Interview with Aaron Hawkins, Evil Lurks

This November Aaron Hawkins' ominous and intense horror film "Evil Lurks" will be released.  The trailer (click on the link below) is already raking in awards.  Mr. Hawkins was kind enough to sit down with me and tolerate an interview.  The filmmaker from the Midwest seemed to be a kindred spirit...we both love hour horror horrific and lasting.  When "Evil Lurks" gets closer to its release date, I look forward to posting a review.  In the meantime enjoy this interview with a classy and wonderfully talented horror film maker. 

To view the award winning trailer for EVIL LURKS, click on this link Evil Lurks Trailer on YouTube

CJZ:  Ominous plot? Demon rape?  A coming evil event?  You have made a film that speaks to me (my deviant confession of the day). What films have inspired you over the years...not only branding you as a film maker but inspiring "Evil Lurks"?

AH:  The films that have inspired me over the years, The Exorcist, Chernobyl Diaries, The Nun, The Purge, The Serbian Film (I would not suggest watching this), as well as a video game called Fallout 4.  The reason I spoke of The Serbian Film is because it is dubbed the scariest film in the world and it is the most disturbing film to me.  I get inspired by many things in the world and I am always thinking how a scene would look in real time, at any location I am at.

CJZ:  Amanda Winston has a starring role, Kimberly, is viciously attacked and victimized.  By the end of the film she will undergo a transition from beset damsel/victim to a strong hero on a mission.  Can you talk to us about Miss Winston?

AH:  Amanda Winston (Kimberly) is such a dynamic actor.  I knew we had someone special with her. A little back story on how she was cast. One week before filming her scenes we had another actor cast for the role but she had to drop out at the last minute.  We put out a rush call and 48 hours later we cast Amanda for what is to be the most physical role in the movie.  The attack scene took us story-boarding, choreographing the scene along with numerous rehearsals. It took us well over eight hours to film this one scene.  She did an awesome job as Kimberly as you will see when the film is released.

CJZ:  The low budget for this film provided challenges, I'm sure.  It does not look like you toned down the plot because of that.  How did you meet the challenges of cash shortages in making "Evil Lurks"?

AH:  No!  We did not tone down anything in the making of this film.  At all! I wouldn't necessarily say we had any cash shortages but I will say we are, as a cast and crew very resourceful.  Everyone behind the camera knows how to run cameras, lighting, booms, set decorating...even cooking for the cast and crew!!! For scenes with blood, I made two versions of blood.  One edible (tasted like Girl Scout thin mint cookies) and one non-edible that washes out without staining. Even some of the cast knew how to run some equipment so if I was unable to run, let's say the sound equipment, another actor jumped in. This was really a team effort and at the end, we considered ourselves family.

CJZ:  A normal kid?  A military veteran from Illinois? Staying in Illinois, you became a horror film maker.  This is wonderful.  Can you talk about your upbringing, desire to go into horror films, and also staying home (Illinois) to make films?  Thank you so much for avoiding California...it's so cliché!

AH:  Well, my upbringing was somewhat "normal," that is to say...I am normal...LOL. My mom worked at the phone company until she retired at the age of 48. My dad (biological) owns his own tree-trimming business in West Virginia.  My Step-Dad worked for a GMC dealership in the area so I was always learning how to work on cars, since as a kid I grew up with him. I started my journey in the arts when I was in junior high school (at the age of 13). I would design stuff in art class and draw cartoons.  In high school I designed a house in architecture class so my move for the arts progressed from school and seeing movies and TV shows as a kid.

I did join the military about six months after high school graduation and had fun doing that...but the arts kept calling.  My desire to get into horror is relatively simple.  Horror films are the least expensive to make and have the highest return of investment of all the genres. Oh!  I love how they look and how they keep my mind moving. I hear that all the time that California is cliché and part of me buys into that mindset...but the reality is, as a film maker, you can make a film anywhere.  The cast of "Evil Lurks" is entirely made up from actors and crew entirely from Illinois.  

