“When your shooting budget is only a few hundred dollars, you tend to fall a little short of the heartbreaking work of staggering genius that you initially envisioned.” - Mel House
True words spoken by the independent filmmaker of the upcoming CLOSET SPACE, director Mel House. And this staggering genius is apparent in the striking similarity to Hollywood’s film DOT THE I, that suspiciously came 2 years after House’s debut effort FADE TO BLACK. But that hasn’t deterred Da House. Swiftly making friends in the industry and putting himself out there as much as possible has really paid off. CLOSET SPACE has already garnered a lot of attention before its release, as did WITCHCRAFT 13, despite many problems during and after production on the latter film. Editor WIL joins me in a revealing, yet incredibly goofy, interview with this up and coming director from Texas.
MOLLY: So how did you get your start in filmmaking? Did you have the urge and decided to pursue it in college?
MEL: Pretty much, although I dabbled in film, video, music, and “weird art” before that. In a way, I was the stereotypical “weird artsy kid with purple hair” in high school, but I also was on the football team, so nobody really fucked with me. Due to some “family issues”, I moved out on my own when I was 16, so unfortunately I didn’t really have time or money to keep experimenting with visual art at that point. I kinda began thinking in “get a real job” terms, so I started college as an Aerospace Engineering major with a minor in film. I soon discovered that the film thing was where my heart really was, so I changed my major and never looked back. Since then, I’ve studied film at two colleges, participated in several intensive workshops, worked at a public access station, made several music videos, short films and three feature-length movies, so I guess I made the right choice.
MOLLY: You state proudly that you are a mulatto filmmaker. Do you find that being of mixed race helps you on projects? Have you experience any negative reactions?
MEL: I think it helps in a sense - I kind of naturally tend to gravitate away from the stereotypes when I write or give character direction. This goes for the “jive talking Black guy” archetype as well as the “nerdy, bookish, WASP-y White guy”. From my experience, people don’t really ever act like that, and I really hate to see “caricaturizations” in movies rather than “characterizations”. It’s an easy way out, smacks of lazy directing, and is an insult to the audience. I also tend to see people as people, and not in terms of black, white, or whatever color, and I think that informs my directorial approach somewhat.
As for negative reactions, I haven’t experienced any thus far in the movie world, but I’ve been called “nigger” and “half-breed” more times in my life than you can count, so I’m sure eventually some jerk will pop up on the internet and say something. This, of course, is assuming that I ever become successful enough for people to care enough to try and insult me. Looking at it that way, I guess it becomes kind of a compliment. Weird.
MOLLY: Your first feature outing was FADE TO BLACK (2001), which you wrote & directed. Tell us about that film.
MEL: I initially started out wanting to do a movie in the vein of ROPE, with long takes, theatrical blocking, etc., but it morphed into more of a voyeuristic mindfuck movie. Well…at least that’s what I tried to do…but when your shooting budget is only a few hundred dollars, you tend to fall a little short of the heartbreaking work of staggering genius that you initially envisioned. In spite of all that, I think the movie turned out okay…I still think it’s better than a lot of the DTV horror flicks that I’ve seen in the last few years.
MOLLY: And this won Grand Jury Award at Bare Bones Intl Film Fest in 2001?
MEL: Yeah, that’s about the only thing that came out of the FADE TO BLACK experience for me. That, and seeing the entire conceit and twist of FADE TO BLACK get remade studio-style with DOT THE I, which came out in 2003. That was pretty weird…either it was a massive coincidence, or someone saw my floundering first attempt at a movie and figured that the basic idea was good enough to “appropriate” for themselves. Both scripts even reference the same semi-obscure movies. Again, maybe I should take that as a weird compliment.
MOLLY: You then helped Horror Yearbook friend Gerald Nott with THE FLESH KEEPER (2007) as Unit Production Manager and Gun Guy. What exactly did you do as the Gun Guy?
MEL: Basically I kept watch over the two firearms that we used in the movie. We had a blank-firing gun, and a real Mossberg 12-gauge pump shotgun. I just happened to bring both guns along with me to the set. I figured we could use the blank gun as a prop, and as we were shooting in the middle of the Texas country, I figured that the Mossberg might come in handy for other reasons. Bears, cougars, boars, drunken rednecks, etc. We eventually ended up using that shotgun as a prop as well, so then I had to make sure that it was used safely, and no one blew his or her head or fingers off.
WIL: Who the fuck is Gerald Nott?
MEL: Gerald directed THE QUICK AND THE UNDEAD, which is out on DVD right now via Anchor Bay. Since it doesn’t have “Witchcraft” in the title I can see why it may have slipped under your radar.
