Actor/Stuntman/Producer/Writer Interview:

He’s performed in a number of features such as ‘Miss Maniac’ with Linnea Quigley -- ‘Hayride Slaughter’ I & II with Tina Krause and Debbie D (which he also wrote) -- ‘Blood Poetry’ -- George A. Romero’s ‘Day of the Dead’ -- ‘It Came From Trafalgar’ with Gunnar Hansen, Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, Conrad Brooke, and Ed Neal -- ‘Vampyre Tales’ (which he also wrote and produced) with Debbie Rochon and Debbie D -- ‘Dead Last’ -- ‘The Vampyre Wars’ with Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer, Chris Sarandon and Maximilian Schell -- ‘Jennifer’ -- ‘Skarecrow’ -- as a zombie slayer in ‘Dead End’ – ‘The Break’ – ‘Reunion’ – ‘Wolfsbayne (which he also wrote and produced) with Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Debbie Rochon, Reggie Bannister, and Lloyd Kaufman, ‘Madness’, ‘The Deadly Obligation’, etc.

As you may have surmised this guy has a lot of friends in the horror world. That came in very handy when it was time to cast his latest writing/producing/acting opus, the soon to go before the cameras feature ‘Demons 5’. This movie boasts one of the best horror casts in recent memory – Gunnar Hansen, Bill Mosley, Debbie Rochon, Jacki Lynn, R.A. Mihailoff, Seth Green, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Tom Savini. Yowsah! Will anyone in this movie NOT be a psycho?

Looking over his credits, this is all just the tip of the razor-sharp Jim O’Rear iceberg and still that’s what I call a resume! The guy is a dynamo with energy for days. He is smart, funny, passionate, involved, and a real treat to interview as well.

Owen: Hi Jim, how was your Halloween?  Did you do anything special?

Jim: Halloween was great! It’s my favorite holiday. I bet THAT’S a big surprise, huh?? Heh heh heh Working in the horror industry, “Halloween” lasts all year for me… so, on October 31^st I actually take a one-day vacation and do absolutely nothing. The extent of my usual Halloween is sitting around the house watching old monster movies and taking my son trick-or-treating when it gets dark. Then, on November 1^st, I wake up and “Halloween” starts all over again for the next 364 days.

Owen: You've been in show business for years - first as a magician, then as a stuntman, an actor --- and also as a screenwriter-actor-producer for 'Demons 5'.  What facet of performing/creating gives you the greatest pleasure?

Jim: That’s a tough question because I like ALMOST all of it.I can immediately tell you that producing is my least favorite thing to do… I think that’s because there’s no real creativity involved. It’s all business and politics. I enjoy stunt work as a physical release and a challenge, which is becoming an even greater challenge as I get older and my body doesn’t do the things it used to be capable of. The adrenaline rush and danger is quite addictive. I probably get the greatest pleasure out of writing and acting, though. That’s where, I believe, the greatest creativity lies… especially when you’ve written something and you see the pages come to life as the film is being made. It’s very satisfying, while at the same time very surreal. It’s creating something out of nothing and giving it a life of its own. Geez, it sounds like I’m speaking with a Frankenstein-like God complex!

Owen: First off let's talk about 'Demons 5'.  You wrote the screenplay, you're producing, and have also managed to do some awesome casting - Robert Englund, Debbie Rochon, Gunnar Hansen, Jacki Lynn, Bill Mosley, Kane Hodder, Tom Savini, R.A. Mihailoff, etc.  How did you manage to get all these great people together?

Jim: During all of my years in the horror industry, I have been lucky enough to have worked with many, many talented people and have developed a lot of lasting friendships…. something that’s pretty rare in the entertainment field. Securing the cast members was really as easy as picking up the phone, calling them at home, and asking if they’d like to do the movie with me. It’s not usually that easy for filmmakers or writers, but because I’ve known these people for several years they were more than willing to support this project.

Owen: You did the same when it came time to film your screenplay for 'Wolfsbayne' (2005).  That cast included Gunnar Hansen, Butch Patrick, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Rudy Ray Moore, and Ed Neal.  A lot of those folks - yourself included - are big time horror convention attendees --does a lot of your networking and friendship building originate there?

