So it's my first film and um it's been really well received. Uh I just have a strong passion for the the craft of of filmmaking and um just kind of went for it. I believe if you uh just truly work hard towards something and and have a true passion, you're gonna put yourself in the position to uh maybe capture lightning in a in a bottle. So and uh which I believe that we did with the telltale heart. So music videos brought me here. That's killer.
SPEAKER_00Well, what kind of music did you play?
SPEAKER_02Uh our fans call it hip rock, which is fine by me. Um we're eclectic, uh, kind of across the board. But that's really cool with uh, you know, music today. Uh that kids uh aren't defined by the the boundaries of genres of music when I was coming up. You couldn't listen to punk and heavy metal. Well that though that was a big no-no. You couldn't listen to country and say pop music, you couldn't listen to even RB and say rap or hip-hop, which is just insane when you think about it. And nowadays kids are just like, I like that song. They don't even, you know, recognize it as a genre um being any different than any other songs that they hear, they just like it, and that's awesome that those walls have been broken down.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, that's definitely killer, man. I listen. Well, I was in a band for uh about 17 years of my life. I was in a kind of a black and sludge metal band, and we um toured across the United States a few times and you know, put out a good bit of material and stuff, and um, yeah, you meet a bunch of different folks doing that, like different tastes in music, you know. Myself, I listen to everything from Drab Majesty to the Smiths all the way to like you know, primitive man and some of the heaviest metal out there and stuff, you know. But uh it's great to have like a nice spectrum of stuff that you like, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I lean towards I mean, I mean, I've never heard a genre uh that I don't like. It really bothers me when people say that uh when you ask them what type of music that do they like, and they say I like everything, and then you say so you're a big cannibal corpse fan, no, you're a big slayer fan, oh I can't stand that. You like Tupac, I can't stand rap, just whatever it is, you know. It's like you don't like all forms of music. Um, I've never heard a genre of music that I didn't like. There's some that don't really move me much, blues grass would would be one, but um yeah, you know, it's just uh find, you know, whatever moves you, and that's what music does. Uh, I tend to gravitate to the darker stuff, so I like you know, hard rock and heavy metal and um the extreme metals as well. Um so I'm sure I would have jammed your your doom sludge band.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll have to send you the link once we get done talking to stuff. I'll send you a link to it and stuff, or bandcamp page and stuff.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, I have uh Gentry Densley uh playing some guitar for Joel Pack on the score for the Telltale Heart, and he's in Iceburn and uh Eagle Twin, which are on Southern Lord. Oh, their new album's real sludgy. Iceburn just put out a new album, it's really good, and it's really doom laden, and um they've kind of gone away from their jazzy thing. It's just like straight up kind of Sabbath, um, you know, masters of reality type stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that really strum stuck out for me too with the film was the soundtrack, man. Like the heavy metal riffs, like you know, sort of towards the end and stuff, like okay, this has got some uh some dark shit going on, you know, music-wise.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was listening to Neurosis, which I just thought was a really good kind of you know, linear connector uh as I was writing the the screenplay. Um that just kind of you know, they they obviously with the name like neurosis, they're dealing with psychological stuff, and they're very, you know, kind of um deep and intellectual band that's um also incredibly heavy, you know, to find out. One of my favorite bands. Yeah, so yeah, mine as well. I've I've seen them numerous times. Uh, you know, I just I I love everything about neurosis, and um that obviously was a big influence on me within the writing, but um even more so with with Joel, uh I I referenced some neurosis stuff, and um you can hear it in there. Um but yeah, I I didn't want to do the kind of traditional where it's like you just drop in a white zombie song and it's like, oh, I you know, I get it, it's horror. I wanted to do something different, and so the the the entire score, the whole soundtrack is a character in and of itself where it speaks and it also you know listens, and um it's just it really the music and sound uh both just took my my movie to the next level. But that there's so many movies, famous movies that are that way where if you pull out the sound and the music, they're not as good. And so, you know, being coming from a music musician, from a music background, um I wanted the music to be, you know, a really strong, you know, character within the whole movie. So that was that was from jump, and I wanted to also not do it, so um I didn't want to be that guy. So I had Joel Pack do it, and he did, you know, way better than I ever could have. So yeah, music is my life.
SPEAKER_00That's killer, man. And um a good soundtrack and a good, you know, it really provides the atmosphere to a film, and it can make or break a film, especially for me, because you know, music is a big part of my life as well. So, you know, the soundtrack is weak or you know, something like that, it is the movie can suffer.
SPEAKER_03Oh, for sure.
