The Dreadful Years: Collected Interviews & Reflections - 2018 to 2021

THE DREADFUL YEARS

Collected Interviews & Reflections - 2018 to 2021

JOSHUA MILLICAN

Copyright © 2023 Joshua Millican.

All Rights Reserved

Cover Art by Jorge Iracheta

Design & Formatting by Christian Francis

Dread Central logo and name used by permission

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Encyclopocalypse Publications

www.encyclopocalypse.com

Contents

Foreword

Gigi Saul Guerrero

Foreword

Heather Buckley

Introduction

10 Years Behind the Mask

An interview with Leslie Vernon actor Nathan Baesel

Winchester

Before the movie, see Dread Central’s paranormal investigation of the actual Winchester Mansion

Daeg Faerch

on life since Rob Zombie’s Halloween, starring in Josie & anti-bullying

Jen and Sylvia Soska

talk Rabid, David Cronenberg & transhumanism

Jordan Fields

Shout! Factory’s Jordan Fields says Soskas are only filmmakers capable of remaking Rabid

Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

discuss The Endless, Resolution & Red Marijuana

Clifton Collins, Jr.

talks diversity in Hollywood, Westworld & Freddy’s Nightmares

Angela Sarafyan

talks Clementine’s Revenge & Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Bear McCreary

showers love on Oingo Boingo on the eve of Danny Elfman’s birthday

Bear McCreary

talks Danny Elfman’s influence & weighs in on The Walking Dead’s dwindling viewership

Adam Rifkin

talks Director’s Cut, The Dark Backward & his last conversation with Bill Paxton

Adam Rifkin

talks Director’s Cut, the pitfalls of crowdfunding & the incomparable Missi Pyle

Matt from VOWWS

talks filming haunting vid for Structure of Love & the influence of psychedelics on music

Taissa Farmiga

Here’s the advice her sister Vera gave her before filming The Nun

Life After Charlie

A conversation with Heriditary’s Milly Shapiro

Jake Busey

says studio execs need to get heads out of Bean-counter butts

Mandy’s Cheddar Goblin

The hottest rising star in horror! [Deleted Parody Interview]

Ghoulish Gary Pullin

An interview with the renowned horror artist

Javier Botet

talks Mama Part 2, IT: Chapter Two & the enigmatic Slender Man

Myersgate

The true story of how I spoiled Halloween 2018 & committed Career Suicide [Unpublished Editorial]

Ryan Turek

Halloween 2018 producer talks going from horror blogger to industry insider

Ryan Turek

explains how Halloween 2018 became the biggest slasher hit in history

Christopher Nelson

Halloween 2018 Makeup/FX Designer tells us what he’s most proud of

Tony Todd

sets the record straight on unmade Candyman Vs Leprechaun crossover

Munky Business

Talking Mind Over Matter, music & horror with the guitarist of KORN

Riding the Inferno with Preston Fassel

How work as an extra on a horror flick led author Preston Fassel to a book deal, movie deal and dream job

How Sweet to Walk on Sour Ground!

Pet Semetary Set Visit, Part 1: The Directors Speak

Is Jud Crandall Actually a Villain in Pet Semetary 2019?

Set Visit Part 2: Reading Between the Lines

Dark F***ing Movie!

Pet Semetary Set Visit Part 3: Conclusion

Tom Holland

I Became a Director in Self-Defense

Lauren Ashley Carter

Black Site star walks The Woman, Jug Face, Imitation Girl & filming in a haunted bunker

Chris Roe

launches Cemetary Tales with A Tale of Two Sisters

Tim Meunier

Interview with Sinister Creature Con founder

Gary Dauberman

Annabelle will be a Maestro of Mayhem in Annabelle Comes Home

Chloë Sevigny

talks The Dead Dont Die, American Horror Story & American Psycho

Culture Shock Aims to Wake You the F*** Up

Set Visit Recap

Does the Dog Survive?

Alexandre Aja discusses the fate of Sugar in Crawl

Richard Elfman

Talks Aliens, Clowns & Geeks

Aliens, Clowns & Geeks

In a world of absolute absurdity, even nightmares can be fun! [Unpublished Editorial]

Devon Sawa

on The Fanatic & the national tragedy that tanked potential Idle Hands franchise

Return to The Overlook Hotel

Talking to Mike Flanagan about Doctor Sleep

Richard Brake

talks joining the Firefly clan in 3 From Hell & Doom Head spinoff

Rob Zombie

explains how 3 From Hell could have been much different

Bill Moseley

on 3 From Hell and why Chop-Top never returned to Texas

Ready for Some High Hell?

