Exclusive: P.J. Starks Talks 13 SLAYS TILL XMAS and Upcoming Projects
P.J. Starks is one of the busiest filmmakers in the indie horror community. Not only does he already have a vast number of producing credits under his belt, but Starks is also adding an increasing number of directorial efforts to his impressive resume. The Volumes of Blood creator recently finished producing a Christmas-themed horror anthology film called 13 Slays Till Xmas, which is now available to order on Blu-ray from the Scream Team store. As well as helping to bring together all the separate filmmakers who contributed to the anthology, Starks himself also wrote and directed several of the featured segments, making 13 Slays Till Xmas essential viewing for any fans of his work. We also awarded the film a highly positive review last December, so it definitely comes with our seal of approval.
We discussed the process of creating 13 Slays Till Xmas with Starks in the following interview, and he also shared some details on a few other projects which he’s currently working on. Needless to say, horror fans are going to be thrilled to learn what Starks has in store, so read on to find out what we can expect to see from this highly talented filmmaker.
You served as producer on the Christmas-themed anthology film 13 Slays Till X-Mas. Can you talk about the process of recruiting filmmakers to be involved with the anthology and how it all came together?
I conceived 13 Slays sometime during production on Horror Stories but we weren’t looking at our next project yet, so it got shelved. Jump to nearly four years later we were struggling to get Devil’s Knight off the ground. Creatively I was in a low place and dying to make something. In August of 2019 I told my producing partner Eric we should dust off 13 Slays and see if we could get any traction. All of pre-production was done under the radar. I didn’t want to announce a new film until all the members were in play. By January of 2020 most all the filmmaker slots were filled with the first segments about to start shooting in February. Things changed in March with the Covid-19 shutdowns when production came to a standstill, but we persevered and by November 2020 had a fully finished and realized movie.
In terms of how the filmmakers were chosen, I had a wish list of talent I really wanted to collaborate with. I would just go down the list and reach out. The project was meant to be something fun and simple where they had most of the creative control over their segments, which seemed to resonate in the right way so most everyone said “yes”. We lost a couple of filmmakers due to the pandemic, however, I continued down the list with much success. We were able to work with some incredibly talented filmmakers that not only helped spawn a fun flick but also one of the most difficult yet satisfying projects I’ve ever produced. Now that the film is releasing the end of February thanks to Scream Team Releasing, we couldn’t be more excited for everyone to finally see it.
What inspired you to create a Christmas-themed horror anthology?
I’m obsessed with Halloween, but that season plays out in my home pretty much all year round. Occasionally you get the itch to change things up. I remembered how much fun it was doing the Christmas sequence in Horror Stories and thought bringing more of the red stuff to snow covered sets sounded like a blast and the right creative direction.
And could you also talk about the segments of 13 Slays Till X-Mas which you wrote and directed yourself?
13 Slays was a lot of things. It was a chance for me to work with some new filmmakers. It took me in a whole new atmospheric direction and was an excuse for me to get back in the director’s chair. I’m a fan of the whole process but there are aspects I fully enjoy more than others. Creating something on paper and seeing it brought to life is one of the more surreal moments of filmmaking. I get lazy and sometimes it takes me forever to finally write a script but once I start, I have a hard time stopping. For the new film I wrote three of the thirteen segments. The first is the wrap around segment called “Digging Up the Ghost”, which I also directed. I grew more than a few gray hairs during that production. Next is “A Christmas To Dismember”, about a sheriff who’s fighting for her life against an escaped serial murderer with a twist most won’t see coming. It was directed by Alex Clark who did an amazing job with my script and Sonya Delormier slayed it as the lead. I’ll literally cast her in everything I do moving forward. Lastly, I’ve always wanted to do something in a radio station, so I wrote the segment “Dead Air” which was sort of my modern take on the Scrooge character. The sequence was directed by indie Scream Queen Brittany Blanton who was so much fun to work with. It’s a fun sequence and so far, seems to have one of the more memorable twists in the film.
Another film you’re currently executive producing is the monster anthology Cryptids. Will this be a throwback to old school monster movies?
Absolutely. They don’t make enough monster flicks and the good ones are few and far in between. Creature features are a personal favorite sub-genre of mine, so being part of Cryptids has been a great experience. All the monsters have been done practically. They’re all badass looking too. If you miss the days of guys in rubber suits or tangible on-screen beasts then you’re gonna love this film, it’s tailor made for that audience. Plus, you get the added bonus of Joe Bob Briggs in a starring role. Getting to be on set last year for the wrap around sequence was very cool. Zane (Hershberger) and Justin (Seaman) surprised me because I had no idea Joe Bob was going to be there. Getting to work alongside him, hang out on set with and even have dinner with Joe Bob is probably one of the highlights of my movie career thus far. Unfortunately, I owe it all to those two doofuses.
And you’re also executive producing and serving as a writer on 10/31 Part 3. What can fans expect from this installment?
After doing something with a Christmas theme it’s nice to be back in my wheelhouse working on something related to Halloween. Rocky Gray, who created the franchise, and I were talking at the tail end of 2020 and he asked me if I would be interested in pitching some ideas for the wrap around. I worked on the first film and after taking a break from the sequel I was ready to rejoin the 10/31 fun again. I pitched him a few concepts, one of which he really liked. I wrote the script and so far, the few crew that have had a chance to read the script have enjoyed it. I can’t say too much about what we have in store, but I think fans of these films are going to love the new direction. The filmmakers are already locked in and they’re all very talented and capable genre filmmakers. It’s going to be a great new addition to the growing indie horror portmanteau. I’m excited to see the script I wrote come to life in the new installment. It’s a little bit of the old with a gruesome new take.
How does it feel to have helped create so many horror films and to be such a key figure in the indie horror community?
Wow, thank you so very much. For one that is an incredibly generous compliment. I don’t know if I see myself as a “key figure”, but it’s true that I’ve been uncommonly lucky to have created and been part of some very cool indie projects. I think if the twelve-year-old me could see where I am today, he would be equally excited and proud. The truth of the matter is it takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance to do this. In some ways it has been worth it and in others, not so much. It’s about choosing the right people to work with and getting rid of the toxic ones that can drag you down. It’s about respecting those you collaborate with and giving credit where credit is due. At the end of the day though it comes down to opportunities presented, taking advantage of little successes and putting flukes to the test. Doing this I’ve had some high highs and some low lows, but the journey has been one of the more interesting aspects of my life. Whether I’m forgotten or remembered for any of this, it feels good to know that I was never too scared to try.
Are you working on anything else?
Eric and I have a couple of irons in the fire over at Blood Moon Pictures. There’s a script I wrote nearly a decade ago called The To Die List which Eric is dying for us to make. It’s a sort of heist/slasher. I’ve also come up with a single narrative/anthology hybrid concept called New Fears Eve that I’m excited about. I’m going to start writing the script once I stop being lazy, but I’m in love with the idea and think it’ll be a blast to produce. What I’ve learned after twelve years of filmmaking is you never truly know what your next project is going to be, but it’s almost always something that comes from a place of passion. I just look forward to seeing what we do next.
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