SPEAKER_02If you take out the music of Jaws, you know, it's not the same movie. Um, and also, but then on the flip side, there's your you know, a movie like No Country for Old Men has no music. So um both work, you know, uh very well. The absence of of music, you could only do that for so long. But yeah, it just sound and music go hand in hand with moving pictures for me. It's I think my movies will always have um a very musical touch to them, but not like in the sense of Paul Thomas Anderson or you know, Quentin Tarantino or whomever. Um we we did something different, and I'll continue to kind of subvert you know expectations, so you can expect that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, I'm sure you've seen this since you're a big neurosis fan, but have did you watch the uh DVD that came out, I think maybe in the early 2000s, late 90s? It was the Sunday never sets, the whole like musical music video DVD they put out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I remember one that really moved me was uh it was like a bald tree, and it was um, I think it maybe was like a gimbal shot or something that it was rotating, but it was just really stark. It was just this one image. Um, and that really stuck with me because it it felt, you know, like watching an old hammer horror movie or something like that. Uh neurosis isn't can't be like that at all, and and that wasn't, I don't think, meant to inspire that. But yeah, that one sticks out for me. The uh the bald tree. I don't think it's set against the full moon or whatever, but it's just this this dead tree in a field, and it's really moving. They're just incredible. Everything about them, um, I just I'm in awe of what neurosis does.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've seen them uh two or three times, but the most notable time was in the mask, it was at the masquerade in Atlanta because um it was a real intimate show. It was them and Wake was on the bill, and man, just seeing them as close as I was because last time I seen them before that was at like the Scion Music Festival, and that was also in Atlanta, years before that. But being up close in personal neurosis and the whole crowd acting as one, it was man, it was like a a spiritual thing, man. You know what I mean? Like this it moved you, like it was on a different plane of existence.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's a handful of bands like that. When when you when you're there, it is like it's almost like church. It is like religious, because you know, there's this community aspect and the call and response aspect of even just you know a band putting out music and an audience, you know, clapping and yelling back at them. It's cyclical. Uh, but yeah, they're their their shows are beyond, you know, intense and also, you know, really spiritual. It it's weird. There's uh only a handful of bands that can kind of tread that that water there. Uh it's a it's a fine line to walk, and they do it. Um they're they're incredible. So yeah, it's uh they're it it is like a very moving religious experience when you see them live. They're they're one of a handful of bands that um the uh a video or a uh you know audio recording will never capture what what they put out live. And but that's music. Music is meant to be heard live. They're really loud, which is awesome as well. Yeah, I've seen them, I've seen them a handful of times throughout throughout their uh history. So uh I've I've been there for neurosis. I I love them. So uh it's cool seeing them and and other bands like Melvin's and High on Fire and other bands getting recognition now and uh building their audiences still. So kudos to to holding the uh the hard rock, heavy metal, you know, candle or flame and keep it burning.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, most definitely. I just think it's killer how you know neurosis ties into you know some of your motivation for the telltale heart. You know, this is really awesome because I like when music or metal in general can tie into like horror, you know, it's a good combo.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I you know initially I I kind of isolated between should this be symphonic, uh, should it be electronic, should it be, you know, kind of doom, sludge, heavy metal. Um, and you know, went went all three ways, and then we realized why why don't we do all three? And it breathes. It's uh it's uh you know, it's a movement in and of itself, it's progressive, and uh, you know, um it's just it worked really well. Uh and uh the the musicians that that Joel brought in, kudos to all of them as well. So uh Megan Allman, uh Aaron Child, Sophie Blair, Gentry Densley, and Joel himself. So they just knocked it out the park, and um I am super grateful.
SPEAKER_00How was the uh casting process for this? Because um, I know uh Sonny was fucking awesome, and so was the guy that played the old man, man. He was super creepy. Like, how did the casting go for that?
