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ODE TO THE INDEPENDENT HORROR FILMMAKER
By THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR
Apr 26, 2008, 15:18

Kelsey (right) sets up a shot

Every now and then I sit around and wonder what I am going to write about that week. Sometimes, I got nothin', you know? Well, this was one of those unfortunate weeks. Just as I was about to give up and tell HOUSE OF HORRORS I broke both my hands in some freak gardening mishap, a wonderful thing arrived in my mailbox from indie filmmaker Terrence Kelsey.

The horror short (SPEK.TER), meaning something that haunts or perturbs, is the wonderful thing in which I speak of. It’s hard to creep me out but this film did. It got under my skin. I guess it didn't help that I watched it with the lights off but Kelsey definitely sets a mood. The viewer knows they are in good hands, its focused and effective film making. The imagery is amazing. Right off the bat it gets your attention, which it needs to do given the 15 minute run time.

Dani (played by the attractive Keisha Jackson) runs her own Goth erotica site that contains pictures of her recreating poses of real death scenes. While working she hears about the death of fellow Goth queen Morgana Saint (Played by sexy Serena Toxicat), thus beginning a short and menacing chain of events. To give away any more would rob you of a really cool experience. Suffice it to say that I really liked this horror short.

Kelsey is currently working on launching a debut feature film, and if it is anything like (SPEK.TER) then I am already dying to see it. Kelsey has spent years in film school, serving most of his time at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. He formed ONCE UPON A FILM productions and in the summer of 2007 completed the short film that landed in my mailbox.

This short film is why I have a love affair with independent horror. This is where the excitement is, the creativity, the passion. Everything that, I feel anyway, is all but gone from mainstream horror (Was it ever really there?) It is not my wish to take anything away from the PROM NIGHT remake; it has its place. I just would rather see a movie that isn't safe, a movie that isn't afraid to go there. A movie that doesn't need to get a PG 13 rating in order to be released.

Indies don't have the pressure of needing to make millions or satisfy the 'tween set (ages 10-12). The filmmakers are allowed to just make the kind of movie they want to make because it is on their terms. What comes out of that is always a far more interesting product. I mean, why do you think the 'Director's cut' version of a movie is put out? People want to see what the filmmaker wasn't allowed to show on the screen because of time restraints, explicit content, whatever.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like Rob Zombie, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Eli Roth, and other mainstream filmmakers but we cannot let the indie guys get lost in the shuffle. All the big guys started out as indie filmmakers too. Every plastic DVD case with a homemade cover holds the possibility of containing the next movie that will take horror to a new level.

The indie horror community is alive and it is exciting. These filmmakers are hungry and it shows in their work. I like that a filmmaker has the balls to say, "I have no money and very little support but I am going to make this anyway". Even after all that there is the fact that the filmmaker needs to find a way to get it out there. It makes me sick to think of some guy sitting in his living room with 12 boxes filled with DVD's of a movie he put his heart, soul and money into and no one will see it because someone won't help put the word out.

This is where we come in. Thanks to the Internet, indie filmmakers now have different outlets to promote their goods. These guys aren't worried about what kind of wine they are going to have at lunch with the crew. These guys are broke. Yeah, they finished the movie but how are they going to get it out there so we can see it? They are the quintessential underdogs with almost everything going against them, but their drive and determination sees them through.

Making a movie is hard enough. Do you think Rob Zombie worried about how he was going to pay his mortgage while making THE DEVIL'S REJECTS? The indie filmmaker worries about how he will make his rent because he is using his rent money to help finish his movie. Not knocking Zombie but how these guys stay focused and creative under the additional pressure is beyond me.     

Also, let's face it, there is independent horror out there that absolutely sucks but we need to support that too. You have to take the bad to get to the good. They are all testaments to perseverance. You may not have liked a movie but someone; somewhere told the guy who made it that he couldn’t make it. He continued on anyway with his middle finger defiantly extended out. You may not like the final product but you have to admire and appreciate the way it found its way into your DVD player.

With all the factory-made horror out there now we need Terrence Kelsey and those like him. As a fan of horror I often forget the feeling of excitement when you see something different, something that you know is going to shake things up. If you feel this way as well, go on the Internet, read the horror sites and seek these filmmakers out. Buy their DVD's! More often than not you won't be disappointed. 

Visit Terrence Kelsey at  http://www.myspace.com/goat_fish where (SPEK.TER) is available free of charge. There are also behind the scenes pictures and additional info about the film. Hit Terrence up and say hello, he is a nice guy. 

Speaking of MySpace, You can visit me on my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/thefangirlnextdoor

Until next time....