Fun Size Horror is a horror film collective that has come together to create 31 films that celebrate Halloween! This unique carnival of terror kicks off today and will last until the last trick-or-treater. You can find all of the terrifying shorts distributed across DreadCentral, BloodyDisgusting, ShockTilYouDrop, Collider and HitFix, all week!
One of the included short films, Sleeper, was directed by my good friend Michael Velasquez. Fortunatley, I was able to convince Michael to answer a few questions about his short, as well as some of the things that keep him up at night.
KEITH: How did you get involved with this project?
MICHAEL: One of the producers of Fun Size Horror, Zeke Pinheiro, is a good friend of mine. We both grew up in Lodi, CA and have been helping out on each other’s projects for as long as we’ve lived in LA. Longer, actually, now that I think about it. Zeke’s a talented guy, and I jumped at the chance when he asked if I wanted to be a part of this.
Have you always been a fan of the horror genre?
Horror movies scare the crap out of me. Especially supernatural horror. I pretty much only watch them when peer pressured and I usually regret it. If I’m home alone, I can easily make myself really anxious by thinking about the The Changeling. The one with George C. Scott. I saw it when I was 6 or 7 and it gave me nightmares up through college. And I imagine a lot of horror lovers would consider it a pretty tame film.
What horror movies have inspired or influenced you?
I do enjoy scary movies that have elements of action and comedy. John Carpenter’s The Thing is an all time favorite of mine and that’s a downright terrifying film, but it’s also so damn badass. I like it when the hero has a fighting chance. Or more recent stuff like Shaun of the Dead and Cabin in the Woods where there’s a constant wink and nod to the audience for me to focus on instead of freaking myself out.
Can you talk a little bit about your film?
First, let me start off by saying that it is not autobiographical. It’s about a husband who is terrorized by his sleepwalking wife. I, myself, occasionally experience night terrors but for the most part, my wife finds them hilarious, except for the time I tried to punch her in the face. Okay, maybe it’s semi-autobiographical.
Sleeper is my first time in eight years or so directing my own project and I was very lucky to have the help of my talented, patient, ridiculously good looking friends. The shoot was kinda grueling and you can help me repay the cast and crew by Google-stalking everyone in the credits because they are a prolific bunch and have several of their own projects out there for your enjoyment.
I know each film is only going to be online for 24 hours. What happens after? Will these be made available after Halloween?
Zeke and our other producers, Curtis Andersen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Mali Elfman (Somnia, Do Not Disturb), and Michael May (Hacker Gamez) have plans for a VOD release. I may submit to some film festivals depending on the response.
Any plans to follow up on your film — like with a sequel or expanding it into a feature?
Sleeper is a standalone so no plans for a sequel or feature. I’ve got two more horror themed short films I want to get out of my system so I can stop thinking about them and sleep better at night.
Sleeper — starring Lamar Woods, Brooke Ashley Anderson, and Cesar Ramos — premieres October 29 on BadAss Digest as part of Fun Size Horror’s “Gruesome Twosome Wednesday,” in which two shorts will be released on each host site.
All of the Fun Size Horror short films have been independently produced by a wide range of filmmakers including Josh C. Waller (Raze), Glen Murakami (Batman: The Animated Series, Teen Titans), Eric Pereira (The Summer I Died), Mali Elfman (Somnia, Do Not Disturb), with participating actors Lance Reddick (Fringe, The Wire), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Tracie Thoms (Looper, Death Proof), Brea Grant (Heroes, Halloween 2), Victor Webster (Continuum), Amy Dallen (Geek & Sundry’s Talkin’ Comics), and Diva Zappa (Do Not Disturb).
All this week, a new short will appear everyday on each of the five sites hosting Fun Size Horror. Each short will only be up for 24 hours before being replaced by the next day’s horror film so make sure to catch them while they’re up.
Fun Size Horror is being produced by Zeke Pinheiro, Mali Elfman, Curtis Andersen, and Michael May.