SPEAKER_02Well, so I I hooked up with with Chris Hanson, world-renowned um special effects makeup artist. He was the first person to sign on, and that instantly gave me credibility. And he said he knew someone for the narrator, and he introduced me to James C. Morris, um who played the old man. Uh, pretty quickly I realized, you know, he's uh he's a makeup artist, if you will. So he's the the man of a thousand masks. So he's uh, you know, he you throw some plastic on him and paint him up, and he he does the rest. He's a really talented actor. So I realized this is my old man. Uh I wasn't going to cast someone of that age and punish them with 19 hours on set and having uh, you know, 150-pound Sonny Grimsley laying on top of you for 45 minutes as we light the shot, you know. So that was never going to happen. We're I know people have referenced like, why didn't they use, you know, a 90-year-old guy? Well, I'm not gonna punish people like that. But James was incredible. Um he his role, I only took the two lines out of the uh story. My my brother did all the the dialogue uh for the movie, and I just took the couple lines that are in the story, and and that was two lines for the old man. And when James walked on set, it was just instant that oh, I've got to get more lines for this guy. So we wrote lines that day, and then he performed them the next day, where that was not an initial script, but just seeing James do his thing on set, it was like, oh, okay, it's official. I need this guy talking and interacting with the narrator because he's just he's too good. Yeah, and speaking of too good, Sonny Grimsley is too good. So he's just incredible. And uh all the accolades that have come his way, he totally deserves. Um, I didn't know that he was a method actor until he was on set the first day, which threw me. Um, but I just kind of stayed away from him and uh just whispered in his ear at times and uh just you know kind of encouraged him to stay in the character, which he didn't really need help. And um, I never made eye contact with him for that that full week. But yeah, the casting process was uh it was just an open uh casting call, so it was cattle call, whatever they call it, which is awful, but whatever. Um yeah, and I figured, oh, this is gonna be really hard to find these people to fit these these roles that I wanted. Um so I did the casting as well with my team. It was pretty extensive. I think there's about 10 of us or whatever involved, but um the it was the opposite problem. We had so many people that that came in with that were so good, including Taryn Turner, who uh ended up as the detective. That role was written originally for a black man like Danny Glover. I'm getting too old for this shit kind of thing. Right. Quickly that became the the female, where she was an older, you know, black woman, kind of, you know, large and in charge. And then um it was an older uh white man, uh, you know, kind of like past his prime, not very aggressive, not intense, or whatever. And Taryn came in, we all figured he was reading for the narrator, and he's this big guy. I was like, oh, huh? And uh, but he read for the detective, and pretty quickly I realized, oh, this, I think this is the guy, and uh this is where the character needs to go. He's more of an intense person, he's he's not really burned out, he's just you know, wants to go home. And uh then that changed the next role as well, which was Micah. Uh and uh she she came in and and I I connected with her as well, so I figured, okay, yeah, she's she's the the police officer. And it originally it's kind of her POV. She uh if it was a full-length movie, it would basically be through her eyes. And um, to me, she's the hero of the story. But uh yeah, so the casting, it was tough uh as far as picking uh who was gonna play what and all that. Uh other than James, he he signed um right on the dotted line, so to speak, uh, without even reading the script. He just he came on board and uh we we had those four. And uh we were off to the races. We did a ton of uh pre-production, so a lot of uh rehearsal and um and then also blocking as well. So and my brother did the second A D work, which he was really great with the actors as well.
SPEAKER_00So that's killer. And how did you um um how did you get Chris? Uh how did you get Chris Hansen on board? Uh just I guess he liked my style.
SPEAKER_03I just like it out, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I got you know, because he he wasn't the first person that I reached out to, he's actually towards the end where it's kind of disheartening. Uh I got a lot of no's up to that point, uh, basically from everybody. And and I understand that, you know, I've never done anything, first-time filmmaker, and all that. And when you hear the telltale heart, it's like I'm like the thousandth person to do this, and it's usually your student film or your first film. Um, so yeah, it's got kind of uh failure written all over it. I understood I understood that. So that never bothered me. But Chris, uh, we just connected um over Chris can talk. Um, probably like a two, three hour phone conversation. He was like, Yeah, uh, let's do this. And uh was in his studio, which is like a dream come true as you know, a horror hound, a kid that you're in a special effects makeup studio and designing, yeah. Stuff for a horror movie was just like, oh man, if the uh the 10-year-old McLean could see himself now, he'd be pretty impressed.
SPEAKER_00So that's killer, man. Um, what kind of films did you grow up with that you love, like horror films?
SPEAKER_03Horror films.
SPEAKER_02Um, my my favorite of all time is Evil Dead 2. But uh like The Exorcist shook me to my core. Um, and then going back, like the Omen and Rosemary Baby are also really good movies. Uh Halloween got me. Um The Thing for sure. Like there was a lot of like uh kind of flops that ended up on late night TV, cable TV Turner stuff. Uh so like The Thing, uh John Carpenter's the thing, and also the original um uh on on Turner as well, and and seeing like War of the Worlds, the flops. Uh the blob, uh, invasion of the body snatchers, and then to the 80s, you know, it just like exploded. And so one that really stuck out for me was Hellraiser and Hellraiser 2. Um, but yeah, I mean it's endless. The shining was like massive. Uh that was like cultural to me. I hadn't even seen the movie, and um, I probably knew more about it than uh, you know, most people that'd seen it. Um, American Werewolf in London, The Howling. Um, those were just like movies that I saw. The Howling was the first horror movie that I saw. And shortly thereafter I saw American Werewolf in London, and so I'm just a solidified werewolf guy. Um but yeah, I mean it just it goes on and on. I love Italian horror, so Argento's, you know, really kind of the tops for me, Baba and and Fulci are great as well, and and others. But yeah, Italian horror, uh South Korean, uh, Japanese, British, you know. I just I I love horror across the board and also like you know, throughout history as well. So the Dr. Jekylls and Mr. Hydes and uh all the Universal Monsters stuff. Uh the list goes on and on. And then Gateway stuff, Gremlins, I love all of Joe Dante's stuff. Uh and you know, the like the Lost Boys, uh Predator, Alien. Um, and then Artsy stuff as well. I I just you know really love the genre and uh I like deep dives and uh I like it all from art house to you know just trashy B movies or slashers or whatever.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, it sounds like we're on the same boat there. I'm the same way, man. Like my horror, like the things I like in hard are are vast. I go from like slashers all the way to super art house stuff in between, you know. I got a big love for werewolf movies, so that's my one of my main things, but there hasn't been a really good one in the past maybe 20 years, really. Hold your breath, because it's coming. Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_03I don't know how long, but yeah, I've got one. Sweet, hell yeah. Yeah, definitely. It's uh the script's not done with the uh the treatment.