Announcing Dread Central’s latest streaming series: Chronic Horror!

Sean William Scott

talks about Bloodline & playing a serial killer

Michael Beach Nichols

Interview with Wrinkles the Clown Director/Documentarian

J.D. Dillard

talks Sweetheart, Sleight & The Fly Remake

Bong Joon Ho

talks Parasite & upcoming mystery projects

Paola Nuñez

talks The Purge Season 2

Rochelle Aytes

talks voyeuristic violence in The Purge Season 2

Peter Block

talks The Shed, Fright Night & confirms big news coming on Pumpkinhead remake

Tristan Risk

promises her character in Rabid will cause Sleepless nights

Ted Atherton

explains the pathology of beauty in Rabid

Mackenzie Gray

explains Schadenfreude in Rabid

Stephen Huszar

explains Rabid as metaphor for the entertainment industry

Richard Stanley

discusses Cage Rage in Color Out Of Space

Osgood (Oz) Perkins

Director defends PG-13 Gretel & Hansel: Doesn’t affect sophistication of horror

Tommy Chong

Talks Color Out of Space & Cannabis, Man

Ant Timpson

Talks Come to Daddy & Turbo Kid 2

Tommy Chong

Talks Bud Farm & getting high in the age of coronavirus

Robert Englund

Favorite Nightmare sequel, Freddy kill, one-liner & the reason Johnny Depp was cast

Kevin Bacon

reveals how he would have rebooted Flatliners & gushes over One Cut of the Dead

David Arquette

talks savagery of social media in Spree & growing mustache back for Scream 5

Crispin Glover

says his character in Smiley Face Killers could be connected to River’s Edge

Adam Wingard

Godzilla vs Kong director explains why no post-credits scene

Adam Wingard

still won’t explain the ending to 2016’s Blair Witch & here’s why he never will

Adam Wingard

explains Charles Dance’s absence in Godzilla vs Kong & reveals part he wanted him to play in The Guest

Adam Wingard

suspects Barbara Crampton actually IS a vampire!

Adam Wingard

reveals his favorite Kaiju (who isn’t in Godzilla vs Kong)

The Simple Reason

Why The Curse of La Llorona is NOT part of The Conjuring universe

M. Night Shyamalan

talks dialing-in maximum terror in Old

Random Snapshots of a Life in Horror

Afterword

About the Author

Foreword

Gigi Saul Guerrero

It was back in 2016 in Little Rock, Arkansas where we found ourselves accepting the Fantastic Cinema Emerging Filmmakers Award from the Film Society of Little Rock. A quaint and small local film festival with a great community, found us in love with the people and team hosting the event. The great thing about traveling around with your projects is that you get to meet so many new people in the industry, some come and go, and some, you build a long-time friendship. That’s where we met Josh Millican, the former Director of Community for CryptTV. Almost instantly hitting it off the start, we were both just getting into our careers in film and entertainment, and our values, tastes in film aligned perfectly.

With his knowledge in the horror genre, we could see how fitting Josh’s time at CryptTV was, helping it grow into a massive horror social platform that ultimately ended up into them producing original shorts, series, and much more. Josh was always keeping an eye on us at Luchagore, and becoming a huge fan and supporter of us. Reviewing our works with professionalism and understanding our type of stories, and what we’ve strived to tell. As a Journalist/Author, he has become a valuable asset to the horror community, and it’s fitting that he landed over at Dread Central.

Josh is also very immersive and found himself visiting one of the sets for the Into the Dark feature horror anthology series, Culture Shock. It was one of the toughest days where the cast had a heavy scene to shoot, with of course, no time at all. He instantly knew what was going on, and observed us working fast to keep on schedule. Cheering us on and pumping us up, he got to witness one of the best episodes of that series in the making. He just knows when to show up at the right times apparently, and how to be a champion.

