"BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT."

Kenneth J. Hall: Director, Writer, SFX Artist

1. Give us a little background on yourself, when did you decide that filmmaking was what you wanted to do? I was born in 1958 and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. This was decades before every other kid read Fangoria or wanted to be a filmmaker. In my day, saying you wanted to go to Hollywood and make movies got the same reaction as saying you wanted be president or walk on the moon. Sure, there were people doing it but they couldn’t be from Jacksonville. I came across one of those books my parents kept to record my development. Among other things, it asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Apparently, at age 6, my answer was "a movie director"! This is funny because I had not idea what that even meant back then! 2. Who inspired you to become a filmmaker? My mother took my brother and I to see movies from the time we could barely walk and she loved horror/fantasy/sci-fi. Some of my earliest memories are of Hammer, Toho, and Corman AIP films. Of course, we weren’t paying much attention to who actually made the movies until we started reading Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in the late 60s. The one exception was Alfred Hitchock, who is still the most recognizable director in history. In addition to appearing on his TV show and his movie cameos, he was interviewed a lot in those days. I got to hear film theory straight from the mouth of the master, so I guess he was my big inspiration. 3. Along with being a film director your also a producer, writer, actor and FX specialist. What has been your favorite project to date? Without question, it’s my most recent. The reason for this is simple. It’s the first film I had complete control over since I produced it through my own company and was the principal investor. 4. Tell us about your latest project "The Halfway House" starring Mary Woronov. I had been away from filmmaking for some time because I was looking to do my own thing as opposed to being a "gun for hire." My financial situation, combined with the advances made in digital technology, made it an optimum time for me to make my own movie. Deciding on the subject matter was a little more difficult. I knew I needed to do something that was going to stand out in the market, which is currently being flooded with a lot of independent horror. I needed to make something contemporary and commercial but, at the same time, I wanted it to reflect the type of films I grew up watching. What I came up with was a pastiche of all things Roger Corman, from his Lovecraft films in the 60s to his women’s prison pictures of the 70s to the slasher films of the 80s. What resulted was a pretty whacky film which has been embraced by a number of fans and critics but was unanimously rejected by every genre festival we submitted it to. I think what confused some people about it is, while it spoofs exploitation films, it genuinely qualifies as exploitation itself. In these conservative times, I found that nudity and sex punched people’s buttons far more effectively than violence and gore. 5. What do you think is the most important thing for a Director to bring to the set? A vision. When I say that, I don’t mean it in an artsy, abstract way. I mean you have to know exactly what you want and have a plan of how to achieve it. Preparation is essential. Being able to convey that vision to your cast and crew is also important but, when you have a project as weird as this one was, it’s hard to get everyone to see it the way you do. In this case, I had to get my people to trust and support me, which they did. 6. Tell us about your experience co-writing "Puppet Master" with writer/director Charles Band? Did you participate in the production side of the film? Charlie did not direct PUPPET MASTER. David Schmoeller did and he actually wrote the final screenplay, under the name of Joseph Collodi (who was the author of PINOCCHIO). Charlie called me in, told me the title, and said it was going to be about puppets coming life and killing people, which sounded like every other film he’d ever made. He also had a list of puppets he wanted in it. A few of them, like Six-Shooter and Cyclops, were in my first draft but were saved for later installments for budgetary reasons. Beyond this, I wrote the first few drafts completely alone. Once Schmoeller was hired to direct, I had no further involvement with the project. I had to fight for my screen credit, even though I was the sole original writer, and wound up having to share a story credit with Charlie.

MONSTER CREATED BY TOTAL FABRICATION FOR ROGER CORMAN'S CARNOSAUR KEN WITH THE ONE EYED MONSTER FROM HIS NEW MOVIE "THE HALFWAY HOUSE" INSECTO CIRCUS - MUSIC VIDEO PUPPET MASTER MOVIE POSTER

JACK PALANCE IN TREASURE ISLAND   THE HALFWAY HOUSE DVD COVER   "JACK FROST" COSTUME CREATED BY TOTAL FABRICATION

7. You've worked with a lot of big name talent; do you find that nerve racking? It can be very stressful when they turn out to be assholes. I won’t name names but I’ve run across a few of them. Others can be intimidating at first until you get to know them. My FX company worked on a project with Jack Palance, who I’d been a fan of for years. He was scary at first but turned out to be a real sweetheart. Of course, Mary Woronov was a bit stand-offish when I initially met her. The reason turned out to be she’s actually very shy. One-on-one, she’s very funny and outspoken. We still get together every once in a while for dinner. On set, of course, she was a total pro. 8. Any future projects in the works? I have one script that I’ve almost secured the financing for. It’s a sci-fi/action/horror but that’s all I can say about it at this time. I announced several titles last year and even posted teaser artwork on my website. For various reasons, these projects got postponed but people still ask me about them. This time, I’m waiting until we’re in actual production before announcing my next movie. Trust me, you will be seeing a lot more from the Fright Film Factory for years to come. 9. Do you have any advice to aspiring filmmakers? The fact that digital filmmaking is so affordable means a lot of guys are jumping into it without proper preparation. Having control doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t. I realize many people do this because they have no one else to help them but these days, it’s possible to find an experienced crew just about anywhere. For example, I would never dream of shooting a film myself. I’m not a cinematographer and I know the importance of making a film look good. Too many first-timers sabotage their own movies by trying to do too much themselves or getting people who aren’t experienced to do some of the key jobs. 10. Here's where we give you a word or phrase and you give us the first thoughts that pop into your mind. Hollywood- It’s not so much a place or even where the majority of movies are made anymore, yet it remains the standard of filmmaking that’s sought after throughout the world. Like it or not, it’s what moviegoers really want to see. Biggest influences- Roger Corman, Hitchcock, Hammer Films, Russ Meyer, John Waters Biggest regret- Not being born 10-15 years earlier so I could have been in Hollywood during the time independents were running the industry. Biggest prick- I don’t like to brag, but… No, I told you I wasn’t going to name names. The dumbest thing you ever did on a set- It was on the set of TEST TUBE TEENS FROM THE YEAR 2000. I was walking down a hall, turned to look in another direction, and ran headlong into a pillar. I had to go to the emergency room and get stitches. Toxic Shock TV- I’ve been told putting a TV there can lead to infection. Your biggest "break-thru" moment- I’ve had a number of career milestones but, apart from making THE HALFWAY HOUSE, I think I was most proud of the fact that within 2 years after starting my FX company, Total Fabrication, I was actually able to afford to buy my own home! You can only watch 3 movies for the rest of your life, which 3- I always hate these kinds of questions. I would be hard-pressed to name my favorite 100 movies. However, today’s answer to that question is the original version of THE THING, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, and RAISING ARIZONA. Tomorrow’s answer would surely be different. You can only listen to 3 songs for the rest of your life, which 3- If I chose "100 Bottles of Beer," I wouldn’t need any others because that song never ends! "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" goes on almost as long but who can remember those lyrics? CLICK HERE TO CHECKOUT THE HALFWAY HOUSE TRAILER CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TOTAL FABRICATION