[Editor's Note: I told Molly to take that damn question out of the interview. I know who he is. He is the guy we met at Fangoria in San Jose! Hi Gerald!]
MOLLY: You belong to a group of filmmakers in Texas. Tell us about that movie scene and some of the people you work with.
MEL: “Scene” is kind of an ambitious term to use, since there’s only like three of us that actually are making movies and not just talking shit about it. Besides me, there’s Stacy Davidson who directed DOMAIN OF THE DAMNED (formerly known as NECROPHOBIA), and Josh Vargas, who is currently lensing a sick little movie called SWAY. Then, we have extended non-Texas family like Gerald and the FLESH KEEPER guys, as well as a bunch of people in the Tampa area led by CLOSET SPACE FX maestro Marcus Koch. Because of all those incestuous connections, we have something of a rotating schedule of productions coming up in the next few months that we’ll all work on in some capacity or another. They’ll be mostly horror movies, but there’s at least one dark drama in there that will be Stacy’s directorial follow-up to DOMAIN OF THE DAMNED. And we’ll hopefully be shooting CLOSET SPACE 2 and 3 back-to-back in the fall.
WIL: Is it true that you can drink and drive and shoot guns out your car window in Texas? Do you like Kenny Rogers? I think “The Gambler” may be the best song ever written. Do you know “when to hold them”?
MEL: Somewhat, although you have to be shooting at either A). a street sign, or B). someone with a skin complexion darker than khaki. Of course I like Kenny Rogers…his old house is actually about 10 minutes away from where I live. That song contains some really salient life lessons, and if you ever want to fully receive all the layers it has to offer, you have to watch Kenny perform it on The Muppet Show. That Muppet ghostly Gambler guy brings all new levels to the composition.
OK BACK TO MEL
MOLLY: I have heard your name mentioned before in regards to NECROPHOBIA (2007). Were you associated with Stacy Davidson and his film?
MEL: I was sort of around during the production of NECROPHOBIA/ DOMAIN OF THE DAMNED, having met Stacy just prior to when he started shooting. I came on set one day during a particularly large crowd/ concert scene to run 2nd unit camera for him as well. Towards the end of the shoot, I actually ended up making a cameo appearance in the film as “Guy Who Salvages The Gratuitous Boob Shot”. I also met CLOSET SPACE’s Morgan McCarthy as a result of her work on NECROPHOBIA.
MOLLY: You have recently directed WITCHCRAFT 13: BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN (2007). How did you become a part of this franchise?
MEL: I actually met the producers of that movie at the Bare Bones Film Festival. Their first movie was featured that year as well. We hit it off, ended up working together on their third movie, and shortly after that I was offered the WITCHCRAFT gig. My understanding is that they secured the deal through some chance meetings while they were looking for distribution for their previous movie. So…basically they wrote the script and farmed it out to me to cast, direct, edit, and fund out of my own pocket. I was to be reimbursed when the movie was completed. Not really a huge deal at the time, because the credit was worth it to me (at least it was then). But, of course, it ended up becoming a clusterfuck in a lot of ways, although people seem to like the movie (those that have seen it, that is) so I guess it’s a pyrrhic victory of sorts. What’s funny is that I initially did it solely for the credit and exposure, but it looks like CLOSET SPACE has seemingly beaten WITCHCRAFT 13 to the punch as far as that’s concerned. Another movie making lesson learned, I suppose.
[Writer Molly’s Note: This is the coolest interview ever. Mel said “n*gger”, “clusterfuck”, and “pyrrhic victory” all in the same interview and somehow it all makes sense.]
[Editor's Note: You're NOT allowed to say that, you're white!]
MEL: Well, as I said, most of that stuff was in the script that the guys from Tripod Films wrote. I believe they watched the whole series back to back before writing the screenplay. I actually had seen a few of the movies, but right before I began production I borrowed the entire WITCHCRAFT saga from Tripod and watched them all. My wife kept me sane during all that. It was an intense experience, to say the least.
WIL: I know you included a few references to the other films in your WITCHCRAFT. Why did you do that and did you think anyone would really notice?
