Q – How did THE HALFWAY HOUSE come about?

A – It started out as a simple idea I had back in the 80’s of girls being fed to a tentacled creature in a basement. The original title was GUT-EATING MONSTERS FROM HELL, which pretty much says it all. When I decided to make a movie this year, I thought this concept would be fun to develop.

Q – Why did you change the title?

A – The project grew into something more complex with new levels, deserving of something more “legitimate." Besides, I already had a number of films with goofy names on my resume. I still love that title. It’s so wonderfully blatant but I don’t know if we would have gotten the same quality of actors for a movie called GUT-EATING MONSTERS FROM HELL.

Q - Was there a specific movie or director that influenced you on this project?

A - The work of Roger Corman, particularly his Poe/Lovecraft films from the 60's and his women's prison films from the 70's. After that, anything that was made before the term "politically correct" came into use. Originally, I envisioned the humor being much broader, along the lines of Russ Meyer and John Waters, whose work I admire. As I got into it more, I didn't want the comedy to overwhealm the horror elements so I took a more subtle satirical approach, like Joe Dante and John Sayles did with THE HOWLING, Dan O'Bannon with RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, and Stuart Gordon with RE-ANIMATOR - - some of my all-time favorite genre movies.

Q - Is that where the whole Catholic theme came in?

A - Yes, the Church was a natural target because of all the bad press it's gotten lately. I went to Catholic school for twelve years and was even an altar boy. I never encountered any of the stuff you hear about now. In fact, some of the best teachers I ever had were priests and nuns. Still, any institution that tries so hard to cover up its dirty little secrets is ripe for parody. Also, there's so much Gothic ritualism in the Church that makes for a good spooky atmosphere that creeps out Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Q - And what about the H. P. Lovecraft element in the film? Where did that come from?

A - I actually resisted that for a while, at least doing it as literally as I did. After all, this isn't supposed to be an adaptation of one of his stories. Then I realized the fact that the Necronomican has turned up in so many movies was funny in itself. What better way to make fun of religious extremism than to use the Hollywood-style Lovecraft mythos from pictures like THE DUNWICH HORROR and THE HAUNTED PALACE? You've got fanatics trying to bring into our world a race of beings that will wipe out all of humanity, including those who brought them in. How much more extreme can you get?

Q – It’s been a few years since you’ve written a movie and even longer since you’ve directed one. What brought you back to filmmaking?

A – I had gotten tired of playing the Hollywood game, especially when I had absolutely no control over the end product. The last script I had produced was so poorly distributed, people have to use lanterns to find it. It’s never even played cable! I had always planned to return to directing. The climate just seemed right, given the boom in independent production, which has been brought about by the advances in digital technology.

Q – Is that why you chose to shoot the project in 24P digital video?

A - Absolutely. I’ve seen far too many people try to shoot on film with a tight budget, have no money left for anything else, and the product suffers because of it. If DV is good enough for guys like Danny Boyle (28 DAYS LATER) and Robert Rodriguez (ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO), it’s good enough for me. The success of a film is now based on its content, not the medium it was shot on. Of course, I was also extremely fortunate to have Tom Callaway, who is a brilliant director of photography. He lit everything like he would for film and got amazing results. He worked very hard and the effort paid off.

Q - How did you find your cast and crew?

A - Having lived in Hollywood for over twenty years was a big advantage. I managed to call in a lot of favors from friends, Tom being one of them. Nepotism was also a major factor, with members of both my family and my girlfriend's family taking on key roles. Unlike some other productions, they all actually had the ability to do the job. Other people found out about the project and flocked to it. Ed Polgardy had extensive credits in television but was looking to do a dramatic feature, so he approached me to produce. Janet Tracy Keijser, Stephanie Leighs, and Athena Demos were recommended by other director friends.

Q - So, did Mary Woronov find you?

A - No, I approached her. Various actors had been mentioned for Sister Cecelia, though I had Mary in mind when I wrote the part. We got her the script and she understood what I was going for immediately. My producers and I met her for lunch at Musso and Frank's, a Hollywood landmark. She showed up wearing a big, floppy hat and sunglasses, looking every bit the movie star. It was classic! We had steak and martinis and got along famously. Now that we're done, we've remained friends and I can't imagine anyone else in that role.

Q - What kind of audience are you trying to reach with THE HALFWAY HOUSE?

A - Well, it's a humorous commentary about the dangers of allowing certain things to get out of hand under the guise of religious freedom, which is very timely, I think. Also, while this film revels in its exploitive roots, it has a strong pro-women theme. Female sexuality is probably the strongest force on earth. It's what drives most men to succeed in society. It's the basis of the whole economy. Our hero is female and so is our villain. Most of the male characters are controlled and manipulated by them, which ultimately leads to their demise. Before it starts sounding too pretentious, let me assure you THE HALFWAY HOUSE is, first and foremost, a no-holds-barred horror film with enough monsters, gore, and gratuitous nudity to satisfy the most hardcore fan. At least, I sure hope it does since I happen to be one of those fans!