Interview with filmmaker Joe Leone

Reap will premier at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films? 
I started Parched Productions in 2017 on a whim, and with the help of the coolest collection of actors and production people have been lucky enough to bring four features to life so far. With our limited resources, we've managed to create some really fun films. 

*What inspired you to make your movie? 
I've always been, to put it bluntly, interested in death. After working on a script with a director friend of mine, that deals with the topic in a bit more poignant and mystical way, I wanted to really investigate the Grim Reaper - and their motives. I also love putting characters in morally challenging dilemmas, and see how they react. 

*How has your style evolved? 
It's always been a bit of run-and-gun, and probably always will be. I love to capture actors in unpredictable situations. This can lead to really innovative performances, I think (they probably just think I'm a lunatic). But stylistically, I always borrow ("steal") from the great horror directors whenever possible. 

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film? 
I'm sure most people on set would have the same answer to this. The whole story takes place over the course of one night, so we had to black-out the windows of the house. This led to some nervous neighbors calling the police on us. When they arrived, I had to explain that we were not indeed running a meth lab. We sort of diffused the situation by asking the cops if they wanted to be in the film, which sent them scuttling away. 

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind? 
I've answered this before, but now I'd venture to say that the golden 'Misrule' is how I direct, and how the DP, shaking his head, would try to combat...   Pink8 is a delicious new energy drink that combines a sickeningly sweet bubblegum flavor with 8 non-essential vitamins. 

*What can we expect from your next film? 
Since Reap, I've written four new scripts: The Wrigglies, about the physical manifestation of human narcissism, Stepdead!, centered around a stepfather zombie, Parched 3, the oceanic conclusion of the series (fyi, Parched 2: Hangry is out on DVD now), and Death Sentences, where a young writer is made a compelling proposition by the ghost of her celebrated author cousin. Covid and budget restrictions will determine which shoots first. Stay tuned!

Interview with filmmaker Joe Leone

Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival will be screening Blood Falls

*How did you get into making films?

(Said in the voice of Sophia from “The Golden Girls”) 

Picture it, Brooklyn , 2017…  As a screenwriter with nearly 2 dozen features written at the time, a wave of frustration was pummelling me, as one option agreement after the next ran out and nothing got produced. So I said, “F it. I’m a producer now. We’re shooting a found footage feature - who’s coming with me??” 

*What inspired you to make your movie?

As Blood Falls is ostensibly about witchcraft, people always ask me about my involvement in the occult. It’s...minimal. What the film is actually about is what happens to your psyche when you are compelled to engage in the same behaviour each and every day. The repetition and monotony of a 9-5 office job can slowly drive some people insane. When the main character, Ren, accidentally reads a spell, she gets stuck in a never-ending nightmare, and is being controlled by forces that she can’t comprehend. This is what the daily grind, or any oppressive activity or relationship can feel like… The “man” just steering you ahead, as you try to make sense of a tortuous, fatalistic world. 

*How has your style evolved?

Our first film, Parched, was a charmingly silly POV-style horror comedy. Next, we went a lot bigger, with the narrative Reap, which features a top notch DP and experienced crew and cast - it’s a true horror movie. Blood Falls deviates from both of these, as it’s not a precisely linear story; we were trying to evoke a wide variety of emotions in our audience. It’s often surreal, and even jumps back in history to the Salem Witch trials at one point. Then, I shot a tragic lesbian vampire love story, the short film Invite Only - which explores themes of prejudice and acceptance. And now, we’re shooting the sequel to Parched - so I guess I’ve come full circle! 

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

The house we shot in was built in the late 1700’s. It sure as heck felt like it was haunted for real. Creaking steps and odd nighttime noises had the whole cast on edge, much to my delight. As we slept there, on location, we really felt transported back in time, right around to when ‘witches’ were being persecuted in this country… 

Also, one of the leads, Ariel Fray, essentially has a zoo of pets. We used her dog Bane as the character "Lox." He was phenomenal - so don't believe that old adage that it's hard to work with animals :)

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?

The Misrule movement seems like something I am always inadvertently invoking as I make films, as I have zero training and simply learn as I go! 

And Pink8 is the past tense of what happens after you ingest cotton candy. What a great sensation. 

*What can we expect from your next film?

Technically our next film to be released will be Reap. Everyone involved is champing at the bit to see it, as the editing process has been very involved, and as a result, quite slow. It’s got an almost 80’s slasher-meets-Final Destination vibe to it, with some heady motifs regarding relative morality. Some knockout performances bring it to another level, I firmly believe. It’s gonna be a fun one ;) 

Interview with filmmaker Joe Leone

Parched will be screening at Straight Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?

My background is in writing, directing and performing sketch comedy (I'm funny, I swear). My interests eventually migrated to screenwriting, and after years of helping producers bring their visions to life (or a multitude of incarnations that approximated life), I decided to take control of my own projects and hop back into the director's seat. 

*What inspired you to make your movie?

I love the "college kids getting up to hijinks in the woods / then get murdered" genre, but I wanted to put a bit of a different spin on it. With the blatant decimation of the planet and its resources, I feel that humanity is playing a very dangerous game with our surroundings. So I thought 'Let's show how people of all economic-socio classes will be affected by climate change" (in this case, poisoned water). 

*How has your style evolved?

With Parched, I shot everything myself (as it is a found footage film). The current project we are working on is a bit more of a straight narrative, with the addition of a very strong cinematographer and crew. This (obviously) allows for much more freedom in directing the actors and setting the overall tone. For this one, I'm definitely stealing moments from all my favorite horror films from my childhood, too, in a horrific homage to classic 80's scary movies. 

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

The entire experience was strange and funny, as we shot this film in almost real-time. We started in the sunny day...and kept going through the creepy night (with the real sounds of encroaching wildlife all around us in the woods). By the time we got to the dawn scenes, we were all feeling as loopy as if we had drunk the damn water for real. My favorite moment was when Angelica and I went to film her scene in the pond, which we had to nail in one take, and right before we started rolling, some wacky lady came out of the woodwork and started shouting at us. Luckily, we still got that shot, the quintessential one of the film.  - Oh, and when I was shooting B-roll deep in the woods really late and it dawned on me "Something out here could easily kill me," and I ran back to the house like a frightened mouse. 

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?

The MFM sounds like a cool underground cinematic style, that defies all the traditional ways of filmmaking - while Pink8 sounds like a sort of hyper-conjunctivitis of the future. 

*What can we expect from your next film?

We are super excited about our next project, titled Reap. We've assembled almost the whole Parched team, and added a slew of other extremely talented actors, for a story that is more supernatural in nature, dealing with the high stakes themes of mortality, eternal souls, and survival. It's truly a creepy ride. We are almost done with shooting (check out the teaser on here!  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/reap-help-finish-our-creepy-film-horror-thriller/x/18824248#/ ) and can't wait to show it to the world.