Alamo City filmmaker Colin Bressler credits his interest in horror to his parents, who showed him scary movies he was too young to see.
“They were crazy horror fans, so I was exposed to a lot of stuff I really shouldn’t have watched at that age,” Bressler told the Current in a recent interview. “I remember I saw movies like Re-Animator and I Spit on Your Grave.”
Bressler’s early introduction to cult horror movies led him to direct his own low-budget projects, including Bloody Drama and The Mummy Murders.
His latest horror film is The Demon’s Killer, written by San Antonio native Josh Caza and starring San Antonio actress Rylie Rodriguez (Landman). Rodriguez plays a young woman who begins to do terrible things after she’s possessed by a demon.
During our interview, Bressler talked about the movie that scared him the most as a child and why he wanted to make The Demon’s Killer scarier than anything he’s directed before. He also shared his thoughts about his experience with negative criticism.
The Demon’s Killer will premiere Oct. 29 at City Base Cinemas, 2623 SE Military Drive. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com.
What’s your earliest memory of a horror movie that stuck with you?
The one I think of immediately is An American Werewolf in London. As a kid, it freaked me out, especially when he turned into a werewolf. I remember thinking I was going to turn into a werewolf too. I was always a very imaginative kid. That was kind of a curse.
How do you describe The Demon’s Killer?
I call it a demon possession/serial killer movie. Initially, the idea for the movie was in my head, but then Josh ran with it. I worked with Rylie on my last movie, Into the Gravel Pit, and I loved working with her. I really think she has star potential. I thought she would be an awesome lead. So, the script was written with her in mind.
What led you to make another horror movie?
To be honest with you, I’m very happy with my past movies, but I don’t think they’re scary enough. That’s a lot of the criticism I’ve gotten from horror fans. I think my instincts are geared more to drama-thrillers. This time, I wanted to service the horror fans the right way. I wanted to make a creepy, off-putting horror movie where horror fans would be satiated.
How are you with negative criticism?
It’s always kind of bummer for a second. But I was told in film school that you have to be able to accept it and take it in. They taught us the difference between good criticism and bad criticism. On Amazon, one person wrote that I should never be allowed to film another movie again. It’s kind of funny on some level, but you can’t help but be like, “Oh, man, geez!”
So, how do you think you made The Demon’s Killer scarier than your earlier horror movies?
I dove deep into recent horror filmmakers who creeped me out or who created a cool vibe and atmosphere and experience. I watched a lot of older movies like Rosemary’s Baby. I put myself through a mini film school watching these great filmmakers and paid attention to what they do and how these movies made me feel and learned from that. Horror is really about pacing.
Besides pacing, what makes a good horror movie?
You know, I think we need to have a symposium on that. The horror genre is funny because there’s a bit of a struggle defining it. There are gatekeepers in the genre. Like, what is a horror movie? Is The Silence of the Lambs horror? In my opinion, I think a good horror movie has unsettling experiences. You want audiences to walk away with that lingering feeling. I think that’s the goal for those of us who try to make scary movies. It’s like a rollercoaster. You want that thrill.
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