STRANGE DAZE PART II

No matter how real it may look, nobody was actually murdered
during the filming of “Dream Reaper.”

CCF: Speaking of bad jobs, you worked at a porn store for six years? What kind of experience was that and how has it influenced your work?

KS: The store I worked at was never successful, so I had a lot of time to write and scheme up ideas to promote Hack Movies. All my movies are based around gay and dick jokes, so yeah, I’d say working around porn influenced my sense of humor.

CCF: Has any of the gay humor gotten you any backlash at all? I’m not saying it’s anti-gay or anything, but people just don’t know how to take a joke any more.

KS: You know, I’m actually glad you asked that. I get kind of uncomfortable showing this movie to my gay friends, or people who might be offended by this humor. The best way to explain it is, I’m not homophobic. I write homophobe jokes. The comedy in the blowjob scene for me isn’t the act itself, it’s Willy’s reaction once he realizes he’s been stroking it to man-on-man love, and then later how he can’t let it go. He’s more concerned that his friend was gay than the fact that he was killed in his sleep by a dream demon.

Kevin gives a thumbs up on the set with Joshitsuo Montoya.

CCF: Yeah, I’m with you on that. Are you one of those guys that’s always the center of attention? The class clown, life of the party?

KS: The center of attention? Um, yeah. Anybody that needs a writer credit, a director credit and top billing all in the same film has some serious attention issues.

CCF: (LOL) Back to filmmaking, what do you shoot and edit on?

KS: I currently shoot on a 300 dollar Sony Digital8 Handycam. I edit on a Pentium 4 with Windows XP. I edit with Adobe Premiere Pro, create DVD menus on Adobe Encore and make the DVD inserts with Photoshop. I learned all of this by selling my soul to Satan. I now have three vaginas instead of a penis, but man can I edit the shit out of some movies!

CCF: (LOL) Oh man. Seriously though, are all the computer skills self taught?

KS: If you really want to call it “skill”, yeah, I’m self-taught. I’ve been working with photoshop for about five years but I literally learned Premiere and Encore while editing “Dream Reaper.” Before that I used the dreadful Windows Moviemaker software that comes free with XP to edit movies. I do not recommend it.

CCF: What made you pick up a camera one day and start all this?

KS: When I was in my early 20s, I became friends with a couple of movie guys. You know, seen everything, done some online reviewing, went to film school, etc. They were the ones that first got me into following certain directors and some of the more obscure horror like (Lucio) Fulci and (Dario) Argento. I saw a couple of no budget movies around this time and was, frankly, appalled. These were like, student art films with no plot. Just bullshit “symbolic” images that not even the director could fully explain. It wasn’t until I saw a couple of Chris Seaver’s movies from Low Budget Pictures that I became seriously interested in shooting no-budget movies. The way I see it, unless you’re really talented and have gone to school for this shit, you’re not gonna get a doctor or lawyer to front twenty-grand to make your low-budget, horror masterpiece. I’m not talented. I didn’t go to school for film. So, I took option C; Pay for them myself.

Not a photo from Kevin's gay porn collection.
Just the man himself striking a sexy pose.

CCF: Chris Seaver? I’ll have to admit I’m not a fan. How influential is the stuff he’s done been on you?

KS: Seaver’s movies showed me that with a tad bit of writing skill and some enthusiastic friends willing to humiliate themselves on camera, you can create some really funny art for very little cash. I’ve always been a fan of Troma’s brand of offensive horror comedy, pro wrestling and gimmick bands like ICP and Gwar, so I just rolled all of that shit up into Hack Movies and now I’m here talking to you!

CCF: And you’re a Richard Linklater fan as well I understand?

KS: Yeah, I’d say that Linklater is my favorite director right now. I’d actually never heard of him before I took a film class last semester in college. One of the only classes I’ve ever gotten an A in. Sure I’d seen “Dazed and Confused,” but I had no idea who directed it. My film teacher did three-weeks of Linklater. He started with the amazing “Waking Life,” then showed us “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” - the Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy flicks that were almost entirely improvised. I was pretty fucking blown away by how deep the guy could get in his movies and still move them along and not make them feel boring or overly-heady. I’m not sure that he has any influence on my dick and puke humor, but man I love his films.

CCF: Linklater’s great. One of the most admirable things about him is how all over the map he is. He’ll make a no-audience art film, turn around make a sell out money maker and turn back around to do a film you know isn’t going to do anything. Another influence of yours, “Power Rangers?” Are you serious about wanting to work on that show?

