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Can you tell us abit about yourself J.R for those who don't know who you are?
Let’s see…I started on my first feature film, THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, in 1985 after years of making Super-8mm
short films. I followed it up with a trio of 16mm features in 1989-1990 and then some video features in 1991-
1992. After being dissatisfied with making films for another company, I made OZONE and launched my own
company, Tempe Video, to distribute it and films made from other low-budget producers. I moved to Los
Angeles in 1997 and soon got involved with Full Moon Pictures, producing 13 features for them in less than 3
years while founding Tempe DVD.
When did you first realise that you wanted to become a film maker?
As a kid, I used to make little photocopied fanzines for my friends and family, but I didn’t actually think about
making movies until the fall of 1978 when one of my school buddies and I started making stop-motion
animation shorts using STAR WARS action figures. STAR WARS was probably the film that changed my life and
made me interested in doing it, but DAWN OF THE DEAD was the one that made me want to make horror
movies.
What was your first movie called, and can you tell us abit about it?
THE DEAD NEXT DOOR was my first feature-length film…I started on it in 1985, most of it was shot in 1986
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and we finished it in early 1989. It’s about a virus that causes the dead to come back to life and the government has formed an elite unit called
The Zombie Squad to combat the problem. When the soldiers head to Ohio to find a cure for the virus, they are confronted with a crazed religious
cult hell-bent on keeping the dead alive and well.
Did you have any problems while shooting The Dead Next Door , If so what happened?
Oh, you better believe it! (laughs) Especially for as long as the whole production dragged out! I had to replace most of the original cast because we couldn’
t start shooting before the winter of 1985, and by the time spring came, most of them had moved on to other things. Same with a lot of the crew.
Working in the Super-8mm format had its own problems…almost all of the first 2 weeks of shooting was way underexposed due to a camera malfunction,
so we had to shut down, fix the problem and then reshoot and continue. There were too many problems to list them all! (laughs)
Though it took Four years to shoot The Dead Next Door, do you have any regrets while or even after you shot this movie?
Part of the great thing of making this movie at such a young age was not knowing when to quit. It just never occurred to me! And that spirit was
infectious among most of the cast and crew. Whenever some challenge or roadblock came our way, we just dug in our heels and forged ahead, come hell
or high water! Looking back on it, I admire that spirit, because I certainly don’t have the energy or patience for it now that I just turned 40 years old.
(laughs) But no, I try not to have regrets about anything I’ve done, and THE DEAD NEXT DOOR is no exception. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Within those four years did you have any problems with your film or cast?
I think I answered most of this a few questions back, but really most of the people involved were behind what I was doing, and I certainly couldn’t have
done it without them. Of course there were a few folks who flaked out or got cranky as time went on…at the time I made some enemies because I didn’t
have patience for their whining, but looking back on it now, it’s a miracle that anyone saw it through that production! (laughs)
What films inspired you the most to create The Dead Next Door?
The Romero zombie flicks, of course…as I was writing DND, both RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD were hitting theatres, so it was an
exciting time to be doing it. But I think more than being inspired by movies, I was inspired by a lot of things in my life…fascination with religious cults,
having grown up during the Jim Jones Guyana tragedy. AIDS was just coming into the public awareness, and the idea of a virus that had no cure
appealed to me. My father has been a police officer as long as I can remember, so the Zombie Squad came out of being around that. And during college I
drove back and forth from Akron, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so the scenery inspired me to set the movie where I did.
How much roughly did it cost to make The Dead Next Door back then?
The best estimates were $125,000 by the time it was finished, which sounds like a lot of money today! But at the time, movies like THE EVIL DEAD cost
$500,000…so $125k was peanuts compared to that. I figure that half of that budget was wasted on mistakes, from not knowing what the hell we were
doing a lot of the time.
Exactly how much blood used on the set?
Honestly, I have no idea! There were a number of makeup FX people on that show and nobody was really keeping track. But it was probably a lot. (laughs)
Whats the wildest thing a fan has said or done to you?
Hmmm, I dunno. Even after 20+ years, to me it’s strange that anyone wants my autograph or even to meet me… I still think of myself as just a fan who
got the chance to make some of my own movies, I don’t really view myself as a celebrity.
Is there any other project films you have worked on that you enjoyed doing?
Oh, many! I have lost count of how many movies I’ve produced now. (laughs) But I’d say some highlights would be OZONE (1994), because it was my
chance to redeem myself after a lot of bad movies made in the wake of DND, and WITCHOUSE 2: BLOOD COVEN (2000) because I got to go to Romania
and work with an awesome cinematographer and finally make a movie on 35mm. It’s hard to pick favorites.
Was there any project films you hated working on?
The last film I directed, DEADLY STINGERS…I knew going in that it wasn’t a film I wanted to make, and the experience was not very pleasant. Producing
GROOM LAKE for director/co-star William Shatner…definitely the worst experience.
Lately we have been seeing a lot of remakes of 80's Horror films "Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn Of The Dead and by the looks of things
Evil Dead & Return Of The Living Dead". So you think we get to also see The Dead Next Door also falling into this trend in the near future?