When we completed another movie in 2021 called Bingo Hell with Amazon and Blumhouse productions, Josh called us up to see if we wanted to do a Dissecting Horror episode with him, along with some of the creatives. We knew, never turn down an opportunity when Josh comes knocking, as we know how he carefully crafts his programs with lots of research, amazing questions, and most of all, making a fun environment and safe place to talk about your works.

Josh is our good friend, colleague, and overall, just an amazing individual. And most recently a new father. We’re so proud to see his growth in his line of work, and always a fan in cheering him for what the future always holds.

#Luchagore4life

Gore is love, LUCHAGORE PRODUCTIONS

Gigi Saul Guerrero & Raynor Shima

Foreword

Heather Buckley

Fantastic Fest 2018, recreating the lost scene from Nightbreed

Joshua Millican writes in 3-cord punk rock style. He keeps the circle pit energy up. He has an eye for cinema. The dark stuff. The wild stuff. He has dreads and was the EIC of Dread Central.

He supports the independent voice. He is a Nightbreed as evident in our on-the-ground at Fantasia Fest selfie. Do not deny it; that Peloquin energy is real. But above all in Horrorweird USA; he is a champion of genre, the people who make it, and the fans. Joshua Millican is also my friend.

Within these pages are his collected works—years of interviews and insights. All horror. His insights, his passion, his twist-of-the-knife style of prose laid bare for you, the reader, to pour over. I would say life’s work, but this is just the beginning. There is so much more to do.

Now turn the page if you dare. There’s really no turning back now.

Heather Buckley

Producer | President of Black Mansion

Introduction

Well, how did I get here?

For starters, yes, I absolutely was one of those freaky horror kids. 1986 was a formative year for me, as that summer saw the release of both Aliens and David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Of course I was well under the age of 18, but thankfully I had and aunt and a dad who were cool enough to accompany me.

Aliens and The Fly: The first had me glued to my seat while that latter had me on its absolute edge, ready to flee into the aisle should the intensity prove more than I could withstand. (That maggot birth scene really fucked me up!). Here’s the kicker: I loved them both immensely. My love of the genre was solidified and I’d go on to enjoy more horror/sci-fi, more body horror, and more of everything in between.

My love affair with horror waned during my college years. I was more interested in (obsessed with) music and women. And that extended into my post-college phase as well, when I put all of my efforts into founding a hybrid punk/metal/electronica band. Still, I always had my ears to the ground for a good genre flick. No, I wasn’t avid, but horror was always my favorite aisle at the video store, and I remember seeing The Exorcist: The Version You’ve Never Seen when it was re-released theatrically. I saw The Blair Witch Project in a theater too, because the buzz was simply impossible to ignore.

My genre love never disappeared completely; it was merely laying dormant, like a sleeping Lovecraftian elder god at the bottom of the cold murky sea.

And then came Netflix.

Some of you might not even be old enough to know this, but in the beginning, Netflix used to mail you DVDs. No seriously. Up to three at a time with return shipping envelopes and no late fees. This is when I finally began searching horror websites for suggestions on what to watch, films I had missed throughout the 1990s and the aughts. I was playing catch-up for all my years of horror hibernation. And then, sometime during the late 2000s, Netflix began streaming—and my life would never be the same again.

These were some gory Glory Days indeed. In the beginning, it seemed like the horror selection on Netflix was limitless. It wasn’t like it is now, where movies of every breed are spread out over a half-dozen competing platforms. And it seemed like Netflix had everything—everything worth seeing at least. The classics, the hits, the obscure, the foreign, the extreme, the arthouse, and the bombs. I watch one, two, maybe three horror movies a day.

Now, the woman I was involved with at the time was no fan of horror, so all of these viewings were solitary occasions. But that probably helped me immerse myself more completely into the movie-watching experience. I’d stay up late watching horror until the wee hours, falling asleep exhausted and (if I was lucky) pleasantly terrified.

Inevitably, I’d be anxious to tell my partner what I’d seen the night before. I never did the chatroom thing, so this was how I’d decompress and solidify my thoughts about movies. I’d give her extended plot summaries (sometimes including dramatic re-enactments), break down character arcs and symbolism, place the film in a historical context and wrap it up with concise summary.

I’ll still never watch a horror movie with you, she told me one day. But I love the way you talk about them. You should start a blog. That was it. The moment.

