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Bum Interviews:
The Joe Ostrica Interview | On my last trip to Cinema Wasteland, I had an opportunity to check out "The Horror Convention Massacre" from Old School Sinema. The director Joe Ostrica ran into us at the bar, we acted stupid, and some time later I asked him some questions about his flick, movies in general, and of course...bi-sexual drunk chicks.
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 | Scraps, Joe and Dixon at Cinema Wasteland
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Scraps: I loved THCM Joe, thanks! What was your motivation, or maybe, inspiration behind the movie?
Joe: Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate that. Well I’m a huge fan of horror films and all the sub-genres within horror. I’ve attended several horror conventions over the years and go to Cinema Wasteland (where our film takes place) on a regular basis.
I have a very active imagination and am constantly coming up with film plots, scenes, ideas, etc. and one day at Cinema Wasteland I saw someone walking around with disgusting, bloody makeup on. I thought to myself, ‘What if that wasn’t makeup and that person really was all messed up and bleeding to death?” Then I thought, ‘What if there was some crazed lunatic running around here killing people?’ That was the genesis of the plot and the film grew out of that.
Scraps: It’s hard to find a good gory horror flick full of T&A on the big screen anymore. Do you think the teenage market has changed in the past 20 years, or are big budget flicks toned down to reach the PG-13 criteria to get more butts in the seats?
Joe: I totally agree with you 100 percent and that is why I wanted “The Horror Convention Massacre” to be in the vein of the slasher exploitation flicks I grew up watching, you know the ones from the 70’s and early 80’s. When you watched a slasher film back then, you knew you were gonna get the goods when it came to gore and T & A.
Now when you watch a horror film, you’re lucky if it’s even rated R. I was so sick of these PG-13 teeny-bopper movies starring kids that should be modeling jeans, not acting, that showed nothing. Forget T & A, you’d be lucky to see someone die in one of these films. Even the R-rated ones didn’t push the envelope much, so out of that frustration as a horror fan, I wanted to take back the slasher genre and deliver the goods for the fans. I think we do that with this film.
Our opening scene is a prime example. You know you’re in good hands with this genre when the first four minutes features two young lovers, drugs, sex, nudity and murder. (laughs) | |  | |
Scraps: You had a killer soundtrack for the flick. Tell us a little about the artists behind the music. Was this something you had in mind going into the project?
Joe: Thank you, I totally agree the bands featured in our film kick ass. One thing I’m definitely proud of is the music I choose for my movies. My short comedy “GUYS” (see http://www.216films.com about this award-winning comedy) also had a great soundtrack and was basically all bands from NE Ohio. The same thing is true for “THCM.” It’s basically a bunch of bands from the Cleveland area, led by, of course, Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival.
I’ve known Eddie (Brother Ed) since his days at B-Ware Video in Lakewood (R.I.P. B-Ware, we miss ya!). I knew I wanted a band in this film and that we would kill them with their own instruments. They were one of the last to be casted in the film and it was suggested by my cameraman and co-producer Joseph Miller that we get Uncle Scratch. It turned out to be a great selection as these guys are brilliant in the film. They’re hilarious and just steal the film. Plus we feature about 5 of their songs and “Sin City” was something I always wanted from the get-go to kick off the opening credits of the film set to the convention scenes. After our killer opener, it gets the film off to a rocking start.
We also have some other great bands that are in the rockabilly, punk or surf punk genres like Lords of the Highway, The Marauders, Horror of ’59, The Alligators and The Punk Rods. The Cleveland music scene is definitely alive and well with bands like this.
Scraps: Your killer is a bit, um, unstable…but we don’t learn that much about him in the movie, other than he’s creative and has a sick sense of humor. What’s his story?
Joe: (Laughs) That might be a bit of an understatement. Yeah, he’s a genuine psychopath, and looks like it too, but at an environment like Cinema Wasteland, people might think he looks average or may just look that way for “show.” It wasn’t our intention to tell the viewers too much about him. I’m sick of those movies where the killer has to have a motive or reason and it’s all wrapped up like a nice package by the end of the film to spoon feed the viewers. What’s wrong with having a good old fashioned fucking maniac doing what whack jobs do best?
Now, if there is a back story to this guy, and a motive, maybe we’ll learn more in a sequel someday…people will not stop asking about a sequel, so we just may have to deliver it for them. We’ll see. | |  | |
Scraps: The tale is told from several points of view, and as I mentioned in the review, seems to be taking place outside our little window of time. What made you tell the story from this perspective?
