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Kenneth J. Hall is a writer, producer, actor and director who has been
in the movie making business for 25 years. It would be quicker to list
what the guy hasn't done. He even has special effects experience on his
resume. His experience is vast as is his knowledge on the business
itself and where it is going. The people he has worked with over the
years reads like a wish list that anyone in the genre would have in
their top drawer.
His list of creative credits include, "Ghost
Writer", "Evil Spawn", "Terror Night", "Ghoulies", "Carnosaur", the
horror short "Night Visit" and "The Halfway House" starring Mary
Woronov (Eating Raoul). Kenneth is also CEO of BV Entertainment
Inc.,an independent production company looking to take the genre into
the future. Recently, Mr. Hall was gracious enough to answer my
questions.
1. What are your 5 favorite movies of all time?
I have so many
favorites that the answer to the question changes daily, depending on
my mood. One title I can watch over and over is the original Howard
Hawks version of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD. I feel the same way
about THE HOWLING, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, and
Carpenter’s THE FOG. Of course, I have a lot of guilty pleasures not as
respectable but also highly watchable, like THE GREEN SLIME, BEYOND THE
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, ALLIGATOR, FOOD OF THE GODS, and FLASH GORDON
(Yes, the one with Sam Jones).
2. What qualities make a great B movie actress?
It
consists of more than the ability to take off her clothes and die
onscreen (though those are admirable traits). She should capable of
handling a challenge. If she’s given something out of the norm and
still rises to the occasion. When I wrote NIGHTMARE SISTERS, I thought
it would be fun to have the three reigning scream queens – Linnea
Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer – start out as a trio of
homely nerds before transforming into hotties. All of them were
delighted to be able to play something different and did a
fantastically funny job.
3. What movie scared the crap out of you as a child?
Without
a doubt, it was the hag in the basement scene from THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED
HILL. My brother and I were so terrified that we didn’t stay through
the end of the film, which was very unusual for us. Of course, we saw
it again years later and loved it.
4. What was it like working with Mary Woronov in "The Halfway House"?
She
was an absolute delight. We hit it off at our first meeting. She’s six
feet tall and can seem as intimidating as the characters she plays, but
we share a similar wicked sense of humor. She is very professional and
got along great with the rest of the cast. She told me she didn’t need
for us to rent her a private trailer for the shoot because she had a
lawn chair. I thought she was joking. She arrived on set with a cheap
folding lounge that she set up in a corner and read on when she wasn’t
working.
5. What has been your worst moment on a movie set?
I
always try to forget those. The first film I wrote was a thing called
THE TOMB. It was so low-budget that I wound up having to do props on
the show. Now that’s an extremely hard job and I had no idea what I was
doing. I misplaced a key prop and one of the producers reamed me in
front of the crew for it. I later cornered her privately and told her
that regardless how I’d screwed up, it was uncool to berate me in front
of others. She didn’t say much then but we later became friends. In
fact, she first introduced me to Dave DeCoteau.
6. If you had unlimited funds, what kind of movie would you make and who would you cast in it?
I
grew up watching the Corman/Poe movies with Vincent Price as well as
the Hammer Films with Cushing and Lee. It would be a lot of fun to do a
period gothic horror film with coaches and castles. As for cast, I
would put in all my favorite actors from the past… those who are still
living anyway!
7. Who has been your most favorite person to work with?
I
can’t narrow it down to one as there have been so many good people over
the years. It was also an honor to work with the late Jack Palance. My
effects company made a peg-leg for him when he played Long John Silver.
He also could be very intimidating but turned out to be a very sweet
man. Though I was only a volunteer extra on a Jeff Burr film way back,
it gave me the opportunity to work with Clu Gulager, whose work I’ve
always enjoyed. He and I are still friends. George “Buck” Flower was a
wonderful character player who used to leave dirty jokes on my
answering machine. Of course, there have been a few actors who I have
not liked but diplomacy prevents me from naming them.
8. You have worn many hats in this business over the course of your career, which one has been the most fulfilling creatively?
Having
the control I had on THE HALFWAY HOUSE - being executive producer,
director, and writer - was absolutely the most fulfilling. After that
project, I could have gone back to being a writer/director for hire but
I’ve held out for the right opportunity.
9. Who do you see taking independent horror to the next level and into the future?
Well,
I’d like to think that would be me but I won’t be that presumptuous!
Seriously, I’m relieved that some of the recent torture/horror films
have bombed. Just because SAW made money, there’s no reason for there
to be hundreds of inferior rip-offs. Besides, if it continues to be
about how much more nasty and violent things can get, there will be the
same ratings and censorship problems that occurred in the 80s. That was
the reason horror films all but died out during the 90s and I’d hate to
see that happen again. I would prefer for some humor and fun return to
the genre.
10. What is up next for you?
As I said, I’ve
been holding out for a situation where I retain significant creative
control. To that end, I have a couple of partners who are putting
together funding for a slate of films. In essence, it will be our own
production company. We will be starting with four features, two of
which I’ve already written. I will be directing a couple of them as
well as co-producing all of them. Look for more news about this soon!
Thanks Kenneth!
See "The Halfway House", directed by Kenneth J. Hall, available now on DVD
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