MEL: Again, that was mostly Tripod’s doing. It annoyed them (and me) that all of the sequels were seemingly made in a vacuum, with no reference to the previous events having occurred. I mean, each movie (with the exception of maybe 7 and 9) starts off as if nothing weird has ever happened to Will Spanner. It’s no different from some of the Friday or Halloween sequels I guess, but I tend to like sequels that have some connection to the previous events in the series. And I like the characterizations to reflect the consequences of those events. Seriously, Spanner has been through this crap how many times? And he even died once, so he’s kinda been around the magical block. And when fans like you notice that stuff, it makes it worth it. I think you as a fan feel validated for your fandom as well…one of my favorite moments like that is in NIGHTMARE 5 when Alice’s dad simply says “it will be nice to have a little boy running around the house again” in response to her finding out that she’s pregnant. A throwaway line, really…but for those of us that saw NIGHTMARE 4 and know that he’s referencing Rick’s death, it’s kind of a neat little easter egg. Plus, it makes the characters three-dimensional and realistic.
WIL: Is WITCHCRAFT 13 ever going to be released?
MEL: I have no idea. The movie has been done and in the hands of the producers for a few months now. Honestly, part of me hopes that it never sees the light of day, for various reasons. I went through hell making that movie, and I got railroaded at the end of the day. The experience taught me a lot, though. Of course, on the other hand, it would be nice to see it get out there, since fans like you appreciate it.
WIL: Was it fun shooting that sex scene with Spanner and that witch? He nailed her good. It made me proud of ol’ Willy Spanner because he could be a real pussy at times.
MEL: It was all pretty much work. Even if I had fun at the time, the well has been poisoned by the experiences that followed. I remember being really tired, though. Really really tired. And I hadn’t really clicked yet with Tim and some of the crew because that was our first day of shooting, so I of course was always waiting for someone to go crazy or get weird or whatever. Oddly enough, it didn’t happen that night. It did eventually happen though. Boy, did it.
I have to agree with you, though. It was refreshing to see him lay some world-class pipe. And Tim threw in that signature move, which we coined the “Spanner Swerve”. It was a character choice.
MOLLY: Did you find this production of the somewhat “Boobs & Blood” style of horror films to be different than directing straight horror?
MEL: Most definitely. It’s like directing a soap opera, with a sense of heightened reality. I actually find directing the straight-up less “realistic” horror stuff to be an easier dramatic “sell”. It’s not hard to believe that someone is scared shitless when a tentacled beast is chasing them around, but if someone stops in the middle of the action to get their fuck on…it can be somewhat of a stretch. I at least tried to lend some credence to the sex scenes in WITCHCRAFT 13…either the witches are using it as a mode of attack, or Will is under an enchantment, or something.
There are some similarities…you have to establish a pace, but instead of “exposition, setpiece, kill” it’s “exposition, setpiece, screw”. Stuff they don’t teach you in film school, you know?
WIL: Would you ever consider directing WITCHCRAFT 14 if Michael Paul Girard did the music? I could write an awesome script for it.
MEL: Not unless I got paid a ton of money, upfront, in cash. I would say “no, never, not in a million years”, but everyone has their price. For this particular project, that price would be exorbitant by WITCHCRAFT standards.
MOLLY: You are credited as co-producer of 100 TEARS (2007). What were your duties on this production?
MEL: Moral support, with a little financial help here and there. 100 TEARS is being directed by Marcus Koch of Oddtopsy FX, who did all of our crazy FX for CLOSET SPACE. Oddtopsy did such a great job on CS that I told Marcus that I would help him out in any way that I could. When 100 TEARS came around, I was there to help pick up what slack I could from afar (they shot in Tampa, and I couldn’t make it out there). Marcus and Joe Davison (the writer) are sick bastards like me, so I’m pretty stoked by what I’ve seen of the movie thus far. I now have my name attached to TWO projects that I’m not embarrassed in the least about.
MOLLY: You directed CLOSET SPACE (2007). Can you tell us about the film?
MEL: CLOSET SPACE follows five graduate students on the quest to find their missing professor. We find out that he’s discovered this wormhole dimensional rift in a closet in a remote farmhouse…but then he and his first team end up missing. The graduate students then show up to try and figure out what’s going on…and then, of course, things go pretty bad.
MOLLY: Was this based on a H.P. Lovecraft story or was it just inspired by some Lovecraftian elements?
MEL: It’s not based on anything Lovecraft wrote per se, it just took a Lovecraftian turn at a certain point. The initial script really didn’t have any of those elements, but when Jason and I began rewrites during pre-production, all kinds of tentacles and sliminess and extra-dimensional weirdness started to crop up. FROM BEYOND, RE-ANIMATOR, and IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS are among my favorite movies, so I’m sure those influences started to come out. I’m also a big fan of the “nameless, faceless, shapeless evil” concept - to me that’s a lot more frightening than a slasher in the woods.
MOLLY: In creating tentacles and any other scary creatures in the film, Did you prefer to use CGI or SFX like props and make-up?