CJZ:  Getting a low budget indie film made and distributed can't be easy. In addition to a film maker, I'm sure you also have to be a salesman or a pitchman... or in some cases a broker to draw in money.  Do you enjoy that aspect of your role in making "Evil Lurks"?

AH:  Yes and no.  The 'yes' is I love to talk to people and when someone asks what I do, I tell them I am a film maker and actor.  They are immediately intrigued and start asking questions and it is 100% of the time leads them to watching the award winning trailer.  The 'no' aspect is dealing with the legal stuff like contracts.  Outside the actual filming, I would say the hardest part is indeed raising the funds to film.  Along with being the creator of this film I also am the Executive Producer, co-writer, Director, and I even had a cameo role. 

CJZ:  You know who they are.  Unlike you and me, some so-called horror people will be offended by Kimberly's plight and the ominous circumstances that beset her.  From watching the trailer I am guessing some taboo plot devices are also utilized. You will be criticized and the film will be termed "offensive" and "crossing the line."  Do you have a response for those critics?

AH:  To those critics who deem it "offensive" and "crossing the line," I challenge you to watch "Evil Lurks" again with an open mind to the sheer art of the movie and watch the symbolism in it.  After all, filming a movie is an art form and the actors within ANY movie or TV show are performing and engaging in that art form. I fully expect to have critics make comments about this film.  The Horror genre is not for everyone but the die hard horror fans I know will love this movie.

CJZ:  From a business point of view, how are you and "Evil Lurks" doing?  IMDB gives a release date of late November.  Are the financial backers coming aboard?  Are distributors and festivals talking with you?

AH:  Myself and "Evil Lurks" are doing good.  The release date on our IMDB page is rough.  We are hoping to release it in November.  We are in post currently so we are beyond financial backing.  I have a few festivals I will put the film in.  I also have a list of six distribution companies who have reached out to me wanting "Evil Lurks."  We had planned on attending AFM (American Film Market) the first week of November to pitch it to more distribution companies but AFM has moved to online only.  We are still deciding if it makes sense to do the virtual AFM, or not.

CJZ:  "Evil Lurks" come out in late 2021...then what?  This is an ominous and ambitious story.  Prequels?  Sequels?  An entirely different film?

AH:  I am currently writing a prequel to "Evil Lurks" as we speak.  In fact, I started on the writing in the middle of filming "Evil Lurks."  I am also writing another horror movie entitled "Doomsday," and I have two other writers working on this with me.  It's funny, my family keeps asking me when I will stop writing horror and write a comedy.  My response is, as soon as I am no longer on this earth is when to expect me to write a comedy!!!

Valentine, Typical Slasher Fare with Major League Babes and Hunks

Today's feature had obvious challenges when it hit the silver screen in 2001.  This slasher film came out well after the slasher era.  There was absolutely no demand for slasher films...except from weirdos like me.  Problem two:  Nothing new in the story.  Predictable twists and a telegraphed ending may have also served to doom its box office take.  Fear not...not all was bleak.  The babes and the hunks in this film were quite extraordinary.  Bikinis!  Hot tubs!  Big knives!  Axes!  Pre-marital sex!  Gore!  The aforementioned faults can be forgiven as all the right boxes were checked with emphatic red check marks.  Today we look at "Valentine," directed by Jamie Blanks.

The first kill will be the sultry med-student, Shelley (Katherine Heigl).  She'll be knifed while hiding in a body bag.  At her funeral we meet her sultry friends which include Kate ( Marley Shelton) and Paige (Denise Richards).  Uh oh...an ex-flame of Kate's shows up, Adam (David Boreanaz).  The recovering alcoholic tries to get Kate interested in him again.  The sultry former elementary school mates all begin receiving menacing Valentine cards.  Whoever gets the last card will be the next to die horribly.  Oh!  We meet the hunk boyfriends...all major league hunks.  They'll die horribly too.