Like a lot of Gen Xers in the 21 st Century, I’ve always felt a little out of place and out of time. Had I been born 10 years earlier, I might have been poised to master industries that had been established before me. Had I been born 10 years later, I would have come of age in this current digital world where the Internet and computers are essential. Instead, I watched the world shift completely after I’d already graduated from college with degrees in Literature and Creative Writing. I hadn’t given a bit of consideration to preparing myself for the massive shift in global technologies because I’m not fucking psychic. I didn’t even get my first email address until I got my first post-college office job. (My 10-month-old son already has his first Gmail account, for comparison). Not a Boomer, not quite a Millennial. Always in Limbo.

So, yeah, I was late to the blogging game when I launched mine in the late 2000s, but I was nonetheless completely inspired. I snagged myself one of those free WordPress accounts, plugged in a pre-fabricated theme, and Blood & Guts for Grown-Ups was born.

It might seem like a lame title in retrospect, but back then, horror still wasn’t mainstream, was still unrecognized as the entertainment juggernaut it would become by the late 2010s. This was before elevated horror and the genre still needed all of the proponents it could get. Most people still considered it gutter entertainment, the lowest rung, kid stuff. When most people heard horror, they thought Friday the 13 th. But of course, we all know it’s so much more.

I’d review horror movies that weren’t aimed at a teenage audience, horror movies that pushed boundaries and broke preconceived expectations. And it turned out that my literature and writing degrees came in handy (along with some advanced journalism courses I’d taken one summer). I was able to identify themes, plumb subtexts, and present theories and opinions with concise, structured expositions. In other words, I was a natural critic. I’d aspire to review one film a day on my blog. I set out to become more than just a horror fan, more than an aficionado even. I set out to become a horror expert!

I didn’t get into horror journalism to get rich. I got into it for the love of it, for the joy of dissecting genre flicks and sharing my opinions with other interested parties. It wasn’t long until I started getting recruited to write for more established horror outlets. None could afford to pay me, but this was back when writing for exposure wasn’t as insulting as it is today. Soon after I began my foray into horror on the internet, it was clear who the major players were: Bloody Disgusting and Dread Central. I set my sites and began manifesting my destiny. I will work for one of these outlets, I told myself. And I will make my living as a professional horror journalist.

I think journalists are heroes. They’re on the tip of the spearhead of history unfolding. Sure, war correspondents are more heroic than entertainment journalists, but everyone who writes with a desire to inform and a sense of urgency deserves praise for their efforts. And I took my job as a journalist seriously. Still, I was unprepared for this Internet world. I didn’t fully understand these new cyber rules and mores. And I made mistakes along the way. I stumbled, I embarrassed myself, but I always picked up the pieces and moved forward. I realized fast that being the best journalist in the world was less important than being the best Joshua Millican in the world. And with this outlook, I would indeed achieve my wildest aspirations.

The site that launched me on this course was The Blood-Shed. They couldn’t pay me, but the then-owner actually gave me a stake in the company and the lofty title of Managing Editor. It was through my work at The Blood-Shed that I met Jack Davis, who had only recently launched Crypt TV.

It’s almost funny, because in those early days, no one really knew what Crypt TV was. I’m not even sure if Davis and his crew were sure at first. I knew that Crypt TV had been co-founded by Eli Roth, and, well, that’s about it. But that’s a testament to Jack’s genius; he could get folks excited about something that was nebulous. He began inducting websites into a Crypt TV Network, and as soon as I saw who the other members were (every horror site of prominence plus the big boys at Dread Central). I knew The Blood-Shed had to be on board. Jack was very one-on-one with the folks who reached out to him. He liked my enthusiasm and agreed that The Blood-Shed was perfect for the Network. And, in turn, Jack inspired me. It wasn’t long before I decided that I wanted to work at Crypt TV.

Crypt TV couldn’t afford to pay me back then either, but the perks were awesome. All the swag a boy could hope for—and that was just for starters. I made a trip down from Oakland to Los Angeles just to meet the Crypt TV team in person. I begged Jack to let me add a news component CryptTV.com, but he wasn’t interested. There were already dozens of horror news outlets on the net and he didn’t want to come in as a new kid. He had higher aspirations for Crypt TV. But even though he shot me down, he kept me close. He gave me the title of Community Manager, put me in charge of The Crypt Family Facebook Group (a tribe of weird horror lovers that no longer exists). And it was as a brand ambassador of Crypt TV that I took all-expenses-paid trips to the Fantastic Cinema and Craft Beer Festival in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the first Monsperpalooza festival in Huston, Texas.