SPEAKER_02Basically, is I'll do the outline and um and eventually uh do the script. So that'll probably be in conjunction with my brother as well. Not certain though. Is that gonna be a full length?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yep.
SPEAKER_00Nice. You're gonna have to have a metal soundtrack with that one. What's that? I say you're gonna have to have a heavy metal soundtrack with this one, man.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you know, it's uh I could do that.
SPEAKER_02Um, but I'll also uh I have a saying serve the song um that I applied to to the situations within within movie making. It's like sometimes you go into writing a song and you have this chord progression or this lyric or whatever melody that was the impetus for you sitting down and writing this music. And when you get together with the band, or even as you're you're like formulating it and arranging it, you realize that isn't necessary and you lose it, and it's not even there anymore. But it was the whole reason that you wrote this song. But the song is is served because you let go of that, and you know, it's just like whatever the song needs at that point, do that. So I don't want to get too tied down to say, oh yeah, well, all my stuff will have, you know, like heavy metal, but I don't see how it wouldn't. Um yeah, I'm sure I'll probably get that tag as well. Uh and that's fine. I can live with it because it sounds really cool. So yeah, I'm really excited. I wish I could like you know go into details and all that, but um yeah, I I've um I have some pre-production stuff as well, uh, artwork and uh some of the monster design. Uh so many that makes me excited, dude.
SPEAKER_00Like we've been on a little bit of a drought in the werewolf genome for a while.
SPEAKER_02There's a few here and there, but you know a long, long time. Um they're just just most most werewolf movies really uh just swing and amiss, um, if you will. Uh just are off for whatever reason. Um yeah, and it's a shame they deserve better werewolves do. So I'm I'm gonna try my best to make you know one of those movies that that sticks out uh in the genre of werewolves.
SPEAKER_00Killer, yeah. Maybe it'll replace the whole zombie genre, man, because I'm so burned out on zombies. It's not, yeah, I mean, zombies have been like what past 15 years, straight zombie everything.
SPEAKER_02Fucking yeah, I guess these are good. I don't know if you can be traced to anything, but it kind of feels like was it Danny Boyle um with uh 28 Days Later? I kind of I know they're not zombies per se. Um that was kind of a big jump off point. But but that that and then um uh Dawn of or Yeah, Dawn of the Dead. Um was that Zach Snyder? I think um and that was great too. Like, oh what what what I I really liked both of those remakes or that remake and and and I liked what uh 28 Days Later did were kind of you know flipping the genre on its head. But yeah, shortly thereafter, it was just an explosion. I remember joking uh when I was in school up in Portland, Oregon. I had a classmate, and he was like, Oh, zombie movies are about to explode. I was like, Oh, whatever, dude. I mean, you there hadn't been a zombie movie in, I mean, from that point it was maybe Savini's uh Night of the Living Dead, was probably or uh around that time, maybe um, yeah, it's probably it. Um there was just nothing, and then it just became where it's saturated at this point now. But um, I think you know, when something gets like that too, it does provide the opportunity for uh you know, a slick movie that somebody is coming from a different angle, you know, um, because everyone's expecting something, so it it's it's easy to you know kind of subvert that. So I'd like to take a shot at that maybe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, put your style on it. Yeah, I mean, I got trust in you, man.
SPEAKER_02I think you could pull it off, you know, you can give some different the best ones that that stick out are the ones that do something different, and it's usually about you know, like family or um, you know, just life in general. And um zombie movies do lend, you know, it's it's really easy to to uh touch on um you know metaphors and uh and society and things of that issue, it's or those problems uh kind of manifest within zombies where typically it's the the humans are worse than actual monsters. But um, but yeah, it is it it's it's a sponge and it's currently overflowing, but you know, I guess give give the people what they want or whatever. That's just not really my style. I like I said, I I want to be known as the person that subverts horror.
