Exclusive: P.J. Starks Talks Volumes Of Blood: Devil’s Knight, Dracula’s Coffin, Angel, And More
David Gelmini
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Since his conversation with us last year, filmmaker P.J. Starks has been very busy indeed. Not only is he hard at work on Volumes of Blood: Devil’s Knight, the third entry in his horror anthology series, but he’s also serving as executive producer for a whole series of other movies in addition to appearing in the upcoming documentary For the Love of the Boogeyman: 40 Years of Halloween.
With so many exciting things happening, we decided to talk to P.J. again to find out about everything he currently has in the pipeline.
Dread Central: So, I understand that you’ve been busy over the last year.
P.J. Starks: You could definitely say that. It’s a good busy though. The last year was full of more opportunities and chances to work with other filmmakers. One of the highlights was being asked to speak on a filmmaker panel at Days of the Dead; that was pretty awesome, and I have to thank Nathan Hamilton for that opportunity. Eric and I, in association with Mythmaker Games, released a tabletop card game based on our Volumes of Blood cinematic universe which is really exciting. Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories finally released on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD. I’m super passionate about filmmaking at any level and have been since I was a little kid, so to be sitting here being able to talk about doing these things is just incredibly surreal. It was an interesting year to say the least.
DC: You executive produced Maniac Farmer, which will premiere on March 30th in Lexington, Kentucky. Can you tell us about this project?
PJS: It’s a fun little throwback slasher. It’s kind of a mash-up between Slaughterhouse and A Clockwork Orange. Which might seem like a weird way to describe it, but it’s not your typical “by the book” slice and dice kinda movie. Matthew Williams, the writer and director, brought a work print over to my house a couple months back to get my thoughts on the nearly completed film. It has some great kills. A slew of interesting characters, including the title character. It also features a killer score by my good friend and colleague Rocky Gray. I loved that Rocky took this gig because it marks the fifth project he and I have worked on together in just a year and that includes Paul Downey’s retrospective For the Love of the Boogeyman: 40 Years of Halloween.
Back to the subject at hand, Maniac Farmer is an indie film for sure, but Matthew is an up-and-coming talent, so I think we have a lot of great things to see from him in the future and Maniac Farmer is just the beginning. The film premieres at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky, on March 30th at 7:30 pm; and it’s completely free.
DC: And you’re collaborating with Tory Jones on Angel?
PJS: I am and it’s been a lot of fun. Everything I’ve seen from Angel, I think it’s going to really knock people outta their chairs. It’s a departure from what Tory did with The Wicked One and introduces a new kind of terror to the world. Cassandra Baker did all the special effects and make-up for the production, and she absolutely killed it. The world premiere is July 21st in Lexington, Kentucky, at the Lyric Theatre.
DC: Can you talk about how you come to be involved with projects and what you feel you can bring to them?
PJS: Sometimes it happens organically, where filmmakers reach out to see if I can help them with their projects. Other times I offer my services as an executive producer if we’re discussing their project and I believe I can bring something to the table. Usually I help with the script or creative advising; another area I’ve come excel in has been marketing and promotions and, in some cases, help with distribution. It really depends on what they’re looking for.
I’ve been very fortunate to work with and align myself with many incredibly talented filmmakers like Richard Stringham, Tyler Amm, Justin M. Seaman, John William Holt, and others, not to mention the laundry list of other filmmakers I’d love to collaborate with. I’m talking to you, Brett Dejager, Brooklyn Ewing, Cameron Romero, Jeffrey Reddick, Jonathan Straiton, and others. My list is just too damn long for this piece. Truthfully, I have a personal goal to work on as many sub-genres of horror as I can. Movie gods willing, I’ll keep it up.
DC: Can you provide an update on Volumes of Blood: Devil’s Knight?
PJS: The script is finished. I’m so unbelievably excited to be able to say that. It was co-written by myself, Jason Turner, Ginna Campbell, and Jerrod Brito. The set pieces are much larger. The scope is larger, especially when compared to the previous installments. The narratives are strong, the characters are rich, and this film has some social commentary. It has something to say, which is wholly different than what we’ve done on the last two movies. This one puts new spins on varied subject matter such as killer kids, werewolves, revenge, and even dives into the negative effects of rape culture. Of course, The Face returns in his largest and most blood-soaked killing spree yet. The body count is over 40, and when we had a two-part special effects meeting with Cassandra Baker, she about had an aneurysm.
We’re about to move into the financing stages and will be reaching out to the horror community to help us finish off the franchise in a big way. It started with horror fans, and we want it to end with the horror fans. So, if there’re any horror lovers out there who are also rich doctors, please contact us at bloodmoonpics@gmail.com.
DC: You’re also executive producing a short called Dracula’s Coffin?
PJS: It’s a very funny horror comedy written and directed by Stephen Wolfe, who has another film releasing this year called Doll Factory. He and I have been wanting to work together for a while and Dracula’s Coffin was that opportunity. Plus, I get to add vampires to my filmography and that’s very cool. The short will release this year for the horror masses to drink up. It’s also a precursor to a feature film which picks up right where the short leaves off.
I know a lot of horror fans are on the fence mixing horror and comedy, but let’s face it; there have been some well-done genre blends in recent years and I think Stephen hit the nail on the head. It has a character in it that can only be described as a pervy Peter Vincent. That alone is a massive selling point when you can parallel anything to Fright Night. I’m looking forward to this one coming out.
DC: And you’re interviewed in the documentary For the Love of the Boogeyman: 40 Years of Halloween?
PJS: Paul Downey, who runs the UK-based horror site Bloody Flicks, is working alongside Dave Hastings on a retrospective, bringing together indie filmmakers and having them discuss a film that inspired us all. Paul asked me last year if I’d like to be involved. I was insanely humbled and jumped at the chance; however, my part wasn’t filmed until last month. Either way, I’m a horror fan at heart, so any chance I can get to sit and talk Halloween I’m going to take it. The fact that conversation will now be immortalized is just icing on the cake. From what I’ve seen, the documentary is set to release in October of this year, which couldn’t be more perfect.
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