Macabre...ish Cults, Classics & Horrors

Melissa Vitello has always loved writing and storytelling, starting at age 9, she was writing books and at 12 or 13 when her aunt, who worked in the film industry, starting letting her read scripts, she learned to write her own. Her first screenplay was written at 13 years old. 

Melissa moves to LA at around 19 years old and went to school and started a club called Dark Heart Pictures, which ended up being her first company. That’s where she began making short films with her friends and there she found a love of producing and collaboration. Afterward she met her husband, also a filmmaker, they made their first film together in 2016. 

Ms. Vitello also worked freelance producing and started work as the head of production for a short form content studio. Then the pandemic happened, and it was time to move on. That began her career as a feature film producer and the creation of her horror film company with another producer, Stacy Snyder, called Moon Castle Films. Moon Castle Films specializes and centers women in horror films.

As well as the work, Melissa also talked about the value of making connections and maintaining relationships plus balancing work/life with her husband who she also shares a production company with. 

Melissa’s directorial feature film under the banner of her production company, Moon Castle Films was called Abigail. But her first original full feature film, (directed and written) with Moon Castle Films is called Regression. (Keep an eye out for it!) 

Find this podcast wherever you get your podcasts as well as on youtube here —> ⁠https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNblhfc6MVBMUe65EA-lWSzG_joW27ZSf⁠

And find Melissa Vitello and her work here:

⁠https://www.mooncastlefilms.com⁠

IG is melissa_makes_movies:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/melissa_makes_movies?igsh=MTVoZTZjMmhodWg5dQ==⁠

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 ⁠https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/⁠ 

Kimberly at ⁠http://www.macabreish.com⁠ and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. ⁠https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish⁠

Allison Pittel joins us and shares her journey from college, her decision to work in entertainment and moving to New York. She spent 2 years there as a Production Assistant and working in reality tv. Allison explains how she auditioned for Fuzz on the Lens (The producers of Terrifier) with David Howard Thornton and even though that project didn’t come to fruition, it was a really good experience and she kept in touch. 

A year and a half later, with Fuzz on the Lens, she was cast in their feature, Stream. Later on, Allison got the call to do a chemistry read for Screamboat and booked that one too! 

Though Allison paid the bills with production and had enjoyed the experience, she prefers to act. And she just moved to L.A. to do just that!

That’s not all, she’s also an indie horror fan and she sees the potential in horror film and is excited to be apart of it. We talk about being in another renaissance in indie horror, as well as women in horror.

Allison is a collaborator at heart and talks about just wanting to make good horror with great people. You will also find her on stage because she is also a play actor.

Keep an eye out for Allison Pittel (Pit-Tell) look for her in Stream and Screamboat which is in theaters April 2, 2025! It is a limited run so go see it! This movie is made for the big screen and an audience!

Get tickets for Screamboat here:

https://steamboatwilliehorrormovie.com

Find Allison Pittel:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8110323/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

https://www.instagram.com/allisonpittel?igsh=ZjJ0N2kyZHFrOGU0

Find Carlos and I:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Patrick Rea has been making movies his entire life, in high school, he was given free rein to put his movies on the school’s cable tv channel. And his introduction to the filmmaking business was on the set of Election, at 17 years old. He went to college and one of his mentors was his professor, academy award winner, Kevin Wilmott (you’ll know him as one of the writer’s of 2018 Blackkklansman).

Instead of leaving for LA after graduating from KU, Patrick, instead worked at a tv station making short films. He still lives in Kansas City and most of his films have been shot there.

Patrick shares the pitfalls of filmmaking, sequels and the importance of picking the right distributor. His feature Nailbiter gained steam on Chiller channel and again after it landed on Tubi. He has ideas for a sequel which he’ll make if he can get funding. (everyone stream it so we get that sequel!)

