Interview with Jerry Williams - November 2005

"MINT CONDITION", "THE VAMPIRE'S BRIDE", and "THE CURSED DOLL". No budget meets trailer park horror. They may be packaged into a dvd compliation sometime down the road. I love short films as much as feature films. I have a short script that is a retelling of the faust myth that I'd love to do once I get some time to properly do it.

We shot the feature film "PURVOS" in 2004, and "ZEPPO" (which originally was called "NECROSA'S GRAVE TALES") should be completed by the end of 2005.

No, it was a nickname for my friend Chadwell from college(don't ask), and it was one of the names we were tossing out when I put together the first name. Goatboy and films seemed a natural fit, and embodied both magic and quirkiness we sought in our shorts(later feature films). There was never a second choice, and my film company was named goatboyfilms from 2001 onwards.

Professional, and full of stories from working with Bela Lugosi and Ed Wood. Since I'm a huge silent film and movie serial buff, Conrad and I would talk about a time when movies were truly magical. I count him as a good and talented friend, with a long and rich history in cinema. He constantly works on various projects all the time, how many actors out there can say the same?

Without a doubt. He always brought something to his character in "PURVOS". He was playing himself in "ZEPPO", but he still has a panache on how to convey himself in films. He's also a director, so check out his movies (Jan-Gel series). They are a combination of the surreal and film motifs from the 50's. He is wrapping up a new film, so I'm eager to see his new film. He has a website up,
http://www.conradbrooks.com , and you get a list of the films he's
done lately.

"ZEPPO" is a zero budget comedy in the vein of "FLESH GORDAN" and Richard Elfman's "FORBIDDEN ZONE". Cardboard sets, busty cruel female aliens, and a parody/tribute of 50's sci fi flicks. If I were to sum it up in a nutshell I'd say it was "BENNY HILL" mixed with "FLASH GORDAN" with a little Betty Page s&m motifs. A live action cartoon with South Park, Russ Meyer, and AIP flicks from the 50's as influences. There should be some surprises and celebrities in the movie when the dust clears, so keep an eye out for that film. I used the line "are we not men? We are devo!" for the corrupt preacher Crackenpot, and cleared it with the guys in Devo(another influence of "ZEPPO"). That whole artistic motif of Devo and the idea that humanity is not the most important thing in the universe really stuck with me when I was writing "ZEPPO". It's a crazy John Waters type of film with a serious idea buried in the cruel aliens and cardboard sets that our blind faith in people can cause us more harm than good.

"PURVOS" was an "X-FILES" script idea I had that slowly morphed into a feature film. It involves incest, kinky sex, murder, clowns, and the link of dreams. A researcher Stacy Jaros stumbles upon a dream motif in patients with sleep disorders. This dream motif is Purvos, and is linked to her ex love Kathy Dixon. Dave Workman did an awesome job as the demented killer, and Stephani Heise, Nathan Day, and Natasha Roberts did an excellent job. Jacob Ennis who produced this movie helped me get what I was looking for.
I tried to put some surreal touches to the horror film. Conrad Brooks did a fantastic job as the paranormal investigator Jessup. Check out the "PURVOS" section on my website for more information on this film.

"MINT CONDITION" - This was a short that was inspired by Kevin Smith and Clerks. Comic books, demonic ex girlfriends, and porn with kiddie music..what's not to love about it? I always think of it as a companion film to "PURVOS". Since I first met Jacob Ennis right after wrapping it up, and he helped put the film together for me along with working Dave Workman who would go on to star as Purvos. I love comedy as much as I love horror films, so it was natural to go from this film to "PURVOS".

We did some no budget gore on "PURVOS" (mostly what I read in Bruce Campbell's book "IF CHINS COULD KILL"...), and the gore looks good for the complete lack of budget. I try to keep a set light hearted, since filmmaking can sometimes be a stressful and time consuming endeavor. Mostly we were trying to get these films done with no budget, and still get the film across the viewer. "ZEPPO" has been a crazy adventure, and fortunately I have actors that can roll with whatever crazy tangent the script takes them.

"PURVOS" was shown at the MEIC conference in 2004, and we're in talks with several locations to show "PURVOS" and "ZEPPO" once it gets completed.

Yes. I'd love to meet fans of the horror sci fi community. They're the guys you make these films for at the end of the day.

Write that script, shoot that movie, and put it together. Work on independent films so you can pick and choose what methods work with you. Try to keep it in your budget. It's much better to shoot zero budget films, and get better everytime so when you can get investors on board for a feature film you have something to show than just hype for your project.
Never forget at the end of the day, your film needs to keep to its budget. Guys who blow a fortune on films that are duds quickly land on the 'don't bother' pile in Hollywood, so don't let that happen to you. When a guy brags to me about their budget, that's a red flag for me. Anyone can spend a fortune especially if it's not their money, but if a movie actually returns a profit is what the investor really wants to hear from a filmmaker. Surround yourself with people that are committed to making the movie work. I learned various production methods from directors George Bonilla, Stacey Gillespie and Jacob Ennis by watching them work, so helping out on local films really helped when it came to mounting my films.

A little bit of both. I worked on several independent films ("DANCE WITH A VAMPIRE", "EDISON DEATH MACHINE", "EYES OF DARKNESS", "STASH", "MURDERER", and "SHADOWS AND LIGHT") and kept an eye out for good actors. The best actors are the talented ones that can work with a group under adverse conditions. I think Hollywood has done a terrible thing of applauding actors who toss tantrums at a drop of a hat over trivial things. Trust me, a good actor is always someone who can work with others.

I still like the idea of merging 20's cinema with modern films. I would love to do a version of "DR. CALIGARI" or a silent adaption of Clive Barker's short story "SEX, DEATH, AND STARSHINE". I love silent cinema since they were using equipment very primitive compared to modern equipment and still did some amazing visuals. I look at "METROPOLIS" and "NOSFERATU" and merging that artistic motif with the current social and political unease is a goal of mine.

Eric Butts, the executive producer on "ZEPPO", and I have been tossing ideas back and forth for his film. If there is enough interest in "ZEPPO" and "PURVOS", I have some ideas I'd like to pursue in any sequels.
I'm also the assistant director on "EDISON DEATH MACHINE" so that should be wrapped up soon (http://www.edisondeathmachine.com), and I have some ideas that I would like to pursue with films inspired by "TERROR TOONS".

I loved [LAND OF THE DEAD|0418819]].. I always like that Romero using his horror films as a satire. I was also a big fan of Tim Burton's "THE CORPSE BRIDE", it really had some awesome visuals which made me get back to painting.

Poetry, Play writing, painting, and writing novels. I go back and forth between my two novels, one is a sword and sorcery story and the other is a Great Gatsby type novel based on my younger destructive years. I also have a comic book "THE MYSTIC" which was drawn by Thomas Ero and it should be coming out very soon. I'm a big UFO and conspiracy buff, so that is something I read up whenever I get a chance to read.

I did some theater, and did some punk theater antics with Pat Bowling (Alex in "PURVOS") in college at the local coffeehouses. I always believe that poetry fits in perfectly with theater, so we did some crazy stuff that hopefully can be put into another medium. I think filmmaking was just an extension of the punk poetry theater stuff I did with Pat.

Go out and make your film. Stick to your guns on what you believe in, but always keep the goal of comprise if that's what it takes to finish the film. Keep an eye out for "ZEPPO" !