This spring I attended the 2009 Texas Frightmare Weekend horror conference in Dallas, Texas where I was lucky enough to run into one of my favorite indie directors, Anthony Brownrigg. In between signings and panels, he sat down with me to discuss the further developments of his previous films, as well as some exciting news on a "top secret" new project that is in development.

***

So how has your experience been with Texas Frightmare so far?


Well, it has been a lot of fun. There is a lot of great filmmakers here and a lot of great films coming out. The Texas film scene is growing very quickly and there is a lot of talent here and I'm here to support it.


You weren't here screening anything new this year, but you were here last year with the release of RED VICTORIA. What can you tell us about the recent developments with that particular project?


RED VICTORIA came out November 10th and it has done very well for us. Wellgo USA picked us up. They've been around for a while, but they are really beginning to explode on the scene. I was fortunate enough to get in with them and they have done an amazing amount to not only support the film, but support the filmmakers behind the film. There are a lot of distributors that look at a film and just as the film is and the filmmaker can just sit back and wait. But these guys have actually been active, definitely with me and I know other filmmakers, about "how do you see your film." They're interested in finding out, not only the market as they see it, but the market as the filmmaker sees it so they can attack it in the best way possible for the film. It's worked really, really well for me, so far and I know for other people and they're (Wellgo) really great people over there.


Can we look forward to seeing RED VICTORIA in a wider theatrical release soon? I know it was a pretty limited theatrical release when it originally came out in 2008.


For RED VICTORIA, no, but maybe for the sequel. For RED VICTORIA, it was what it was. It was a fun film. It was one of those films you grab and it's fun for a couple of hours on the weekend and you enjoy it. We did have a limited theatrical release in Dallas and it went very well and now that it's been released all over the world. We knew we were successful when, a week after it came out, it went to three or four dozen DVD rip sites (laughter), which is a good indicator that the film was well received. People don't tend to bootleg crap. It was really flattering.


You mentioned the sequel? Is this in development yet? Is there anyone tied to it that you can talk about?


The sequel has already been outlined and has been in development. Arianne Martin will be back as "Red Victoria" and I will be, of course, involved in someway, shape or form. And there are a couple of new characters and possibly a few old characters that will be making an appearance that I won't announce yet. But it's already pretty much broken down now and we're waiting to do the sequel to give the first film some time in the market to make the rounds because it was a small film and it didn't have a lot of advertising. But it's making its way so well by word of mouth and I want to give it some time to establish itself before we do the sequel.


Now, you talked to me yesterday about your werewolf movie FREEBORN and how it was being placed on the backburner, much to my disappointment because I was really looking forward to its release. And you have this new top-secret film that you can't really talk about, as well. Is there anything that you can tell us to give us a little insight into either project?


Obviously right now I am working on a movie called THE EIGHT, which is not a horror film but it is science fictionish-thriller genre and it is still a genre film. We have signed Brooke Lewis to play the lead, as well as Ford Austin. Caroline Williams has been signed on to the project and several other people I can't announce, just yet. We are keeping it very tightly under wraps because it is an original idea and original ideas are very hard to come by. Another thing I am working on along with my wife, Megan Boothe, who is also a writer who does quite a bit of screenwriting herself, is a new film festival that is coming out called Texas Bloodbath. I??(TM)m not at liberty to discuss a lot about it but I am actually going to be on one of the panels for contest judging for the actual films that are going to be coming in. This is happening in late November.

After THE EIGHT, we may or may not be getting into one of two films, one of them being FREEBORN. We already have a great number of people interested in FREEBORN, but the reason why we are waiting on FREEBORN is because, right now, the market is saturated and it's the wrong time. But we do have another film we are working on called RED SQUAD FOUR, which is a science fiction comedy that is based on a short film I did three or four years ago, which we already have some nice attachments to. But THE EIGHT is first. I will say that, with THE EIGHT, in addition to the movie, there is a graphic novel in development. Work has already begun on that, but I can't say, just yet, who is involved on that project.


Is this something that you will be publishing independently or are you going through a major comic book house?


I will say that there are a couple of larger comic houses that are looking at us right now, but again, I can't say too much. There is a lot of buzz on the project, fortunately. Sometimes you just luck into buzz.


Well, now is really the time for graphic novels. It seems that every major movie out now has some sort of graphic novel or comic book attached to it. That??(TM)s mainstream marketing.


Absolutely! And so what we wanted to do is create a storyline and characters that could have a graphic novel attached to it. The storyline we are doing for THE EIGHT is so expansive and complex that it behooved us to not just have a movie, but have a graphic novel to carry on the story, because it is a unique story. And every day it seems to get bigger. So, we have to work hard to bring it in to manageable state. But we already have the movie with a production company. We're going to be starting principle photography in mid-August, throughout September. We're looking at a 2010 release.


Is this something you would be looking to screen at local cons in Texas or are you going to be aiming for a larger, more nationwide release?


It looks to be very large. However, I would very much like to start those screenings in Texas because Texas is where it originated. Texas is where we are shooting it. You dance with the one who brought you.


So, maybe something like the Austin Film Festival?


Maybe something like the Austin Film Festival and along those lines. When you get support from a community, like the film community, you give that support back and that is something I will never forget. I have been in the industry, here in Texas, now for thirty years so I know a lot of people here in the industry. And everybody here loves the process of filmmaking so much that you can't help, but want to stick around, which is one of the reasons I haven't moved to Los Angeles or New York. I mean, I've got places I can stay there when I need to go there, but my home is here in Texas.


Well, Texas is really sort of turning into a new New York or LA as far as filmmaking goes. It might not be, yet the same caliber that New York or LA are, just yet, but there are incentives out there to draw in filmmakers.


There are incentives, but I think that the caliber isn't going to be the same as LA or New York, but it's developing a caliber that is all its own.


Right, exactly. It's becoming a new entity.


Yes, it's becoming a new entity because when you are dealing with budget films often you don't have the budget for a lot of the larger effects that you do with a larger studio film. And, so, it forces innovation and creativity, which has given a distinct flavor to Texas films. And it's not just with horror. There are a lot of other films such a comedies, etc., where you really have to think outside the box just to make it work and you wind up with some really unique projects.


Well, it sounds like you have quite a lot going on this year! Are there any websites where people can find out more information?


At the moment, there is www.myspace.com/abrownrigg, which is my site. Our new production company, Castle Entertainment. That site is not up yet, but it will be soon. THE EIGHT's website will be up in June. And as more information comes, we will be releasing it via that website. And that is all that I can say right now.


Ah! So many teasers!


Yes! But it feels good to be in a position to have something valuable enough to keep secret. So, I'm very excited! Now I have everything in place and everyone has been very supported. Now all I have to do is make sure the next film doesn't suck. And you can quote me on that!


Well, I think we just did. It's on tape. Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview and I wish you the best of luck with everything you are working on!


And thank you very much because, I've been paying attention to a lot of things you've been writing and I really appreciate your commitment to what you write. When you review, when you interview, you don't just go into "I loved it. I hated it." You actually have a very distinctive style. And I loved your book. But I love talking to people who review films that actually think about process because that helps us as filmmakers. It's one thing when you meet someone who's a fan and they're like "Oh, I loved it! It was great!", but we have to learn. We have to learn what our audiences are going to think, we have to learn what they're seeing on the outside. So, people like you that go into expansive writing in reviews about things that you see, it really helps us and I really appreciate it.