Then he wanted to make a camping horror and called it Enclosure, it was originally supposed to be made in the Ozarks but funding was acquired for South Carolina. The film was shot in 12 days. The distributor changed the name to Arbor Demon (in some places it is still called Enclosure).

Patrick creates interesting stories and unique spins on already established monsters. Even the lower budget films are good, where it might save in expensive production value, you’ll get in story, brutal scenes and a solid twist. Like in I Am Lisa, if you are a Ginger Snaps fan, give this one a watch. It’s a much lower budget film set in the 80s but go for it so we can get a sequel to this one too!

The next one, They Wait in the Dark got him his first New York Times review and it was positive. Unfortunately, this one is distributed by Red Box/Chicken Soup for the Soul who went bankrupt. You’ll have to listen to find out how much of a problem that’s turned out to be and still is.

Patrick has made a ton of shorts, many of which find their way into anthologies, everywhere. Watch and enjoy them!

Support indie filmmakers! Watch Nail Biters, Arbor Demons, I Am Lisa and keep an eye out for Super Happy Fun Clown!

Find Patrick Rea’s filmography here:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1408696/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Steven La Morte started making stop motion videos as an only child in New York, then moved his little productions to the school tv station in high school, where he found his love of storytelling and there he met the producer of Terrifier. 

After high school he went to NYU Tisch and also spent time lying about his age so he could direct music videos for labels. It wasn’t long before he moved to LA and as of today, he’s been there for 12 years.

nd making seemingly impossible scenes happen on a strict budget as well as

If you’re a fan of The Mean One, you’re going to want to hear how that came about. It was never a concept that was going to exist in the real world but it does now! On that note, get the collector’s edition of The Mean One because it includes a documentary about how it was made called Christmas Chaos: Making the Mean One.

Steven’s newest project called Screamboat, starring David Howard Thornton as Screamboat Willie, is a reimagining of the public domain character Steamboat Willie. It is set on a New York ferry. Steven talks about the idea for this movie and how it came together. 

Support indie films , Screamboat is out April 2, 2025, go see it! 

It’s meant to be seen on the big screen folks! Get your tickets here:

https://steamboatwilliehorrormovie.com

Find Steven LaMorte here:

https://www.stevenlamorte.com

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__ 

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

This is the 3rd and final part of Kellen & Sheff's episode...

Kellen Garner’s journey into the film industry. Starting from when he was a kid and not really getting that it was a job. He realized being in drama and theater, it was a good outlet him and he was in theater in high school and in college and in community theater. Some theater friends got him into a noir indie film. 

In that film, he discovered he needed more than just acting, in film, he wanted more autonomy and control of the production. The next opportunity is where he met Sheff, who was hired on as cinematographer and they became fast friends. Mostly bonding over the ineptitude of the director. It was a terrible experience that culminated in an unwatchable movie but they stuck it out to the end. It actually put them off of westerns, it was that bad. They jokingly call the beginning of their friendship a trauma bond because of that movie.

Kellen’s next movie was the exact opposite of that and solidified his love of directing. And now after Blood in Them Hills, their paths have converged and Kellen is directing a western and Sheff is directing a horror. 

They also talk about the differences between doing their own films and making films for producers. The freedom they had in Blood in Them Hills and being able to do what they’ve never were able to do before. Plus being able to do it with an amazing cast, that was easy to work with and with their ability to embody the characters so well.

Support indie filmmakers and check out Blood in Them Hills if you haven’t already! 

Kellen Garner’s work:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5814459/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Part 2 

Sheff and Kellen tell us how the production for Blood in Them Hills came together. Making the monster FX work and worrying it wouldn’t. Talking about the random adjustments that were made to make it all look authentic. 

Sheff talks inspirations for certain scenes and Kellen explains how the landscape and weather is what makes the movie work. Making hard decisions including cutting a really good scene with Joe (Kellen Garner) but it didn’t necessarily serve the movie in that moment.

We chatted about a potential sequel and Kellen explains what that might look like, the location and how it would be more of a universe than cannibals chasing Joe in the snow.

