The year 2006 is about to come to a close, and so closes another year in the chapter of horror.

I feel this was a rebound year, whereas the studios continued to dust off movies of old and gloss them up in super glossy, assembly line factory issued remakes that continue to mind bogglingly make money at the box office (with the exception of Aja's HILLS HAVE EYES remake, which I really enjoyed). Leatherface, uh, I mean Thomas Hewitt, returned to the beginning of the end in October. Jigsaw's trilogy of torture was complete, but was renewed for yet another installment next year. Two of the better films (SLITHER and FEAST) were virtually ignored at the box office. And let's not forget HOSTEL, which good or bad was one of the most talked about flicks of the year.

While things are slowly peddling backwards for the studios, some independent horror films truly shined. At the top of my list for independent horror films that I've seen this year is SATAN'S PLAYGROUND, Dante Tomaselli's third feature film about a family whose trip to the Pine Barrens section of New Jersey results in a frightening encounter with a deranged family who may or not be related to the mythic "Jersey devil." The film stars genre veterans Felissa Rose (SLEEPAWAY CAMP), Ellen Sandweiss (EVIL DEAD), Ron Milkie (FRIDAY THE 13TH), and Edwin Neal (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) alongside Tomaselli veterans Danny Lopes, Raine Brown, Irma St. Paul, and Christine Sanford.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with two of the stars of SATAN'S PLAYGROUND, Felissa Rose and Danny Lopes, as well as writer/director Dante Tomaselli himself, about the making of the film, the state of horror in general, and future collaborations.

So, without further ado, a visit to SATAN'S PLAYGROUND:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Danny Lopes

Congratulations on the release of "Satan's Playground." Was the role of Sean written specifically for you?
 
Thank You. Seeing it on the shelves at Blockbuster is amazing. I think Dante had me in mind during the writing of the script. Sean is said to be the outcome of what my previous characters went through. In Desecration I was a young loner, in Horror I turned into a socio-path drug deranged murderer. Dante felt it was a natural transformation.

 

I thought you did a great job as Sean in the film. What preparation did you do for the character of Sean, being he was autistic, for "Satan's Playground?" 
 
I kept to myself and really harnessed a deep sadness inside. It was actually very easy to jump into the role.

I read in an interview on your website that the only difference between DESECRATION and HORROR was the increased maturity from project to project. With that said, how would you compare working on SATAN'S PLAYGROUND to Dante's earlier features?
 
The well oiled machine just keep getting better. Dante loves an ensemble crew and cast. The more we all work together the tighter the projects get. The intensity was still there, like our earlier projects we had to cram so many shots in so little time. I believe we shot Satan's Playground in 22 days!

How was working with Felissa Rose and Ellen Sandweiss as your mother and aunt respectively?
 
I love those women. They are both so sexy and so talented. We are all so close. On set everyone was focused, when we went back to the holding area or the hotel rooms, the laughter and fun never stopped.  I hope I work with them again really soon. All of us keep in touch.

How is "The Ocean" coming along? I understand you play Felissa's son again?
 
Yes, I play Gus. Fans will be in for a great death scene. Shooting should start sometime early next year.

What is the best part about working on a Dante Tomaselli film?
 
Working with Tomaselli... He is such an innovative person with an amazing soul and vision. I want to work with him for the rest of my career.

Any thoughts on independent horror in general?
 
I think it is about to explode. I have heard of some A-list celebs wanting to experience the scene. They should. I don't think the genre gets the respect it deserves. There is so much you can do with horror, and it should be done at it's root, not with the Hollywood gloss. I like seeing horror films stripped down and raw.

What does the future hold for Danny Lopes?
 
A lot of surprises and many more films! In the years to come I will brand my name and venture off into producing and other entrepreneurial endeavors. I just moved to LA, I want to have fun and enjoy myself. Meet great people and maybe take Lindsay Lohan out for dinner.

Thanks Danny for taking the time to do this, it is much appreciated.
 
Thank You. Enjoy the new year and God Bless.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Felissa Rose
 

How did you meet Dante and what are your thoughts of him as a filmmaker?

He's amazing and is such a visionary. We met from an ad he put out about horror and he was kind enough to put me in the role as the art therapist. 

What aspect of the script led you to accept the role of Donna?

Every aspect. I love the story, the two sisters and I knew we'd really do a lot of character work, it was a dream working with him.

What was it like working with Danny Lopes and Ellen Sandweiss as your son and sister respectively in SATAN'S PLAYGROUND?