Jim: Actually you’re mentioning two different films here with similar cast sheets… ‘Wolfsbayne’ and ‘It Came From Trafalgar.’ But, the process was basically the same. I wrote ‘Wolfsbayne’ with a filmmaker and fellow horror fan, Ben Dixon, who asked me if I could help him get some horror names in the cast. He told me he wanted Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Reggie Bannister, and Debbie Rochon. Again, I just picked up the phone and made the deal. Lloyd Kaufman heard about it and even tagged along, adding a very humorous character to the film. ‘It Came From Trafalgar’ was a little different. Solomon Mortamur, who wrote and directed the film, had already shot some sequences with Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Gunnar Hansen, and Ed Neal. Solomon was given my name by the cast members as another actor that he should get involved with his project. Based on Gunnar, Linnea, Ed, and Brinke’s involvement, I agreed without even reading the script. As things progressed with this film, Solomon wanted to know if I could help him line up some more horror names, like Butch Patrick, to round out the cast. So I made a few calls and hooked him up with some more celebs. So, you can see how it helps to have friends in the industry and stay in contact with them. Everyone looks out for each other and helps each other get jobs in various projects. As far as your question about networking at conventions and building friendships… it’s almost impossible as a guest. As a guest at these events you are usually glued to a table 8 to 10 hours a day talking to horror fans and signing autographs. By the time the day is done and you eat supper, you’re usually ready to crash and get ready for the process to start over again the next morning. For instance, I recently appeared as a guest at the Twisted Nightmare Weekend with Linda Blair, Michael Berryman, Robert Kurtzman, and Ted Raimi. I sat right next to these guys for 2 days and we only had the chance to say about 25 words to each other. So, your real friendships develop on the set, which is also the best location for networking opportunities.

Owen: So what was it like to work (as a stuntman and zombie) on George A Romero's 'Day of the Dead'? 

Jim: I’d love to say it was glamorous, but that wasn’t the case. Almost no pay, lousy food, hours and hours of sitting around in uncomfortable make-up… but I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. Working with George Romero and Tom Savini on the last chapter of what was then known as the “Holy Trinity” of zombie films was a blast.

Owen: What is Mr. Romero like at the helm of a film?

Jim: It’s like working for your wise grandfather (no, George, there’s no “age” joke coming here). What I mean by that is that George is extremely patient and experienced, he intently listens to his cast and crew members, he allows you to experiment and be involved in the creative process, and really makes you feel like you’re part of a big family. He’s brilliant. He’s very driven and determined, knowing exactly what he wants and how he’s going to get it, while at the same time being a relaxed, gentle giant.

Owen: Any special tricks to acting like a zombie?

Jim: HA! You’d be surprised just how many details there are to being a GOOD zombie. It’s more than shuffling your feet and drooling. This is a perfect question for you to ask Savini, actually. He’s very passionate about which foot is the correct one to drag behind (stating, “one foot makes you a zombie, the other foot makes you a f*****g mummy”), how to hold your head, what to do with your eyes. I won’t steal his thunder on this one, but get ready for an entertaining treat from Savini if you get the chance to talk to him about this subject!

Owen: I also heard you were injured for the first real time as a stuntman in the upcoming 'Vampire Wars' with Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer, Maximillian Schell, and Chris Sarandon.  What exactly happened?

Jim: Yes. Actually, almost ALL of the stuntmen got hurt on that shoot at one time or the other. There were some pretty elaborate fight sequences under some dangerous conditions. Even Robert Englund and Chris Sarandon got bumped around and bruised a bit.

The scene that did the most damage was a period flashback to the Holy Wars. Robert Englund’s character is leading his army of monk soldiers on horseback through a village with the sole purpose of property destruction and raping Chris Sarandon’s characters wife. It’s a big battle sequence with swords, staffs, and horses. People were jumping off of the roofs of huts, smashing through fences, falling onto stone roads… complete mayhem all at once. Well, as crazy as it seems, I managed to get my spine knocked out of place. Now I understand that I probably won’t even get to see the finished film because it’s sitting on the shelves at Universal tied up in a lot of legal red tape.

Owen: Tell me about your work as Charlie in 'Miss Maniac' (2003).  What are your fondest memories of working on that movie?

Jim: “Miss Maniac” was an ever-changing project that actually took up about 2 years of my life. It was originally a very serious, extremely vicious horror film that focused on the son of Charles Manson (my character) and his attempt to have his father released from prison by recreating the Manson murders with a girl he meets who is fascinated with Susan Atkins, a.k.a. Sadie. The film was originally titled “Charlie And Sadie” and was to co-star Debbie Rochon. We started shooting a lot of the graphic torture and murder scenes involving my character while Debbie finished up on another project. Unfortunately, on Debbie’s last day of shooting on her other project, she was seriously injured while filming a machete fight.