Everyone get out and see Blood in Them Hills, the release is 2/18/25 and come back here for part 3 in a few days! That’s going to be all about how Kellen got into the film industry and his and Sheff’s earlier and sometimes unfortunate jobs they’ve had together. 

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com

Find Kellen Garner and his work here:

https://www.instagram.com/broomhorse?igsh=aXVycDNhY3Y0aTJ0

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Christopher Sheffield is back and this time with co-director and writer, Kellen Garner and they’re here to talk about their new film, Blood in them Hills. This is part 1 and they talk about how they work together, the idea for Blood in them Hills and the often grueling task of getting the film made.

From the first day, it was tough, from grinding through terrible winter weather, to an absent lead and a death of a cast member. It took years to complete this project for so many reasons, but these guys are professionals, and you can’t see any of that struggle on screen, somehow it all came together. 

This episode is a behind the scenes chat and a play by play of the effort that went into this film, the challenges and how Sheff and Kellen overcame them all. 

If you like Westerns or Horrors, check out Blood in Them Hills, out on 2/18/2025. Also, check out Bite the Dust (formerly Bite the Ground) it was also directed by Christopher Sheffield and Kellen plays a hired gūn in this one! 

Stay tuned for part 2!

Find Christopher Sheffield and his work here:

http://www.christophersheffield.com

Find Kellen Garner and his work here:

https://www.instagram.com/broomhorse?igsh=aXVycDNhY3Y0aTJ0

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

Elliott Lester got his start making music videos for everyone from Jessica Simpson and Selena Gomez to Alicia Keys and Method Man. He got his start as a filmmaker with funding from an unusual source. But then the big break came when he was offered a movie called Blitz, starring Jason Statham and Paddy Considine, it's about a serial k!ller who hunts cops.Later, after his divorce, Elliott was offered a script for the movie, Nightingale, starring David Oyelowo and he could not get the funding, everyone turned him down. But he did have another interesting source to fund the film. Once the movie is done, Elliott, once again, hit a wall and couldn’t get the film into any film festivals.But with the help of Brad Pitt and his company Plan B, the film’s trajectory made a complete 180. The film went on to win awards and nominations (Golden Globes, Emmys) and David Oyelowo, the star, earned a Best Actor win at the Critic’s Choice Awards. And Nightingale was picked up by HBO.Mr. Lester also talks about the difficulty of working in television and one of his films called Sleepwalker (2017). Then one day he gets a phone call from Darren Aronofsky, wanting to know if Elliott would like to direct a drama, Aftermath, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and so he goes to a meeting with Arnold.You have to hear about that and the story of how he got the script for The Thicket, the meeting with Peter Dinklage, you have to hear how Juliette Lewis (who goes on to play, Cutthroat Bill) and James Hetfield (Metallica) came to be in film. Then Tubi came along and the movie is greenlit.The Thicket was a huge hit getting 127 million hours in its first week on Tubi..You’re in for a great and hilarious story! Enjoy!Also, watch Elliott Lester’s movies...Blitz, Sleepwalker, Nightingale, Aftermath and The Thicket.

And find us:

Kimberly at ⁠http://www.macabreish.com⁠ and IG @macabre_ish. ⁠https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish⁠

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Paul Andrew Williams got his start in acting having landed a place in a prestigious drama school in London at age 18. But he became disenchanted, was side tracked and returned home to start over. But he returned to London to make a short film and music videos, little by little each small project brought in more money until one of his indie shorts got the attention of Fox Searchlight Director’s Lab where he created, It’s Ok To Drink Whiskey and it premiered in the Sundance Film Festival. 

After a stint in LA, Paul returned home and the entire time he was trying to get The Cottage made but it kept stalling. In the mean time he was offered the Wild Things 3 but severe anxiety attacks forced him to quit.