These were my first tastes of Festival Life and Convention Life respectively—and I fucking loved it. The travel, the hotels, the rabid fandom. It was bliss. And while, ultimately, my affiliation with Crypt TV would never manifest into a full-time paid gig, it did serve as a stepping stone to what would indeed be my first real horror job.

Horror Freak News was also a member of the Crypt TV network of websites. They had an enviable following, owing to the fact that it had been launched as BestHorrorMovies.com back in the long-long ago when all of the best domain names were still up for grabs. The owners identified me as a rising personae on the scene, agreed that I had an above average aptitude for producing great written content, and brought me aboard, first as a contributor and, eventually, as Managing Editor. And it was at Horror Freak News that I built my reputation as a recognizable (if not always lauded) name in the industry.

By the time Horror Freak News imploded and was forced into a brief hiatus (through absolutely no fault of mine, I promise!) I was poised to earn a subsistence living by working as a paid freelancer. It was during this period that I officially left my current day-job, never looking back.

While my first interview with Dread Central wouldn’t be published until 2018, I’d been making brief appearances on the lauded site since 2016. My first article was a list of the best Bigfoot movies of the 21 st Century. It was written in a heavy California vernacular, giving it a sense of geography and injecting some humor. And, for a while, I had a bi-monthly column at Dread called Want to See Something Really Scary? Obviously a shout-out to the intro of The Twilight Zone Movie, my column explored the darkest, weirdest corners of YouTube, exposing something shocking, bizarre, and sometimes grotesque.

It was actually a misunderstanding on Twitter that put me into contact with Jonathan Barkan who, as Dread Central’s Managing Editor, was the right-hand man of Steve Barton (aka Uncle Creepy). And it was Jonathan who promoted me from occasional contributor pitching ideas from time to time, to a bona fide Staff Writer. At weekly meetings, I was introduced to the other key writers, including the illustrious Uncle Creepy himself. And though my time actually working with Steve was somewhat brief, he left a huge impression on me. Even when he split from Dread Central, he always made himself available to me as a consummate mentor. I still consider him a friend to this day (and certainly hope he feels the same).

Me and Uncle Creepy himself, Steve Barton.

When Steve left, Jonathan became Editor-in-Chief and I became his right-hand man, (Managing Editor). And I realized that I was now living my dream. I was making enough money to live on working exclusively for Dread Central, so they became my exclusive focus. Not only did I become the primary reporter of daily news, I was first in line for interviews, screenings, and set visits. I had made it: I was a professional horror journalist. I was no longer simply Josh Millican, I was Josh from Dread Central.

When Jonathan Barkan resigned from Dread Central, I slid into a role I had previously never dreamed of obtaining: I became Editor-In-Chief. I had arrived at my apex. The line between who I was and what I did was completely obliterated. They say when you love your job you never work a day, and for me, this adage held true.

The entire world changed during my tenure at Dread Central, and I’m not being facetious or exaggerating. If you’re reading this book, then you know it’s true. I’ve watched horror go from the red-headed stepchild of the entertainment industry to one of the top dogs. I saw and welcomed an explosion of new voices on the scene. I saw horror being embraced like never before. I wrote throughout the #MeToo movement, through two Presidential regime changes. I wrote continuously through the pandemic, attempting to maintain a degree of normalcy during truly terrifying times. I wrote through the turbulent election of 2020 and the previously unimaginable events of January 6 th. And I’ve witnessed the emergence of more new technologies, ones that enhance how news is distributed and consumed.

The pandemic created a new digital world where anyone with a Zoom account could record their conversations on video. This drastically changed how outlets release interviews. Less common now are the long-form, deep-dive, written interviews assembled in this tome. Now, it’s video snippets designed to be consumed quickly, enhanced through hypnotic editing, and timed for fleeting attention spans. For these reasons, I’m exceptionally thrilled to have my work assembled here, physically, liberated from the computer screen. Even when the apocalypse arrives and the internet crashes forever, when an EMP fries everything with a circuit board, these interviews will have a chance to endure.