One by one the babes and hunks die in bloody fashion.  A bow will fire three arrows into the lovely Lily (Jessie Cauffiel) at an art exhibit.  The sluts that they are, have planned a big party at babe Dorothy's (Jessica Capshaw) mansion.  All the gals desire to score big at the party and Denise Richards, Paige, will bring along a bikini.  The body count continues and a backstory rears its ugly head...you'll see.  Could a humiliated boy at a sixth grade dance have come back to butcher the babes who humiliated him?  Too easy?  The babes will look fine as they die horribly...the hunks will garner no sympathy as they promote the "all men are pigs" philosophy.  The party commences and you know who is there...or is he?

Will there be a final girl in this bloodbath of a slasher film?  Is Denise Richards too trashy to be considered a final girl?  How about the smooth talking Adam?  Is he too good to be a hero in this film?  Okay...yes...it is standard stuff...but for some great looking talent with wonderful bikini and evening gown action, this is a film you will want to see.  See "Valentine," and if nothing else, enjoy a wonderful hot tub demise.   

Nightmare Nurse, A Psycho Nurse

Remember the old soap "Passions" from 1999?  I think it ran until 2002.  You remember, the fat witch who had an ugly fat ventriloquist doll that came to life to reek havoc on some nubile beauties?  More importantly, Theresa (Lindsay Hartley) and Gwen (Natalie Zea)...two major league babes.  The entire soap seemed to hint at a nuclear cat-fight between these two beauties.  Fast forward to 2016 and the Lindsay Hartley film "Nightmare Nurse," directed by Craig Moss.  Ms. Hartley plays a sultry nurse who even makes scrubs look alluring.

Uh oh, lovers Brooke (Sarah Butler) and Lance (Steven Good) are in a major car wreck.  She recovers but he will need the care of a full time nurse...enter Chloe (Hartley).  As soon as she arrives Brooke wants to scratch her eyes out and rip out her hair...just like Gwen in the old soap. Brooke goes back to work and Chloe is left alone with the hunk Lance...who is totally useless (as all me are).  Chloe becomes attracted to Lance and uses erotic acupressure to make him hard.  Her scrubs get tighter and tighter and she even makes a pass at him.  Brooke will eventually get jealous and starts seeing hints that Chloe is unhinged.

Now Chloe decides to move in on Brooke's territory...I gotta say, I'm kind of pulling for her.  We find a bit about Chloe's past and she appears to be a psycho.  Uh oh, again...Chloe controls the meds and she feels she must have Lance and save him from the cold fish, Brooke.  Then things get crazy.  Lance's nurse at the hospital, Barb (Traci Lords) uncovers more truths about Chloe and now there is reason to believe both Brooke and Lance are in mortal danger.  All pretty standard, right?  Not so fast.  Surprises abound.

Will the cold fish Brooke learn a lesson from the sultry Chloe and glam herself up a bit for her man?  Will either Brooke or Chloe realize how useless Lance is and find someone that actually has earning power?  Is Chloe...actually...never mind...no spoilers here.  Lindsay Hartley is most alluring and watching her in this film is worth the price of admission.  So, if you never saw "Passions," find it and enjoy the ferocity between Natalie Zea and Ms. Hartley...until then, enjoy "Nightmare Nurse."  

Stay Out Stay Alive, Barbara Crampton not Humphrey Bogart

It is an exact duplicate of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre."  Okay...not an exact duplicate.  No Bogart...don't fret, Barbara Crampton is in this one.  Greed!!!  Gold!!!  The human condition!!!  Did I mention Barbara Crampton?  2019's "Stay Out Stay Alive," directed by Dean Yurke, is our feature today.  There will be monsters and ghosts but in this film, there may also be something a bit more lurking and ominous.

Amy (Christina July Kim) is an ecology grad student needing to do a final thesis...just like Bogart in the aforementioned film...wait...scratch that...never mind.  Her and three great looking buddies head into the wilderness for pre-marital sex, marijuana, hiking, and thesis research.  Amy's very lucky boyfriend is Kyle (William Romano). The gang will screw around more than research.  Also there is the fifth wheel... Donna (Sage Mears).  Donna recently broke up with her beau and isn't too likable.  The babe Bridget (Brie Mattson) and hunk Reese (Brandon Wardle) round out the cast.  Oh yeah...the quirky and hippie-like park ranger, Susanne (Crampton).  She'll try to warn the kids away from their camping destination.

