If you don't know who Keith Boron is, you will soon enough. Keith was the assistant director for the zombie flick DEAD LIFE and now he is directing his first feature film, MURDER IS LIKE SEX. I have known Keith for a while now after talking to him online plus finally getting to meet him last year at Twisted Nightmare Weekend. I had the greatest opportunity to interview this great person, so please check it out.
Kristy Langford: What are your favorite horror films?
Keith Boron: Too many to list, but a few are BLOODLETTING, THE EXORCIST, HALLOWEEN, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and the two (so far) Romero sequels to it, RE-ANIMATOR, SUSPIRIA, and THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974). I also would include movies like BULLY and IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, which most people don't consider horror films. I do consider them horror, because there are monsters in them. The monsters aren't supernatural, they are people that you could easily run into in everyday life.
KL: When you are not too busy, what do you like to do in your spare time?
KB: I like to do online things like looking at web sites, and participating in message boards, I.M. and chat sessions, assuming that I am at least somewhat familiar with the people involved. Also, I like listening to music and watching movies on my home theater system.
KL: How did you first meet Bill Schotten? What was it like working with him on DEAD LIFE?
KB: I've known Bill for a long time. I went to see the band that he played drums for, Mr. Know It All, numerous times. That is also how I got to know the producer of DEAD LIFE, J.J. Zetts, cause he was the guitarist/vocalist of the band.
I first got involved with DEAD LIFE when Bill and I were talking about zombie movies at church(!) He invited me to a meeting with some of the people that were going to be involved in the production. After the meeting, he called me and asked me if I wanted to be the assistant director. I had no moviemaking experience, but I said yes, and it turned out to be a very informative experience and fun as well. I'm got to hand it to him for sticking with me, because I was going through a bad time with my Parkinson's disease, and there were times when I couldn't do much besides watch the shooting session.
KL: Any new projects that you will be working on alongside Bill Schotten?
KB: Well, if Bill wants me back, and my health cooperates, I will be working on the new Schotten Filmworks project, HIDE N' SEEK, which starts shooting this fall. Details at www.schottenfilmworks.com.
KL: What made you decide that you wanted to try your hand at directing?
KB: A couple of things. First, there were my jobs as assistant director on DEAD LIFE and NECROTROPIC, a short that Schotten Filmworks did. I got to see firsthand what was required to complete a project. Bill and J.J. are really dedicated individuals and it was inspiring to work with them. Second, during the D.L. shoot, I saw a movie by another Ohio director, Wayne Harold, called TOWNIES. I was amazed that it only cost $300 to make, yet it was a very competent and entertaining movie. I'm a member of B-Independent.com and Wayne is too, so I posted how much that I liked his movie and that I was thinking of directing my own movie from a script that I was writing. I told him that I was hesitant because I had very little experience directing by myself. He posted back and said that my best bet was to throw caution to the wind and just do it. He also said that I would make some mistakes, but I would learn from them and could use the knowledge in future productions. So, I took his advice. And, I should mention, the tips for beginners in the production section of B-Independent.com, by Tim Ritter and Scott Spears, were very helpful in getting me started.
KL: What can you tell me about MURDER IS LIKE SEX?
KB: It's my first movie as a director. It's being shot on a Panasonic AG-DVX100A by my friend Mike, who is a camerman for a local television station. Also, I have another person that works for that station, Ken, who is handling lighting and sound. And I have an assistant director, Jayson, who is also the main character in the movie. At this point, I don't have a website for it, although I am looking into doing that soon. I'm not exactly sure when it will be done, as we still have a lot of shooting to do, and then postproduction. I would like to have at least a rough cut for the Twisted Nightmare Convention this year, if possible.
The story concerns a guy who has had bad luck in relationships with women. He thinks his situation is about to change when he starts up a relationship with his best friend's cousin. But then one of his former enemies from high school winds up brutally murdered, and the police think that he did it. He tries to find out more about the murder, and what he finds shocks him. He has to make decisions on how to deal with what he has found out, without getting convicted by the police or losing his new girlfriend.
Incidentally, the title comes from something Dario Argento said in an interview. He compared the death scenes in his movies to sex. You've got foreplay, which is the killer terrorizing the victim, then the act , which is the actual murder, and finally orgasm, which correlates to death. He also said he prefers to see attractive people as victims.
KL: Is there anybody that you would like to work with in the future?
KB: I would like to work with some more of the people that I have met on the movie message boards that I frequent. If I ever get in a good financial position to do that, I'm going to.
KL: What would you say is the biggest goal in your life?
KB: Probably to make some kind of impact on people, so that I am remembered by them, even if it's only a few people.
KL: In your opinion, what do you think of all the remakes that Hollywood is dishing out?
KB: I generally don't care too much for remakes, unless they take an original approach to the material, like the remakes of THE THING and THE FLY. Otherwise, I don't see any other point in it besides cashing in on the name. I thought the remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD was O.K., for instance, but it didn't have anywhere near the impact on me that the original did.
KL: Is there anything about Keith Boron that no one else knows about?
KB: Yes, and there's a reason for that (laughs).
KL: Before we end this interview, any last words that you wanna say to everyone that will be reading this?
KB: If you're into zombie movies, check out DEAD LIFE at www.schottenfilmworks.com, you won't be disappointed. And when we finish MURDER IS LIKE SEX, hopefully later this year, Kristy will be the first person outside of the crew and actors to know! And, if you've read this far, thank you for doing so!
KL: I really wanna thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. You are awesome!
KB: Thank YOU for taking the time to do this interview with me. I am honored that you considered me worthy as a interview subject.
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