Owen: So, the script changed. We shot some more stuff, this time with Dave Friedman (of ‘Blood Feast’ and ‘2,000 Maniacs’), until Debbie could recover from her stay in the hospital.

Jim: Debbie finally got back on her feet again and could work, but the day that shooting was to begin she had a flare up from her injuries and the doctor put her back in bed. The script went into another re-write… this time as a dark horror/comedy. My character became less vicious and ended up being a “geek” who pretends to be the son of Charles Manson in order to pick up and bed strange girls. In this version, he picks up a psycho woman who is fascinated with Sadie and she convinces him to help her kill people. The title then changed to “Miss Maniac.” We shot some new material for the horror/comedy but Debbie had another health flare up due to her set injuries. Well, at this point we were 2 years into the process and had to get it done. Linnea Quigley happened to be in town for a few days so I asked her if she would take on the role of Sadie. She agreed and we started filming the next day with Linnea as the co-star. I think I’ve strayed quite a bit from your original question, but you can see how all of these changes greatly affected my work as Charlie. I was constantly re-creating my character, beginning as a complete nutcase with total disregard for anyone and ending up creating a very sympathetic geek who just wanted to please people and feel accepted. A complete character arc, as far as the creation process goes. As far as my fondest memories from the set… probably spending time with my co-stars Linnea Quigley and Jacki Lynn. Both were absolute professionals and there was a special chemistry the 3 of us had together that really created energy on the set.

Owen: Linnea Quigley costarred in 'Miss Maniac', and she also was in a couple other of your recent films -- 'It Came From Trafalgar' (2005) and 'Wolfsbayne' (2005).  What's something about that ultimate scream queen that most people would be shocked to discover?

Jim: Well, I don’t know if it’s actually “shocking,” but I think it’s funny as hell…. Linnea’s going to kill me for revealing this…. The perfume that Linnea wears is actually… (drumroll please)… car deodorizer purchased from an automotive shop. It was such a quirky thing that I told Linnea I was going to create a character in one of my screenplays that wore car deodorizer!

Owen: I also want to hear about your experience as producer/writer/and role as Phlegm in 'Vampyre Tales' (2005) opposite Debbie Rochon, and Debbie D.  What things did you learn from that multi-hyphenate role that is coming in handy now that you are in preproduction for 'Demons 5'?

Jim: What I learned from ‘Vampyre Tales,’ and continue to learn with ‘The Demons 5,’ is to NEVER take on multi-hyphenated roles!!! It’s just too much stress and pressure. The good thing is that you can call the shots… you make the decisions… you don’t have to compromise, unless you just want to. On the other hand, it is a TON of work! With ‘Vampyre Tales’ it wasn’t too bad, as my producing partner, Ted Alderman, handled most of the business while I dealt with more of the creative aspects. I wrote the film in one day, so that didn’t take up a lot of time, and I enjoyed the “creative producer” part of the job. It also helped that it was a very low-budget project, so I wasn’t dealing with a lot of money headaches. ‘The Demons 5,’ on the other hand, is a multi-million dollar project that I’m making ALL of the decisions on. My two producing partners, Dan Katzir and Josh Otten, are working their butts off, too, but they ultimately come to me to finalize decisions before moving forward. Still, if it weren’t for these two guys, I’d be ripping my hair out by now!

Owen: The first films you wrote were 'Hayride Slaughter' I & II (in which you also starred as Clifford James).  What was the most valuable lesson you learned about writing horror from that experience?

Jim: I think the most valuable lesson I learned was to be a “visual” writer. I had written a lot of horror before, in standard story format, and a lot of horror related articles for magazines… but writing horror for the screen is very different. You have to learn how to remove the internal motivation from your writing and use visual clues and actions to convey those internal feelings to an audience of viewers. It taught me how to take the horror a character is experiencing inside their mind and manifest it physically so that an audience can follow the emotion just based on visual stimulus.

Owen: I also MUST hear about your work as Chicklet in Charles Busch's campy Gidget parody 'Psycho Beach Party'.  How did that role come about and what was the toughest part about wearing a leather bikini?