A lot of fun. We spent many days in the station wagon laughing our asses off. They're so talented and great friends.

You've also worked on HORROR in a cameo. What would you say were the differences, if any, on the set of HORROR as opposed to SATAN'S PLAYGROUND?

I was only on horror for a day, but the atmosphere was the same because Dante creates a real family with crew and cast.

You spend a great deal of the film in a state of torment and terror. As an actress, what did you do to prepare for the mental and physical challenges of this role?

I had just gone through some tragedy in my life so I used it to get through the emotional scenes. The physical scenes were tough but so rewarding in the end. Everyday was a blessing on that set so I could never complain.

I see you are going to be working with Dante again on THE OCEAN, which I've heard a lot about. Is there anything you can say about your role in this film?

At this time I don't know a lot but it will be thrilling and quite a journey to work in water!

What are your thoughts about the current state of independent horror?

I think it's great.  People are able to get films made on shoestring budgets and there's an audience for it.  Even though some of the mainstream stuff is too Hollywood for me it makes people aware of horror.  It's always good to get some spotlight on the genre so the smaller films can shine as well.

What does the future hold for Felissa Rose?

More horror films, family and lots of fun.

Thanks so much for the time and agreeing to do this.

Thank you!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Dante Tomaselli

What was your earliest recollection of the horror genre and what was your biggest inspiration into making films?

I was obsessed with the idea of creating horror movies since I was about 3-years-old. 1973. The same year the Exorcist and Don't Look Now came out. My mother would take me to the Drive-ins and I saw everything. I could go on and on...many 70s horror gems like The Omen, Carrie and The Sentinel. The whole Drive-in experience was pure joy for me; it's a shame the younger generation have absolutely no idea what it was like. For horror buffs it was heaven. So many great horror flicks, nonstop, one after another. In 1976, when I was 6, my cousin directed Communion (aka Alice, Sweet Alice). That film proved to me that there's something in my family blood, it's just a natural thing for me...my love of the macabre and my desire to create horror movies. I don't question it. It's just an instinct that is extremely powerful. I'm a slave to these urges. Really though, my horror films are all about me replicating my childhood nightmares. I had many many vivid nightmares that left me completely devastated and confused about what was real and what was fantasy.


SATAN'S PLAYGROUND deals with the mythology of the Jersey Devil. Being a NJ native, was this a story that interested you throughout your life?

Yes. The Jersey Devil mythology always fascinated me. The idea that a demon was lurking in those woods somewhere out there really spooked me. The Pine Barrens woods are very maze-like and whimsical, like a child's storybook. Growing up, I used to spend my summers at the Jersey shore, right near those scary woods. To cross into that forest was like entering a mystical netherworld. That's why the name Satan's Playground fits. It's a place, a location, where the devil has fun.
 


This is your second collaboration with Felissa Rose. How did you meet Felissa and what is it like working with her?

Back in 2000, Felissa sent me her headshot to audition for a role in HORROR. Incredible. I was completely blown away getting a letter from her, because she was at the forefront of my mind. I loved her performance in Sleepaway Camp so much. When we met we just fell in love with each other. Working with Felissa on a film is pure happiness. I wish I could do it every day. It's a natural high. We had the time of our lives working on Satan's Playground, even though it was brutally cold.


One scene that stays with me is when Sean is sinking in the quicksand, because it was unexpected and just a horrible death to see. You've worked with Danny Lopes on all of your films, and how is it working with him from project to project?

Oh Danny's great. He's very loyal, kind of like my little apprentice. Since he was 15-years-old, he's watched me create three low budget films and now he actually wants to get involved in the producing side. Whether that happens or not, for sure we'll be working together on future films. Yeah, for that quicksand sequence Danny went completely under the earth. These days, you'd see something like that done with CGI, but I wanted it to be totally realistic. The idea of quicksand has always frightened me and I'll definitely explore it more in other films. I like the idea that something strikes you that you have absolutely no control over. That's life. You never really know what is going to happen next.
 


What made you decide to primarily shoot the Jersey Devil from its point of view?

Well, obviously that was a controversial decision. I've read reviews where they really wanted to see the monster and felt gypped in that regard...and there are many other reviews proclaiming the opposite, applauding the idea that it's an unseen force. So, I just went with my gut. Personally, I just thought it would be stupid to have some guy in a suit or some kind of cheesy CGI effect. I mean, really, haven't we all seen enough movies like that? As the tagline for THE FOG says, "what you can't see won't hurt you, it'll kill you."