I considered pursuing a remake a couple years ago, but I decided that fans have had enough of this crap pushed down their throats already. (laughs) I
come from the belief that you should only remake something that had a great idea but was poorly executed the first time around…a movie like BASKET
CASE springs to mind, it’s a guilty pleasure favorite of mine. There is certainly a lot of room for improvement with THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, so I guess that
it would also fall into that category, but it’s not something I am actively pursuing.
The underground film making scene has changed now days due to the Internet & digital technology such as DVDs & Camcorders un-like 20
years ago. Do you think this will help indie film makers and also yourself now days, allowing you do alot more with your films and reaching
a wider audience?
It’s funny, because I made my early movies using whatever tools I could afford, which often resulted in very low-brow results. I always hoped and
dreamed that the technology would catch up to what I wanted to do back then, and now that it has, I’m less interested than ever in taking advantage of
it! (laughs) The DV revolution has been great, and I think it’s always a good idea for people to make their own movies. The problem is, most people don’t
want to take the time to learn the mechanics of making movies, which results in a lot of really bad movies getting made.
It’s even affecting Hollywood, because there are more bad movies made now than ever before! So, it’s the best & worst thing, really. The technology hasn’
t really helped get a wider audience, because now that everyone is doing it, it just makes it that much harder to be seen amongst the crowd.
Is there any projects you are about to work on very soon, if so can you give us the scoop on what are they?
I’ve been really inactive the last few years, mostly overseeing my DVD business, re mastering the older flicks and releasing stuff from new film makers.
But I do have some ideas I’m working on, and I hope to shoot a new feature in 2007.
As a director/producer and writer, is there any other Independent film makers that grabs your attention in film making. If so who are they &
what are there films?
I’ve been continually impressed with Andy & Luke Campbell…I picked up their early flicks like MIDNIGHT SKATER and DEMON SUMMER, and will be
releasing their latest splatter flick THE RED SKULLS in 2007. They’re one of the few people who continue to grow & improve with each movie. Canadian
Brett Kelly also falls into that category… while I enjoyed his early work like THE FERAL MAN and THE BONESETTER, he’s gone light-years forward with his
new flick, MY DEAD GIRLFRIEND, and he just wrapped a remake of my 1991 movie KINGDOM OF THE VAMPIRE that also looks good. THE STINK OF
FLESH writer/director Scott Phillips also… I always knew he was a great writer, but when I saw THE STINK OF FLESH, I was just blown away that he was
an equally-good filmmaker.
You also own Tempe Entertainment which is the production and distribution company of your films. Do you find this is cuts into your film
making and writing time?
Yes, for sure…as I mentioned, the last few years I’ve mostly been babysitting the DVD distribution business, although that was also because I had
produced 13 movies in less than 3 years for Full Moon Pictures and was suffering creative burnout as a result. I find it very difficult to focus on writing
now, which is strange for me because I used to sit down and write volumes when I was younger! (laughs)
Do you have any advice or tips to aspiring film makers?
Mainly just to have some common sense when you make your movies…and to curb your ego! Especially today, it seems like the younger generation is
too quick to dismiss older films, they don’t have any respect or admiration for what came before them, like we did when I was young. All I can say to
those people is, trust me…no matter how good you think you are, the day will come when you get bad reviews or your movie doesn’t sell millions of
copies like you think it should. It’s a very humbling experience, so be prepared. (laughs)
Some horror fans love to know what guys like yourself watch on DVD from time to time. So what are J.R Bookwalter's Top 5 Horror Movies
of all time?
In no particular order, I’d have to go with DAWN OF THE DEAD, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE FOG and THE EVIL
DEAD. And of course, where applicable I mean the originals…I refuse to watch the remakes. (laughs)
Is there any actors you have worked in the past, that you will love to work with again in the near future?
I got to work with Andrew Prine on WITCHOUSE 2…I was always a big fan of the ‘70s flick GRIZZLY which he starred in, so that was a big thrill, and we
got along great. Of course, I have a stable of friends who I will always work with, like Brinke Stevens (WITCHOUSE 3: DEMON FIRE), Ariauna Albright
(POLYMORPH), James Black (OZONE) and many others.
What is the one thing you would like horror fans to think of, when they hear J.R Bookwalter?
Good question…I seem to mostly be known for the independent spirit I’ve put into these movies, rather than for the movies themselves…it’s
understandable to me, because I’m my own worst critic. (laughs) So I guess I’d like folks to watch my flicks and know that they’ll be entertained, even if
they’re not the best movies ever made.
And the last question for this interview, is there anything you would like to say before we end this interview to those who are reading this
interview?
Just a big thank you to the folks who have supported my work and especially those who have then introduced it to their friends and colleagues! I am
really hoping we have the chance to get more of our flicks available for you to see “down under,” so enjoy!
Thanks J.R for taking the time to do this interview here with us a DVD Resurrections it was a blast. I just like to also say, keep up the awesome
work mate and thanks for creating a indie zombie gore masterpiece such as "The Dead Next Door" and turning me personally on to indie horror. I
wish you the best of luck bro in future films and health, and keep the gore & horror flowing on DVD at www.tempevideo.com you are doing a
awesome job.
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