Good evening to all you fine happy haunts. I’ve made no secret of my love for horror films. Any horror flick will catch my attention eventually, and I’ll watch it when I find time. One genre of horror film I enjoy is found footage movies. The feel they give is visceral and can be felt deep in our bones. Being behind the camera with the characters as the terror unfolds around them and discovering the horror with them is a rush.

I remember when The Blair Witch Project first hit theaters. We sat silently as the cast was thrust into a nightmare of legend and legacy. They couldn’t trust their senses or the woods around them, so we sat lost and scared along with them. I’ll never forget the ending and how it made my hair stand on end. I still enjoy viewing it every now and again.

The Blair Witch Project launched a genre that spoke to many of us. One of my other guilty pleasures is the Paranormal Activity franchise. Sure, they get goofy the deeper into the series you get, but I have a lot of fun watching them. It’s the main franchise I have cued up for October and my film viewing.

Found footage films have also had a lasting impression on many horror fans. One of these is Dillon Brown. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone in the Arena to answer the Ten Questions, and tonight it’s Dillon’s turn.

Dillon Brown is an author, director, and producer specializing in the found footage genre. He started his own production company, Horror Nerd Productions, and is part of Horror Dadz Productions. Dillon’s films are horrific fun, and you should go check them out. However, we’re here tonight to see if he can enter the Arena and come out with his life. So, without further delay, Dillon answers the Ten Questions.

1. You are one of the driving forces behind Horror Nerd Productions and Horror Dadz Productions. How did you get involved with the group, and what is your role there?

Well, truth be told, I founded both. Horror Nerd is my personal company here in Reno, and Horror Dadz is a collaborative company effort between multiple filmmakers across the country. It all started when a few of them reached out to me to discuss indie filmmaking and expressing interest in making their own films, we chatted for a while, and then it just grew into this brotherhood of other dads out there trying to get into the business. We are really just here for each other in any way. And we collaborate when we can. It’s been a really life-changing experience and has helped my film journey immensely. 

2. What got you involved behind the camera? 

I have always wanted to make films, even as a little boy. I saw Jurassic Park in the theater at 7 years old and it absolutely floored me. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t all real. And it was at that moment I wanted to know how it was done. So one day I grabbed my cell phone and made a short fan film in the Tremors universe, and it got some coverage, randomly, by Bloody-Disgusting, one of the biggest horror sites in the world. It was the confidence I needed to forge on, and now here we are. 

3. You are also an author involved in multiple book projects and your own novels. What brought about your change in focus to film?

I like the instant gratification of film. You can spend 12 hours on set and later that week you can review footage and edit and you’re already seeing it come to life. I still love writing, but there is a rush when you’re creating a world in front of the camera. 

4. Horror Nerd’s main focus is found-footage films. What drove you to use this format as your main gimmick?

Honest answer? Budget limitations. You can far away with the “raw” footage look in that genre, as it’s part of the motif. It helps when you don’t have a huge crew, and you can make the camera person a character in the film. I’ve been leaning more into the realm of “faux documentaries” now and trying to tell my fictional horror stories in the world of Netflix-style docs. It’s been a ton of fun. 

5. What has been your most satisfying part of involvement in the independent horror film industry?

Seeing my films make it onto large streamers like Tubi and Amazon Prime. When I see my little $4000 movies next to huge budgeted films, it’s just surreal, man. It’s so damn cool. 

6. What are your goals for your future in film?

I just want to keep making them. I want each one to be better than the last, and that’s for my own personal growth. And maybe one day, I’ll have the budget to have an animatronic dinosaur made so I can finally make a dinosaur horror film! 

7. What projects are you most proud of?

The Tahoe Joe series has been probably my most fulfilling. We created this local legend of Bigfoot and people in the Reno/Tahoe area are starting to refer to it as this commonly known legend even though we just created it a few years ago. That’s been really damn cool. 

8. What projects are you looking forward to working on?

I just wrapped my first effort in the world of traditional storytelling and finally stepped out of the found footage world with The Summer We Died. It’s a skater punk slasher with a trio of badass women at the front of it all. Very colorful film, lots of music, and all practical effects work on our slasher kills. Just a damn fun movie to make.  

9. What are the influences on your film work?

I would say the main is Roger Corman, in that he made so many movies with so little to work with. I’ve modeled my ideals after his work ethic and imagination. But I’d also say John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Spielberg, and new guys like Mike Flannagan, James Wan, and Radio Silence are all big influences. 

10. Tell us where we can find you and your films.

They’re all on Tubi, Plex, Fawesome, and others. You can check out the IMDb pages for any of our films and find the big list of streamers they’re all on. 

Dillon is carving a place for himself in the genre. Besides the love his Tremors short received, he’s also gotten some other accolades along the way. Dillon was selected for the biggest found footage festival in the world, The Unnamed Footage Fest in San Francisco for Tahoe Joe 2, and his short episode, “The Protector,” from Midnight Feature, was selected for their virtual fest this past month. Dillon’s newest flick, The Summer We Died, is playing at the Skate or Die Film Fest in Pennsylvania this October for its world premiere

Have some fun this Halloween season, and go check out Dillon’s work on your streaming devices!

Later, I have an office to haunt and people to kill in some literature.

Take care,

Brent