Jim: HA! What a fun, twisted show that was! I learned of Charles Busch while I was attending The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York. He had a show running, at the time, titled ‘Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom.’ With that title I couldn’t resist checking out what this guy was all about. I found that he was a brilliantly funny writer with a very sick and twisted sense of humor. So, when I heard about auditions for ‘Psycho Beach Party’ I jumped at the chance. Apparently the director liked what he saw because I was cast in the lead role just hours after I had left the audition. At the time I wasn’t aware that I’d be wearing a tight, black, leather bikini for one-third of the show, but it really didn’t bother me. The toughest part was constantly shaving my “bikini line” and keeping my “package” taped down…. which is probably a little bit more information than you wanted to know! I did another Charles Busch show after that titled ‘Times Square Angel,’ which was a twisted parody of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ No bikinis were involved in that one.

Owen: Tell me about your work as The Preacher in 'Skarecrow' (2004).  Where did you draw your inspiration from to play the role?

Jim: I can’t really say that I drew my inspiration from any one particular source. I guess The Preacher was inside of me all along. I’ve always been a character actor… the stranger the role, the better I relate to it. I keep these little beings locked up inside of me and all it takes is a good costume or heavy make-up job to release them. The Preacher is a nutcase, consumed by his religion… a fanatic whose mind has been warped by a wicked family history. I was raised listening to Southern Baptist “Fire & Brimstone” preachers, so I guess a little of that filtered into the character… but he’s mostly just evil.

Owen: You seem busier than ever.  Is it difficult to juggle everything?  Are you thrilled and at your best when you have this many projects happening?  

Jim: It’s EXTREMELY difficult to juggle everything, but I like to have a lot of projects because I become bored easily. I like the work. I always said that I never wanted to be a superstar; I only wanted to be lucky enough to work in the business. I always try to be at my best because I don’t want any particular project to suffer. When things get to be a little hectic, I know when to cut back and drop out of sight for a short time to renew the energy and creative spark.

Owen: Do you have any other projects in the works?

Jim: I’ve got several coming up very soon, actually. I’m finishing up an acting role in an action/adventure.Sci-Fi film called ‘Dead Last.’ It’s made like a reality television show where contestants are left on an island and are forced to fight off robots who have been programmed to kill them. After Christmas I’m supposed to start two new projects. One is a superhero television pilot, similar to Wonder Woman, where I will be playing the super villain and the other project is a comedy zombie movie in the same vein as ‘Shaun Of The Dead.’ That’s as much as I’m allowed to release about those, at this time. I’m also getting together a new film I wrote with a talented comic book writer, Nik Havert, called ‘Big Breasted Vampire Death.’ It’s probably needless to say that it’s a vampire comedy.

In between all of this I’ll be getting ‘The Demons 5’ ready to lens later next year.

Owen: So with all this experience --- vampires, zombies, werewolves, creatures, psychos, aliens, etc.  Do you have a favorite in the horror realm?

Jim: I’m a sucker for vampires… pun intended! The gothic romanticism, tragedy, vicious survival instincts, intelligence, and beauty wrapped in their folklore and development makes these creatures the most multi-layered and multi-dimensional monsters in horror.

My second favorite is at the other end of the spectrum… zombies. The simplest and most single minded of all monsters.

Owen: What are your feelings regarding the debate between on-set vs. computer-generated effects?

Jim: I’m hardcore old school. On-set effects all the way. The only use I see for computer generated effects in horror is for slight enhancements to a practical set effect… sort of the way Romero did with ‘Land Of The Dead.’ Nicotero and his team made some fabulous puppets and gore effects and then they went in behind those practical effects and slightly enhanced a little of the blood splatter or fixed some coloration… things like that. Now, if we’re talking Sci-Fi… use those computers until they burn up! Spaceships, laser beams, landscapes, etc… perfect use for computers. But, leave the creatures and gore to the practical effect guys.

Owen: As a fan of horror what would be on the marquee at your ultimate horror drive-in triple feature?

Jim: I have to go back to my old school mentality here, too. I’d say ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon,’ the original 1967 Romero ‘Night Of The Living Dead,’ and any Universal or Hammer Horror classic monster film.

Owen: What scares you in real life? 

Jim: Gunnar Hansen nude in the shower singing his rendition of ‘Feelings.’ Just kidding, Gunnar!!! Heh heh heh heh heh