TALKING WITH THE MASTER OF INDIE HORROR ASYLUM ENTERTAINMENT: JOSE PRENDES by Greg Tiderington

Jose is an aspiring filmmaker as he writes, directs, produces and even acts in many of his independent films by Asylum Entertainment mainly starting off with 'The Monster Man' and then took the bull by it's horns with 'Corpses Are Forever' in 2003 and kept plugging away.
A film he is most noted for nowadays is a 2012 flick titled 'The Haunting of Whaley House' which is on blu ray and dvd worldwide. Plus created a horror based on a childrens fairytale Hansel & Gretal'.
He also worked with many b-film celebrities such as Linnea Quigley, Richard Lynch, Conrad Brooks, Debbie Rochon, Tom Savini, Lynn Lowry and Dee Wallace.
Let's get on with the interview shall we????



 

 

At what age did you see yourself as an entertainer?

I suppose I was maybe five or so, I can’t remember dates and things like that. I’m bad with numbers, pal. But I went to see 'Superman 2' and I recall watching the audience and being amazed by how taken they were with the film. I made a conscious decision to make movies there and then, because I wanted to give people awe, or at the very least help them forget their troubles for a while.

Did you see yourself doing horror films?

Sure, why not? Horror is just another form of story. There seems to be this stigma to horror movies. Of course, I want to make all types of films, but horror seems to be the niche I fell into, because it’s a fairly wide field. But I don’t regret being a part of the genre at all.


What was your first horror film?

I wasn’t sure whether you were asking which was the first one I WATCHED or which was the first one I made, but then I read your next questions and figured it out. My first horror film, I suppose, was really my third movie 'THE HAUNTING OF WHALEY HOUSE'. My first one was a sci-fi action comedy, my second film had horror elements, but it was really more of a spy thriller with zombies.


What was it like doing that film?

It was great. I had a wonderful crew and got to hire my friends for key positions and as cast members as well. The studio I worked with left us largely alone, and we managed to make a very good film that stands apart from most of the output of that studio in a good way.

Tell me about 'Corpses Are Forever'. What influenced you to do it?

I am a big James Bond, and I wanted to somehow mix Bond with zombies, so that got the ball rolling for me.


What was it like shooting the film? I understand it wasn't a closed set as you could see locals wandering around when it was supposed to be the apocalypse?

Yes, it was a very small, super-indie crew and we didn’t have crowd control and the ability to close down streets and such. But it was a fun shoot, however I was severely exhausted afterwards, because I took on too much. But I did get to work with my future wife, so that was nice!


How did you find the horror film veterans like Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Debbie Rochon and Richard Lynch to be in your film?

I met them at conventions, told them the idea, and offered to pay them. That easy. They are solid actors and they want to work. Love those guys very much.

What was the most cherishing moment doing the flick?

Cherishing moment? Probably playing ass slap with my future wife. This was before we were even dating, too.

What was the most struggling?

Every day was a different struggle. That’s the “fun” part of making a movie. Some new challenge always arises. The thing I remember most was that the owner to the big studio we were shooting at had gotten high on something and we were locked out of the set for six hours until we get someone else to come over and let us in. Not a fun thing to be behind schedule.

Now there was supposed to have been a sequel the 'Corpse That Loved Me' which was a disappointment that it never got made. Did you have fans asking about it?

People always ask me about it, which is wonderful. I am so happy that people cared enough to see where the story went. The sequel would deal with vampires in the present apocalypse setting, but ultimately there was little interest financially for it.

You acted in a horror film 'Each Time I Kill' playing the role of Bill Sanchez. How did that come about?

It was exploitation queen Doris Wishman’s last film, and I got to work on it. Linnea hooked me up with the connection, because she was acting in it. I had been a fan of Doris’ films for years, so working with her as cast and as crew for the duration of the shoot was really a treat.


How big is your role?

Cameo, really.


What was it like being on set of the shooting?

The set of the shooting? Of 'EACH TIME'? It was surreal. If you’ve ever seen a Doris film, you’d understand.

You wrote the story idea of 'Haunting of Winchester House'. Tell us about that film and how you came to doing this one?

Yeah, I didn’t just write the story idea, as you say. I wrote three different drafts of the script. Then the director threw my script away and wrote his own. They ended up giving me only story credit. That’s all I’ll say about that.


You came on full board for 'Haunting of Whalen House' was this a sequel?

It’s the WHALEY House, and no, not a sequel. But it was made by the same studio. I was able then to make the movie I wanted to make with Winchester.

What was it like making this film?

Amazing! Loved it.

How do you feel about this project in general?

In general, I fucking love it. It was such a fun time and I think we accomplished something special.


Now you also wrote a horror version of 'Hansel and Gretal' which is doing pretty well on it's release. What made you want to make this?

The studio, Asylum, that made Whaley House, wanted to make it.

Were you a fan of the children's story while growing up and thought you'd like to do a horror version of this since it involved cannibalism and a witch too?

Yeah, I liked children’s stories, but they I did it because they paid me, really.

What was it like having Dee Wallace attached to the project?

Awesome. She is a wonderful lady.

Now you did a project called 'Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark'. Was this a horror as well as a sci fi?

You need to do more research, my friend. It’s a sci-fi film about giant sharks.

Now here's some fun stuff: What are you favourite horror films?

'Jaws', 'Exorcist', 'Scream', 'Child’s Play 1-3'.

If you were a horror filmmaker whether he was alive or dead for the day who would he be?

If I were to become him for a day? Jeez, I don’t think I’d like to become anyone, to be honest.

What show did you do that you you cherish to this very day?

Show? As in movie? All of them. I cherish the lot of them.

What show did you do that you weren't proud of?

None.

What's your ambitions in life?

To be a good dad, and make people happy.