The four babes and hunks reach their campsite and the couples engage in pre-marital sex.  Being the fifth wheel, Donna goes for a stroll in the dark and is chased by...something.  When Donna is found she has fallen into an abandoned gold mine.  Now her four buddies climb into the mine and we are introduced to their financial woes.  Now all see mucho dinero in their heads and begin mining the gold.  Uh oh...something else is in the mine.  The answer to what that is is chronicled in an old diary that spells out the adventures and demises of the miners who entered the mine 150 years ago.  Excruciating doom shows its ugly face and our new millionaire wannabes ignore it as the gold is so bountiful.  Death, destruction, dismemberment...and ghosts, curses, and mutilation...and annoying crows and locusts rear their ugly heads.  Suddenly, survival seems a remote possibility...but what is the real menace.

Greed can be a killer...even to the most beautiful among us and this film shows us this.  Will any of our four hunks or babes make it out alive with any gold?  Will Amy's thesis be able to survive her friends and the faculty review board?  How about the quirky park ranger, Susanna?  Will Donna really go through this film without any pre-marital sex?  The cast is terrific in this fast paced study of friendship and ambition going so wrong.  See "Stay Out Stay Alive" and re-evaluate going into business with your buddies.  

Getaway, Slasher on Film

Slasher fans are going to love this one.  We have it all.  The creepy being warning the hunks and babes not to go to the campsite...the creepy old caretaker telling them they shouldn't be there, an axe, a big knife...and hunks and babes that die after chases or during pre-marital sex.  Yes!!!  Oh yes, the kill count!  Not just four, five, or six...a massive kill count!  Today we look at 2020's "Getaway," directed by Blayne Weaver.

As our film begins, the sultry Professor Watts (Cherish McCormick) is gutted outside of her classroom...so it begins.  Now an army of college hunks and babes are headed into the wilderness so Abigail (Kristel Rachocki) and Tabitha (Abigail Haggerty) can film a horror movie for their final project.  Maddy (Emma Norville) is hesitantly invited along.  Emma hopes to act in the film but is slated to do props.  The babes and hunks begin dying immediately.  First to go is Noah (Joshua Cody), Maddy's ex-boyfriend.  He'll be bludgeoned to death.  The killer is masked in a burlap scarecrow mask.  Axes, knives, and attitude befell the good looking cast, many of them after heartbreaking chases.

 After sundown, a campfire and pre-marital sex won't save our cast...imagine that.  Suspects abound as to who this masked killer is.  Kayla (Danielle Carrozza), who stole Maddy's boyfriend, and Maddy's best friend Harlowe (Franschesca Contreras) will even engage in a nifty cat-fight.  As the babes and hunks lessen in number, Maddy and Kayla will even have to work together and save each other a time or two to survive.  Yep...twists will abound and some you may even figure out.  Still, the cast is great looking and they die well with much blood.  Enjoy the gore and impalements.

Is this film a thinly veiled metaphor for the absolute intellectual carnage inflicted on our college kids today at American universities?  Will there be a final girl and will Maddy and Kayla give us the pleasure of a cat-fight?  Should we feel bad about cheering for the gruesome demise of some of these hunks and babes?  Gory, ominous, and terrific acting, "Getaway" is a fantastic slasher film that is worthy of praise from fans of 1980s slasher fare, even though it was made within the past year.  See "Getaway," and escape back to the golden age of Slasher films.  

Angel's Flight, A Razor Wielding Stripper

The most vicious and erotic portrayal of a female serial killer is from a film you have never seen.  From an actress you have never heard of before, comes this steamy and vicious portrayal.  Today we look at 1965's "Angel's Flight," directed by Raymond Nassour and Kenneth W. Richardson.  This film noir/horror film, made before we called strippers...exotic dancers.  Indus Arthur, who died much too young, portrays the demented and imbalanced psychopath.  The beautiful blonde will wear seduction and homicide in every move she makes in this film.