These interviews will not be lost, they will not evaporate into broken code. And, therefore, neither will I.

10 Years Behind the Mask

AN INTERVIEW WITH LESLIE VERNON ACTOR NATHAN BAESEL

Method: Phone

Reflections: My first interview from Dread Central! I had heard about a couple of 10 th Anniversary events for Behind the Mask, and since Nathan Baesel and I were already friendly on the convention circuit, it seemed like a natural tie-in. I pitched Steve Barton, Dread Central’s original Editor-in-Chief, an event recap/interview hybrid. He gave me the green light and, even though I was still living in Northern California at the time, I dipped down to L.A. on my own dime to be a part of it all.

Funny Story: I have a high-quality replica of Leslie Vernon’s mask, so for the film screening, I wore it with a pair of overalls and carried a rusty antique scythe I had scored on eBay. I didn’t even think about it at the time, but there was no way in Hell that Security was going to let me into a theater complex with what was, objectively, a dangerous weapon. I didn’t want to miss the show, so I went outside intending to trash the banned cosplay accessory.

But I was attending the event with one of my best friends, famous Los Angele poet Milo Martin, and he wouldn’t hear of it. He stashed the scythe behind his back, handle tucked into his pants and blade curved across his back, and we went back inside. And even though Security searched our bags and frisked us, Milo managed to make it inside with the offensive object. Obviously, we kept it out of sight for the remainder of the night.

The irony of interviewing Nathan Baesel for this pair of Behind the Mask 10 th Anniversary events is that he never actually made it out to Los Angeles. He had a family emergency. Still, it was a great event and, at the time of this interview, he genuinely intended to be a part of it.

Originally Published: January 3, 2018

If you live in the Los Angeles area, this weekend offers two unprecedented opportunities to meet and interact with the cast and creators of a legendary indie horror movie. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, directed by Scott Glosserman from a screenplay co-scribed by David Stieve, arrived in 2006 and quickly became a cult sensation. The film is notable for its meta presentation (creating an alternate reality where characters like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger actually exist) while deftly mixing found footage and traditional methods of cinematic storytelling.

If you haven’t experienced Behind the Mask for yourself, it’s available to stream on Shudder. [Behind the Mask is no longer on Shudder at the time of publication.]

Synopsis: Nice, normal-looking Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) has an obsession with movie-style slashers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. Leslie decides to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, and, ever the self-promoter, invites a documentary filmmaker (Angela Goethals) and her crew to follow him around as he constructs his own grisly legacy.

This Friday (January 5th), Behind the Mask fans can pick up the first issue of the 6-part prequel comic Before the Mask at Dark Delicacies in Burbank. The signing will be attended by Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals [Taylor Gentry in the film], David Stievve, and Scott Glosserman, along with illustrator Nathan Thomas Milliner. The event kicks off at 7 PM.

This Saturday (January 6th) promises to offer an event of epic proportions when Behind the Mask holds its 10th Anniversary screening at the LA Live Stadium 13. Everyone from the Dark Delicacies signing will be in attendance, along with cast members Ben Pace (Doug), Britain Spellings (Todd), Hart Turner (Shane), Bridgette Newton (Jamie) and Behind the Mask composer Gordy Haab.

The organizers have hinted that other celebrities will be in attendance, as well as a camera crew who’ll be shooting footage for a Behind the Mask 10th Anniversary DVD re-release scheduled for March.

Dread Central was lucky enough to sit down with Behind the Mask’s leading slasher, Nathan Baesel, who’s clearly excited for this weekend’s festivities. We discussed the film’s enduring legacy, unearthing some juicy bits of history along the way. And, of course, we just had to ask about the status of the long-gestating Spreemake.

Dread Central: We understand that Scott Glosserman, David Stieve, Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, Britain Spellings, Hart Turner, and Bridgett Newton will all be attending the screening on the 6th. Will this be the largest gathering of Behind the Mask alum since the wrap party? It’s kind of like your guys’ 10-year High School Reunion.

Nathan Baesel: It is and we’re such a stupid group that get-togethers of two are an event. This thing is going to go south real fast. The police will be called in at some point. At least once.

