Hey Ron, how are you today? Why not start
us off at https://racksandrazors.com/
with a visual and describe the room where you
answering these interview questions?
I
am in my family office, no movie or horror stuff
on the walls (that's all downstairs in my
basement lair). I am sitting at a metal
desk, there is a small black and orange cat
laying on the monitor. There is a green
futon couch behind me. How's that?
Tell me about the
newest movie from Fat Free Features --- 'The
Snakeman'.
SNAKEMAN was two
projects ago.
Oops,
sorry.
It was not a great experience and I
would rather not discuss it. But latest
movie, TIKI, is currently in
postproduction and should be available to rent
and buy in the next few months. It was made
for Fred Olen Ray's RETROMEDIA.
Fred was a delight to work for, the most honest
man in Hollywood. TIKI is
a revenge tale about a killer wooden Tiki
doll. It is the slickest looking movie I
have ever made, and full of good
performances. I am very excited about this
one.
Now in that one you write,
direct, and star -- and you do that in several
films -- 'Dead Season,' 'The Crawling Brain',
'Witchcraft XI', 'Hollywood Mortuary',
etc. Of all the many hats you wear
what is your favorite and least favorite to do?
I guess I like directing the best
because that involves the most control. I
prefer directing scripts that I have written
myself though, because then I know them inside
and out. My least favorite thing is acting
in front of a camera. My training is on the
stage, and I am still not all that comfortable in
front of a camera. Stage acting, however,
is what I do best, and is my first love.
How did you get
involved with 'Witchcraft XI' and what did you
hope to bring to the enduring film series?
I had worked with David Sterling,
who produced it, on other projects. He came
to me with a project for Vista Street (the
company that makes the Witchcraft movies), which
was a soft-core version of TERMINATOR for
Korean investors. The script was dismal and
stupid, and we had no money. I told him I
would do it only if Vista Street promised me the
next Witchcraft movie to write and direct, and
that it had to be shot on film (I had only made
movies shot on video tape up to that point, and I
wanted to do something on film). Amazingly,
he went for it. I wanted to do a segment of
the series because it got well distributed and
because it would be on film. What did I
hope to bring to the dreary series? I
wanted to make a real horror film where the scare
elements out weighed the sex ones. And I
also wanted to bring the story back to
witchcraft. The last one in the series
before mine was frigging vampire movie of all
things.
I also want to hear about
'Hollywood Mortuary'. It started off as a
short in the Kevin Lindenmuth horror anthology
'Creaturealm: From the Dead'. What
about the project made you decide to expand it
into a feature?
I loved the story; I felt it
deserved a more epic treatment. It was by
far my favorite project up to that point and I
became obsessed with expanding it.
What about the mockumentary
style made it the suitable format for the
material?
It just seemed a fun way to tell
the story. And it's not a true
mockumentary. Interviewees set up the
scenes, but then the flashback scenes are all
staged like a regular movie, not like documentary
footage.
Some great (and
surprising) folks are in 'Hollywood
Mortuary' --- Margaret O'Brien ('Meet Me in
St. Louis'), Anita Page (from 'Broadway Melody'),
director David DeCoteau, and Ed Wood regular
Conrad Brooks. How did you get all these
great folks involved?
They are all friends of mine and I
asked them.
Is there some
specific moment in all the films you have done
where the acting and directing and writing all
come together where you say -- "Yeah, that
is the best. That is what Ron Ford
filmmaking is all about"?
Two words: DEAD SEASON.
Unfortunately, that movie has yet to find a
distributor. But it is by far my best
work.
And a moment you
wish the celluloid would burst into flames &
destroy all copies?
Every second of SNAKEMAN
and the hot tub scene in THE FEAR.
So do you have any
advice to all the folks out there that are eager
to pick up their camera and start making their
own horror flicks? What should they do
above all else?
Stop talking about it and do
it. Any way you can, do it. Start
shooting and editing and honing your
skills. Don't worry about making a
masterpiece right now. Learn your
craft.
Do you have any
upcoming or current projects you would like to
plug, brag about, or mention to the https://racksandrazors.com/ readers?
Keep looking for TIKI.
I have a fun segment in an upcoming anthology
called TWISTED FATES from Joe
"Dr. Squid" Sherlock. My segment
is called THE NEW NEIGHBOR and
stars myself and Athena Demos. Also, GORE
GOYLES 2 (coming soon from Helltimate
Studios) features a segment called THE
WALKERS, which I wrote the original
story for. Very well made by Canadian
filmmaker Miles Findlayson. I am currently
working on a story for GORE GOYLES 3,
which I will produce and direct myself this
time. No details to share yet,
though.
So Ron you have
been involved in one capacity or another with
vampires, zombies, ghosts, werewolves, witches,
aliens, creatures, etc. What is your
personal favorite of all the horror sub genres
and why?
Hmmm. That's a tough
one. Vampires and zombies have been done to
death. Werewolves still interest me, and I
would like to make a FRANKENSTEIN movie one day -- he's the one classic monster I
have never represented in my work yet.
Favorite sub genre? Me like horror... I
like the old monster movies the best,
really. I grew up on Universal, Hammer and
Roger Corman.
We are pulling the
(ummm) Ford in to the Ron Ford Drive In.
What three scare flicks are on the triple bill
tonight and what goodies are they serving up at
the concession stand?
Today we're offering a delectable
stable of classics from the great James
Whale. Perhaps the three finest horror
films Universal ever produced: THE BRIDE
OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE OLD DARK
HOUSE and THE INVISIBLE MAN.
Refreshments? Just some stale bread, cigars
and cheap wine. "Wine...
Goooood!"
What turns you
into a psycho in real life?
G. W. Bush, and head-in-the-sand
religious types.
What frightens you
in real life?
G. W. Bush, and head-in-the-sand
religious types. |