What would you say the experience in making SATAN'S PLAYGROUND is compared to your first two features, DESECRATION and HORROR?

Well, every one of my movies has been rough to create with such low budgets...and all have been shot during the coldest winter months imaginable. The budget on Desecration was $150,000, Horror was $250,000 and Satan's Playground was $500,000. With each film I learn more and hopefully improve. I find it interesting that horror fans seem to take such extreme sides with my movies. Some are diehard Desecration fanatics. While others despise that film. Same thing with HORROR, there are those who love it...and loathe it. Satan's Playground has definitely been my most successful effort in terms of bringing my work to a larger audience. It's even being sold at Wal-Mart (laughs). That in itself is a feat. Finally, with my next film, my fourth feature, I should have a relatively normal low budget, somewhere around 1.3 million. That will be a big step up and I've definitely paid my dues at this point.


How is THE OCEAN coming along?

I just need to secure all the funding and I'm ready to go. We have a great cast, creepy locations, a strong story with an emotional hook. Susan Parsons is producing it. The film will star Margot Kidder (Amityville Horror) as a medium haunted by visions of the apocalypse. She travels to Puerto Rico to be with her estranged family. It's about God's wrath, his punishment for our sins. There's a mysterious Ebola-like virus spreading along the coast, so in some ways, THE OCEAN is my zombie splatter horror movie. Everyone who reads the script (co-written by Fangoria's Michael Gingold) says it has an Italian horror Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci feel. That's good. I'm embracing that notion for the first time. I'm Italian American, maybe there's just something in the blood, because these images and themes are completely organic. I have big plans for THE OCEAN, a film about water dominating the earth. All my budgets have been poverty-row and I always shoot on film. I'm very anti-video. These other guys I get lumped together with a lot, Rob Zombie. Eli Roth...you have to consider that all their films have had budgets over 1 million. Against all odds, I've carved a reputation for myself for my experimental low budget movies, but I do feel it's time to break out.


Is there anything you can say about SALEM, to which you've posted a teaser poster on your Myspace page?

That poster should give you an idea...but I really don't want to say anything about SALEM yet. It's looming. I'm interested in locations, areas, that reverberate evil.
 


Christopher Garetano is currently developing a documentary on you entitled "The Horror Of Dante Tomaselli." How did you meet Chris and what brought on the idea for this project?

I actually met Chris when I was going to School of Visual Arts in the 90s. We met on the streets right outside an art store and it was a brief exchange. I'm pretty sure I complimented him on a horror shirt he was wearing. I gave him one of my weird haunted house business cards. There was just something about his aura. I saw multicolored streaks in the atmosphere. Little did I know that years later we would reconnect. He started a genre magazine called Are You Going? and eventually he did a cover story on me called The Horror of Dante Tomaselli. We became fast friends and during one of our phone conversations I told him that some filmmakers and distributors wanted to do a little documentary about my me and my films. I didn't trust these other entities and I didn't want to create something myself, that would be like propaganda, so we discussed the idea of Chris directing a film. He had his own ideas, which I loved. Chris is one of the best new low budget filmmakers out there. What really convinced me that he'd be perfect for this was his movie, HORROR BUSINESS, a poignant documentary on the struggles of low budget filmmaking.


Where do you see horror in five years?

Independent horror directors will completely take over the scene. I think we're all fed up with the glossy, dumb Hollywood shit being shoved down our throats. Those films are made by committees. There's no singular vision. Independent horror all the way.

Thanks for your time Dante, much appreciated.

Peace.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

I'd like to express my very special thanks to Dante, Felissa, and Danny for allowing the time.

SATAN'S PLAYGROUND is available from Anchor Bay Entertainment at your local retailer and at http://www.amazon.com/Satans-Playground-Felissa-Rose/dp/B000FUTV28/sr=8-1/qid=1166404080/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1023406-2946506?ie=UTF8&s=dvd by clicking on the link.

For more information on Danny Lopes, visit his website at http://www.dannylopes.com/ or at his official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/dannylopes

For more information on Felissa Rose, visit her website at http://www.felissa-rose.com/

For more information on Dante Tomaselli, visit his official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/horrorthemovie

And finally, The Colonel would like to wish everyone a very happy, safe, and healthy holiday into 2007 and beyond!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
 

COLONEL'S CRYPT CHILLER THEATRE REPORT