KS: I am, man. I love the over-acting, the action and the completely silly villains. The plots are so freakin simple, every episode is just designed to get them from sitting around doing nothing to fighting giant monsters. Love it.

CCF: Besides, “Power Rangers” there seemed to be a lot of influence by cartoons and Saturday morning type programming. Was that all intentional or did it happen unintentionally?

KS: I guess it was intentional. I knew I didn’t want to play the film straight because, when it’s shot with a camcorder and the actors obviously can’t act, trying to pass it off as a “real” movie is next to impossible. So I just told everyone to camp it up as much as possible. Just make it outrageous and people will hopefully forget it’s just a home video camera and some nerds and have a good, fun time with it.

CCF: How many masturbation scenes was it? Six guys and one female? Is my math right? That has to be a record?

KS: (LOL) Man, I didn’t intend for it to be that way! In the first draft of the script, there was one masturbation scene. It was when Willy jerks off to the blowjob the Reaper is giving to Dick. But I needed a segue into the dream itself, so I went ahead and wrote Willy jerking off to the fat girl mag and passing out, thus entering the dream world. For some reason it hit me that cutting back and forth between Dick jerking to the gay-mag, and Willy to the fatty-mag, would be hysterical. For me, it’s one of the funniest scenes in the movie. After that I just gave up logic and anytime I got stuck getting from one scene to the next, I’d just add masturbation. The Gargamel scene, no need for jerking off, but it’s an awesome segue into his monologue. Eventually, I had so many characters jerking off that I said, “Fuck it. In this movie, every single character is going to masturbate.” It’s actually the one polarizing thing about “Dream Reaper.” People who criticize the film always say there’s too much jerking off. Those who love it usually mention the jerking off as some of the funniest stuff in the movie. I think you’re right about it being seven people jerking it. Five band members, Gargamel and the Reaper. I don’t know if it’s a record, but if it is, I’ll take the title of “Most Jerking Off in a Horror Movie” and wear it proudly!

CCF: Also, what’s the deal with the toilet paper drinking?

KS: That’s the Hack Movies trademark. Call it the “symbol” of our toilet humor. Look for someone to drink toilet paper in every Hack Movies release. If it’s from Hack Movies, it’s got TP.

CCF: Lastly, do you have any advice for struggling filmmakers that have not completed much or have not attempted a film of this magnitude?

KS: Just. Do. It. I can’t stress that enough. You don’t have to be a good writer. Look at me. When I get stuck I make people jerk off. You don’t have to be a good director. If you’ve got buddies, you can tell them to stand on the X and read some lines. You don’t even have to have any money! I was unemployed when we shot this stupid thing! Talent is relative. If you’re having a good time, the audience will have a good time. Never before has the technology to make movies been so cheap and so accessible. I’m no fucking genius, but I built a website, learned to edit movies, learned to make DVD covers… Look at me, I’m doing a fucking interview with a movie review website! Anyone can do this, and with Hollywood sucking as much shit as they are right now, people need an alternative! No-budget movies are that alternative! What you and your friends can make with a camcorder is now in direct competition with “Look Who’s Talking 6: The Talking Asshole” starring Simon Cowell and Star Jones. There is no excuse not to follow your dreams. With the internet, we all have a voice. If you’re not living your dream, you’re a coward. But that’s just the opinion of a guy who eats cum in his latest movie. I doubt that holds much clout in the real world.

Kevin Strange: A fan of blow jobs. Not flowers.

CCF: (LOL) You mentioned your interview with me a few times. You realize Polly Staffle isn’t a real publication or anything, right? I’m pretty much a hack like you.

KS: Wait, what? This isn’t a Fangoria interview? Who the fuck are you? Man, fuck this shit! I’m out! But no, seriously, we live in an awesome time right now. Guys like you and me can start up our own websites doing what we love to do, without having to deal with investors or bosses trying to make it all about money or profit. Sure I want to make a living doing this shit, but I sure as hell don’t want some doctor or lawyer making me put his 13 year-old daughter in my flick just because he’s paying for it. Right now we’re free to hone our craft without anyone else’s input. My movies might look like shit right now, but give me ten years and see what I can come up with. Probably still shit, but there’ll be a hell of a lot more of it! We’re just getting started baby. Hack Movies is here to stay.

CCF: Well, that’s great news. I look forward to future projects. Thanks for your time Kevin. Keep up the, uhhh...work or whatever it is you do.

- CCF, July 2006