Liz (Arthur) is making out with a man on a bench in the middle of the night.  She stops sucking face with him and slits his throat.  The sultry psycho runs from the scene and crashes into Ben (William Thourlby).  Ben?  He was a reporter, but now is a hopeless drunk.  The love of his life is gone and he has hit rock bottom...until he sees Liz' face.  Now he is in love.  When he sobers up, he won't think she is real...rather an angel.  No matter, Liz is real.  You'll meet her.  She paints haunting images in her flat and plies her exotic dancing trade at a seedy club every night.  Her M.O.?  She finds a perverted and fresh customer, goes off with him after her shift, makes out with him, and slits his throat.  The bodies begin accumulating.

Ben, having seen a vision of loveliness...Liz...begins sobering up.  His cop buddy, Pete (Warren Kemmerling), takes mercy on him and tries to help.  He allows Ben to tag along and write about the murders.  Uh oh...the cops are looking for a male.  Now Pete has an offer for the now sober Ben...help us out...be bait.  Ben is now tasked to be a pervert who hangs around in strip clubs...as all the victims were.  The cops will follow Ben and see who follows him out of the clubs.  Easy, right?  Nope!  Liz and Ben fall in love...but beware...she always has a hand on the razor in her pocket.  

Just who is Liz?  Why is she murdering perverts?  What does her artwork symbolize?  You'll find out and the answers are all horrific.  The seductive angel can turn into a malicious demon instantly, and Miss Arthur's exotic dance scenes are both alluring and desperate.  This is a fine film noir film...a fine police drama...and a fine horror film.  See "Angel's Flight" and be allured as a sultry murderess puts you under her spell. 

The Werewolf Versus The Vampire Woman, Euro-Babes Beset by Monsters

We love Euro-Trash.  We love Euro-Babes.  Sultry vampire babes, a hunk werewolf, and many Euro-babes in much distress come to us from Spain today.  Even better, Paul Naschy is the werewolf!  The great Spanish horror actor never fails to deliver an entertaining film.  Our feature today is 1971's "The Werewolf Versus The Vampire Woman," directed by Leon Klimovsky.

Okay, it happens, Waldemar (Naschy) wakes up during his autopsy.  See, the coroner took the two silver bullets out of his heart...bad move.  Now the werewolf lives again.  He shreds the autopsy crew, some villagers, and returns to his estate in France.  Enter two babes, Elvira (Gaby Fuchs) and Genevieve (Barbara Capell).  The two nubile babes are researching an 11th century witch/vamp, the Countess Wandesa (Patty Shepard).  They don't know Waldemar is a werewolf when they accept his invite to stay at his place after their car dies.  Both babes are hot for him.  Uh oh, while frolicking, Waldemar and Ganevieve unearth the Countess' tomb and accidentally bring her back to life.

Now, as Elvira and Waldemar fall in love, the Countess beckons Genevieve for some erotic necking and biting.  Now Genevieve is a vamp and she is lusting for her buddy, Elvira.  In what should have been a deal breaker, Waldemar confesses his werewolf-ism to Elvira who insists on sticking by him...fool!  Both Genevieve and the Countess prowl the estate grounds looking for babes, more specifically Elvira.  Waldemar is bent on protecting Elvira, as a fox is bent on protecting chickens.  Soon it is apparent that both Waldemar and Elvira will enter into mortal combat with the two vampire chicks.

Is Elvira ever going to get a clue and start dating someone with earning power?  Exactly who would win the fight between a vampire and a werewolf?  Who will ravage Elvira first, one of the vampire babes or the werewolf?  Erotic and vicious, this Spanish horror film is very satisfying in the monster and the babe department.  For a great Euro-good time, see "The Werewolf Versus The Vampire Woman."