DC: When you were making this film, did you have any idea you guys were making a future cult classic?

NB: We all believed if we did our jobs competently then the cleverness of the story and quality of the script would take care of everything. In the end we mostly managed to execute both extremely well and, in some cases, delivered really exceptional moments. We’d hoped people would respond to the qualities in BTM we loved and I think I can speak for everyone in saying we’ve been so gratified in seeing that people did.

DC: What was it like for you working with horror icons like Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, and Zelda Rubenstein?

NB: Yeah, no pressure, right? I was really lucky in that they were all extremely gracious people with a fantastic work ethic and were dedicated to the idea of telling our unique story as well as possible. They were great collaborators which made working with them so inviting. Robert was so supportive of the work I was doing, which was incredibly affirming of the direction we were going with Leslie. It’s admittedly an unusual film but once I got his blessing, I committed even further to mining all the gems in it.

DC: I’ve seen you at a number of conventions in California over the past few years. Do you enjoy the convention experience and are you ever surprised by the level of fandom Behind the Mask has inspired?

NB: I never expect anyone to even recognize Behind the Mask let alone me and it never ceases to amaze me that people are happy to pay me money to sign my name on pictures of myself for them. That’s a concept I hope I never get used to the idea of.

DC: Of course, everyone wants to know about the sequel/prequel/remake/reboot. We’re excited to follow the further adventures of Leslie Vernon in comics, but when can we expect to see you guys in another feature film?

NB: Fortunately, I’m not in that department. That’s someone else’s headache to work out. All I have to do is show up and say words. But I will say, I like the idea of there being such a gap in time between the original and future sequel. Frankly, I think the more time between them the more fun ideas we’re playing with in the sequel will be highlighted.

DC: What was your most embarrassing moment on set? Give us the scoop on some Leslie Vernon bloopers!

NB: Every camera setup was an opportunity for fresh lunacy and it came in high frequency. We had a ridiculous amount of fun shooting the movie and I’m so glad that gets across to people who’ve really responded to Behind the Mask.

I like scented candles and I don’t care who knows it. I lit my hotel room on fire one night when my candle burned to its base and popped out of the holder from the heat, spreading flammable wax everywhere. I woke up to my dresser in flames. The hotel was surprisingly understanding. I was obviously not their first moron.

DC: How has your participation in Behind the Mask affected your life over the past 10 years?

NB: I’ve got unbreakable bonds with a group of people that I love, both folks from the film and around it. I’ve been able to support my family from it and leave behind something my children can appreciate when/if they’re interested in seeing what dad did at his creative best. I’ve got a legacy. I feel honored to have that.

Winchester

BEFORE THE MOVIE, SEE DREAD CENTRAL’S PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ACTUAL WINCHESTER MANSION

Method: Location Visit

Reflections: Working for Dread Central allowed me to take my career as a horror journalist into new arenas, specifically, paranormal investigations. In advance of Winchester’s release in 2018, I got the idea to record a video investigation at the actual historical site of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Thankfully, those curating the estate agreed and gave us unprecedented access, after hours, for what was a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I put together a team of friends, acquaintances, and strangers. I reunited with an old college buddy (Go, Banana Slugs!) who agreed to film it all. Nothing was off limits, and the experience exceeded all of my expectations—even as a paranormal skeptic. I’m really proud of the end result and I hope that, after reading this recap, you’ll seek it out on YouTube.

Originally Published: January 31, 2018

In just a few days Winchester, starring Helen Mirren arrives in theaters; the Oscar-winning actress plays an elusive heiress who spends the majority of her life surrounded by ghosts. One of the most intriguing aspects of the film (and a major hook) is that it’s based on a true story.

Sarah Winchester was heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune; she built a sprawling mansion in San Jose, California, that still stands today. Recently, Dread Central was given unprecedented access to what’s been called The House That Ghosts Built. Our goal: To determine if the estate deserves its reputation as one of the most haunted locations in America.

We assembled some of the country’s most prominent paranormal investigators and mediums who employed a variety of techniques, all in an effort to detect the supernatural forces long rumored to roam these halls. Most importantly, we were joined by historian Janan Boehme, an expert on the life of Sarah Winchester and the mansion, who was able to immediately validate some of the details provided by our mediums.

Our group consisted of