MEL: I prefer practical all the way. We had SFX tentacles, prosthetics, and monster suits that were actually built buy Oddtopsy FX. Initially I had planned out about half SFX and half CGI shots, thinking that some of the gags would be impossible to do practically. But then Oddtopsy came on set and blew us away with their skill and know-how regarding how to pull some of these gags off. The throat bubbling is a good example. I figured we would have to do that via CGI initially, because I assumed a prosthetic effect would be too obvious, or not do what I wanted it to do. But Oddtopsy rigged it up, and the final effect looks awesome. That shot has kind of become our centerpiece for the trailers and stuff. There are a couple of CGI tentacle shots in the movie, but mainly because it would have been impossible (or really, really costly) to get practical tentacles to do certain things. By and large though, I would say that 98% of the creature and gore stuff is practical. We mainly used CGI to enhance the closet dimension environment.
MOLLY: Actress Melanie Donihoo, who plays Nancy, is your wife. Did you meet while working or did you cast her after you were married?
MEL: I cast her after we were married. We actually got married right in the middle of shooting WITCHCRAFT 13. Melanie and I met because I was going to cast her in my planned follow-up project to FADE TO BLACK, which at the time was a revisionist zombie epic. This was back in 2002, I believe. I ended up not doing that movie because of 28 DAYS LATER, SHAUN, and LAND OF THE DEAD, but Melanie and I hit it off through our mutual love of horror films, and the rest is history. In many ways, the part of Nancy was written (and re-written) with her in mind.
[Editor's Note: Shit Mel is married! I was going to propose because I think I just fell in love with this man!]
MOLLY: Do you find it difficult to work beside each other in an actor-director relationship during the day and then switch to the husband-wife roles every night?
MEL: I’m going to let Melanie answer this one for me.
(Melanie comes to the computer).
MELANIE: I will just be blunt about it and say Yes to that question. I think that there were definitely times where Mel felt that certain shoot days were somewhat of a disaster and I was the only person that he could really let it all go on and that sometimes made me feel like a sin eater. There were definitely times where I felt like it intruded on our home life, but that just made the make up sex even hotter…..
MOLLY: So can we expect to see CLOSET SPACE 2 & 3 soon?
MEL: My current plan is to go into production on CS 2 and 3 in the fall of 2007 and shoot them back-to-back. Jason and I have a rough outline, and we’re working on the screenplays now. I definitely think we know where we want to take the story. We’ll see how much the plan changes over the summer. Of course if everyone hates CLOSET SPACE, then I guess I’ll just have to pitch LEPRECHAUN GOES TO HELL or something.
MOLLY: Well after having quite a busy couple of years, What would you say was the most important thing you learned from working on these productions?
MEL: Never trust anyone other than yourself. Robert Rodriguez is really on to something with his methodology. Don’t expect anyone to approach the project with the same fervor and dedication as you, because most of the time you will be sorely disappointed. I think that there are a lot of people out there in the film community that just “play at making movies.” They don’t take it seriously at all. I treat this like my job, so that hopefully someday it will be. With all that said, I urge any indie directors or producers out there to make sure and put their cast and crew through an extensive hazing/evaluation process. If someone gives you bad vibes on set, or comes across as lazy, or is unfocused, cut them loose immediately. You’re better off finding someone from scratch, preferably a professional that you have to pay something. Hiring your friends just because they “watch a lot of movies” or have taken a public access class is a huge mistake, unless they are super dedicated. I’m talking “bleed for your movie” dedicated, because that’s pretty much what’s going to happen.
MOLLY: I also heard you were in a band. Do you plan on recording any music for an upcoming film?
MEL: I actually scored FADE TO BLACK with my old band, and one of my other band’s songs was featured in WITCHCRAFT 13 (assuming that it hasn’t been removed from the soundtrack). For a while, I flirted with the idea of scoring CLOSET SPACE myself, but I actually found the perfect collaborator in Jason Wallach a.k.a. The Unquiet Void. He’s doing the score for CLOSET SPACE, and everything I’ve heard so far is great. Weird, Lovecraftian ambient stuff that really fits the tone of the movie. Jason’s music is going to take the movie to a whole other level entirely.
So be on the look out for CLOSET SPACE and hopefully some sequels too. And if WITCHCRAFT 13 ever stops languishing in postproduction hell, you will have one more venture to look forward to. If not, there is always LEPRECHAUN GOES TO HELL.
Stop by and say Hi to Mel House at: http://www.myspace.com/mel_house
Mel House will be Horror Yearbook’s guest at the 2007 Silicon in San Jose. This is going to be fun!
by Molly Celaschi & WIL Keiper