SPEAKER_00So uh what kind of films have you been watching uh recently that caught your eye? Like anything good you want to mention?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, I'm I watch so many movies. Um I watch at least a movie a day. Um uh I just recently watched because it was the uh 44th anniversary, I believe, uh Suspiria. Uh Dario Argentos. My favorite's deep red, but Suspiria is just such a masterpiece, and um it's just ethereal, and um, you know, it is like a fairy tale, and it's also so campy and over the top, and um and also just beautiful within the cinematography and especially the gaff. So that I mean that that's nothing new. Um but yeah, I just I watch so many movies, and it it it's mostly, you know, horror, but I I I I watch everything as well. Uh I caught up to uh Freaky, which uh I just watched about a week ago, and I thought that was great. I was expecting that to be really bad, and I just had a really good time with that. It was like, okay, they're not taking themselves too seriously and just having fun with you know this the slasher trope. Um and that's too that's cool as well. There's a there's a few movies that are subverting um the tropes, and those those are are really cool. Um what's is it is it called Behind the Mask?
SPEAKER_03Um Leslie Gordon, yeah. That's that's a great movie, man.
SPEAKER_02That's you know, it's like oh, this is this is how you do this, because people are accustomed to you know the movie being formulaic, so they they you can basically guess the next you know step. And a movie like that is just totally like, oh wow, it's behind the green curtain, Wizard of Oz style, you know, and it's like oh what if type thing. And those movies are really cool when it's it's something different. Um and also that just that just lends to to creativity.
SPEAKER_00So they were supposed to do a sequel to uh Behind the Mask, man, but I don't know what happened to that. I think they ended up doing a comic book instead. But they were supposed to do another film, and this was years ago when that came out, so I don't know what happened with that, but I I was waiting for a sequel, dude, you know, or a prequel at least, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I could I could see them, you know, that that wouldn't feel like a cash cow where they're you know milking it or whatever. That that that lends that story would lend to even a prequel or or pick up from that point there. Um yeah, just so many movies, too many, too many to name. Uh I mean you'd have to get into like subgenres of horror, and uh then I could focus my brain more on picking out a specific movie.
SPEAKER_00I keep track of all my stuff I watch, so I watch a lot of shit too, TV-wise and movie-wise. I uh keep track on an internet movie database app on my phone because my memory's so bad, I forget what the fuck I just watched. If it doesn't really hit me, you know. So I just keep track on that. I rate everything on there and stuff. And if something really hits me, I'll write a review and stuff done on my website. Nice. Like uh today I watched Sensor. Have you seen Censor?
SPEAKER_03I don't think I have.
SPEAKER_00Okay, that's it's uh early viewing right now. You can rent on Amazon, it's still in theaters, but you can rent on there for like seven bucks. Fucking amazing movie, man. It's it's uh I believe it's a British film, and um, it's based off of like the 1980s when they were doing like the uh the all the censorship over in England and stuff over like the um you know super gore movies. I can't remember the name they called it or whatever, but it was like the super gore shit. They would censor and abandon all stuff, all these band movies and everything. Uh that's what this is about, but it takes like a uh uh like a it takes a horror trip down like uh like a thriller type um dark hole of violence, man. Like it's hard to explain you without giving shit away. Definitely check it out. It's called Censor, it's super awesome, super dark, a lot of gore and stuff. But check it. It's trippy as fuck, too.
SPEAKER_03I like your your taste. Uh video nasties, I think is that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there you go. That's it. Video nasties.
SPEAKER_02Kudos to whoever did that. It was all it was kind of similar to the PMRC in in America that that made the list, um Tipper and all that. And it's so it's basically like, hey, check out these bands and check out these movies. Some of them I'd never heard of, and it was like, oh man, thank God for this list. So yeah, that backfired. Uh yeah, video nasties, I believe was the UK term.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's it. And that's what this is based on, but you know, some horror movies.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Yeah, yeah. I'm all over that. I love meta stuff like that, you know.
SPEAKER_02It's I like Stephen King likes to write about writers, right? And um, it's fun as a filmmaker to to see movies about movies or within a movie type thing. That's just it's fun. So I don't know if that's played out or if people don't like that, but I can just tell you as a as a filmmaker, that's really cool to have that moment where you're you know, a film within a film, if you will.
SPEAKER_00If you've read uh Dark Towers series by Stephen King, he even throws himself into the fucking book. Like, ask Stephen King. Stephen King is in there, like as a writer, it's fucking crazy.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that that ends here in uh Utah in Green River, right?
SPEAKER_00Fucking crazy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Green River's nice. That's where uh Powell pushed off down the uh Colorado River. That's a that's about the extent. I think there's um there's a blimpy there, which is nice.