Joe: Well it’s definitely an ensemble piece. The Aaron character (Bryan Jalovec) is the main character. He was important to have in the film because he’s likely to be the one person everyone can relate to. He’s got a shitty job and an asshole boss and he’s having the day from hell. We’ve all been there and a lot of the film’s humor comes from this poor sap’s expense.
I always wanted to have several main characters, because we do have a very high body count in this film. Another thing I can’t stand with some slasher films is there might be a group of two couples and they are being chased or stalked for the entire film. You know at the most then that you’re only going to get to see four kills. What the hell is that? A lot of dragged out scenes and slow pacing must follow. I wanted this film to move fast. If you’re not laughing or seeing some T & A, then someone is getting killed. There’s always something to engage the audience.
Scraps: What kinds of movies do you like to watch when you have a night to yourself?
Joe: Well, I’m not strictly just a horror guy, although I am a huge fan of the genre. My favorite filmmaker of all-time is probably Martin Scorsese. I also really love comedies, especially the teen sex comedy films of the early 80’s. I really love a lot of films from the 70’s, and for horror, that was a groundbreaking decade too. I love the works of John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, you know, the standards I guess. But one of my all-time favorite horror films is “Phantasm.” It’s not only creepy, but it just has a unique atmosphere with great mysterious and sci-fi elements. I love everything about that film. | |  | |
Scraps: I remember at the spring ’06 Cinema Wasteland show, the hotel power cut off Saturday night. Did this affect your filming?
Joe: It’s funny you ask that. We got very lucky. Although we calculated that we shot for about 44 hours in a 53 hour period that weekend, we were not affected by the blackout. We had just wrapped for the night about 10 minutes before the power went out. In fact, on our behind the scenes documentary on the DVD (order it for just $15 at http://www.oldschoolsinema.com ) you see our sound guy and co-producer Darrin McDonald coming back to the room and telling us what just happened with the blackout.
We had just finished shooting the scene where the models from the photo shoot (which is on the DVD cover) get slaughtered and the killer is enjoying the glory. It’s a truly disturbing scene that surprises audiences.
Scraps: Since the movie had so many hot scenes, which is hotter in your opinion – two lesbians making out, a three girl pillow fight, or a voyeuristic view of a girl getting ready for a bath?
Joe: (Laughs) Well thank you, I do think they are some hot scenes. I would have to disagree that those two girls are lesbians, though. When we first see them, they are complaining about their boyfriends having ditched them in the convention. If they were lesbians, men couldn’t get involved or even fantasize properly about getting involved as they would have no use for a man. They are bi-sexual, which makes it even hotter. So they go get drunk and party in their hotel room and one thing leads to another.
Three girl pillow fights are always fun. I kept thinking about “Animal House” every time we had half-naked or naked girls in a room and hitting one another with pillows (laughs).
And a voyeuristic view of a girl getting ready for a bath, including a fully nude shot (twice!) 80’s style is definitely hot. That was my Brian De Palma moment there and I’m very proud of the split screen techniques we used there. | |  | |
Scraps: I see your point about the lesbians, and I’ll have to agree, bi makes the scene even better! The morning after I saw THCM I had a splitting headache. What remedy do you recommend for a hangover?
Joe: Well if it was from beer, the best thing to do is crack open a bottle the next day, no matter how early it is, and drink another beer. It sounds like a joke, but it really works. And hopefully it’s a Sunday when you’re hungover, so you can continue to drink a few more and continue that great buzz you left behind when you passed out or went to sleep.
Scraps: We really appreciate your time today Joe, any final comments before we head out?
Joe: Thanks for this opportunity. We appreciate your support of independent filmmaking.
Be sure to get your copy of “The Horror Convention Massacre,” which has a lot of special features on our website at http://www.oldschoolsinema.com for just $15 (plus shipping). Also, come find us on My Space and tell us what you think about the film. We’re always looking for new friends and several of them end up working with us. Be sure to check out the Sinema Siren models on the site too. Everybody loves the Sirens.
And keep an eye out for us in 2007. We expect to produce 3-4movies a year. With all the great response we’re getting from “THCM,” you might just see us running around a horror convention shooting a sequel if the demand we’re getting continues. |
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Updated Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Written by Scraps |
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