But then he wrote a script called London to Brighton from that Friday to Monday, then got the funding (£60,000) to make it and the gritty thriller ended up being a success! Paul decided to finally make his horror comedy. The Cottage. While it was well received at festivals, the critics back home didn’t get it. 

While his first feature, a gritty thriller, London to Brighton, was a critically acclaimed hit that made him an indie darling, this horror comedy, cost him and changed the trajectory of his career. First, was a rating system choice because of one word and had the word been removed, Paul believes it would have a different outcome. It was a big lesson to learn.

The next movie was like starting over. It was another low budget indie thriller, Cherry Tree Lane which was better received. 

Paul changed direction again to TV and making dramas then he created Bull. And if you are a fan of the film The Children, that was based on a script he wrote and sold. 

Paul Andrew Williams is one of my favorite filmmakers and one of my favorite comedies is apparently his worst feature, The Cottage! Check out his other work if you haven’t already, London to Brighton, which put him on the map. Watch the more recent Bull and Cherry Tree Lane! Watch everything and support indie films.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Find Paul Andrew Williams’ filmography here:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1440314/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And find us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish

[Before the show starts Chris, Carlos and I have have such interesting conversations and on this day before Dave shows up we were talking about Terrifier, Damien Leone and the impact of physical FX artists who become filmmakers. And Carlos talks about his personal experience with physical fx in his zombie film, Duck & Cover.]

Dave McRae arrives and we discovered that he and Chris knew each other in another life! He shares his stories of going to film school and decided he wanted to be an actor and moved closer to Toronto for opportunity. He got a part time job at a video store and after a road hockey incident that cost him his smile, he had to put on camera acting on hold. Then he shifted focus to voice acting and as of 2024 he has 24 years in the entertainment industry. Much of which has been in voice over work. By 2006, Dave was a full time actor.

Later, he returned to his first love, filmmaking. And that started on his youtube channel. In 2019, at the age of 40 he decided to make a go at directing, finally. So he waded in and with his connections and (specifically his life long friend, Bruce Dale) decided to make a Black Christmas fan film, a reimagining of Black Christmas. After having a successful indiegogo launch and raising 60,000 CAD, It’s Me, Billy Chapter 1, came to be. 

Dave talks about the differences in fan film quality and why. Part two of his, It’s Me, Billy Chapter 2, out earned chapter 1 by over 80,000 CAD with Olivia Hussey attached, plus the original Claire (Lynne Griffin) (remember the girl with the bag on her head in Black Christmas!!) and is playing Claire’s sister.

But just as the production of It’s Me, Billy Chapter 2 was under way, the Writer’s and SAG strikes happened and they were delayed 3 months awaiting approval. Unfortunately, a bigger nightmare happened when Olivia Hussey fell ill and she had to bow out, this happened 13 days before shooting. And Dave & Co had to scrambled to do press releases and inform contributors of the crowdfund, knowing that issuing refunds was a real possibility.

Dave also plays Freddy in another film, Dylan’s New Nightmare, in 2019, the 25th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm St. And he talks about a potential supernatural, philosophical feature in his future that he’s been thinking about since college, based on a true story, his story. We hear the script is done so we’ll find out if Port Robinson Road comes to be!

This year is the 50th anniversary of Black Christmas on October 11th and that is the release date of It’s Me, Billy Chapter 2. Put it on your calendars!! And of course, watch It’s Me, Billy Chapter 1, first!

Buy the physical media, support indie filmmakers!!

Find Dave McRae here:

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7_zQE4NTwspg2lwSRBjVWw

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2247687/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

https://www.instagram.com/davemcrae79/profilecard/?igsh=MTF5Y2Rqemt2bmc0ag==

And the rest of us:

Carlos Ibarra on IG @jekyl6669 and

 https://www.fillintheblanksproductions.ca/ 

Christopher Thompson on IG @theauthor__  

Kimberly at http://www.macabreish.com and Threads, IG and Tiktok @macabre_ish. https://linktr.ee/macabre_ish