SPEAKER_00Are you a big king fan?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, oh yeah. Um he's maybe the greatest storyteller of all time.
SPEAKER_02You know, he's not like the most eloquent writer, uh, but his stories are incredible.
SPEAKER_03Um there's some times where sticking to landings, you know. Yeah, yeah. It's like, huh, okay. But he he likes that.
SPEAKER_02That's kind of his thing. It's the third act, if you will, being being where the the left-hand turn is, where it's typically in the second. But um yeah, his influence is pervasive, it's cultural. Um whether you want to or not, his language, if you will, is going to um influence you because anything that you've seen or heard since uh the the late 70s, early 80s is uh gonna be directly influenced by him. So that's uh uh impossible not to. Um yeah, and he just taps into you know uh fun things that people can relate to. Um you know, kind of Americana as well. He definitely has a line on on you know the the heartbeat of America. So it's it's uh it's neat what he does. He's he's like I said, he's he's might be the greatest storyteller of all time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I totally agree with that, man. For me, it's King and uh Clyde Barker, those are two of the best, and that's pretty much all I fucking read or listen to.
SPEAKER_02Clive's Clive's a genius. Um, like I I mentioned Hellraiser. Um Hellraiser is oh man, such a massive, massive influence on me uh as a horror fan, but more uh so as a filmmaker. So both one and two. I know he didn't he didn't make two, but um but yeah, though those two films, wow, um just everything about it and about him, he's just a really incredible storyteller as well. He's so stripped down where King is very you know in depth. Um Clive kind of leaves it up to you. Um he's not all that descriptive, you know, and so like you kind of do the work with some of the you know the darker elements, and that works because there's nothing darker than what's in your own brain because you know what scares you, and that's where you go. Um, so yeah, he's incredible. Um I he obviously isn't going to, but boy, that would be really cool if if he made another movie again. Um you know, and seeing like like Nightbreed his cut, yeah, which I watched a couple months ago, wow, okay, because I was so critical of that movie up to that point. That was just a really big disappointment. And then to see his cut, it was like, oh, this is a good movie. This is how this should have been cut. It's still, you know, um the 80s, and there's still some parts that are kind of hokey or whatever. But that um his his cut, which I think is on shutter currently, I believe you can watch his director's cut, is really good. Really good. Um, I'm shocked. So um, but I would love to see him come back, but I don't think that'll ever happen.
SPEAKER_00Well, I've hearing some things uh around now, because uh Barker is back to feeling better because after all the craziness that he went through these past what 10 years or whatever with the stuff, you know, there's all kinds of bizarre things happen to him. But health-wise, he's starting to come back again, and I'm hearing talks of him and Mick Garris have something going on. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but those are two of the greatest minds in horror, you know. So whatever it is gonna be killer. It could be a book, it could be, I don't know, it could be a movie TV series.
SPEAKER_03So is it Showtime that's doing um the Hellraiser series? I think it's HBO. HBO? Cool.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, I'm hoping that's gonna be that's one where uh I I wouldn't I'm not big into reboots or anything like that, but if someone asked me to do Hellraiser, I would pounce on that. But I'd want to do those the those first two stories um uh for sure. Uh I that I I would that would be a dream come true.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that would be killer, but yeah, Clyde Barker's back to business, from what I've understand. I mean he was on the Bullets Morton podcast recently. It was like one of the best episodes ever, Mick Garris and fucking Clyde Barker. I mean, you don't get no better than that in my you know my eyes.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, they're both fucking awesome. They've got the street crit pass for sure, you know.
SPEAKER_02They can get in any any convention they want.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean they're two of the biggest names around, man. Like they're awesome and very inspirational.
SPEAKER_02Yep, both. Um Mick's very uh you know diverse as well. Uh he does a lot of things within the industry and uh is very respected for a reason. And he seems I've never met him or anything, but he seems like a very genuine, uh nice person.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm friends with him on Facebook, which is pretty badass. And I've got great tell him the way I feel about him and stuff like hey man, you know, you're very inspirational, you're awesome, and you know, he's like, Thank you.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, it's it's really cool uh that that social media ha has also you know uh torn down that wall of um it's it was really a tower, right? Where I mean you I couldn't I can't imagine reaching out to Roger Waters or Pink Floyd or you know um Plant or Paige from Zeppelin, you know, on my phone or whatever. And you know, like Tool in the early 90s as well. There's a reason that those bands still have that mystique. It was because they were guarded. Um and I don't think you could do that nowadays. I don't think you could you'd be a mysterious band, if you will. And I think that's a good thing, um, that you can just reach out to whomever and they might just hit you back and be like, hey, thanks. You know, it's like, wow, that's cool. It's super cool when these people that you've respected or admired, you know, enjoyed their art throughout life, that they they like one of your comments or they you know throw something back at you. It's like wow, all right, that just happened.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's just that's a screenshot for sure. Like, like, all right, keep it.
SPEAKER_00Every time uh Tony Todd shares my cat pictures on Twitter, man. I'm always like, hell yeah, because he likes to do like uh Catterday stuff and us share our cat pictures up there with Tony Todd, and he starts sharing them and stuff. I'm like, that's pretty fucking badass when the candy man shares my cat pics.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he seems like a cool dude as well. Um I'm glad that you know he's getting some shine. And hopefully, here we'll get even more as the OG Candyman. So and I'm really excited to see this new version. Um, that was a favorite of mine. That was another Clive story, of course. Um, you know, and then they made a few subtle changes, and those changes were genius. Um, so yeah, that that's a really unsung movie. Uh that it does not get its credit. Um, and hopefully this this new version will blow up um and and make a ton of money, similar to what the Evil Dead did back in 13 or whatever that was. Um, where it's like, yeah, this franchise deserves to have a big hit, regardless of of what it is. So yeah, Candyman rules. Tony Todd's rap.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he is. And um, I know he's gonna be in the new Candyman too, which is cool because most people think, oh, it's a remake. It's not necessarily a remake, it's more of a uh sequel type deal from what I've read. You know, it's gonna be it's different, you know. It was like, oh, don't do some this is gonna be a stupid remake. I'm like, no, dude, you read on it some more, man. You know. I I'm for it. I'm for whatever. Yeah, I'm excited to see it. Yeah, new horror, man. I've been looking forward to that one since you know first got announced and it got held back last year. It's come out last year around this time, but now it looks like everything's good to go with the film and it's coming out this year, soon, very soon.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Halloween and Ghostbusters and another my movie. So yeah, it's just it's w there we're a year off. It's basically like I took a whole year off. It sucks, but uh and I feel bad that the movie's not out and all that. But um, what can you do? I can't control anything like that, you know, worldwide pandemic and all that. So
SPEAKER_00Right. I mean we're living our own horror story right now.
SPEAKER_02So Yeah, no, this is definitely it. And I um, you know, Host, uh, which I there's there's a new movie. Host was awesome and and just like flawless. Um, and I hope no one else tries to to do that because they're gonna fail. And also I don't want to see any uh, you know, kind of pandemic horror because they've it's already been done. That's why like people of my age, you know, Gen Xers, you know, we were ready for this. We grew up on these movies. We've we've seen this so many times. It's like, yeah, I know what to do, you know, when the the zombie apocalypse, if you will, hits. Um, I don't want to see any of that. That's so I'm not, I'm not, I would not do anything even remotely related to that, and nor do I want to see it. But if you want that uh during the peak last year, host is just perfect.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, totally agree on that. Yeah, definitely, totally. What kind of what what other future plans do you got? What kind of projects do you have in the work that you can speak of? I know you got the werewolf thing going on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I've got like I've got it look probably about five scripts finished, and then I've got some treatments, like I said, and some outlines as well. So it's probably about 10 different things that I could work on or around there. Um, if someone wants an anthology uh of Poe stuff, I have the cask of Amantelado and I have the black cat already written. And then I would have an actor playing Poe. Um read the Raven, and in between that, kind of get interrupted and do these, you know, short stories and short films, uh anthology, you know, vignettes, if you will. So um, yeah, there's that. If someone wants that, I also have a full-length uh feature, uh Shudder Canyon. Uh it's a very linear story, so it's different from uh my other movies. Um it takes place in a canyon. So uh and I've got a kids movie part one, if you will, or I could extend it to a full-length feature. It's called Nelson the Naughty Elf. It's kind of like the elf on the shelf that those kids do, but this one's evil and possessed. Um very Joe Dante-ish um gateway horror stuff. Um that's done. Well, probably um write part two um this uh this winter. I wrote that with my daughters. They came up with most of the stuff, so that was a lot of fun. Um have little little kids, little little girls, right? And help write my movie. Um and uh uh my brother and I have got a a couple of projects. Um he wrote a book, Geist Passage, and um we'll turn that to a screenplay sometime. And he's got a script called uh reaction that's you know it's in stages, it's basically written, but like any movie, there's so many rewrites, and you know, that's just how it movies are made. And then I've got a found footage um treatment, and then three treatments. You heard that the werewolf one. Um I can't get into the specifics, but it's uh they're all within the same universe and it's the same family, but they're not like connected. The movies, even the genres are all different. Um so yeah, it is that is, I'll just say that's set down in the four corners area of um the southwest here. So Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Um so it's the Navajo Nation. Um, and all the movies, those three movies take place there. Cool. So yeah, uh, and I've got um I've got a um an outline and also I've started on uh a script for Carnival of Souls, which is in public domain because Herc didn't um register it. So here in America, you can make your own Carnival of Souls if you'd like. And I'm thinking I just might. So um someone picked it up in Europe, but uh yeah, um that's I'm really proud of what I've done with that so far. Um, but yeah, I got I've got a lot, it's just uh whatever anybody wants. And then as far as the uh telltale heart, we've got uh VHS tapes. Uh we did a uh special edition small run hand signed. We've got a comic book um telltale heart that we did in conjunction with the movie, uh Chris Bodily and uh Zane here in Ogden, Utah. And uh we'll be releasing or at least having a premiere in October uh here in Ogden, Utah. And also that day we will uh release our uh Telltale that we did in conjunction with U Tog, a local brewery and restaurant here in Ogden, Utah. Utah, and uh it's uh Kolsch Mandarin blood orange, and they put um a couple of drops of food color in it, doesn't affect the taste, but the beer is blood red. Oh that is yeah, so we're excited about that, and then you know we'll be at the tail end of the film festivals here, and hopefully there's uh a path to uh distribution, and then we can start on the next project, um, which I'm really excited about. And what the next project, I have no idea what it's gonna be. Um so uh if you want to write me a check for a million dollars and you like the sound of any of those, I'll make you a badass movie, dude.
SPEAKER_00Anybody listening, you know, if you got a million bucks, you know if there was one, I would do it. It's a good bet.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean I that that's if I had a million dollars, oh my goodness. Um we are you hear a short movie and you think this this is people in their basement with bad lights and bad acting and not all that great of you know equipment or whatever, and this was the exact opposite. Um we were on set at Redmond Studios. So um what you see in the movie that was that was not in a home that was on set, which you know 99% of movies are are made that way where you can control the light. We only had a few exterior shots of the home and everything else, uh, is movie magic there at Redmond. Um and we got the best you know equipment through Redmond. They gave us a really good deal, and they were just really cool there. Um and so you know, we made a movie that looks like it cost probably three times more than what we did. Um, but we also came in under budget and on time, and um we're proud of that as a team that um, you know, we we worked our our asses off and it shows for those six days that week. Um you put in that blood, sweat, and tears, and um and you get you know a cool movie because it could have been shit too. Uh but we uh we knocked it out the park and and just kudos to everybody that was involved with the movie as well, because uh I it takes a village, you know, if you will, to uh to make a movie. And I couldn't have done it with everyone from my PA's all the way up, you know, to my first AD. So um I hope they're enjoying in this success as well, because it's probably more theirs than it is mine.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you de y'all definitely killed it, man. Like all the great success in the future too, you know, which is already getting a bunch of cool success. But you know, I think more good things are to come, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, just uh like I said, if you're passionate and uh you believe in something, a project or whatever. So if uh if I do decide one of these and you know kind of bite, then then I become pretty myopic and uh I will do whatever it takes to um to get it done um in in whatever capacity it is. But the the one thing that we're gonna do is we're our our next project will always top the previous effort. So I I cannot take a step backwards from what what I did with the Telltale Heart. That's just the beginning. The next step has to be beyond that, and then the one after that beyond that as well, or it's it's pointless if it's not progressing. Um, I'm just spinning my wheels. And um, that's not what I want to do as an artist. I want to uh evolve and also push myself. So um I put myself in positions of uh that are really precarious because I don't know if I'm gonna be able to pull off any of this and or or sometimes even how to do it. And um and that'd be my advice to filmmakers as well is to to do that. Go way beyond yourself. And you you'll you might be surprised that you might just nail it. Um and if not, then didn't make the movie, you tried, but uh yeah, go big or go home. And um I definitely do that. So I would love to have future conversations about uh my other movies here uh with you. Um but uh we shall see. We'll just uh we'll take it day by day. And if this is, if the Telto Heart is my my one and only, I I would be incredibly proud because it's far exceeded everything, all my expectations, and and everything that I ever you know could have dreamt of. It's it's that and more. So I'm I'm incredibly proud of our film.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's killer, man. You know you got my support for everything in the future to come. So you get a new movie, anything new you want to work on, you want to talk about it, just hit me up. So you'll be the first. Excellent. Well, McLean, thanks so much for being on the podcast. This is cool. I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_03Hell yeah, man. It was it was awesome.
SPEAKER_02Can't wait to uh check out your link and uh rock out in my basement, get all sledgy with some doom metal.
SPEAKER_01Oh, you turned that shit up loud too.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, I knew we were kindred spirits, so yeah, keep keep keep that flame alive, brother. Uh that keep let's keep it crusty, all right? Always, man. You take it easy and have a good one. Always. Love life. Later.